The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution is straightforward:
“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.”
This last part is what Republicans politicians are having a problem with when it comes to the Occupiers. They did not have this same reaction to the Tea Partiers, of course, because they were funded by the Koch brothers and were espousing, well, Republican tenets. Here’s a roundup of their thoughts. A few highlights:
Mitt Romney, speaking to a small crowd in a Florida retirement community on October 4, said: “I think it’s dangerous, this class warfare.”
Herman Cain: I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself! — October 5, 2011 remarks to the press.
Rick Perry: Liberals are now pointing the finger of blame at successful employers under the guise of fairness, but when they utter phrases like ‘fair share’ you just know, heh, they’re once again playing fast and furious with the truth.
And the truth is you can’t reve up the engine of economic growth by heaping higher taxes on job creators, you can’t spread success by punishing it… ” — October 7, 2011 remarks at conservative Value Voters Summit
Eric Cantor, House Republican Leader
If you read the newspapers today, I, for one, am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country. And believe it or not, some in this town, have actually condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans….” — October 7, 2011 remarks at conservative Value Voters Summit
Mayor Bloomberg is now promising a crackdown on the occupiers.
Author Naomi Wolf, an author and political activist who also blogs for Huffinton Post, was arrested recently in the Occupy Wall Street protests when she refused to get off of a public sidewalk. If you’ve never read Wolf’s book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, treat yourself to it. The book looks at the rise of Fascism in history and outlines the ten necessary steps for a fascist government to destroy the democratic foundations of a democracy and analyzes the emergence of these characteristics since the attacks of 9-11:
- Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
- Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
- Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
- Set up an internal surveillance system.
- Harass citizens’ groups.
- Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
- target key individuals
- Control the press.
- Treat all political dissidents as traitors.
- Suspend the rule of law.
#1: terrorists. Used to be communists.
#2: Guantanamo is still open for biz
#3: We have a number of those, don’t we? Halliburton is still in business, under a new name
#4: Fill in the blank with your favorite acronym for the gov’t spy agencies
#5: Fill in the blank here, too.
#6: Listen to Naomi Wolf’s conversation with Olbermann at the end of this post
#7: Pick a prominent individual who speaks out against what’s happening in this country. Oh, say, Michael Moore. He now has a 24/7 security detail because of threats to himself and his family.
#8: Fox News, anyone?
#9: “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists.” – George W. Bush
#10: Well, Google it.
There’s obviously no synchro in this post. But there’s something more important. Our first amendment rights are being usurped, little by little, in insidious ways. It’s not just the Occupiers who underscore the first amendment; it’s occurring in our personal lives. Math addict sent me an email about an incident that happened to her young granddaughter when she wore a Wicca symbol to school.I hope she’ll comment on it.
Democracy has always been an experiment. For the most part, the experiment has been successful. But the country is now so divisive that it’s not enough to cast your vote, to sign petitions. Now is the time to speak out, stand up, and do whatever you can to make sure that the 99 percent are not silenced.
Now take a look at Wolf’s conversation with Keith Olbermann on October 21, about her arrest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCuax-3DeBc
I promised to let everyone know what happened as a result of the emails I sent to the Dean. I gave him two weeks to respond, then Friday I forwarded the emails to the Board of Education, as I’d alerted the Dean that I would. Late today I received a curt, two-sentence email from the principal, not from the Dean, informing me that neither she nor Dean XXXX had been aware of my emails until today. I had marked them “Urgent”. Guys, what if those emails had been a threat to the school? Heaven fordid, thank goodness the subject was simply a problem involving a student. It took contacting the county BOE to get a response. Allie will wear her necklace to school. No wonder kids are having such serious issues with the school systems. There are superb teachers out there who serve their students with integrity and dedication. And then there are these…..shame on them!
You won the good fight, Math! Fantastic.
brava, cj!
