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.
This amendment when broken down or dissected states that
1)CONGRESS ( the Supreme Court has interpreted it as applying to the executive and judicial branches).....shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....essentially this has become our"freedom of religion", yet in today's society, America is rapidly fading away from this important freedom, mainly in the name of "political correctness"...how terribly sad!
2)This amendment goes on to say "or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."
Abridging is defined as "1. To reduce the length of (a written text); condense. 2. To cut short; curtail. " I interpret this to mean that to reduce writings, to cut short or curtail information is wrong by Constitutional law. Look at our current political climate! There are numerous attempts and often successful attempts to curb this important freedom!
3) or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The right of people to peaceably assemble, AND to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. WOW....Is this happening now? Think about the "Tea Party Express"....and the August Townhall meetings (some not always peaceful!) According to the FirstAmendmentCenter.org and I humbly quote the following:
"The petition clause concludes the First Amendment’s ringing enumeration of expressive rights and, in many ways, supports them all. Petition is the right to ask government at any level to right a wrong or correct a problem.
Although a petition is only as meaningful as its response, the petitioning right allows blocs of public interests to form, harnessing voting power in ways that effect change. The right to petition allows citizens to focus government attention on unresolved ills; provide information to elected leaders about unpopular policies; expose misconduct, waste, corruption, and incompetence; and vent popular frustrations without endangering the public order"
America....it is time to wake up! The 1st Amendment to our Constitution over 200 years ago gives us our guidance on how and what to do about the wrongs being committed today. We must follow this guidance by exposing the misconduct (think Acorn!) waste (stimulus stupidity?) corruption (this is getting too easy), and incompetence (see my point now!)
Elections are coming. The Web is our voice. Exercise your Rights. Open your thoughts. Don't allow the Government to erode your freedoms. I am neither Democrat, Republican or other, as I have always voted for those whom I believed was best qualified for the job at hand. As a retired Senior Enlisted Soldier and disabled VietNam veteran, I believe I have humbly earned the right to call myself an "American Patriot." You too, can become an "American Patriot", simply by standing up and speaking your thoughts. I am concerned about where our America is headed. I hope you can "see" the reality that is facing America today. The reality is that America is spiraling downward and way out of control! However, thanks to the 1st Amendment, it is NOT too late to repair the ongoing damage.
Please Americans, blog your comments, concerns and ideas. We have the capability to fix the wrongs! You can become an "American Patriot". Speak out!
