by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jun 20, 2016 | Our Voice
Thanks to new supporters who joined us in LA on June 15th to learn about First Amendment rights and explore ways to advocate in their local communities. We truly enjoyed the experience. We also sincerely appreciate our hosts, Bishop Mendez, for his sponsorship, Pastor Jackson, for the venue, Henry Lozano, David Hernandez and Benny Bernal for the work to bring in supporters.
Thank you to all FAV supporters who stand behind the principles of the First Amendment, which support individual rights to freely exercise religion, freely express ideas, support the right of the media to provide transparency, encourage the right to freely assemble, and to petition the government (at all levels) for grievance. We stand behind those principles, and we encourage others to stand behind those principles through education of the responsibilities that go hand in hand with liberty. As a result of this focus on First Amendment principles, we strive to never tell our supporters what to think; we simply hope that what we print and advocate causes you to think. If you want to be told what to think, we suggest that you enroll in some of America’s universities where freedom of expression seems to be under assault. Many students report that they are not comfortable expressing their opinions because of fear of retribution from their fellow students and from professors as well. If that is as shocking to you as it was to me, then I suggest you investigate more with a nonprofit called FIRE, or the Foundation of Individual Rights in Education. They annually rate college campuses with respect to freedom of expression and put out a top ten list for the least supportive of this ideal. See more on FIRE here.
Thus, we hope that our bi-monthly messages cause you to think, but the next step is to take action! That action could be to dissent. Maybe you take issue with something we print here. That is good. Please let us know. Unlike some of our prestigious universities, dissent is encouraged. Dissent is a fundamental ingredient our founders attempted to protect with the First Amendment. If our country ever gets to the point where dissent is not allowed, we have a problem. Some authors believe we already have a problem. Read Kirsten Powers, The Silencing, if you wish to think more on that topic. She makes some powerful arguments.
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by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jun 14, 2016 | In The Media
Read this story for inspiration from youth in a high school near San Bernardino. Tolerance and inclusion are attributes that make our country strong and this story provides a shining example. Enjoy!
You’ve probably already seen the news reports on the Department of Justice suing the State of North Carolina, which countersued last week over religious freedom. We won’t reiterate those stories here, but the following two articles touch on the impact of the current bathroom debates. The third link provides analysis and commentary from Charles Haynes, Founder of the Religious Freedom Center at the Newseum in Washinton, D.C. Lastly, an NPR report details how the Southern Baptist Church is dealing with changing societal norms.
This first article cites a current law suit brought about in Illinois over a mandated transgender bathroom policy.
This second article provides evidence to counter arguments from advocates of religious liberty laws who argue that allowing transgender people into the bathroom of their choice will open the door to predators.
This third piece is an analysis from Dr. Charles Haynes at the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum.
This last link is a NPR story (7 minute audio included) on the Southern Baptist Church and societal changes.
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jun 14, 2016 | Our Voice
Welcome to new viewers on our website who want to learn more about issues related to the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and the right to petition the government for grievance. We hope you find the information here engaging, and we hope it spurs you to inspire others to take ownership of the liberty our founders sacrificed so much to provide.
Our citizen sacrifice did not end with the Revolution against the British, nor was it intended to. The Founders had a vision of a form of government that requires successive generations to continue to be engaged in government and serve for the good of the entire nation.
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jun 14, 2016 | In The Media
The following video link demonstrates a pervasive atmosphere on college campuses where anything goes. Most psychologists will tell you that boundaries are healthy in every relationship and can help maintain strong communication and trust between people. Kevin Ford and Dr. James Osterhaus devote an entire chapter titled, “Create Healthy Boundaries,” in their seminal consulting book about organizational health, The Thing in the Bushes. They have used the philosophy to help dozens of organizations, from churches to businesses and government agencies, to assess climate issues and develop healthy paradigms to make their organizations more inclusive and effective.
The following New York Times article describes the controversy on campus surrounding Trump supporters. While the above video demonstrates that almost anything goes, apparently not if you support Donald Trump. Now, FAV is nonpartisan and does not endorse any candidate, and in fact many of our supporters deplore the state of dialogue promoted by many of the candidates, including Trump. That said, in the spirit of free speech, supporters of any political candidate should be free to express their opinions, as long as they do so in a respectful and tolerant manner. This challenge is indicative of the state of political discourse across the country. Too many supporters on both sides vilify opponents and candidates in ways that demean participation in public dialogue. We should welcome diversity of thought to better understand each other and find areas of commonality. Too many people are offended if someone says something they don’t like, but also too many people are obnoxious in how they voice their opinions, intentionally meaning to be provocative and inflame others. Gone seem to be the days when two people could disagree over a substantive issue but still have dinner together afterward and respect each other. Many of Trump’s supporters do no favors in this regard. However, we should seek to understand the underlying issues that lead vast numbers of Americans to support candidates who wield radical ideas that don’t seem to reflect American values. Only then can we begin to address the grievances and move toward a society where E. Pluribus Unum is again a benchmark.
The article linked below describes Belgian parents of former jihadists, many of whom are dead, who have formed a group to help fight back against radicalization. There is a short video included on the CBS website. Germany already has a similar group of mothers, as does Canada. This is something that the U.S. needs in order to help sensitize community leaders to the indicators of radicalization and be preventive in nature. Currently, U.S. government efforts, much like in many European countries, only focus on intervening after potential radicals cross legal thresholds. Civic and faith leaders can play a role by learning about the indicators of possible radicalization and educating other community leaders in order to prevent someone from going too far and ending up in prison or inflicting violence upon innocent people.
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jun 14, 2016 | Our Voice
FAV Stakeholders,
We have a lot of work to do. The country is in dire need of tolerance, inclusivity, and principled leadership. Recent articles in the media survey some of the front lines of attacks on 1st Amendment principles. We have leadership training in the coming weeks at Fredericksburg, Virginia, for clergy members on
April 21st and in Lanham, Maryland, on
April 28th. If you would like to participate in future training events,
please let us know.
The following link allows you to review the entries in a recent logo contest for FAV. We would love to get your input on choosing the logo that best represents this movement and First Amendment Principles. Simply click on the link below and cast your votes using the thumbs up or thumbs down buttons. Feel free to provide any comments and respond directly back to me not later than April 20th. Thank you very much!
