Amendment the First

2008-03-07T00:47:00.000-08:00

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." - First Amendment of the Constitution, and First of the Bill of Rights

When the Constitutional Convention met in the city of Pennsylvania, in the year 1787, they knew there was going to be issues they had overlooked in their creation of our government. In fact, with 2 years James Madison had created a list of 13 Amendments that took into account the ideals of Liberty, as was viewed in during the Age of Enlightenment. Of these bills, 10 of them were passed and became known as the Bill of Rights. The first, and most important of these was the Right of Free Speech. The rights they were trying to ensure were: the ability of the Press to inform the People of what Government was doing, both good and bad so the People knew where they stood; The right of the People to voice their concerns by peaceful means, and to have those issues to be addressed; and the right of the people to worship as they desired. All of these rights have come under considerable strain since the creation of the Patriot Act, but the one that has suffered the most is the Freedom of the Press. Censorship, limiting of press visas to report the reality of what is happening overseas, and the arrest of journalist even trying to cover protest against the war have made it so the freedoms our Fore Fathers enjoyed, and that have helped to make this country great, are slowly being eroded away.

Censorship is something that should not happen at all in this country, at any level. But repeatedly in this country many great books have been banned. As recent as 2006 there were 546 challenges to have books removed from public libraries. A few examples of Banned Books in American history: Ulysses, Huckleberry Finn, and Candide. The Comstock laws of the 1870s alone banned many books such as; The Arabian Nights, and Canterbury Tales. Many think this time of McCarthyism on books have ended, but it's alive and well. Huckleberry Finn was banned in 2003! But the banning of books is just the tip of the iceberg compared to the banning of the Press that is currently going on.

The 2006 Press Freedom Index is a report started by an organization called "Reporters without Borders". This organization is an offshot of the famous and well respected group called "Doctors without Borders." This report takes a look at the state of the freedom of press within all the countries of the world. One would expect the United States to be among the top 5, even during a time of war, given the First Amendment. The United States of America was listed at 53 out of 168. We're in the neighborhood of Uruguay and Poland. Such countries as Croatia, and South Africa are listed higher then the United States! In 2002, the inception of the Index we were listed at 17th, which in itself is horrible, but to be in the middle of the pack in something that the Founding Fathers would be horrified with.

Now I must admit that the US Government has done a much better job in 2007 compared to 2006. We've jumped up to #22 in the Index. But I ask you, is this good enough? Even with National Security concerns, the American People have a right to know what is being done in their name across the globe, and to let their displeasure in the situation be known. The problem is that if the Press doesn't report the realities of the situation, and the Government can control it, even in the slightest, then the Population will not be informed, and cannot act accordingly.

The men who created this country believed, and rightfully so, that the most important thing for the country they envisioned to become a reality, was the the rights of the Press, and the separation of the Church and State. (which is an issue I'll delve into deeper at a later time.) With these freedoms eroding, America is in risk of becoming a totalitarian government. Without our right to voice our dissent, it will manifest itself in horrible and tragic ways.

The Tree of Liberty

2008-03-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson

Many have heard these lines, but I do not think understand what they entail. I have directed the link for the quote to go to the complete letter written by Mr. Jefferson. Take a minute and read it. It's not very long.

One of the greatest men in American history is proclaiming the need for rebellion and revolution, not once or twice in the history of a country, but every generation! Why such a dramatic call to revolution? Mr. Jefferson understood that government unchecked will become corrupt, and the need for the government to fear the people, or that people would fear their government.

The Constitution set about creating a way for the population to let their displeasure with the actions of the government be known, by peaceful assembly and the right to voice their protest. The only problem is when the government turns a deaf ear to the pleas of the People. What shall be the course for the People to take, when their wishes and desires are not listened to and acted upon.

One final note: Mr. Jefferson brought up the subject of South America. How aptly he predicted the future:

"I know that there are combustible materials there, and that they wait the torch only. But this country probably will join the extinguishers."

If the Government is allowing our voices to be heard, and so many are against it's actions, why are we being ignored? Or more importantly, if our voices are being ignored, what other options are we left?

The Founding

Amendment the First

The Tree of Liberty