Defending Our Bill Of Rights

On this, the 230th Anniversary of the ratification of our Bill of Rights, we shall shine a spotlight on some of those trying to redefine or destroy our Bill of Rights and why it is so vital we defeat them.

I assume most Americans cherish our Bill of Rights, those first 10 Amendments to our incredible U.S. Constitution, that have helped ensure all Citizens have the ability to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

However, there are some who have been trying to limit or curtail, if not destroy, our Rights by redefining them to their own agenda. There are too many to mention in one post, so here are just a few examples that really stick out.

Let's start with Rep Jerry Nadler, as fairly recently he sent a tweet concerning the Kyle Rittenhouse "heartbreaking verdict." In attacking the Not Guilty verdict, Jerry spoke about the people (i.e., rioters) in Kenosha who were "engaged in First-Amendment-protected protest."

This is a blatant attempt to redefine "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble..." (as it is written in our First Amendment). Looting, rioting, setting fire to property and attacking people is certainly not peaceful.

There have been others on Capitol Hill who spread the same narrative about the Summer 2020 Riots as being "peaceful protests," which has, unfortunately, also carried over into popular TV shows, some of which I, my family and friends, will no longer watch.

The result is that there are still violent riots occurring no one is shutting down, despite the fact that Congress is charged to "suppress Insurrections" (Article I Section 8 Powers of Congress).

Freedom of Religion has been under assault for a long time. During the so-called pandemic we have lived under for nearly two years, Houses of Worship came under brutal attack. Back in April 2020, it was estimated that over 90% of all Houses of Worship were forced to close, most under state or county executive orders or mandates.

Numerous churches filed suits against the tyrannical orders forcing them to close, and there have been winners, including Sun Valley's Grace Community Church, Abundant Life Baptist Church, Denver Bible Church, Community Baptist Church, and others.

The court decision for the latter two, in Denver, said, "the Constitution does not allow the State to tell a congregation how large it can be when comparable secular gatherings are not so limited, or to tell a congregation that its reason for wishing to remove facial coverings is less important than a restaurant's or spa's."

Drop. The. Mic.

And, of course, our Freedom of Speech received probably its biggest setback when Social Media entered the mix of blatant censorship in concert with our government. While our 1A covers government restrictions on speech it does not place those restrictions on companies.

However, when a company, such as Facebook, not only coordinates actions with the CDC (and WHO) but also receives "suggestions" from Intelligence Committee Chairman Representative Adam Schiff to use the label of “misinformation” for any posted statements opposing official government pronouncements that does bring it into a First Amendment violation.

Yet, no one at our U.S. Department of Justice intervenes. Nor does anyone in Congress. Make no mistake our Freedom of Speech is at high risk.

George Washington, our first president, was adamant about this point. He said, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

Freedom of the Press has come to mean, apparently, that the press can say, print or publish whatever they please and, for the most part, take no responsibility, nor have any accountability, for gross lies and manipulation. That viewpoint is far removed from what our Founders intended.

Consider what Thomas Jefferson, principal author of our Declaration of Independence and 3rd president said, "Printing presses shall be subject to no other restraint than liableness to legal prosecution for false facts printed and published."

There is one shining example of holding media accountable. That is Nicholas Sandmann who was viciously maligned by numerous media outlets in 2019, when he was just 16 years old. He and his attorney sued several national outlets for libel and defamation. Some settled out of court, six are still pending.

Unfortunately, the media has not learned and continue to spread false narratives at will.

Our Second Amendment is a popular target for those who, while protected by people with guns and even forwarding the Defund the Police mantra, do not wish Citizens to be armed despite the wording, "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Yes, there is clearly a movement to redefine, or eliminate, our 2A.

Publicity hounds like Beto O'Rourke say "only the government can be trusted with guns," while Obama flat out said, "I don't think people should be able to own guns." Those exact government idiots happen to be the precise reason our Founders included the Second Amendment.

Make no mistake, first a tyrant takes your arms and the ability to defend yourself...then they take your liberty.