Assimilation is an integral part of living in America. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, England, is a new resident of the United States. As good neighbors and common sense citizens, let’s help a guy out, shall we? He thinks our First Amendment is “bonkers.” Just to help us to better understand the Prince, Oxford Languages defines and pronounces bonkers like this:
/ˈbäNGkərz/
adjective: INFORMAL•BRITISH
adjective: bonkers
mad; crazy.
What are some things the good Prince should know about our First Amendment to the Constitution in our American Bill of Rights? I mean, he truly may not understand what makes residing in the United States a privilege replete with opportunity.
Ready?
a) We have no titles of nobility here (according to our Founders), so we shall refer to the Duke of Sussex as “Harry.”
b) We have no state church here like they do in England. We can worship at the church of our choice or no church at all. Therefore, our income is not taxed to support a church’s doctrine that we don’t believe in. We support the church of our own will, not because the State says so. Congress, in fact, can make NO law establishing a religion. They can’t stop us from worshiping at the church of our choice. Nor can they require our attendance.
c) We are guaranteed the right to speak freely in America. That’s why Harry wasn’t arrested for saying anything against our government. He is free to speak his mind here. Americans may detest the views of others, but it is our heritage to defend to the death their right to say it.
d) Harry and his wife, Meghan, gave a lengthy interview to the press. It was widely publicized because of their notoriety. We do that here in America. We can watch, read, or view what we want, where we want, how we want.
We don’t have anything that resembles the BBC here.. We have, like, 400 channels, and we can tune in or out as we see fit. That’s because we are free people. We can pay for cable, reject government-funded broadcasts, watch sports, sci-fi, travel, or the Hallmark channel to our content. We don’t even need to own a television.
We have choices when it comes to what news we consume and how we consume it. There is no State-run broadcast system for our country.
e) We are guaranteed the right to peaceably assemble. Even during the pandemic, there were no police on the streets demanding that we show proof of our need to be outside or produce a State-generated document. Americans were told of the risks, but some gathered outside anyway for weddings, funerals, even church services (yep, they did). They wore masks, social-distanced, and chose whether or not to attend events. Being a free-born people, we don’t think it crazy to decide for ourselves, even in a pandemic. We move to another state if we don’t like the governance in the current one. The government tells us what they think is best, but we still do as we see fit from sea to shining sea as long as it is within our Constitutional rights.
f) Trust me, Harry, Americans do not use the “King’s English” when they speak their minds.We can tell our government what we think. We can complain, or we can ask for assistance without fear of reprisals. Americans have a lot of work to do on using courtesy and respect. Still, it is our right to petition our government for a redress of grievances, nonetheless.
My father was born a British subject by birth in Canada. My husband is a naturalized citizen of Canada. My pastor enjoys dual citizenship in Canada and the United States. I can assure you, they all understand our First Amendment. And, if they have difficulties along the way, your humble author is quick to shed the light of freedom on the issue.
Fellow common-sense citizens, I think you and I can explain the value of our First Amendment without going bonkers. 😁
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸
