"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."
That my dear readers is the first amendment. it has been what has made us the greatest country in the world. no establishment of religion, no prohibiting the exercise of any religion, no taking away the right to free speech and the one i want to comment on today is the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. today in washington d.c. this happened: Credit to Jessica Gresko of the Huffington Post
"The budget deal lawmakers struck to avoid a government shutdown was greeted by some with relief, but it has one city already reeling: the capital itself.
City officials say Washington was used as a pawn in last week's budget bargaining, with new restrictions part of the price of a deal.
Angry that Congress appears ready to take away autonomy granted to the city in the last several years, Mayor Vincent Gray and six Council members including the chairman were among 41 people arrested Monday outside the Capitol while protesting the changes that might be inevitable. Seven hours later, they were released from jail.
"We needed to make a statement," Gray said after his release.
He said protesters' shoelaces, ties and belts were removed while they were in jail. The district restrictions that were part of the budget deal reached Friday were "completely unacceptable," Gray said.
The city will likely be unable to spend its own tax dollars on abortions for low-income women. It may also be banned from spending city money on needle exchange programs believed vital to curbing the spread of HIV in the district, where the disease is considered an epidemic. Also back: a school voucher program favored by Republicans.
The news is considered a setback for a city that is unique in that it has a city government but its budget and laws are overseen by Congress. It had enjoyed more freedom in the past four years when both the House and Senate were controlled by Democrats, the party traditionally more friendly to pleas of autonomy from the heavily Democratic city.
When Republicans took control of the House in January, the city readied for changes. Still, city leaders said they are outraged that Washington appears to have been used as a bargaining chip.
"If this isn't taxation without representation, I don't know what is," the mayor said before being arrested."
Now mayor gray was actually arrested for blocking traffic in the street and not protesting outside the capitol so don't let that fool you. But i still have a problem with this. who cares if your protesting in the street? or on a babies face or on a cross i dont give a shit, it's suppose to be your right to peaceably assemble anywhere. but at colleges around the nation there are "free speech zones" designated areas on campus that you are allowed to express your first amendment right, at PUBLIC FEDERALLY FUNDED UNIVERSITIES. sorry folks but if thats the case that first amendment RIGHT has now become the first amendment privilege. and you know what yes the people in washington and on wall street are to blame, but more than anybody its we the people to blame for this shit happening. while we watched our rights erode away, we moved to the suburbs, bought massive gas sucking cars, tuned into fascist glenn beck, bought macky d's to stuff into our fat children face, bought the newest big screen tv, and started buying snuggies, and didn't do a fucking thing to secure our rights as a people, and we just let them go away. how the fuck do you justify this? people across the country should be in the streets demanding their rights back, not rallying for cuts to planned parenthood, ending abortions, and all that other unnecessary bullshit. we should join people like mayor gray of washington and stand for what we are entitled to. jefferson said these were inalienable rights, basically rights that were naturally given to mankind, given to humankind as we know it. and now they are simply gone, never to be seen again. its sickening, and most of all its a sign that our country, the once proud nation of hard workers, proud people, the forever underdog who defeated (at the time) the greatest imperial power the world had ever seen and we stood up for our rights not just as americans, but as humans. and now it's gone. our country has reached its twilight, its over for us folks, we are done, our once great nation is now a nation of ignorance, hatred, and plain old fashioned pussies. im sick of it, and if this country keeps it up, i pain to say it, i would have to leave a place that i love, and have forever stood up for. this is the twilight ladies and gentlemen, and if we don't do something soon and im not talking as in a generation, im talking in the next year or two, the only right your going to have is the same rights those japanese americans had in the 1940's, and you can take that shit to the mother fucking bank!!!
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