The Fourth Protection of the First Amendment

By Michael The Libertarian

The right of the people to peaceably assemble …

We can gather, thousands strong, and the government can't prevent it.

Think about that and the fact there are countries where this isn't the case. Think about the things that might not have happened in this country, if this protection didn't exist.

Women might not have the right to vote. We might never have had prohibition in this country. The Civil Rights Movement? Never would have happened. That would include Dr. King's march on the mall and the ensuing “I Have A Dream” speech. The war in Vietnam might have gone on for five more years.

Joining together in large groups brings attention to things that the powers-that-be might not notice on their own. It's such a powerful tool in a free society that, of course, some people have decided to misuse and abuse it.

You see, the first protection of this amendment has to do with personal speech. The SCOTUS has held that just about any speech is allowed as long as it doesn't cause issues for others.

When a group of people join together to disseminate their message they are indulging in their right to free speech, but when another, opposing, group shows up and gets violent, the free speech rights of the first group are abrogated by police (government) stepping in to quell the violence and send everyone home.

Sound familiar? ANTIFA, anyone? A group of individuals who are using a crack in the rights we enjoy to silence a good portion of us. Almost analogous to the way DAESH uses freedom of religion to infiltrate and destroy us from the inside.

Yes! Our rights … our very founding principles can be used against us and, in order to fight those who would defeat us, we'd have to trample upon those rights, ourselves. Scary? Well, a logical and moral conundrum, anyway.

It kind of makes the case for some limitations for rights. Doesn't it? Often, I am reminded that rights are ideals. Unfortunately, they can't always be absolutes.

For example: does a group of people, bent on the ruination of the United States that meet in some form of “church” (let's pick on Scientology) and which publishes a newspaper deserve to avail themselves of these rights? Here is where we get to chose between ideals and survival.

Enjoy.

- Michael