?? Essay, Research Paper
?Home of the brave, and land of the free? is it quite that simple? I think not. First
of all, who ever came up with that phrase was obviously a Republican and obviously insane (same thing right?). My point is, even though we have all these freedoms and privileges, if we can?t defend them on an every day bases they might as well not exist at all. People have fought and died just so that we can walk down the street and not worry about being harassed by an overly powerful government.
One of my favorite rights (which has caused me quite a bit of trouble lately) is the fourth Amendment. It was no longer ago than this past Friday that I took a stand and secured my rights. True there are consequences for everything, but at least an empty feeling of violation was not included this time. One shall not be searched and seizured unless probable cause is evident. Well ?probable cause? can be anything. Interpretation has moved in and taken over our rights. Ordinary people who have no business granting or violating our rights now have the power to do as they please. I use Officer ?X? as an example. Officer ?X? can be found waiting in the school parking lot everyday searching for a subject to arrest. You?d think this kind of entrapment would be illegal, once again interpretation rules. I believe that if we are to remain a ?free? society we must first educate our selves on the very laws that protect us and make sure they are not intruded on.
While the 4th Amendment is to widely violated by police and officials, the 1st Amendment has run amuck. Lies, rumors and even classified information can be found in almost every newspaper in America these days. Who is looking out for the victims of these statements? While sticks and stones may break my bones, words are just as harmful. Tabloids, paparazzi and over zealous reporters dominate the headlines these days. People?s reputations are on the line, not to mention political lives. In an age where image is everything and actual content of a person?s character is worth next to squat, I would think more would be done to protect an individual’s name. While these ideas may be radical or not, more should be done to both ensure our rights and protect others at the same time.
Derived from the United States Constitution