“Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done; but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel.”
(2 Chronicles 28:1-2 NRSV).
In the Bible, according to the Chronicler, Ahaz was the worst King ever in the Biblical history of the divided monarchy. It was his opinion of course and the rules by which he was judged are different than how experts judge rulers today. But everyone for centuries who has read this tale has heard this opinion. Now as a citizen of the United States of American I am entitled to my opinion too. The Bill of Rights says so.
Let’s take a moment for a civics lesson and a reminder about the Bill of Rights. Historically the Bill of Rights—which is the first 10 Amendments to the U. S. Constitution—was created for a specific reason. According to Wikipedia, James Madison wrote these amendments which are based on important ideas about personal rights. He wanted to protect individual citizens by limiting the power of the federal government. The main context and focus of the Bill of Rights is the relationship between citizens and their federal government. It does not speak about the relationship between individual citizens and business entities. Businesses have the right to relate to their customers according to the rules they wish to set up and their customers agree to. However, since the Bill of Rights is about relationships, it implies that each right also carries a duty or responsibility with it—a two way street so to speak. The Bill of rights sets a limit on what Congress is able to do of, by and for the people as a whole with regard to individual citizens and the states. It always implies a responsibility underneath each right.
The First Amendment says:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
This clause means: the federal government cannot make any religion the official religion of the country (as some other democracies have) and it cannot stop people from practicing any religion.
“…or abridging the freedom of speech”
Which means that the government cannot stop people from saying what they think. However, with this freedom comes some individual responsibility. People do not have freedom to say things that will limit other people’s rights. For example, people do not have the freedom to threaten to kill other people. This amendment also gives me the freedom and security to blog with a religious focus which is my niche.
“or of the press”
This means that government cannot prevent newspapers and other news sources from reporting the news. Maybe we should consider a responsibility aspect that explores the issue of “What is News?” “Does it have to be true?”
“or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble…”
Which means that people can protest things by getting together and having rallies or marches, as long as they are not violent. This makes the marchers responsible for peaceful marching and police responsible for protecting the marchers and the property nearby.
“and to petition the government for redress of grievances.”
Which means that people can complain to the government about things they do not like. They can ask government to fix those things.
Okay, lets stop here.
It says “they can ask government to fix things” not AXE government to fix things.
Please be aware that social media in any form is under no compunction to create or allow any platform for the President of the United States to use. They are businesses that serve their customer base. They choose their own rules as private sector organizations. Where we can open up the discussion is with how the policies by which any social media company conducts its businesses affects our governance and our safety. If, however, I have a complaint about how social media takes their social responsibility to share truth or untruth, facts, or lies, then I need to discuss it with social media and not the government. I always have the option of withdrawing my business. In fact, I cancelled my twitter account several years ago. I preferred to not have access to the same format as President Trump. I never used it anyway. I didn’t listen to Fox news, my sources were more conventional. Meet the Press, the oldest news show on TV, The New York Times, NPR, etc.
Since the President of the United States of American incited a coup on January 6, 2021 that failed, I can conclude that social media is within its rights to remove his account for our safety. And the first amendment has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! The mob that stormed the Capitol building was not peaceably assembled and each individual who appeared to be committing a criminal act will be prosecuted accordingly and have a day in court. Read my blog entitled “I See Delusional People.” What I said there still holds true. We need to hold all parties who engaged in the enablement of President Trump’s misadventures accountable for the failed coup. History will judge us more harshly if we do not speak the truth in love and hold all parties involved accountable. Some members of congress did not follow the oath they swore to uphold several days before. The President’s behavior has become dangerously delusional and is entirely unrepentent. You cannot forgive someone who will not repent. That is the nature of some mental illness. You should never forget how we got here and prevent it from ever happening again. If we can learn this lesson, the American experiment will continue and be even stronger centuries from now. And no one expect history geeks will remember a name like Trump or Ahaz.
Call to Action:
If you are still angry, take long, slow and deep breathes. Breathe in and out. Then, talk it through with someone you trust. Time does heal all wounds but, taking some action will help. Contact your Senator and House of Representatives Member and tell them you are grateful for their safety and for reconvening to continue the process. Tell them how you feel about their voting that day. If you are also inclined to speak the truth in love, ask them to censure members of Congress who enabled Trump by objecting to the counting of Electoral College Votes.