This site has moved to robert.williamsonline.us.
Yahoo! News - Religious Group May Solicit, Supreme Court Rules
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that an ordinance requiring Jehovah's Witnesses or other door-to-door advocates for religious or political causes to get a permit violates free-speech rights.
This is good news. Religious groups do not need state permission to do anything - worship, proselytize, etc.
The justices, by a 8-1 vote, ruled the ordinance in the tiny village of Stratton, Ohio, infringed on the rights of the Jehovah's Witnesses, a faith whose members go from house to house speaking about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jehovah's False Witnesses do NOT speak about the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist was the lone dissenter. He said the ruling deprived residents of the degree of "accountability and safety" the permit requirement provided.
I'm kind of surprised by Rehnquist. We must never sacrifice freedom for real or imagined safety. I guess the Chief Justice has his reasons, but I'm pleased that the decision was 8-1.
Posted by Robert at June 17, 2002 10:09 AM"We must never sacrifice freedom for real or imagined safety."
so, whaddaya think about (un)PATRIOT(ic)?
Posted by: anna on June 17, 2002 11:39 AMso, whaddaya think about (un)PATRIOT(ic)?
I don't know much about the so-called PATRIOT act but I oppose anything that infringes on our liberties. I'd rather endure another 9/11 attack than lose the liberty that makes this country great. The main things I do know about the PATRIOT act are that it gives the government pretty much blanket authority to use all the eavesdropping infrastructure they've developed over the years (Carnivore, Echelon, etc).
If I believed that the infringements on our rights were just temporary measures, I might be less upset. But how many times have we been told this is a long term or even a permanent condition?
My communications are secure in that my life and communications are so incredibly boring that any eavesdropper would die of boredom, but I still take appropriate actions (PGP, Scramdisk, etc) to protect my privacy.
Posted by: Robert on June 17, 2002 01:05 PM