Most every American is familiar with the part of the First Amendment guaranteeing the freedom of religion, or even the freedom of speech, but I thought it was important to elucidate the other 3 of the 5 freedoms outlined by the Founding Fathers. It was no coincidence that they saw these rights as the key to standing up to tyranny and combined them into one item to begin the list of Bill of Rights. As the Occupy Wall Street movement continues to grow, I offer this montage of iconic video footage from the Internet as a way to make those words in the First Amendment come alive to a new generation who may have only considered them in abstract terms.
Furthermore, I also offer it as acknowledgment to our members of the law enforcement community who, after all, are part of the 99% but are being asked to be the instruments of oppression and tyranny while at the same time being marginalized as a workforce.
This is truly a time of challenge for our nation and our society. We the People have broken from Imperialism, fought off invasion, survived a Civil War, endured a Great Depression and fought back against fascism in a World War. Despair is not an option. We can fight against this new multi-national, corporate tyranny that intends to enslave us all.
