Freedom of speech is one of America’s most hallowed traditions, but it is becoming a dangerous one. Like any freedom, it must have limits. We are not free to do any number of things – murder, robbery, assault – even trespassing on a neighbor’s lot. Why should speech be different? Free speech has been […]
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Posts tagged with 'U.S. Constitution'
The Case for Anger
I believe in friendly debate, without rancor or personal animosity. But sometimes, the issues being debated become so personal that emotional involvement is unavoidable. I don’t see, for example, how you and I could unemotionally debate the failure of the current Congress to fulfill its obligation to the US Constitution. We would be discussing […]
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Squelching the Media
Trump is threatening to revoke the media credentials of news organizations that run negative stories about him. But I wonder whether he can legally do that. The freedom of the press is uniquely guaranteed in the US Constitution, and I don’t see how the press can be free to do its job if a […]
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The Obama Legacy
I suppose it’s flattering that President Obama is being blamed for failing to prevent the Saudis from beheading that Iranian cleric. The accusation seems to presuppose some kind of supernatural power. President Obama tries, he really tries, to right the wrongs of the world. But even the president of the United States can only do so much. I imagine […]
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A Toxic Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court has once again demonstrated its dangerous political and religious bias. In a majority decision, the court has ruled that a company may deny birth control coverage to employees if the company’s owners believe birth control is against God’s law. This clearly violates the constitutional separation of Church and State and nudges America closer […]
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Arrest This Man!
Lawmakers have no excuse for letting Stewart Rhodes remain free. It seems obvious to me that he belongs behind bars. Rhodes is founder and director of Oath Keepers, which proclaims itself: … a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the […]
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The “Patriots” Among Us
I wonder what would have happened if the armed men who faced down federal agents in Nevada recently were black? Or Mexican? I know what happened to an African immigrant named Amadou Diallo who reached into his pocket for ID when police confronted him in New York City some years ago. His body was riddled […]
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Trying to Make Sense of “Religious Freedom”
As I understand it, early settlers to America were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. In England, for example, the Roman Catholics and Protestants harried and butchered each other for generations. A monarch known as Bloody Mary burned Protestants at the stake. In Spain and Portugal the Inquisition tortured and killed “heretics,” claiming they were sacrificing the […]
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Gun Crazy – and Loving it!
“Freedom-loving” Americans are supposed to feel relieved when they hear that the National Rifle Association “will not go quietly into the night,” that the organization will forever fight for “the right to survive and protect our families with all the rifles, shotguns, and handguns we want!” That was the message NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre […]
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How Can Stand Your Ground Laws be Constitutional?
I didn’t hear it on TV and I had to Google it to find out, but, yes, Stand Your Ground laws are being challenged in the courts. It’s puzzling that I heard none of the pundits mention that in the aftermath of the Michael Dunn case. Clearly, the laws, which have so far been enacted in […]
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