I was talking to a friend, a fellow student of history, and we came to the following conclusions.

When the government starts deciding that the Bill of Rights only applies to certain people, it has just reduced those rights into privileges. This is the first and biggest step toward elimination. Either those rights protect everyone or they will not protect anyone.

Those rights include freedom of speech and assembly; protection from unwarranted search and seizure of persons and property; the guarantee of due process to all who are subject to the laws of this land, regardless of status; and no cruel and unusual punishment.

Those rights gave our legal system the potential to be among the best in world. It has too often failed to live up to its principles and people have had to force the issue, often at great cost, to have those rights apply equally.

Now, we have a government going out of its way to remove those protections from the marginalized segments of society. If it gets away with these unconstitutional and immoral acts, it will apply it to anyone who dares speak out in opposition.

David Hendren
Randolph