… and the ‘west’ preaches democracy to other countries …
oh, see, this is all so WTF i am not sure i can respond! first – the situation of ms. wolf is so scary in terms of the immediate and far-reaching implications as to be unfathomable – what this means to each of us individually cannot be understated – about cj’s granddaughter – again — scary – and you go, cj – give them some of that southern baptist hellfire and brimstone hell to pay – call the media – local [yeah, good luck with that one] and national – call keith olbermann – post the story everywhere – write a letter to the editor of newspapers statewide – your story reminds me of my own children and their/our battles of religion within public schools in the 70s and 80s – mine was a constant and a long battle – i had 5 children – anyway, in my case, i opposed the mandatory christian prayers in every school assembly and/or meeting, including the PTA – i opposed the mandatory saluting of the flag and pledge of allegiance school assemblies [you know what a pill that was] – and then just one of the individual incidents involved my youngest daughter in 1976 when as a 1st grader she had a homework assignment – and she brought home a new little book – a little pink covered book with gold-edged pages – a BIBLE! – the homework assignment from a public school teacher? learn/memorize 10 bible verses – well, i would say that the passage of more than 30 years has diminished my outrage and indignation but it has not – the condensed version of the “rest of the story” is that i contacted a friend who just happened to be a well-known local civil rights attorney and he made a phone call, followed by a letter, to the school and board – my child did not learn bible verses – bottom line is that it was as if the “separation of church and state” did not exist then – and – it would seem that very little has changed overall in these intervening years – what a sad scary state of affairs –
great post, trish and rob – thanks so much for keeping us all so well informed –
All these comments are so interesting in what they illustrate about where we are.Like you say, Gypsy, it’s as if we haven’t progressed much in 30 years.
yes, and where we aren’t –
so sad –
P.S. Debra, how was the issue with your daughter resolved, or was it?? Thanks! (I hope this is not the precious daughter you lost.)
Math, after I tried to talk the principle stating that I work with and socialized with the Witchcraft community in San Diego, and stated the legal facts, the school decided my daughter was a “problem”. They called in an expert on teen behavior, who proceeded to inform me that my daughter was in a school that was predominately minorities, and that my daughter was too culturally different to be compatible with the school. I said “How so?” (I knew this was going to be stated as a racial issue and I was forcing this “expert” to name it straight out.) In the end, after listening to the “expert”, I said “Are you saying she is too white?”. She admitted it, saying something about suburban teens as opposed to inner city teens. I laughed,and pointed out that she has not read the file in front of her. I told her to look at the file and tell me what race her stepfather was. She said “African American”. Then I told her to read the address where we lived, which was inner city. I concluded “You assumed my daughter was a suburban white girl who didn’t belong in the magnet school with the other children. Now you see she is an inner city, multicultural child with access to authors and musicians from a variety of cultures.”
Ms “expert” apologized.
I transferred my award winning, honor student daughter to another school. We didn’t encounter the religious issue again.
Math, This is my only living daughter who is now a 26 year old, freethinking, independent woman.
That is very true about the VA and the headstones, Debra. I’ve seen them myself in military cemeteries. The general public doesn’t realize that traditional Wicca is the most ancient religion known to exist. That’s why it’s called The Old Religion. Unfortunately, there are several New Age folks who have taken our religion and now practice what is termed “Reformed Wicca”, or “Modern Wicca”. The men involved are Gavin Frost and Gardiner and others….Gardinerian Wicca is a joke.There really is no such entity as Reformed Wicca, and it alters and prostitutes the tenets of our traditional doctrines and ways. It’s these New Agers who have, without malice or intent but also without genuine knowledge and for personal gain, brought such misinformation to mainstream civilization. The bottom line goes back to the text of this post: The First Amendment and the rights given to us by the Constitution. Virtually the same thing has happened among the FreeMason fraternity by the Illuminati. They have taken an ancient organization that is completely guileless although secretive, and the collective conspiracy theorists have made the Masonic Order evil, just as they have made Wicca evil. Such a shame. Sad and wrong-minded and mean-spirited. I’ll be following up on the situation at the school and keep everyone posted as to its eventual outcome. We may have T-shirts made for Allie and her sisters with “1st Amendment Rights” printed on it, alongside a very small pentacle. If she is forced to remove it, hell hasn’t seen the fury that shall be unleashed….legal, non-violent, but effective.
