We the People

[Yuanyang]

Freedom of religion is a prime example of one of the ways that the majority does not rule in our system of laws. I think most would agree that the majority of Americans profess to be Christian yet even the smallest minority religion has the same rights to worship or not worship without the majority foisting their beliefs on them with any legislation.

I think it was as much about freedom FROM religion as some of these guys were only "diests" themselves and a couple were atheists. But I don't think the founding fathers really foresaw non-christian religions ever being a part of the fabric of this nation.

 

Nevertheless you can go into most any county courthouse and look at records from say the 1890s and see people 'ticketed' for not keeping the Sabbath (working on Sunday).

[chengdu4me]

Freedom of religion is a prime example of one of the ways that the majority does not rule in our system of laws. I think most would agree that the majority of Americans profess to be Christian yet even the smallest minority religion has the same rights to worship or not worship without the majority foisting their beliefs on them with any legislation.

I think it was as much about freedom FROM religion as some of these guys were only "diests" themselves and a couple were atheists. But I don't think the founding fathers really foresaw non-christian religions ever being a part of the fabric of this nation.

 

Nevertheless you can go into most any county courthouse and look at records from say the 1890s and see people 'ticketed' for not keeping the Sabbath (working on Sunday).

 

 

You don't even have to go back that far. In the South (the Bible Belt), many cities had ordinances against any retail businesses operating on Sundays other than grocery stores. There laws were on the books and enforced in one way or another at recent as the late 80s' depending on the town.

 

I remember a cardinal sin was to have your store open on Sunday. If the law didn't get you, the towns people would. Open your store on Sunday and you would never see another customer walk through your door...You were done!

[Yuanyang]

Freedom of religion is a prime example of one of the ways that the majority does not rule in our system of laws. I think most would agree that the majority of Americans profess to be Christian yet even the smallest minority religion has the same rights to worship or not worship without the majority foisting their beliefs on them with any legislation.

I think it was as much about freedom FROM religion as some of these guys were only "diests" themselves and a couple were atheists. But I don't think the founding fathers really foresaw non-christian religions ever being a part of the fabric of this nation.

 

Nevertheless you can go into most any county courthouse and look at records from say the 1890s and see people 'ticketed' for not keeping the Sabbath (working on Sunday).

 

 

You don't even have to go back that far. In the South (the Bible Belt), many cities had ordinances against any retail businesses operating on Sundays other than grocery stores. There laws were on the books and enforced in one way or another at recent as the late 80s' depending on the town.

 

I remember a cardinal sin was to have your store open on Sunday. If the law didn't get you, the towns people would. Open your store on Sunday and you would never see another customer walk through your door...You were done!

 

Those were called "blue laws" in Texas. My dad opened the pharmacy and could sell Rx and over-the-counter drugs but not candy, batteries, magazines, etc... You just knew what you could and could not buy almost by instinct. Edited July 10, 2009 by Yuanyang (see edit history)

[Jay & Ping]

Anybody have a Chinese translation of the Declaration and Constitution?

I had a heck of a time explaining the context to my family this past 4th of July!

 

And God Bless America!

[chengdu4me]

This isn't in Chinese, but watch this...

 

its 18 minutes long

 

 

 

http://dotsub.com/view/9518104c-aa15-4646-9a39-a789e5586cdb

 

 

 

If you create a membership, you can change the subtitles to any language you want. I haven't played with it any, but it looks interesting

 

 

OK...I figured it out..if you become a member you have access to every word spoken/every word in the subtitles. You can write your own subtitles effectively making the written subtitles any language....then you play it back choosing the language you want to use.

Edited July 11, 2009 by chengdu4me (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

The US embasy in China has it on their website.

http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/infousa/...independent.htm

 

Here is an interesting write up on the translation.

http://granitestudio.org/2007/07/03/%E7%8B...nce-in-chinese/

 

The constitution in Chinese

http://constitutioncenter.org/NCCBeta/Imag...onstitution.pdf

[samsong]

Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Totally dissolved" it says. A profound statement, an historical one. God Bless America! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/travesmilies/flaggen1/smilie_flagge13.gif

[Stepbrow]

The beauty of our Constitution is how well it has endured over time. And also, how well the structure of our government has worked.

 

We have only had to amend the Constitution 27 times in the last 222 years.

 

The first 10 Amendments spell out what Americans basic rights are. This was the first time in history that this was done. The denial of basic rights was the foremost cause of the revolution. Because the colonists rights were not written in to English law, the Parliament passed laws that violated the colonists rights especially the right to have representation in the Parliament. "No Taxation Without Representation" was a rallying cry of the Revolution.

 

You guys had talked about Freedom of Religion, but other Fundamental Rights are spelled out in the First Amendment like Freedom of Speech, Americans love this. We are such blabbermouths. We love to rag on the government in general. We love to criticize our President and Congress especially if we are affiliated with the opposition party. Try doing this in Iran, or N. Korea, or dare I say, China.

 

Freedom of the Press is so important because it is the role of the press to keep the government honest. It is their role to ferret out graft, dishonesty, and abuses of power. Granted they haven't been doing such a good job in the past decade, but let's hope for a resurgence in journalistic investigative reporting. Freedom of Assembly, and Freedom to Petition the Government are the two other important rights in the First Amendment.

 

Whenever I hear talk or read in the papers about proposals to reduce our rights, I become very alert. Our rights are very valuable. The cost of securing rights is always blood. People died so that we can have our rights. I believe that whenever the government wants to take away one our rights we should oppose that.

[Feathers268]

With all of our rights, I got hit with one of our responsibilities. I have a summons for jury duty next month.

We have the right to be judged before a jury of our peers, looks like I just might get onto that jury.

[warpedbored]

Last time I got called for jury duty I was amazed at how many people were giving me advice on how to get out of it. I consider it one of our obligations as a citizen and feel strongly one should participate.

[Feathers268]

Last time I got called for jury duty I was amazed at how many people were giving me advice on how to get out of it. I consider it one of our obligations as a citizen and feel strongly one should participate.

I only had to reschedule once because I was going to be in China on the day, otherwise, I don't have any problems serving. I've never been selected though. I think my honesty and conservative values often turn off defence lawers.

[rogerluli]

A nice reading of The Declaration of Independence by well known folks...With an interesting intro by Morgan Freeman... B)

 

http://videos.komando.com/2009/07/04/

 

That King George was a BAAAAD man...

[Appaullo]

An interesting angle is we revere these people as heros and patriots. If England had won the war they would have gone down in history as traitors.

While I agree the fore fathers were great men they are also made larger than life. My favorite fore father is Thomas Jefferson who penned the declaration of independence. As great as he was he was also a slave owner who fathered children from one of his slaves.

 

Sorry for the late reply to this ... but it was in the movie "Dazed and Confused" (a VERY good movie about the aimlessness of the 70s) that a teacher said to her students as they were leaving her classroom for the 4th of July weekend "Dont forget ... the reason we celebrate this Holiday is because a bunch of aristocratic slave-owning land barons refused to pay their taxes!" The quote may not be exact, but it was funny nontheless, and it goes to show ... the winners decide History. Not that I'm bashing our founding fathers. Although, to be honest ... I've a feeling if they saw this nation today they'd be aghast at what Government has become.

[PhoenixRising]

The Constitution of the United States is one of the greatest documents ever written for all mankind. Some how we have drifted away from some these tennents the last 80 years or so. Especially the last 8 years.