Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Exercising Constitutional Rights

I'm somewhat amazed, perhaps a bit befuddled, by those who have a problem with people protesting the election of Donald Trump as president. 

It's especially disheartening when it comes from bona  fide journalists who seem to believe that folks should simply accept the outcome of the election and move on with their lives. 
However, I'm not surprised by the outrage of "fake" news journalists who try to put a negative spin on anything that doesn't align with their extremist agenda.

U.S. citizens need to remember, or realize, that protest is one of our First Amendment rights, one that should be cherished—along with freedom of religion, speech, and the press. For those who haven't read it since high school, here's what it states:


"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.

Whether it's the Women's March on Washington this weekend, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963, Occupy Wall Street, Tea Party protests, anti-Vietnam War protests in 1960s, women's suffrage marches in the early 1920s,and others (labor, environment, human and animal rights, and more), shouldn't we accept and respect these fundamental exercises in democracy?

They are simply letting their voices be heard, rather than remaining silent and letting things run their course. It sure beats apathy, and later, regret, for not speaking out.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." — Martin Luther King Jr.


Until the next time. . .




 


2 comments:

  1. I agree with everything you've said. I've always kept my views about politics off social media, until now. I think it's important for everyone to pay attention and speak out.

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    1. It's especially important to speak out when something is happening that is beyond tolerance. We can all respectfully disagree on different matters, that should be the American way.

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