Our First Amendment Rights Continue to be Watered Down
Here’s the First Amendment, in full: “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.”
Remember, ABRIDGE is not a path over water. It means to shorten a text, e.g. by cutting or summarizing it, to reduce something in scope or extent, to deprive somebody of rights or privileges.
Cameras, action
It has gotten so nobody can step outside his or her front yard without some nutcase photographing or videotaping him or her. It's downright embarrassing. You can no longer pick your nose of scratch your rear without someone posting it somewhere on the internet. You're not even safe taking a leak off you back porch for fear of someone having you arrested for indecent exposure, even if you live in the country and have a ten-foot high privacy fence.
There are cameras everywhere. They watch over traffic lights and traffic in general, parking lots, not to mention sidewalks, inside and outside of stores, waiting rooms and elivators, police cars are loaded down with them. They can take pictures of you, your car, license plate all while passing by you. Within a minute, they have a full dossier on you, your family, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all their family members. They know where you have been, what you did and what you purchased and returned, threw in the trash, and I don't doubt before long they will know when you go to the bathroom and what you flushed. Yet they-the police- don't want you taking pictures of them performing their duties.
Cell phones, they should outlay the blasted things.
The ubiquitous cell phone is a duel edged tool: it can save our life in one instance, or put blight on our privacy the next and can send us to death in another. It can expose where we are in a second. It stores evidence in all kinds of situations. I refuse to own one of the contraptions. It's not that I am hiding anything, I just value my privacy. Forced to use one in my work for a few years, I came to hate them. There's nowhere to hide, you can only claim poor reception at times.
The other day I was watching one of those TV court shows. It was a traffic accident case. The judge asked the man if he had pictures of the damage to his car.
"No ma'am. I don't own a camera."
"What about your cell phone? Doesn't it take pictures?"
"No ma'am, I don't have a cell phone."
"What do you mean? Everyone has a cell phone." She was indignant, and I couldn't believe what she said. Maybe someday it will be a requirement, but I don't believe it's come to that yet. I hope I'm taking my eternal dirt nap by then. BTW, you are not required to surrender you cell phone to a police officer unless he has a court order. That goes for searching your car too, unless their drug-sniffing dog alerts them that there are drugs in your car or on your person.
Search and Seize
Our constitution protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures by government officials. Yeah, right, in a pig's eye! Tell that to the next police officer who stops you and asks to search your car. Few realize this is an infringement of our rights, and allow them to snoop into their property. If you refuse, he'll have a hundred reasons dispelling it, and if he cannot find one to appease you, he'll make life miserable for you not complying to his wishes.
If the government wants info on you, they will get it by whatever means they wish. They just have too much pull and they care not whether it's done legally or not, and they are not above exaggerating the facts.
Another pet peeve I have with law enforcement is the way they entrap ladies of the night and their Johns. Prostitution, the world's oldest profession, it's human nature and it will go on for eternity or until we develop something to nullify our sex drive or need to earn an easy few bucks. It's been demonstrated repeatedly that legalizing prostitution, as well as pot smoking, makes it better for all concerned. It's cleaner, safer, and helps empty our jails and prisons. Then, what would law enforcers and private detention owners do? Both are income producers, as well as costly. Private detention owners rake in big bucks and law enforcer rake in big bucks that help pay detention owners.
It all comes down to big bucks and filling the pockets of those who we elect to represent us. Once in office, they seem to develop a laps in memory as for what they promised us voters but never forget extending their hands to those who funded their campaigns.
Our beautiful country today seems to be getting closer to how I perceived communist countries in the 50s and 60s where citizens have little or no rights down to dictating which religion one can or cannot practice. It's just not nice anymore.
Modes of Travel
I flew in the Air Force for many years and I still love flying. That is until they made it miserable and demeaning with their unreasonable search procedures. I refuse to fly anymore. If I cannot get somewhere by car, I stay home where sometimes in the dead of night I can sneak out on my back porch to relieve myself. Show me the man who can resist that. I fear the day when they will stop everyone at each state line and have our car checked and personal belongings mulled over by some goofball with a silk-panty fetish, and making sure our travel permits are in order.
The wife and I signed up for a cruise a couple years ago. After driving from Pensacola to the east coast of Florida and standing in line for over an hour, we filled out our paperwork before boarding. My wife first then me. The clerk asked for my passport or birth certificate. I showed her my military ID and my driver's license and a credit card. She wanted my original birth certficate. This was not a requirement on our last cruise the year before.
"I don't have it."I said.
"You can't board without it," she said.
I studied her for a minute, turned, kissed my wife and told her to have a pleasant cruise.
"Just a minute," The clerk said. "Do you have one at home?"
My wife assured her we did.
"Is someone there who can fax me a copy?"
Cell phone to the rescue: ten minutes after our son faxed it; we stood in line again waiting to have our baggage checked, our bodies searched and our pictures taken. Unless procedures change drastically, I will never take another cruise.
I recently laid out big bucks to purchase a battery-powered bicycle. My intent was to cut down on gas expenses by using it to go to the store. I had to stop riding it in fear that a garbage truck might flatten me and hall me to the landfill; not that I'm particular about my final resting place. Or, some clown fumbling with his cell phone might swerve off the road and send me to the hereafter before my time. The only accident I've had in the last two decades was when I was digging me cell phone from my pocked and I ran into the guy in front of me. My scheduler called to ask me what I was doing. You don't want to know what I told him. That was my last trip driving a shuttle van. If I keep eliminating modes of transportation, I'll be down to walking.
Here is my pitiful attempt at poetry.
Where have all our first amendments rights gone?
Long time passing.
Plucked from us one by one is where they have gone.
When will we ever learn?
Where have all our protesters gone?
Long time passing.
Plucked from the crowd as they go passing.
When will they ever learn?
Dragged to the nearest jail,
Long time passing.
They spend more time standing still.
When will they ever learn?
Off to court one by one.
Long time passing
Knowing well they haven't won.
When will they ever learn?
Where have all our coppers gone?
Long time passing.
Dressed like soldiers that seldom yawn.
When will they ever learn?
Armed with pepper spray they hum
Long time passing.
Too quick with the thumb
When will they ever learn?
They spray those on the run,
Long time passing
Even those having fun.
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the protesters gone?
Long time passing.
To the dungeon they are drawn.
When will they ever learn?
What of our jails so overflowing,
Long time passing.
With weed smokers and protesters outlawing.
When will they ever learn?
Fighting city hall is not worth withstanding.
Long time passing.
Our Government leaders think they are too outstanding.
When will they ever learn?
Few good laws are they passing.
However, after all is said and done, with all her scars and faults, there is still only one country where I want to live. Right here in the good old U.S.of A.
