First ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America.
The very first Congress drafted 12 amendments to the states, 10 of which were ratified. The 1st Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press and grants the right to petition for redress and to assemble peacefully.
Amendment 1
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.
Amendment 2
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.
Amendment 3
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment 4
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment 5
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment 6
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment 7
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment 8
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment 9
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment 10
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Showing posts with label Bill of Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill of Rights. Show all posts
Apr 5, 2011
Jan 6, 2011
Wikileaks, 9/11 and the Bill of Rights
"I presume this is in regards to the push by congress to make the internet a gov't ruled affair?
Get this... see if you can wrap your head around it.... there is speculation that Wikileaks is run by the CIA. Think about it... they create it,... set up a big fiasco... leak a bunch of really stupid stuff that clearly isn't all that mind blowing and blow it up to huge proportions via the web. Then they put some mysterious kid soldier in jail for leaking info to Wikileaks and 8 months later, nobody has seen him even once. They claim he is in extreme solitary getting 1 hour of daylight each day. No charges have been pressed to date. Does this person even exist? Hmmm... anyways... what would be gained by such an event happening? Well, it would make the vast majority of people say "well, yeah... I guess with stuff happening like that Wikileaks thing it makes sense to rule the web, okay... I wont make as big a fuss over it then".
It stands to reason that just like 9/11, the government has manipulated the public with an incident to bend their simple believing minds in their favor.
I for one actually lean towards this theory and will be very skeptical of Wikileaks for some time until they blow the lid off something major. And even then, I will be questioning the possibilities of why that story exists."
Scott Ewing Blog: http://myindystudio.blogspot.com/
Nov 30, 2007
The Bill of Rights
by Howard Zinn, 1991
from the Zinn Reader, Seven Stories Press
A few years back, a man high up in the CIA named Ray Cline was asked if the CIA, by its surveillance of protest organizations in the United States, was violating the free speech provision of the First Amendment.
He smiled and said: "It's only an Amendment."
And when it was disclosed that the FBI was violating citizens' rights repeatedly, a high official of the FBI was asked if anybody in the FBI questioned the legality of what they were doing.
He replied: "No, we never gave it a thought."
We clearly cannot expect the Bill of Rights to be defended by government officials. So it will have to be defended by the people.
If you do a bit of research into the origins of the Bill of Rights- and I had to do some because it is a job requirement of the historical profession-you will find that when the new government of the United States adopted the Bill of Rights in 1791, it did not do so with enthusiasm. The Bill of Rights was a political tool to quiet down critics of the Constitution. A Bill of Rights on paper comforts people. You don't have to take it seriously.
Like that CIA man, you can smile, and say, they're only Amendments.
Full article: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/BillRights_ZR.html
The Problem is Civil Obedience: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/CivilObedience_ZR.html
May 23, 2006
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