"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
- George Washington
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Editor's Note: Thursday, 04-30-09 saw the arrest of 62 non-violent protestors at the White House. Their crime? Not getting approval to voice their dissent on public property. In this week's featured commentary, Steve Osborn argues that being required to ask permission to exercise a "right" renders it anything but a right. What do you think? Please stop by the blog to let us know.
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Free Speech or Permission to Speak?
by Steve Osborn
The First Amendment to the Constitution reads, "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."
When we accept the government's (Federal, State or Local) requirement as to time and place to protest or demonstrate. When we agree to demonstrate only far from where the demonstration needs to take place; when we agree to limit the scope of our grievances to avoid embarrassing the officials we are trying to wake up, then we are voluntarily giving up that First Amendment right.
What is not understood by most people is that the Bill of Rights does not give us permission to exercise the Rights of Man, it forbids the government from interfering! Read the Bill of Rights, read the Constitution. Then look at what the government has usurped with its misnamed PATRIOT ACT and the other acts of similar ilk that illegally cancel out the Constitution and its first ten amendments.
When We the People cannot stand in front of the White House and make our grievances known, we might as well be demonstrating in front of the Reichstag in 1930's Germany. The results will ultimately be the same.
(read more and comment on the blog)
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