ConNiPtioNs

Freedom?

What is freedom? Amendment I of the US Constitution guarantees certain freedoms.

Freedom for Dummies

Amendment I

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.

There is a reason that these freedoms were placed first in the Bill of Rights. The founding fathers believed that words are a more powerful force than guns. If people are allowed to speak and write freely about political issues and their government it is less likely that they will find it necessary to overthrow the government by force.

In recent months anyone who has spoken out against thge war in Iraq has been labeled anti-American by the pro-war "patriotic" Americans. Many of those same people who are telling us that we should leave the country because we exercise our right to speek againstthe government also want to force us to comply with their religious beliefs. They want our children to be forced to pray in public schools; they want anti-abortion protestors to be able to block entrances to women's health clinics but criticize us for protesting the killing of thousands of Iraqi civilians by our bombs and bullets.

Most of the people who decided to populate this continent did so to escape religious persecution or to freely practice their faith. Many others were brought here against their will as slaves by those same people, but that's another story. Now many of those groups want write their religious beliefs into law.

The meaning of the Second Amendment has been debated for years and will continue to be debated. I am no constitutional scholar but I have my opinion.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

The first words of the amendment, "A well regulated militia", indicate that the purpose of the right "to keep and bear arms" is to protect the people of the states from the federal government. The NRA-types like to believe that this gives each of them the absolute right to keep an arsenal of weapons in their homes. I think that it could be argued that the states could prohibit individual ownership of firearms while keeping arms for use of a state militia.

Anyhow, those are just some thoughts. I don't claim to be 100% right, as some people do, so if you want to disagree with me please use the comments section.