Amendment I
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 also states that you can practice any religion you'd like. That means ANY religion. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Satanism, even something you've made up in your head. As long as you aren't doing things like sacrificing the neighbors cat, which violates laws against animal cruelty, you can do pretty much anything you'd like. Want to talk to your fish and worship them for the Gods of the sea that they are? Go for it. No one cares. Certain extremist types might get all preachy on you, but fuck em, it's not their business what your religion is.
Freedom of the Press means that anyone may print anything they'd like as long as it's true. There were many times where something undesirable would be printed about the King of England and he could tell the press not to print it and they had no choice but to not print it or have bad things happen to them. President Bush can ask that something not be printed for various reasons, but the press has no responsibility to the President or anyone else not to print it.
Freedom to peaceably assemble. This is the key word; peaceably. If you get together with 10,000 of your fellow countrymen and start rioting, you will be thrown in jail. If you want to march down the sidewalks and protest something, it is your right to do so. Dissent is important in any society as it brings a different point of view to the table of a particular issue. Just as Jules and Vincent in Pulp Fiction debate on the subtlety of a foot massage and it's inherit meaning, it's important to see things from the opposite side of the fence.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
I've covered this enough in my previous posts, so I won't go into too great of detail, but the bottom line is that you have the right to own a firearm. No limits are ever pointed to in the Second Amendment, so in theory, laws governing machine guns, silencers, and other such things are technically illegal because "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Who's to say that I can own a AR-15, but not a Browning .30 caliber machine gun? Both are firearms and both allow me to defend myself and my family from outside threats. One just allows me to defend my home against things like helicopters and APC's much better.
Now we get into the lesser known Rights.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
There was a time when a soldier could just barge into your home or you could be told to take in a soldier in wartime or peacetime and there wasn't a thing you could do about it. The founding fathers made sure that this wouldn't happen again. However, if you took in a soldier during peacetime or wartime, you can, but it then becomes your responsibility.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
This is the hot button issue right now with warrantless wiretapping going on at the particular moment in time. It states that you have the right to privacy unless a warrant has been issued to search your house and belongings. There has to be "Probable Cause" otherwise, the warrant is invalid. That means that an officer of the law has to suspect you of a crime and provide a reason for that suspicion. Otherwise, the warrant issued would be invalid and anything found during that search would be thrown out. You could have tons of Cocaine and thousands of machine guns in your home, but if the warrant is invalid, they can't use it against you.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
This is the Amendment that people refer to when you hear them say "I plead the fifth". It means you have the right against self incriminations. So if you are arrested, shut up. It also protects someone from being tried twice for the same crime, even if evidence is found later proving the person is guilty. This is why OJ can never be tried again for the murders he was acquitted of. It also states that you cannot be have your stuff taken from you without due process of the law and you must be compensated if your stuff is taken for public use. The Zapruder film showing John F. Kennedy's assassination was put into the public archives and the Zapruder family was compensated for it because of this law. The Federal government thought that this film was so important, that it needed to be a part of the public domain.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
This is the "You have the right to an attorney" when you are read your Miranda rights. This also is the right that you are allowed to not have to sit in jail for a long time while awaiting trial. You have the right to confront your accusers and have the right to a public jury trial. This is to help prevent someone from getting thrown in jail and the keys thrown away by a corrupt system.Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
You have the right to a trial by jury. Pretty self explanatory.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
This one is extremely important as it allows you to not be punished for a crime in a "cruel and unusual" way. This allows everyone to have punishment met out while still allowing them some dignity. This also means that you won't be seeing $1 million dollar bail for jaywalking.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
You have more rights then listed here in the Constitution.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
States and the people can make up additional laws that are not covered in the Constitution.
There you have it. A quick and dirty view of what makes America, America. Sometimes we get caught up in the moment when it comes to the security and prosperity of our nation, but we should never forget that it's these 10 simple laws that form the foundation of what makes up the core of who we are.
Travis
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