Do you support the First Amendment to the United States Constitution?

Do you support the First Amendment to the United States Constitution?

With the OWS protest still in full swing after a little over 2 months the topic of First Amendment rights has become very popular. I do not intend this thread to be for, or against OWS, but to focus on the topic of the First Amendment.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution 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."

There have been many reports recently of police brutality in the form of pepper spray, tear gas, paint balls, rubber bullets, zip ties and arrest against peaceful protesters expressing their First amendment rights.
There have also been many reports recently of police arresting members of the press, who did not ignore any commands from the officers, had their press credentials displayed, and were clearly covering the event, not part of the protests.

I personally dont see how either of these situations could be argued to not be a gross violation of the First Amendment. The fact that you agree or disagree with the purpose, or the people involved in the protest should be irrelivent. Citizens of the United States of America are being stripped of their basic constitutional rights.

"So when police improperly arrest a journalist who simply is reporting at a scene, they do more than violate one person's rights — they attack our collective, constitutional right to know from a free and independent source what our government is doing so that we may hold it accountable."

Sourc e

My Question to you is, is it possible to disagree with a movement, yet support their First Amendment rights?

DC

Originally posted by xDeadcowx
Do you support the First Amendment to the United States Constitution?


My Question to you is, is it possible to disagree with a movement, yet support their First Amendment rights?

DC

Yes.

And yes. See above.

Do you support the rest? Of the amendments?

I think OWS can stay as long as they like, however, if they block doors or streets, then they are infringing another citizens rights.

Westboro baptist annoys the crap out of me, they have no right to trample anothers right to a peaceful funeral.

These men (founding fathers) were well educated and smart people. They weren't perfect.

What's constipation?

(goes back to x-factor)

reply to post by xDeadcowx
What is an Amendment?A donut?For kids?No? Then maybe it's a surgical instrument.

The 1st amendment gives the right to free speech and to assemble. How ever, it does not give the right to block traffic, crap on sidewalks, public drug use, or to stay on private property such as zuchotti park past closing time. Nor does it give them the right to refuse to FOLLOW THE ORDER OF A POLICE OFFICER! PERIOD!

Yep. But I also support reinstating the 4th Amendment, and would like to reverse the erosion of the 5th Amendment, the 6th Amendment. And I especially support the reinstatement of the 10th Amendment, which has been completely ignored for over 100 years.
We also have to keep a very vigilant eye on the current administration, who has vocally demonstrated a desire to weaken the 2nd Amendment.

There are a ton of ways to go with this one. First of all, remember that each amendment is influenced by other parts of the Constitution and the decisions of the Supreme Court. I haven't looked at them all recently, but as another example, look at the Second Amendment. We don't allow everybody, to go everywhere, at any time, carrying a gun. A homeowner may say "You can't bring that into my house," and few would say that you have been deprived of your Constitutional rights.

Which brings us to the second point. "Congress shall make no law..." In the case you're talking about, the problem is the police behavior (not some law). The police would argue (and win, in my opinion) that the behavior is not in response to the protest, it's in response to the whatever law is being broken at the time, littering, vandalism, drugs, disturbing the peace, etc.

Third, the right isn't as absolute as you think. You can still get into trouble for slander, libel, terroristic threats, announcing that you're a policeman, etc.

My opinions of OWS don't matter here (in fact, I'm not sure what my opinion is), but I don't think the First Amendment route will lead anywhere. (Besides, if there was a good case, the National Lawyer's Guild people would already be all over it.)

Originally posted by AllUrChips
The 1st amendment gives the right to free speech and to assemble. How ever, it does not give the right to block traffic, crap on sidewalks, public drug use, or to stay on private property such as zuchotti park past closing time. Nor does it give them the right to refuse to FOLLOW THE ORDER OF A POLICE OFFICER! PERIOD!

And where they grow cops?A farm in Texas somewhere?

reply to post by xDeadcowx



According to the dolts in the military the only way I can have that right is if they go and do the bidding for corporate masters. I suppose we should ask ourselves...Did the founders really give anybody the right to free speech?

Didn't we all cry out of the womb? And why did we cry?

Originally posted by diamondsmith

Originally posted by AllUrChips
The 1st amendment gives the right to free speech and to assemble. How ever, it does not give the right to block traffic, crap on sidewalks, public drug use, or to stay on private property such as zuchotti park past closing time. Nor does it give them the right to refuse to FOLLOW THE ORDER OF A POLICE OFFICER! PERIOD!

And where they grow cops?A farm in Texas somewhere?

Let me and I think I speak for every one when I say, WHAT?

reply to post by AllUrChips



Taken from: ATS thread

These folk were not doing any of what you listed in your reply, so was this not a violation of their First Amendment rights?

Does a police officer have the right to issue an order that violates your First Amendment rights?

Does the power of a law enforcement officer supersede that of the United States Constitution?

Originally posted by AllUrChips

Originally posted by diamondsmith

Originally posted by AllUrChips
The 1st amendment gives the right to free speech and to assemble. How ever, it does not give the right to block traffic, crap on sidewalks, public drug use, or to stay on private property such as zuchotti park past closing time. Nor does it give them the right to refuse to FOLLOW THE ORDER OF A POLICE OFFICER! PERIOD!

