RANDOM THOUGHT - I didn't think it was so funny

You'd think any employee at a bookstore would know this, but I have bad news, especially if you're fond of the arts - creative, performing, literary, fine, commercial, whatever.

This particular bookstore employee was talking casually with me about some controversy in the news about Freedom of Speech (we were in the bookstore at the time).  I said something about a book being protected by the First Amendment.  The glorious beauty of an epiphany came over her face as she looked around her, as though for the first time.  She said, "That's a book! But it's for speech."

Did she think her idiocy was schooling me?  I laughed when I retold the story, but when I thought more about it, I didn't think it was so funny after all.

This is why I write.  Because sometimes in the moment, my brain is too shocked to formulate spoken words.  When the smoke clears in my cranium, I proceed to write it down, even though the moment has passed.

Let's begin with the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

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.

Speech is a loose term for human expression.  Humans can express themselves:

• in words - spoken AND written down - so plays, dramas, lectures, debates, books, magazines, pamphlets and other wordy type things are protected
• in silence - a person can keep her thoughts to herself (especially when she's being arrested)
• through movement - so dance and the performance arts are protected
• through fine arts - so any art collection public, private and commercial is protected

I'm not even going to get into religion, the right to peaceably assemble or to lobby the government.

While I'm on the topic, though, I would like to draw your attention to two things.  The First Amendment is not a government-issued grant of rights to American citizens.  The First Amendment describes some of our unalienable rights as human beings.  Unalienable means a gift from God to humanity that cannot be stripped away, traded, sold, gifted, yielded or forsaken.  This amendment restricts CONGRESS. 1)  It's not a grant of rights from Congress.  

The rights protected from Congressional overreach 2) belong inherently to people, not just citizens.  Read the Amendment slowly (Salah).  

My fear is the younger generations and educated city dwellers don't know the first thing about the Enlightenment theories that gave rise to our nation's governing principles.  John Locke, Francis Bacon and Adam Smith are largely unknown names and this is frightening.  

There used to be a website for writers called helium.com, and I remember seeing a series of posts by teachers talking about the government granting our First Amendment rights.  Um, that's a gross misrepresentation of our system of governance.  (I am making a distinction between governance and politics.  There will be no politics here).

The other reason I know our populace is largely uninformed and misinformed is an episode of Jeopardy!  The clue was "These are the first seven words of the US Declaration of Independence."

NOT ONE genius contestant knew.  One responded, "What is 'We hold these truths to be self-evident'?"

I was like WHAT?????  WRONG.

"When, in the course of human events..."

I double dog dare you to google US Declaration of Independence and read the whole thing.  Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it.  Tell me I'm wrong.

#FirstAmendment
#FreedomofSpeech
#MackenzieLittledale

Twitter: @MackenzieLitt13

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Have a wicked awesome day!
Mackenzie