THE FIRST AMENDMENT

(Written October 14, 2009)

The founders of our Constitution realized that the people of their new nation did not wish to abide by the same tyrannical laws that were being used to control the lives of the people living in Europe at that time. After all, the people had come to America to escape that kind of life. If the monarchy of one of those European countries believed in a certain faith (Catholic or Protestant) then all of their subjects were expected to adopt that same faith. If one refused to do so, he or she could be jailed, tortured, or even killed. If the people disagreed with that policy or any other policies that the monarchy imposed upon them, they were not free to express their disapproval. They dared not speak out against any injustices for fear of what might happen to them.

Knowing of these injustices, our founders crafted the First Amendment to the Constitution. It reads as follows: “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.”

Since our country did not have a king or queen as a ruler, the governing body referred to in the First Amendment is Congress. Specifically it states that Congress shall not pass any laws forcing the people to adopt any specific faith. It also states that Congress shall not pass any laws preventing people from practicing the religion of their choice. It states further that Congress shall not pass any laws preventing people who have grievances from speaking, writing, or assembling together to air their opinions. The First Amendment does not say that the people themselves cannot express their own religious and political beliefs in public. It does say however that the Government cannot stop people from expressing their own religious and political beliefs.

The judicial branch of our government, the Supreme Court, has the power to impose the laws written by Congress and signed into law by the President. The courts were not provided with the power to change those laws so that they coincided with their own personal beliefs. However, that is exactly what the socialist members of the Supreme Court have done when they “interpreted” the First Amendment to restrict religious activities in this country. Following are examples of what socialist judges believe in: No one shall practice their religion in any public place where anyone else can see or hear them. For anyone to discuss their faith in public means that they are forcing their own beliefs upon everyone else.

No one shall display an object of worship (such as a cross) in public because you will be offending people who are not of your faith. It is permissible however to violate an object of worship (such as a cross of statue of Mary) by smearing it with feces or immersing it in urine. That is considered an expression of art, can be displayed in public and is approved of by the socialists. Freedom of speech is defined as shouting and drowning out speakers who disapprove of socialist ideas, burning or walking on the American flag, using profanity in public either orally or in writing, or using the media to distort the truth and to spread lies. Their beliefs deliberately exclude the true meaning of the First Amendment as our forefathers intended it.

As we continue to lose more of our freedoms, we will move ever closer to becoming a true socialist country.