Today is Bill of Rights Day, 2012
Today, December 15, 2012 is Bill of Rights Day in America. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated every December 15th as a day to remember our good fortune in living under a document of less than 500 words. It was passed in 1791 and is the foundation of our most cherished freedoms.
The Bill of Rights consist of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (there are 27 Amendments). At some point in your education you have probably studied some of these amendments. Basically, the Bill of Rights guarantees every individual the following rights:
- free speech
- the right to bear arms
- the right to say no to the military if asked to take over your house
- protection against unreasonable searches & seizures
- the right to due process of law (notice & the right to be heard)
- the right to confront your accuser in a court of law
- the right to sue & be sued
- protection against cruel & unusual punishment
- rights, in addition to those set forth here, exist
- states’ rights to make laws in the absence of federal law
Particularly noteworthy today is a memorial to the Bill of Rights being dedicated in Phoenix, Arizona in the capitol plaza. It is reported to be the nation’s first such memorial. Conceived by Chris Bliss, a comedian by trade, in 2004. It took years to pitch the idea and gather support for the project. The monument cost $400,000 which came from fundraisers, private and corporate donations.
We congratulate Chris and all supporters of this endeavor. Regardless of your political affiliation, as one writer commented, who can say no the the Constitution?
