First Amendment
A friend caught me the other day making a simple but profound mistake. While bemoaning the recent SCOTUS decision on ObamacareTax, I brought up the wrongness of striking down the Stolen Valor Act, which made it illegal to claim to be a war hero.
“Why do we need a law against that?” He asked. “We’ve already got laws on the books against fraud. We don’t need to pass another law every time someone gets their panties in a wad about some hot-button issue, especially when there’s usually a law already on the books to address a particular infraction.”
Much as I hate to be wrong, I was. I let my respect for our veterans cloud my judgement. I was reminded yet again to be wary of issuing laws at the whim of what seems expedient which, like my friend pointed out, usually serve to be just another tightening of the clamp around our freedoms.
Don’t let your emotional response to an issue cloud your reasoning. Of course it’s despicable to imitate a war hero or veteran, but it’s not a crime until that person uses the deception for monetary or personal gain. So in this case, the SCOTUS ruled correctly.
We must maintain vigilance over our own righteous outrages in order to be true to the real cause of liberty, even and especially if it’s speech we don’t agree with, because that is one thing distinguishing us from those that would silence our opinions just because we express dissent.
I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it. ~ Voltaire
The right to free speech is one of the many things our heroes fight for. We would do them a grave disservice by diminishing that right in the slightest, especially with some attempt to defend their honor which can never, ever be stolen by anyone.
VIA Houston Radio KTRH and radio talk show host Michael Berry who has a post up with phone numbers to call and express your opinions.
They fought for their country, now they’re fighting against it.
A trio of Houston area veterans groups is suing Veterans Affairs and the director of the local National Cemetery claiming they’re trying to censor religious freedom during funerals and other ceremonies.
This is an outrage and should not be allowed to continue. The families of our fallen heroes should be allowed any form of prayer or religious services they wish without the government’s pre-approval of prayers submitted beforehand.
God bless our veterans and soldiers.
Read the full story at KTRH and Michael Berry has more.
Don’t you think with Obama’s economy, those new job seekers are going to need all the help they can get? Aren’t there more important issues for a federal judge to be concerned with?
Apparently not.
Peter Morrison is fired up about it in his latest report:
Just last week, a federal tyrant threatened the Texas Senate with grounding all flights in Texas if the anti-groping bill was passed. Yesterday another federal tyrant, an unelected appointed-for-life federal judge named Fred Biery, banned any and all prayer at the Medina Valley ISD graduation ceremonies.
He went as far as to order students and administration that they could not use words like “prayer,” or “bow their heads,” or “amen” upon penalty of jail time for contempt of court.
Folks, it doesn’t get any more outrageous than this. There’s only one real solution: civil disobedience by students at the Medina Valley ISD graduation, followed by interposition and nullification of the judge’s order by the governor. The sovereign state should interpose itself between the tyrant and its citizens to prevent abuses of the Constitution, and nullify this judge’s unconstitutional order. It’s the only solution that preserves the students’ rights in time for their graduation.
Rick Perry talks a good talk about protecting state’s rights. This is where the rubber meets the road. Governor Perry should order state troopers and other law enforcement personnel to protect the administration and students of Medina Valley ISD from arrest. Furthermore, this federal judge ought to be tried for unlawful assaults and threats. If I illegally threatened to kidnap and jail someone for praying in public, that would be a crime, and it’s the same crime even if it’s done by an unelected tyrant in a black robe.
Take action:
Please send a fax to Governor Perry asking him to use every resource of the state to protect these students’ civil rights:
http://www.morrisonreport.com/fax_test/index.php?faxID=99
The Peter Morrison Report
http://www.PeterMorrisonReport.com
http://www.facebook.com/morrisonreportSources:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/02/prayer-prohibited-at-graduation-ceremony/
You know, last time I checked, the First Amendment provides us with freedom of religion, to worship in the manner of our choosing, not freedom from religion. No one in the graduation audience will be forced to pray. I promise. If you don’t want to, then don’t. Go get a beverage or a souvenir. Or you could just stand there and politely keep your yap shut for a moment. The Muslim terrorists in Gitmo have more religious freedom than those on the left would allow our students.
