For those of you in the U.S., are you all actively aware of our constitutional rights? I feel like too few Americans really understand the history of this document and the amazing weight it holds in our country. Without it, of course, I (as well as most of us) could be thrown in prison for posting on a forum about marijuana solely because the topic is about an illegal substance. Maybe if every American knew his or her Fourth Amendment rights, we could significantly reduce the amount of non-violent drug offenders in prison in America. It truly is amazing, I feel, how a 200+ year old document (with the vast majority of it unchanged) could still be capable of guiding our actions to this day. Of course, this applies to more that just marijuana, but I feel that it is extremely applicable to the drug because of First Amendment Rights especially (perhaps).
I actually think about this a lot. I also think I'm a bit lazy about reading it & understanding it - which is really bad because the peopl in charge now really want to change - not the constitution itself, but how we think of it - & that's all you need to change to render it useless. There's an amendment that is controversial, but shouldn't be, since it is the 2nd (right?) one our founder considered importatnt. The right to bear arms. Our country guarantees that we can all have as many guns as we want. like it or not, the NRA is right. I hate the idea of guns because the are used to kill things, but I'm a citizen of a country that says 'congress shall make no laws infringing the right of the poepl to bear arms'. Weather you like guns or not, your neigbors *are* allowed to have them. I think if a lot of 'liberals' really understood this we could make a deal with the gun people, & get thier support. Like help us make PLANTS legal to grow & use on your OWN PROPERTY - I mean - this was supposed to be America, not AmeriKA soap box off
I think that we should use our 2nd ammendment right personally. But in the sense that it was intended not against our neighbors or the people in our communities. I think we should use our right to bear arms in situations in which the state is inflicting violence upon us. That is precisely what Thomas Jefferson and other constitutionalists intended when they drafted the constitution. The first ammendment is also essential.. our guranteed freedoms should be guranteed and not subverted by corporations or the state. But in regards to sustaining the first ammendment.. what are you willing to do to sustain your freedom? Write a letter, protest? Seems like those things are doing a very poor job at preventing the erosion of our civil liberties. 4th and 5th ammendments.. once again what are you willing to do to sustain your right to due process or your right to be free from illegal search and seizure? If your rights conflict with the interests of the people that gurantee those rights to you then you should have a back-up plan for times when something happens and those rights get subverted. I'm having a hard time understanding what the United States back up plan is.
I am so happy to see a thread like this . Until now I thought I was the only one on these forums to have an opinion like this. I am a libertarian for the most part, and I view the constitution as it was meant to be the governing document of this nation. I feel very disheartened when Americans are willing to give up constitutional rights for ANY reason. We need to take this country back for ourselves and stop all the bureaucratic nonsense that's going on. I feel every American should own a gun. However, I also feel that one should forgo this right if they are not willing to learn how to use it properly. A gun protects every right we have. Over the course of history it has been shown time and time again that after a revolution the state slowly turns to totalitarianism as people are willing to sacrifice more and more of their responsibilities to the state. Eventually the state becomes to powerful and the people must take a stand and say NO. How many common sense things would be implemented and how many ridiculous laws and restrictions would be abolished if Americans stood up to our government and said you're wrong do this or we as a nation will stop funding you through taxes and vote or impeach every prick that enters any office until we have a politician that does what's right and what's constitutional in every office in America. Ron Paul imo seems to be the best candidate for president. I know he won't win, but every American should vote for him and show the government that we will not be bullied nor beaten anymore. Ron Paul wants to legalize drugs, abolish the income tax, leave Iraq, and restore the constitutional liberties that have been taken from us. I understand everyone may not like Ron Paul or his stances and that's fine, but you have to respect him for consistently voting according to the constitution. I have to run now, but I could go all day on this topic
