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Bill of Rights...What Rights!

Mike's December prompt.

By Antoni De'LeonPublished 9 months ago • 4 min read
Top Story - December 2025
Bill of Rights...What Rights!
Photo by McGill Library on Unsplash

Bill of what?

Rights.

What writes?

Bill of RIGHTS, rights!

Ah, yes. But what rights?

And Constitutes what?

Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

I do agree...

There are some clear similarities among the three documents. All have preambles. All were drafted by people of similar backgrounds, generally educated white men of property.

The Declaration and Constitution were drafted at Independence Hall - in 1776 and 1787 where men declared their independence to do as they please with people's lives.

The Bill of Rights was proposed by the Congress that met in Federal Hall in New York City in 1789. Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration and James Madison of the Bill of Rights; Madison, along with Gouverneur Morris and James Wilson, was also one of the principal architects of the Constitution.

I reiterate my case.

Rights, constitutions and independence, by men for men and will ever be enforced by men.

Unless us 'common' people insist on change.

~~

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.

It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

Unless you are the current POTUS of America. 2025. Yeah!

AMENDMENTS

The First Amendment

Provides several rights and protections: to express ideas through speech and the press, to assemble or gather with a group to protest or for other reasons, and to ask the government to fix problems. It also protects the right to religious beliefs and practices. It prevents the government from creating or favoring a religion.

The Second Amendment

Protects the right to keep and bear arms.

The Third Amendment

Prevents government from forcing homeowners to allow soldiers to use their homes. Before the Revolutionary War, laws gave British soldiers the right to take over private homes.

The Fourth Amendment

Bars the government from unreasonable search and seizure of an individual or their private property.

The Fifth Amendment

Provides several protections for people accused of crimes. It states that serious criminal charges must be started by a grand jury. A person cannot be tried twice for the same offense (double jeopardy) or have property taken away without just compensation. People have the right against self-incrimination and cannot be imprisoned without due process of law (fair procedures and trials).

The Sixth Amendment

Provides additional protections to people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial, trial by an impartial jury in criminal cases, and to be informed of criminal charges. Witnesses must face the accused, and the accused is allowed his or her own witnesses and to be represented by a lawyer.

The Seventh Amendment

Extends the right to a jury trial in Federal civil cases.

The Eighth Amendment

Bars excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment.

The Ninth Amendment

States that listing specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that people do not have other rights that have not been spelled out.

The Tenth Amendment

Says that the Federal Government only has those powers delegated in the Constitution. If it isn’t listed, it belongs to the states or to the people.

(This last one cracks me up, I want to laugh, but my face is so disgusted by it all, it it frozen in a permanent frown).

I admit, I never before read the entire list.

And, was not Lady Liberty gifted to USA by France. For liberty for all.

The statue is a figure of a classically draped woman, likely inspired by the Roman goddess of liberty, Libertas. In a contrapposto pose(an asymmetrical arrangement of the human figure in which the line of the arms and shoulders contrasts with, while balancing, those of the hips and legs), she holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. With her left foot she steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the national abolition of slavery following the American Civil War. After its dedication, the statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea.

With her left foot she steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the national abolition of slavery.

I really do not remember hearing that before.

Liberty as a woman has tried for far too long to oversee liberty and justice for all.

Let women now take the lead and a man take the stance of Liberty stuck as a statue with no physical powers.

See how that feels.

Men who lead, correction - most men who lead - seems limited to the capacity to make war, leaving love by the wayside. Then again, narcissists are incapable of feeling love. Yet we keep electing them, but are we really electing them - or is the decision being made by a secret cabal of rich entitled men.

Knights Templars, Lodge, Freemasons, Filibusters, freebooters, wizards, pirates, robots, aliens and those we know nothing about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The prompt

PromptsStream of Consciousness

About the Creator

Antoni De'Leon

Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content. (Helen Keller).

Tiffany, Dhar, JBaz, Rommie, Grz, Paul, Mike, Sid, NA, Michelle L, Caitlin, Sarah P. List unfinished.

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    Written by Antoni De'Leon