A Few of FR's Finest...Every Day...09-10-03...Original Intent of the First Amendment

09-10-2003 | Aquamarine

[Aquamarine]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine

Original Intent

of the First Amendment.

"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."

Is America founded upon and subservient to the laws of God? America's Founding Father's say yes. Today's Federal courts say no.

Our Constitution operates on long-standing principals which were incorporated into our government over two hundred years ago; each constitutional provision reflects a specific philosophy implemented to avoid a specific problem. Therefore, grasping the purpose for any clause of the Constitution is possible only through a proper historical understanding of the debates and the conclusions reached two hundred years ago.

If our understanding of historical facts and constitutional intent becomes confused or mistaken, the resulting policies may be not only ill-founded but may actually create the very abuses that the Founders originally intended to avoid.

Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.

Declaration of Independence

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --"

The Constitution of the United States

Assembly Room in Independence Hall, Philadelphia,
site of the signing of the Constitution in 1787.

Delegates to the Constitutional Convention On February 21, 1787, the Continental Congress resolved that:

...it is expedient that on the second Monday in May next a Convention of delegates who shall have been appointed by the several States be held at Philladelphia for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation...

The original states, except Rhode Island, collectively appointed 70 individuals to the Constitutional Convention, but a number did not accept or could not attend. Those who did not attend included Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams and, John Hancock.

In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair. Signers of the Constitution.

Bill of Rights

During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a "bill of rights" that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the Constitution — went into effect on Dec. 15, 1791, when the state of Virginia ratified it, giving the bill the majority of ratifying states required to protect citizens from the power of the federal government. The first freedoms guaranteed in this historic document were articulated in the 45 words written by James Madison that we have come to know as the First Amendment.

The Founder's Own Words

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investiagation in Courts of Justice?
And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." --George Washington --Farewell Address, excerpts (17 Sep 1796)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a 1798 letter to American military officers, President John Adams declared that "The Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The attempt by the rulers of a nation [France] to destroy all religious opinions and to pervert a whole people to atheism is a phenomenon of profligacy [act of moral depravity]. . . .To establish atheism on the ruins of Christianity [is] to deprive mankind of its best consolations and most animating hopes and to make a gloomy desert of the universe." --Alexander Hamilton

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We have staked the future of government not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions on the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the ten commandments of God." -James Madison

The Separation of Church and State

"The separation of church and state" is an overused and regularly abused historical phrase.
Although these word are familiar few Americans know their history. The phrase appeared in an exchange of letters between Thomas Jefferon and the Babtist Association of Danbury Conneticut.

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." --Thomas Jefferson to Danbury Baptists, 1802.

The "wall" of the Danbury letter were not meant to limit religious activities in public, rather they were to limit the power of the government to prohibit or interfere with free expression of religion.

Jefferson believed that God, not government, was the Author and Source of our rights. He understood the Source of Americas inalienable rights so well that he even doubted whether America could survive if we ever lost that knowledge. Jefferson said:

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure if we have lost the only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?"

"But the greatest injury of the "wall" notion is it's mishievous diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights. . . The "wall" of separation between church and state is a metaphor based on bad history. A metaphor which has proved useless as a guide of judging.
It should be frankly and expicitly abandoned." --Justice William Rehnquist

The nation's policy concerning religion and government have been turned upside down. Not only does much of the nation not realize that "serparation of church and state" is not constitutionally mandated many are not even aware that "the free exercise" of religion is.

All of the text above was gathered from
different sources then organized here.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-08-03....Military Monday 09-09-03...Guns Definitely Are OK

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Aquamarine]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. :)

[Aquamarine]

You mean the Liberty Bell that has a Bible Verse written on it? "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10). Wonder how that could have happened.

I hadn't heard about it being moved, will it be moved far from its current location?

[FreeTheHostages]

Good show!

[lonestar]

Great job!

[FreeTheHostages]

I so agree that the layperson does not appreciate these legal facts.

I would say, however, that the US Supreme Court and the federal courts *generally* do get the fact that discussions of religion and morality can and *should* take place inside Courthouses. Witnesses can and do swear before God, for example, and God is referenced in "God Bless this Court" and various phrases.

When it was announced that Attorney General Ashcroft prayed early in the morning at his government workplace, there was a hue and cry among the leftist non-lawyers that this was a violation of "separation of church and state." But since all the Constitution forbids is an establishment, and General Ashcroft's activities were surely not that, one notes that no federal court told him to stop it.