And where they grow cops?A farm in Texas somewhere?

Let me and I think I speak for every one when I say, WHAT?

Sorry for that,but what is....War on Irak?

reply to post by xDeadcowx

Is OWS really peaceful assembling? Did the writers really have this sort of passive aggressive behavior in mind? Their meaning was that the government couldnt bust up private or public meetings. The OWS actions are right out of the direct action hand book and stretch the meaning of the word peaceful. They cant even clean up their own trash.

Originally posted by Logarock
reply to post by xDeadcowx

 

Is OWS really peaceful assembling? Did the writers really have this sort of passive aggressive behavior in mind? Their meaning was that the government couldnt bust up private or public meetings. The OWS actions are right out of the direct action hand book and stretch the meaning of the word peaceful. They cant even clean up their own trash.

Not to mention as of late they have been violating peoples personal space and trying to stop people from getting to their jobs. They have cost MILLIONS in tax dollars, kinda defeating their cause OWS is not real anyways. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBED!!!!!

OWS is not real anyways. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBED!!!!!

reply to post by AllUrChips


Do you have any evidence to back that claim up? Because I haven't found any evidence to support that claim.

Just wanted to say that it bothers me when people say "where in the constitution does it say you can ____ (specific random thing that you don't want people doing) ?!"
The constitution doesn't specifically tell me that I can eat cheerios in my car on a saturday morning, but it still allows me to do it. Does it specifically tell me I CAN'T? No, therefor it allows it.

The purpose of the constitution isn't really to be a list of everything government has to allow us to do. The constitution was written in order to LIMIT AND RESTRICT the power of government, NOT the people.

OWS can protest as long as they want.
People are responsible for their own behavior, not their fellow protesters'. If a protester's exercise of rights crosses a line and impedes on another person's constitutional rights (defecates in the doorway of a private business), that person should be punished accordingly or removed from the situation. But it should not affect any other protester's rights to assemble and speak in whatever way they see fit until they personally impede on someone else's rights.

Therefore the police have no right to come in swinging, pepper spraying whatever handicapped pregnant elderly person who happens to be standing in their way.

If you support individual liberty and the Constitution and you appreciate America for what it was intended to be, if you believe in freedom, you can't deny the rights of your fellow Americans, whether or not you agree with their message or lifestyle or hygiene.
That's why we deny partisanship, right? Two sides of the same coin, believing billions in tax dollars can be spent but only on THEIR priorities and interests?

Liberty is liberty. If you don't want your neighbor to have it, you better be willing to give it up yourself.

Originally posted by jlv70

OWS is not real anyways. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBED!!!!!

reply to post by AllUrChips

 

Do you have any evidence to back that claim up? Because I haven't found any evidence to support that claim.

edit on 19-11-2011 by jlv70 because: (no reason given)

I do as a matter of fact but posting that here would be off topic Two names: Obama-soros thats all you need.

Originally posted by ladykenzie

If you support individual liberty and the Constitution and you appreciate America for what it was intended to be, if you believe in freedom, you can't deny the rights of your fellow Americans, whether or not you agree with their message or lifestyle or hygiene.
That's why we deny partisanship, right? Two sides of the same coin, believing billions in tax dollars can be spent but only on THEIR priorities and interests?

Liberty is liberty. If you don't want your neighbor to have it, you better be willing to give it up yourself.

Can I come over and take a dump on your front stoop?

Seriously when I think back to the Tea Party and other public meetings where many times with the cameras running we saw elected official talk down to people protesting in an orderly fashion, peacefully assembling, asking questions and getting the verbal smack down or snow job I think what the heck. They dont want to listen when its "done right" then let them have it the other way.

Sadly however the other side of the coin has to many ideas that I dont share. I dont even call it the same coin.

As far as public protest I can still remember when the Boston Massacre was taught in public schools as a righteous public protest that was answered with force. And that force was a demonstration of tyranny.

reply to post by Logarock


No you may not take a dump on my stoop. Haha. Which is why I used that as an example of what is an infringement upon others' rights, and should be not allowed!
The fact is, anyone who speaks up against the elite or whoever has the power and money will be struck down.
If kids weren't growing up in an America of such extreme bipartisanship and propaganda and biased (blatantly lying) media, maybe they wouldn't be protesting in quite the way that they are.

Instead of looking at OWSers and dismissing them as dirty and uneducated and misguided, why not stop to think -- why are they misguided? Who guided them? Where did they get their information?
I didn't learn a thing that I now understand about politics and economics in a civics class. And don't even get me started on what people learn by watching the news.

Of course people are confused. Of course people are misguided. There are a million different messages being flung at us, and 99.9% are lies and propaganda!! I hate to quote Alex Jones but there's a war on for our minds!! Or however it goes
And each new generation gets it worse than the one before.

I disagree with a lot of the general consensus of ATS. I don't believe that more government is the answer- ever. But IMHO it is extremely encouraging at least that there are thousands and thousands of American, especially youth, who are willing to fight. It's a lot easier to spread knowledge than it is to spread courage and passion and a willingness to fight back.

You condemn OWS and discount their voice and burn bridges, you are denying a future potential. And people willing to speak out of turn and stand up for their opinions are pretty darn rare in Sheeple Nation.