Post #3 - First Amendment Rights, pt 1

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.



The exact text for the first amendment to the constitution of the United States appears above. It is the first section of the Bill of Rights. These are rights guaranteed to all legal residents of the United States. If the purveyors of a mosque can get the funds, permits, and backing to erect a center or mosque or whatever else it’s going to be called near ground zero, they absolutely have that right. If a church in Florida wants to burn the holy book of another religion, they have that right. If the President of the United States follows a religion other than the one followed by the majority of American, that’s his right.

I don’t understand why everyone is getting so worked up over this.

The people who are responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001 are not the people who are erecting a place of worship near ground zero. Can we please get a reality check here?

I recognize the sensitivities of the people involved. And I agree that putting up this mosque might be ill-advised. Fanning the flames of hatred is also ill-advised. Is anyone else as tired of this as I am?

Our country was founded on the basis of basic freedoms guaranteed to us through our constitution. It’s been a long journey to get those basic freedoms applied across the board to all people. We still have a ways to go. Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.