I would just say, regarding your legitimate complaints, that despite the press attention to weird court cases, the federal courts generally do, I think, appreciate that religious speech shy of an "establishment" is permitted -- indeed as you point out constitutionally protected. Ever since the monument case, I've been trying to persuade some of my skeptical non-lawyer friends that indeed the Supreme Court has the 10 commandments in the hallway of its building. And they do.

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Wednesday !!

http://usrarecurrency.com/WebPgFl/A00012002A/Final1966$100SnA00012002A.jpg

[Aquamarine]

Good morning (((lonestar)))

[Dubya]

Very good, thanks for the ping.

[jwfiv]

Good monring, Miss Aqua...thank you immensely for your beautiful and timely thread...very nice...)

You've got that HTML knack...and, you've sure got the Freedom knack, too...all Freepers do.

A big Howdy to all our lovely Hostesses, and all our Finest neighbors.

[MeekOneGOP]

Oh, yeah !! Hey, since that thread was a recent one and about Ben Franklin,
it would be Perfect for linking here !

Ben Franklin Quote - Your feedback please

Posted by MeeknMing
On 08/14/2003 4:56 AM CDT with 129 comments

August 14, 2003
"A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins." -- Benjamin Franklin

[Aquamarine]

I would say, however, that the US Supreme Court and the federal courts *generally* do get the fact that discussions of religion and morality can and *should* take place inside Courthouses. Witnesses can and do swear before God, for example, and God is referenced in "God Bless this Court" and various phrases.

These things are done nowdays more out of a sense of tradition meanwhile many judges are agreeing with the ACLU lawsuits that are slowly eroding these traditions and are dismantling them one by one all over the country.

[Aquamarine]

Saw that 'In God We Trust' on the back of that 100 dollar bill!
Here's a few other places we can find a reference to God.

1. In God we Trust on US Currency
2. References to God in the Declaration of Independence which has always been displayed on Government property.
3. References to God in the US Constitutions and State Constitutions.
4. The Pledge of Allegiance.
5. Congress beginning with Prayer.
6. Chaplains hired by the US Military.
7. Presidential Oath taken with a hand on the Bible and traditionally ending with "So help me God."
8. Supreme Court Justice oaths and other Government Oaths of office taken by Government officials with a hand on the Bible and traditionally ending with "so help me God."
9. Court witnesses taking an oath on the Bible and ending with "So help me God."
10. Moses and the Ten Commandments depicted on the Supreme Court Building in Washington DC.

[Aquamarine]

Thanks and good morning. :)

[Aquamarine]

Good morning JW. You are so correct about Freepers having the Freedom knack!
Are you on your way out to jury duty today?

[jwfiv]

No jury duty...they work it so that if you're not called on the first day, you're off the hook.

Today, I rest and catch up on mail and bills...I've been pushing hard for weeks now, am due for a break or I'm gonna crumple...battling a little cold, too.

Still cat-sitting, my feline guest has taken it upon herself to see that I become an early riser...not my natural rhythm...)

She wants company while she takes her morning repast(s)...such a sweet thang...)))

[Aquamarine]

No jury duty...they work it so that if you're not called on the first day, you're off the hook.

Sounds like another one of California's layed back ways. Here in the South they keep us coming back until Wednesday and sometimes Thursday.
Sorry to hear about the cold, have had a little hay fever here probably caused from the goldenrod that's in bloom right now.
Glad you're enjoying the kitty even if she is a morning feline. :)

[Calpernia]

*Sniff* *Sniff*

No one answered me :( I guess this means I wasn't missed? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/978538/posts?page=112#112 I just love my graphic of my dragon buring M$ !!!!!

I'm almost back in the saddle here!

Thank goodness the computer nightmare is coming to a close!

Morning to all the Finest!

[Aquamarine]

God Bless Our Military



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Mama_Bear; Dansangel; Dutchess; Aquamarine; Free The Hostages and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation's leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................activve duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty StarCMC.......brother Atomic Conspiracy............half-brother....niece....nephew TexKat......son....and stepson Explorer89............brother

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........2 nephews gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Tiffee4Bob.......boyfriend Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son kimmie7...........brother Spruce.............daughter

[Aquamarine]

Of course you were missed! You just got to the thread late after everyone else had gone to bed.
Glad to hear your computer woes are coimg to an end.

[Calpernia]

Great post Aqua! Since the ACLU wants to remove all religious symbols from public viewing, what do you anticipate they will try to do with places like Arlington Cemetary?

They do seem to be that extreme.