Dissent in the US

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of reigion, or prohibiting the     free exercise thereof 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 a redress of grievances.

Understanding why we allow dissent in the USA

Current Issues in the USA War with Iraq.  Was it necessary. Student rights vs. Students safety Gun control... how much restriction. Does the pledge violate separation of church and state. Freedom of speech, when does it cross the line. Should grocery workers pay for health benefits. All of these are just a few of the many current issues that are the subject of dissent today.

American Civil Liberties Union America's leading Civil Rights Activists                    Dissent Magazine Publication on Dissent and Current Issues                    Earth liberation Front Extreme Eco-Activist Terrorist Group                    Burning Flag Pictures Other countries burning American flags and their anti-USA sentiments                    Satire Recruiting Poster Parodies     Bibliography

Why is dissent vital to democracy?

        - well, to begin with, dissent allows the people to tell their government how they feel about certain laws or decisions.  democracy is, theoretically, rule by the people and you can't very well rule by the people if you don't know what the people want.

          - If the right to dissent wasn't given to the people then the USA would be no more than a dictatorship.  not allowing the views of individuals be expressed if those views pose a threat to their power.

          - In a democracy the majority, in general, has more power than the minority, but the majority isn't always right.  The rights of the minority must be carefully protected, they might be the only ones who are right, and the sooner they can change the majorities mind, the better.

Dissent...an integral part of our ancestry

        - Have you ever thought about who founded the united states?  I didn't think so... but anyways, they were basically a bunch a dissenters.  They hated English rule with a passion, so they decided they would leave and make their own country.  Of course England didn't like this, and a war was fought about it.  The war ended with the seeds sewn for a new and better country.  Even before our government was solidified there were dissenters, protesting a strong federal government.  That dissent eventually led to the Bill of Rights.  so you see, dissent is a very powerful tool.  It caused the creation of the USA, and it is the reason for the Bill of Rights, if it weren't for dissent our government wouldn't have lasted this long.  

           - Another well known area of dissent is the persecution of African Americans.  When the south and north disagreed over the laws of slavery, the African Americans came up with new ways to show their wants and ideals.  They knew they wouldn't get any attention unless they got it forcefully, and the way they got it was through something they liked to call civil disobedience.  There "duty" to disobey laws that were thought to be wrong and needed to be changed.  They disobeyed laws that required them to give up buss seats, and laws that said they couldn't eat at a white diner.  Through these non-violent acts of dissent they were able to bring the attention to these laws and how wrong they were.

           - Just about any war in this country's history has had protesters.  People who didn't agree with why we were at war, or didn't agree with war and violence in general.  It's to be expected that people will dissent about war's they feel don't affect them.  Like the civil war, there was a large amount of criticism and dissent because the people that were fighting the war felt that they had nothing to do with what it was about.  They called it the Rich man's war and the Poor man's fight.

Where does lawful dissent meet unlawful dissent?

           - unfortunately the constitution doesn't draw up any clear lines between what is lawful dissent and what is unlawful dissent.  Luckily for us it gave the courts the power to make those kinds of decisions for us.  In general, lawful dissent is any type of disagreement or withholding of approval that is expressed in a non-violent manner, as long as it doesn't create a clear and present danger and is not breaking any other laws, like trespassing on private property or other such things, than it is usually considered a lawful act.  On the other hand, any act that incites a clear and present danger and/or causes another law to be broken is ruled as unlawful dissent.

          - A few example of lawful dissent are the present day strikers at the grocery stores.  Picketing and holding parades and such is lawful.  If the strikers were to grow unruly and start physically or verbally abusing others they would become unlawful dissenter.  Picketing also can become unlawful, if they are picketing a clinic or something, and it causes a person not get the treatment they need.  Parades also can sometimes block traffic and cause accidents, and that is obviously a clear and present danger.

Joel Bailey in an interview on dissent