"Freethought of the Day"... "Bill of Rights"... "Ratification of the Constitution"... Questions.... Cher... "A Different Kind of Love Song"... You Tube Video

[ "Cher - A Different Kind of Love Song" (Live / HQ]; as submitted to You Tube by CherMusicForever; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ZBwngC6ew ]

"... On this date in 1791, the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

— Article I (First Amendment), Bill of Rights"

Compiled by Annie Laurie Gaylor; "Freethought of the Day"; Freedom From Religion Foundation; ffrf.org; http://ffrf.org/day/view/12/15/#ratification-of-the-constitution
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"Legal Dictionary...  Main Entry: 'abridge...abridg·ing... : to diminish or reduce in scope abridge the privileges and immunities of the citizens of the United States — U.S. Constitution amendment XIV"; Dictionary.com; Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996;  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/abridging ; http://dictionary.reference.com/. Accessed: December 15, 2010.
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If you look around - and/or check out some of the videos / information down below --- do you think the U.S. has been loyal to the Constitution and Bill of Rights in regard to:

1.  Not making any laws "respecting the establishment of a religion" [?]

a.  i.e., by making them exempt from taxation [?]

b  i.e., by granting them special allowances [like sovereinity (independence from government control....)] [?]

c.  i.e., by allowing religous leaders to have consult with the President of the United States; to serve on political bodies; and/or (other examples exist) to lobby the government [?]

d.  i.e., by actually supplying them with government funding (often sans government oversight) [?]

e.  i.e., by seemingly holding some religous "icons" exempt from the same laws and punishments that the population at large have to abide by / suffer [?]

2.  "Prohibiting" the free exercise of any "religion" [?]

i.e., Doesn't "free exercise" mean you can pray to any "God", practice any religion - and set up (on your own time and with your own funding) a place of worship?

3.  "Abridging the freedom of speech" [?]

a.  i.e., Do you feel like your voice is welcome in government?  Do you feel like you are truly listened to when you attend a City Council Meeting or call / visit one of your representatives?  Where do the people (locally) "lobby" since the demise of the old-fashioned "town hall"?  Will the City Council take our concerns about larger issues to the [next level up...] appropriate body - and so forth? 

b.  i.e., Don't we need a place to assemble that is bigger than a sidewalk?  Free?  Accessible?  In every town, City, County, State, Washington DC?  Do we have that?

c.  i.e., Where do we stand on the more complex issues... such as Internet "speech"...  "Wikileaks"... [it is all over the news...] - Etc.

4.  "Abridging" the "freedom of [the] press" [?]

a.  i.e., Where do we stand on the more complex issues... such as Internet "speech"... "Wikileaks"... ["""] - Etc.

b.  i.e., Should a religious body be allowed to own, operate, "control" and/or distribute newspapers (quite a few do...) outside of thier own congregations (?) [Sounds like a business venture to me... interfacing with government... (?)]

5.  "Abridging [the] right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” [?}

i.e., [Repeat] Don't we need a place to assemble that is bigger than a sidewalk? Free? Accessible? In every town, City, County, State, Washington DC?

Do we have that? 

If so, why does it seem as if the majority of the American people - on small issues and on large issues - are NOT being heard / respected?  Why does everything appear to be a "double-bind" ("damned if you do / damned if you don't") [?]  Why are so many people left out of political discourse?

Can we learn to sing "A Different Kind of Love Song" (Cher) [?????]