I would now like to take a look at the final part of the First Amendment as we've already discussed the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech and the press. This part of the First Amendment refers to the "right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Let us first look at "the right of the people to peaceably assemble". What does it mean to peaceably assemble? Well to define the word peaceably, it means: without disturbance or peacefully. To define peacefully, it means: characterized by peace; free from war, strife, commotion, violence, or disorder: a peaceful reign; a peaceful demonstration. I strongly believe that this right is essential for the assurance of order within our society. If this right is restricted or infringed upon then we as a society loose an integral part of our freedoms. It is through this guarantee that we are permitted to attend our church meetings throughout this Country, come together in book clubs, Rotary Clubs, Scout troops, etc. It is this guarantee which allows us as Americans to voice our opinion with regards to important subjects as we come together to rally for a cause. It is this freedom that we rely upon when we protest the actions of government or other organizations.
This being said, this right or freedom does not come without limitations. Let's go back to what it says as written, "peaceably assemble". We've defined peaceably as free from strife, commotion, violence, or disorder. Groups that come together and shout profanities at people attending the funerals of soldiers killed in action while fighting in Iraq are not protected by this Amendment although they claim the ability to do so from some loose interpretation of the First Amendment. The shouting of profanities to funeral attendees as well as religious devotees attending a religious meeting are in essence full of strife and commotion. There is not much to be said of this. There has been a very loose interpretation of this right, granting groups and organizations to assemble in an attitude of strife and disorder all the while claiming protection under the First Amendment. I believe our society needs to review this Amendment and enforce it as written.
Secondly, our right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". I do believe that this is the one right that our government has not profaned as of yet. We have always been permitted to write our government officials. I believe the reason behind the fact that our government has always upheld this right is due to the fact that they are under no Constitutional obligation to redress any grievance presented to them, as they look at it. A perfect example of this would be shortly after the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were forced from their homes, murdered, and ruthlessly beaten in Missouri and forced from the State by Gov. Lilburn Bogg's Extermination Order, in the which he stated, "the Mormons must be treated as enemies and.... driven from the State or exterminated." They gathered affidavits and testimonials from those who had suffered at the hand of the Missourians and sent them off to the Congress. Congress ignored their petition for redress. They then went and met with President Van Buren and presented him with their complaint. After listening to the stories of abuse and mistreatment, President Van Buren exclaimed, "your cause is just, but there is nothing that I can do to help." In the eyes of the government there was no course needed to be taken, and the right of the Mormon people to petition the government for redress was not infringed upon in the slightest.
These rights outlined herein are essential to the assurance of a free Nation. They must be upheld by our government and properly applied by our Citizens. If we are to ensure the right of assemblage and petition we can not and must not abuse these freedoms. Ours is a sacred duty to emphatically uphold the freedoms guaranteed within the Constitution and pretend to no other. By so doing we will maintain order in our American society and peace will be established in our cities and in our homes.
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