- Target:
- Speaker Boehner and all of Congress
- Region:
- United States of America
AMENDMENT I
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.
“The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. Freedom of expression consists of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied rights of association and belief. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Court as applying to the entire federal government even though it is only expressly applicable to Congress. Furthermore, the Court has interpreted, the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments.
Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the "separation of church and state." Some governmental activity related to religion has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. For example, providing bus transportation for parochial school students and the enforcement of "blue laws" is not prohibited. The free exercise clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a person's practice of their religion. The most basic component of freedom of expression is the right of freedom of speech. The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government.”
Source: "First Amendment." Legal Information Institute. Cornell University's Legal Information Institute, n.d. Web. 30 July 2012. http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment
Chick-fil-A owner, Dan Cathy, exercised his right as an American to freely express and speak his religious beliefs; because of this, he is being brutally attacked. Activists are bullying businesses into submission and telling them not to do business with Chick-fil-A. Mayors of American cities are trying to keep Chick-fil-A from opening and/or prospering. These are blatant attacks on Cathy’s 1st Amendment rights... and on ours. Do not let them get away with this!
Stop The Attacks On Our 1st Amendment Rights!
We, the undersigned, call on Speaker Boehner, and all of Congress, to stop these blatant attacks on our 1st Amendment rights and make mayors enforce the constitution not a minority’s agenda.
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The Stop The Attacks On Our 1st Amendment Rights petition to Speaker Boehner and all of Congress was written by bonnie patterson and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.