Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise therof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
This is a powerful idea to be sure, one that has had its share of encomia this week. For Reverend Billy who was arrested last month for reciting the clause at Union Square during Critical Mass, the words themselves have an emancipating power:
"It is true that really knowing these words changes your life. It can make you brave and it can make you really want to go and organize some people to be brave with you."
As the days go by let's unpack each of these phrases in turn, shall we? Starting with "the right of the people to peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievences." As a prompt to contemplation of the complex ways in which this right impacts our lives, I invite to not only think about the RevBilly incident but to also appreciate the complexities of this story in light of our 1st Amendment Rights:
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