Let’s spend Independence weekend exercising our threatened freedoms. Use them or lose them. Protect and defend them by working in a coalition with freedom lovers everywhere. The most familiar liberties include Freedoms of Speech, Religion, the Press, Assembly, and to Petition / Sue the Government. Without one, the others are lost.
Most of the Declaration of Independence is a list of grievances committed by King George against the People. King George suppressed dissent by any means. Our Founders added the Bill of Rights to our Constitution as a direct response to what they experienced under his rule. To protect the People from being silenced, threatened or targeted because of their speech, the Founders created the 1st amendment.
Even if you disagree with the message, it ensures freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religious choice, freedom to gather free of government interference and the right to petition the Government. These freedoms are secured as a right of the People. King George took guns away from those deemed as rebels, so we have the 2nd amendment. He put soldiers into the homes of the People. Now we have the 3rd amendment to keep the military from commandeering your house.
King George sent his army to search homes at will, so we have the 4th amendment to protect the People from unwarranted search and seizure for that. King George decided a person’s guilt based on whatever; 5th amendment (is supposed to) guarantee due process with trial by jury and amendment 6 for a speedy trial with the right to counsel. Amendment 7 preserves the right to civil remedy for wrongs.
King George placed his enemies in a dungeon before your trial. Amendment 8 bans the government from imposing excessive bail. Amendment 9 protects the People from having other rights stripped away and the 10th amendment reserves any right not given to the government to be given to the People.
Our Founders did all of this to protect We the People from the government. They understood that when a government devises a way to take away one of freedoms; they have found a way to take all of our freedoms. Our Constitution set up our nation with equal branches of government for and by the people because our founding fathers knew rulers could easily slip into tyranny, removing rights from the People.
As we celebrate the 249th birthday of the United States, “We the People” face a critical moment in our history. Our Constitution calls on us to form a more perfect union. I urge every patriotic American to do their part in defending all of the rights and freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution and to dedicate themselves to this noble cause.
Between BBQs and Parades, write your lawmakers, donate to a candidate, volunteer, run for office, write the media, read banned books, protest along the streets, etc. Our nation’s founders pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to create our republic, let us now do our part to defend it.
Here are some links to exercise your freedom of speech: 5Calls.org, Contact Your Lawmakers | Democratic Party of Lee County, FL
Legislative watchdog Keith Edison is one of Lee County’s Democratic State Committee Representatives.