The first amendment to the U.S. constitution is just a few short lines, but it speaks volumes. 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 past weekend, more than a hundred people in Floyd, Virginia came out to celebrate those words and explore their meaning. Robbie Harris prepared this report.
In a cathedral-like post and beam auditorium at the Floyd Eco Center, they sang songs, read poems and essays theyd written for the occasion and shared their thoughts about that powerful sentence. The celebration was the brainchild of Alan Graf, a civil rights attorney, activist and lover of blue grass music whod hoped to retire in Floyd and learn to play the banjo.
But in the past few months, he says, hes seen his beloved first amendment coming under attack, and he felt he had to say something. I think our best defense against any grabbing of power is our ability to speak and thats why I wanted to put together this celebration to remind people to use it
Graf explains, he devoted his life to being a watchdog for civil rights because of his own familys story. His grandparents were killed in the Holocaust in Germany during World War II.
So its in my family to fight against totalitarian regimes - and I see the writing on the wall. And so Ive been defending the constitution for 25 years - I feel religious about the Bill of Rights, first, second, third, fourth - well, every amendment, but particularly the first amendment. I see it as the peoples last stand against a totalitarian regime."
Thats in part because it limits the power of government as Floyd County Commonwealth Attorney Eric Branscom points out.
It was in 1791 that the first amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, became part of the Constitution. Its important to note that the first amendment and the freedoms therein are not positive rights, theyre negative rights, which means they exist as limitations on the government rather than rights granted by the government."
And that leaves a lot of room for interpretation, making the Bill of Rights something the legal system has grappled with ever since. And so have the poets, the philosophers and musicians among us.
Heres Kim ODonnel reading a poem she wrote for the first amendment celebration:
There is no such thing as free speech. Soldiers stand and fall, arrive home in a box beneath a flag. We have been given nothing that we did not pay for.
A rich man grabs a woman against her will and she eats her rage and every word she wants to say until she is emaciated from her hunger for truth.
She speaks out and he arrives in our capital, takes an oath beneath our flag.
There is no such thing as free speech. We have been given nothing that we did not pay for.
And just because freedom of expression is protected, that doesnt mean you have to agree with or accept whatever is expressed. Over the years, the legal community has come up with this balancing act; the remedy to any speech you dont like or dont agree with is more speech.
Original Music by Michael Kovick, Silence is Complicity.
I know that things aint just what they ought to be. You and I could turn it around. When we stand up for what we believe in, first amendment rights are found and if you dont like it and you dont stand up how is anybody gonna know where you stand? I want to know. Silence is complicity.
More here:
Celebrating the First Amendment in Floyd, VA - WVTF
- College sued for stopping students from handing out Constitution - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Argument preview: First Amendment protections for public employees subpoenaed testimony - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- China toughens environment law to target polluters - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- 1st Amendment - Laws - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- GBS205 Legal Environment -THE FIRST AMENDMENT - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Supreme Court Preview/Review #2 - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- ConLaw Class 26 - The First Amendment Speech II - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Scalia Ginsburg debate NSA and first amendment - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- Political Correctness vs First Amendment - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- ConLaw Class 25 - The First Amendment -- Speech I - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- The First Amendment - Video - April 26th, 2014 [April 26th, 2014]
- [USA] First Amendment abused - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- Cliven Bundy and the First Amendment - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- First Amendment Tees Co. Inc. FAT-Tee Intro Video of who we are, and what we stand for - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- University Attacks First Amendment Costs $50,000 Plus - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- First Amendment Lawsuit After '8theist' Vanity Plate Denied, 'Baptist' Approved - Video - April 27th, 2014 [April 27th, 2014]
- How A Public Corruption Scandal Became A Fight Over Free Speech - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI; Crystal Cox v. Obsidian Finance Group - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- MSNBC: Marjorie Dannenfelser Discusses SBA List First Amendment Case - Video - April 28th, 2014 [April 28th, 2014]
- United Church of Christ sues over North Carolina ban on same-sex marriage - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Federal judge: Delayed access to court records raises First Amendment concerns - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Justices Troubled By Their Earlier Ruling On Public Employee Speech Rights - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Judge Won't Stop Jason Patric from Using Son's Name for Advocacy Purposes - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- PBL in Journalism I, 2014 - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- John Dukes on First Amendment - Video - April 29th, 2014 [April 29th, 2014]
