"Tamper-Proof"

I’m an older American, a nice way of saying “I’ve been around for a while”. I remember quite a bit of the stuff that has happened over the last 60+ years and I like to think I’ve learned something over the course of all that time. I have formed opinions and beliefs which have made me who I am today, and you know what; I like who I am. I’ll bet most of you like who you are too.

I remember growing up in the 50s and 60s, a time of great change in America; values and policies changed radically during those turbulent years. Young people who grew up watching “I Love Lucy” and “Leave it to Beaver” were suddenly introduced to the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam protests. Fortunately, for most of us, we learned about our “Constitutional Rights” from a cadre of teachers who took those things very seriously (thanks to Miss Pettigrew, Mr. Woll and all those others who taught me well).

I believe the most important thing we have in this nation is the right to voice our opinion, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article; you all know I have definite opinions about my country and its’ leadership, or lack of it!

Way back in the 60s there were “marches and parades and speeches” about every cause under the sun, and that was and is a good thing. I mentioned the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War; there was also women’s rights, the environment and drug legalization. Most of those protests were folks from the left side of the political scale; quite a few were “hippies and yippies”, not so many “crew cuts or conservatives” took to the streets to promote their agenda. The United States was a very polarized nation during those years between those who shouted “Hell No, We Won’t Go” and those who shouted “America, Love It or Leave It”; all of them enjoyed the exercise of their 1^st amendment rights.

All of our other rights spring from the 1^st amendment; tamper with that right and ALL other rights are in jeopardy.

Several days ago Ted Cruz (R-Tx) made a speech at a pastors’ conference about a proposal that was before the United States Senate about a plan “revising” the 1^st amendment of the Constitution to “regulate” political speech. There are those on the left who have said this was pandering to his “gullible base”, but it seems there are 39 Democrat Senators who are on board with this plan.

Harry Reid is, of course, on this list, along with Dick Durbin (D-ILL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-Cal), Al Franken (D-Minn); the list goes on and a complete list is available on-line and it is totally from the Democrat Party.

It appears that all of those former “leftist activists” who happily protested so many years ago don’t like people complaining about them too much.

This Administration has been under “heavy fire” for blunders by the IRS, VA, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, SOLYNDRA, inaction on America’s energy needs and “weak-kneed defense” policies, plus many other areas of “poor performance” by this badly run Administration.

The 1^st amendment “cuts both ways” and those folks on the left must understand this. Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Washington and all of the rest of those brave and intelligent men knew how important that 1^st amendment was for the preservation of a free society, and it should not be “tampered with” by any political group or agenda.

Durbin, Schumer, Franken and Boxer are no match for Jefferson, Adams or Washington and it’s time they learned that; LEAVE OUR FREE SPEECH ALONE!!!