It’s a nightmare, what’s happened to our country. The above-mentioned candidates also are part of the “a corporation is a person” ideology/ legal loop hole: another misuse of our constitution. Congress, for the most part, needs to be fired.
mathaddict: I had to fight the same fight for my daughter when she was in middle school. She was also Wiccan. The school administration was ignorant of the Covenant of the Goddess and fact that witches were part of an authentic religion.
Even the VA allows soldiers to place the pentagram on their headstones! <—- this argument alone has shut up a few stuffed shirts.
It’s absolutely terrifying. We no longer have a democracy – not since at least 2000 when the election was hijacked to give Bush the ability to get us into war with Iraq. We have a plutocracy, we have an oligarchy, we certainly have a fascist nation – but we no longer have a democracy.
Wow. I look forward to hearing more about what happens with this situation with mathaddict. But I am truly afraid to read more of that book, simply because it is obvious to me that we are going in the wrong direction in our country. I love your site and read it religiously. Could it be my religion? Sigh. Fox News probably thinks it should be banned. 🙂
P.S. Our Wicca symbol is a simple five-point star within a circle. It is not inverted. It has the single point UP. The star within a circle is called a pentacle or a pentagram. Satanic cults use pentacles or pentagrams that have two points up, like horns. Wiccans do not even accept or acknowledge an entity called satan. Just wanted to clarify a much-misunderstood fact about our beautiful religion whose focus is on love and healing and peace and service and the joys to be found in all of Nature and yes, on the positive magic that exists all around us and which we are able to use for high purpose. One final comment: the word WICCA is not defined as “witch”. It derives from ancient aramaic and is defined as “wise woman”. Our members, both males and females, are referred to as witches, but this is not a derogatory term, signifying as it does a community of souls who are dedicated to serve Nature and humanity as best we can.
Thank you for allowing me to comment on a current situation that has upset our entire family. My 13-year-old granddaughter came home from school two weeks ago shaken and in tears. Allie was born into and raised in a gentle Wiccan family, and she wears a very small silver pentacle necklace around her neck. That day, the Dean of Students at her school approached Allie and demanded she remove her pendant. When Allie asked him why, his response was, “It’s inappropriate”. When Allie asked him why it was inappropriate, he sternly demanded, “Take it off!” and stalked away.
I am incensed and furious, and I sent the Dean an email. Here is the Constitution First Amendment Addendum regarding religion as it is applicable to public
schools: ‘PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAY NOT INCULCATE NOR INHIBIT RELIGION. THEY MUST BE PLACES WHERE RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS ARE TREATED WITH FAIRNESS AND RESPECT. PUBLIC SCHOOLS UPHOLD THE FIRST AMENDMENT WHEN THEY PROTECT THE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY OF ALL FAITHS, OR OF NONE.” I sent this to the Dean, inquiring if the Jewish students are required to remove their Stars of David, the Catholics their Crucifixes, the Christians their Crosses. No they are not. The Dean hasn’t responded to my email, but I visited the school grounds and noted many students displaying the WHAT WOULD JESUS DO (WWJD) bracelets, and the aforementioned religious symbols. I sent a second email to the Dean, informing him that if he does not resolve this issue with my granddaughter in a timely and equitable manner and with no negative consequences against her, I will contact the Superintendent of our county school board. If that brings no equitable resolution, I will take it to the media, and I told him that. My granddaughter is an introspective and peaceful child.
She doesn’t flaunt herself in any way, nor does she discuss our religion with other students. This Dean’s behavior was not only inappropriate, it broke the law of the land, and was vicious and unacceptable, especially towards a vulnerable child who is not allowed to speak in her own defense without being suspended or otherwise punished and disciplined. So I am speaking for her, and for all who are similarly persecuted. This was one incident that was an abominable act, and it won’t go without reaping repercussions on the adult authority figure in that school, by whatever legal means are available. As I told him I would, Friday I forwarded the emails to the superintendent of schools. If this brings no resolution, I shall contact every news network in our city and in Jacksonville, making the public aware that this particular school and its faculty support and practice religious prejudice.