1st AMENDMENT

What rights does it guarantee to every American?

This passed Sunday I read the 1st Amendment to the congregation at my church. While I was reading it out loud, it occurred to me that in the last couple of years, every one of the freedoms guaranteed therein have been restricted, or denied.

Let us look at The 1st Amendment in detail.

“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.”

In Article 1, section 1 of the constitution it is written that all laws are to be written in Congress.

“All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

There are five rights guaranteed in this first Amendment to our constitution. Let’s look at each of them, and compare them to what our government, state, local, and federal, have done in the last two years

1) “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”

Pastors, and small business owners were fined, and arrested for refusing to obey these unlawful edicts. Churches were forbidden to assemble in many areas of our country.

We were told during the “pandemic” that our president, the CDC, and governors could issue decrees that had the power to determine which companies, and positions were essential, and which were non-essential. Churches were arrogantly deemed non-essential.

2) “or abridging the freedom of speech”

Doctors, scientists, and journalists who disagreed with the so-called “science” being peddled by “the experts,” were denied their freedom of speech, and access to social media.

3) “or of the press”

All national media were in lock step with one another, and any attempts to react to evidence honestly were met with scathing criticism by the media, and government institutions. Dissenters were not tolerated.

4) “right of the people peaceably to assemble”

These same government entities assumed the authority to declare abortion clinics, warehouse markets, liquor stores, and marijuana outlets were essential, while many small businesses, and churches were labeled non-essential, denying the right to “assemble,” in churches, or to protests against tyranny., while violent race rioters were given a free pass to commit violence for years, with little to no enforcement of the law.

5) “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Many who tried to resist, or oppose these unconstitutional edicts were persecuted, and penalized openly, and publicly, clearly violating the spirit, if not the letter of this constitutional requirement.

People were forbidden to assemble for church, funerals, weddings, school, and many occupations. And those who chose to criticize these unlawful dictates were punished.

The people who insisted in violating every one of these protections of personal liberty, assumed the position of the caring, the lawful, the compassionate, and authority.

How were they able to commit these offenses? Is it not because we let them? Where were the Americans refusing to bow to tyranny? They were few, and far between. I assure you that if massive numbers had stood in solidarity, the tyrants would have stood down.

I believe that if we want to preserve liberty for ourselves, our families, and our progeny, we can not continue to allow ourselves to cower. We must not follow these unlawful demands by our public servants.

It is up to the citizen to say no to tyranny. Our public servants must be made to submit to the will of the American people. If we allow our servants to dictate our behavior, we surrender the sovereignty that our Constitution, including our Bill of Rights have established for us.

God bless you, Dave