They don’t hate any God. The left hates the Christian God.
Video and more commentary at Gateway Pundit:
Far Left Judge Bans Prayer at Texas Graduation – Threatens Jail Time (Video)
UPDATE: Prayers answered.
Appeals panel overturns Medina Valley graduation prayer ban
Thanks to Kurt from A Trainwreck in Maxwell for the email.
Isn’t that special. Guess they don’t read the Robot. Or maybe they do and don’t like what they see. Which leads to the conclusion:
FCC Hates Beautiful Women! Â Â Â Save Rule 5 from FCC!
Robert M. McDowell, writing for the Wall Street Journal has more:
Tomorrow morning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will mark the winter solstice by taking an unprecedented step to expand government’s reach into the Internet by attempting to regulate its inner workings. In doing so, the agency will circumvent Congress and disregard a recent court ruling.
This is flat out unconstitutional. Once again, the Obama regime attempts to exert more control on free speech, internet access and beautiful girls. What is the world coming to?
The bailouts and takeovers were just the start of it all.
Obamacare’s death panels will decide who lives and dies according to some unknown standard of faceless nameless bureaucrats and pencil pushers who will have access to your credit, voting and video rental records.
We are supposed to be OK with a Ground Zero Mosque while they tell us to not celebrate Christmas.
Government has ruined the Gulf’s oil production and increased foreign access to the same waters.
The Food bill will put the FDA and the EPA in your backyard garden.
And to top it all off, after DADT is repealed, military recruitment will be decimated.
Why not just bow to our enemies and invite an attack? Oh. Yea, too late.
My friends, this lame duck congress and out of control administration are over the top with their sequestering of our rights and their undermining of our country and way of life. It’s insidious. The little nibbles and nips we have felt over the years were but a taste teaser leading to the gluttonous feast we experience and witness now.
We, the American People, must take the unprecedented step to issue a decree or petition of No Confidence in Obama and the Congress as it stands. (Is that possible? I don’t know. Couldn’t hurt to try it.)
Obama, Congress and all federal agencies must cease and desist all activity with regard to legislation and the drafting of new regulations until the new Congress is sworn in. And next year, if the new blood doesn’t turn the tide, woe be unto them, for the new decree will be a new election as soon as humanly possible, using paper ballots and a thorough ouster of all Senators and Representatives. Every last one. Start over. Clean slate. Restore and repair and repeal the amendments to the Constitution back to 1890 when the Communists began their treachery. McCarthy was right!
What else is there to do if we are to save the republic?
I know, I started off trying to be light-hearted about the net neutrality thing, but I can’t. I even made a new header and all attempting to get in the Christmas spirit. Believe me when I say, I know who wins in the long run. He is risen and shall come again. Jesus is the reason for the season. I know.
It just breaks my heart to see our country go down without so much as a whimper with these guys at the helm and a bunch of smarmy Liberal Progressives gloating over their “victory.” Victory over what? Common sense?
Please God forgive them. They know not what they do.
*Standing O*
This is what standing up for what you believe in looks like.
Fortunately the school officials came to their senses after calls from all over the world including Afghanistan.
Yea. You read that right. It took calls from Afghanistan(!) amongst other places to reverse this lunacy.
Witness what happens when American Patriots learn you were removed of your First Amendment rights.
God bless all of you who participated in that show of support.
UPDATE: Frugal Cafe has more.
UPDATE II: Thanks Proof for the proofreading.
WTF?
Have you heard of this? Some students were asked to stop singing the National Anthem at the Lincoln Memorial. I almost didn’t believe it. Almost. So I did a quick BING search and found this at First Patriots:
“As YAF participant, Sean Balcomb said of the incident, “I didn’t know there was a volume limit for our national anthem at a national monument, especially on such an important day in our great nation’s history.â€
First Patriots pointed me to this at The Young Americans Foundation
Last Friday night, students attending Young America’s Foundation’s High School Leadership Conference were in for quite the shock when they were asked by security to stop singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
I can’t tell you how proud of these young people I am right now. God Bless these young patriots.
They give me real hope in America.