Civil rights

One of the fundamentals of being a Democrat is to strongly defend the Bill of Rights. The first 10 amendments of the US Constitution can be summarized as:

1. Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition.
2. Right to bear arms.
3. No requirement for quartering of soldiers.
4. Right of security against unreasonable search and seizure.
5. Right to due process of law.
6. Right to speedy trial.
7. Right to trial by jury.
8. Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
9. Additional rights retained by the people.
10. Additional powers retained by the states or people.

You can find the entire US Constitution and related resources at www.usconstitution.net/const.html.

Amendments 9 and 10 recognize a constitutional and cultural principle that expansion of rights is to be expected and encouraged, that the purpose of the Constitution is not to restrict rights and liberties beyond the basic purposes described in the preamble. Through long tradition, and legislative and judicial precedent, we have recognized additional rights such as personal safety, privacy, and autonomy.

Some of the most severe damage politicians do to civil rights is done by use of the "slippery slope" argument, appealing to fear. For example, the fallacy that if any kind of gun is restricted, soon all guns will be banned; or the fallacy that if any alliance with the religious sector is permitted, soon we'll have a state religion. Resorting to slippery slope arguments is often an expression of lack of trust in our institutions to maintain balance, or a sign of lack of confidence in one's own ability to push back. Democrats generally accept the notion that, if our institutions aren't perfect in maintaining civil rights and balance, that they can be improved to do it better. If we feel too politically weak to push back against encroachments on Freedom, it should motivate us to build more political power by broadening our base of support.

Being the pro-Freedom party means understanding the Bill of Rights, and showing in all our policies and messages that civil rights are paramount. We need to be extremely reluctant to limit personal freedom, and need a strong justification to do so (usually a conflict with other civil rights). We must not use the Federal government to accomplish aims that are better left to state or local governments, or to the people. We must not let anyone imply through message or policy that the government can be a replacement for personal responsibility or for the family.

Some of the most contentious issues at the Federal level today are divisive precisely because they are being debated at the wrong level of government. For example, Democrats are starting to realize that gun control may best be debated at the local level, recognizing the differences between urban and rural needs.

Here are our political themes: We strongly support civil rights. We are not afraid of freedom. Government is not a replacement for personal responsibility. We don't want the government meddling in our families. Government must respect the cultural differences across our vast nation. Policies contrary to these principles are anti-Freedom.