Christopher Anne Affleck Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 7, 2009 To the Editor: You make the argument that the First Amendment has historically protected free discourse and should, in the same spirit, protect depictions of animal cruelty.
(It bears noting that television historically has not been entitled to full First Amendment protections from the state because television uses the public airwaves).
That's not historically inaccurate – it's the reason there is a second amendment defending the right to bear arms in the first place.
The reading, from left to right, of the amendment was — until the day before yesterday, historically speaking — that it provided no guarantee to the individual ownership of guns.
After all, this is the Court that has historically championed a robust First Amendment, no matter how controversial or politically incorrect.
Historically (e.g. the Equal Right Amendment) Constitutional amendments are difficult to pass AND at the same time because of their global nature, they are excellent ways to gather political will and focus.
Even as Congressional Democrats protected Planned Parenthood from a Republican assault in 2011, Democrats have historically provided the margin to reauthorize the Hyde Amendment each year.
Rather, the Court's primary concern was with new methods of invading privacy that, if left outside the scope of the Fourth Amendment, could dramatically shrink the degree of privacy that individuals had historically enjoyed.
"The Florida Supreme Court removed the amendment from the ballot, denying us a voice and a vote on a historically important issue," the ad states.
This amendment is aimed less at the Corps than its Congressional paymasters, who have historically put their own local pork barrel projects ahead of more urgent and generally accepted needs.
Randallson said his amendment is bipartisan and has something for everyone, considering it includes a clause about historically black colleges not being required to merge with other universities.