- Were Sterlings First Amendment Rights Violated? Nope. - April 30th, 2014 [April 30th, 2014]
- Senate Dems vow vote to change Constitution, block campaign funding - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- What happened to Sterling was morally wrong - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Former Supreme Court Justice Wants to Amend the Constitution - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Donald Sterling is my HERO - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Retaining Government Power to Make Economic Policy for Internet Access: Role of the First Amendment - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- America was just defeated from within TODAY 4/29/2014 - Martial law is next - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Opposition To Proposed Monitoring Of Hate Speech By Federal Agency The Kelly File - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Westfield Mayor to pay $53K in campaign sign violation case - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- ConLaw 1 Class 27 - The First Amendment - Free Exercise - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- PEASE: Free speech zones on Bundy Ranch violated First Amendment - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Bar Owner Prevails in Buck Foston First Amendment Trial - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- Was Donald Sterling's First Amendment Right to Free Speech Violated? - Video - May 1st, 2014 [May 1st, 2014]
- First Amendment common sense - May 2nd, 2014 [May 2nd, 2014]
- The First Amendment Doesn't Allow us to Silence Opposition; Get Rid of Limits on Political Speech - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- Save Us Chuck - First Amendment Zones - Video - May 3rd, 2014 [May 3rd, 2014]
- HAROLD PEASE: Free speech zones on Bundy Ranch violated First Amendment - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- In our opinion: Why government can't tackle hate speech without shredding First Amendment - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- In our opinion: Can't tackle hate speech without shredding First Amendment - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- Sen. Ed Markey proposes eliminating free speech - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- Alabama Chief Justice Stunning Legal Ignorance - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- Church Uses First Amendment Protections To Perform Same Sex Marriages - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- first amendment test filming Tucson FBI Headquarters. - Video - May 4th, 2014 [May 4th, 2014]
- "First Amendment ONLY for Christians," Says Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore - Video - May 5th, 2014 [May 5th, 2014]
- Endangered Speeches - Video - May 5th, 2014 [May 5th, 2014]
- First Amendment Monument Music Video by Daniel Brouse - Video - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- first amendment rights - Video - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- News media challenges ban on journalism drones - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- WHAT FIRST AMENDMENT - Video - May 6th, 2014 [May 6th, 2014]
- Letter: First Amendment rights trampled - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- News outlets say US drone ban breaches First Amendment - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Chucking the First Amendment: Schumers cranky scheme - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Screw the First Amendment | We cant let people pray? - Video - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Chief Justice: 1st Amendment Only Protects Christians - Video - May 8th, 2014 [May 8th, 2014]
- Inside the Classroom with Professor Leslie Kendrick - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- 2014 Civics Video Awards First Amendment - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- .First Amendment protects political speech, not profanity - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- Charles "Chip" Babcock on Campaign Finance and the First Amendment - Video - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- A First Amendment attack on Assembly... in George Washington - May 9th, 2014 [May 9th, 2014]
- SUPREME STUPIDITY Kills The First Amendment - RIP Separation of Church & State (1787-2014) - Video - May 10th, 2014 [May 10th, 2014]
- FBI Agents Harass Photographer: First Amendment Test - Video - May 10th, 2014 [May 10th, 2014]
- History Project: First Amendment. - Video - May 10th, 2014 [May 10th, 2014]
- SDG&E Challenges The First Amendment and Loses - Video - May 11th, 2014 [May 11th, 2014]
- Richmond City Council Uses Tricks to Undermine First Amendment - Video - May 11th, 2014 [May 11th, 2014]
- Their opinion: Disagreeing on the First Amendment - May 12th, 2014 [May 12th, 2014]
- The Clash Between the First Amendment and National Security in Times of War Symposium - Video - May 12th, 2014 [May 12th, 2014]
- City Charter amendment passes 581-556 - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- David Allen Legal Tuesday: Flashing Automobile Lights and the First Amendment - Video - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- Senator Chuck Schumer is against the First Amendment then and now - Video - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- Facebook SUCKS! - Video - May 15th, 2014 [May 15th, 2014]
- Dems threaten Kochs with a constitutional amendment - May 16th, 2014 [May 16th, 2014]
- Reid backs campaign spending limit - May 16th, 2014 [May 16th, 2014]
- Tennessee Boy Recites First Amendment Rights After Being Told to Put Away His Bible - Video - May 16th, 2014 [May 16th, 2014]
- 'Shutup,' they explained Crippling the First Amendment - May 18th, 2014 [May 18th, 2014]
- Reid Seeks To Change First Amendment To Stop Koch Brothers - Video - May 18th, 2014 [May 18th, 2014]