C: And That's What It's All About!

My, hasn't there been controversy lately?  V and I have lamented that we know we are getting old because the world seems so very strange--topsy turvey, even.

V is in a twit (Is that a word?  Is it a polite word?) about the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. I am much calmer about it--as a lawyer I wholly expected the decision.



Then, there is the Rebel flag controversy.  I admit that I have one, myself, around here somewhere.  I never thought of it as a banner of racism, only as nostalgic Southern culture, but after the recent discussions, I have come to realize that many do, and that offense has taken on horrible magnitude in the wake of the Charleston AME massacre.

Again, as a lawyer, I have pondered the controversy of same-sex marriage as it collides with religious beliefs.and the flying of the Rebel Flag as it collides with free speech.

BILL OF RIGHTS


I gotta say, our Founding Fathers (FFs) have my deep respect.  They crafted a marvelous system.  I work within it every day, and I'm here to tell ya:  It is not perfect, but it is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship.

Frankly, as brilliant as they were, I don't believe the FFs had any idea how wonderful was their work.  There is just no way they could have foreseen the twists and turns our society would take--they, for example, would not have let me--a woman--vote. They would not have counted my right to a voice as an "inalienable right" as those who penned the Declaration of Independence declared such rights to be:
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

But the FFs instituted a system that seems to organically understand that we don't always get it right at first; we must live and learn and grow.  As a result, I get to vote.

Thank you, 14th Amendment!!
AND

Thank You 19th Amendment - Ratified  August, 1920

As I drove to work the other morning, I was stopped at a red light.  The car in front of me bore a bumper sticker such as the one depicted below:
It brought to mind recent discussions: First Amendment right to speech vs offense to others, always a tension.

Then my eyes slid left to another car ahead of me in the other lane, directly next to the car with the bumper sticker above.  It had its own sticker:
I simply could not stifle a giggle to myself.  Here were two Americans, exercising their First Amendment right to speak their piece, side-by-side, and I'd venture to say they would not see eye-to-eye on much.

And I thought it was a fitting picture for me in the week preceding Independence Day!  It warmed me right up, right to my heart, and I heard strains of the "Star Spangled Banner" in my spirit.  And I am so thankful that these people have presented to me their divergent views!!  This is what makes us great and what makes us better!

Whatever our opinions, if we're Americans, we have the right to them and the right to express them so long as we do not unduly harm others, "By God," just as the FFs said.

And that's what it's all about!

- Cowgirl C



Comments

kath001 said…
Free speech equality in action. Love it.

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