Eagle Spirit's Freedom Friday Initiative No. 2 ===> Exploring The Freedom Of Assembly!
The Idea Behind Freedom Friday
Hello my fellow Steemians,
It's been about a month since I started this new initiative I call #FreedomFriday, and I have to admit I'm a bit tuckered out with still getting adjusted to my new locale.
I had a short but sweet discussion with @richardcrill and his new group -- one of my newfound homes @freedomtribe but not to be confused with @earthtribe or @tribesteemup a soon to be realized home for Steemians, and a collaboration effort for those interested in making the world a better place.
Sorry, I digress. So the conversation I had with @richardcrill was the importance of freedom and my new initiative. I needed a new freedom subject to discuss and this was his suggestion last week. Sorry RC, I’m just getting to it this week and it is Freedom Of Assembly.
RC didn’t say why he thought of this form of freedom to discuss and I forgot to ask. Maybe he’ll let us know in the comments below. But, he did say he would like to participate and I look forward to reading his thoughts.
I have to say that being a part of Steemit was pretty fantastical to begin with, but now that I'm being brought into the fold of some amazing groups this is becoming an unbelievable place. I've met so many creative people during my nine month long journey, so to speak out about certain issues will be an experience.
Interestingly, after I posted my intro post regarding Freedom, entitled Eagle Spirit's Freedom Friday Initiative ---> I Begin With Freedom Of Speech!, I began to see people start Freedom of Speech Friday and many posts on Freedom.
Well, sorry folks Eagle Spirit started this idea and she shall prevail! Let me share how I came up with this initiative.
Freedom Initiative
This all began after I saw the articles and YouTube video's on The China Ink Girl, my heart pretty much exploded in my chest for her and yet a huge amount of respect, admiration, pride, and prayers quickly went out to her.
If you haven’t heard her story then please take a few minutes to read about her. She stood up to speak her truth and told the government to come get her, well they did. She disappeared within a few days of her public outcry.
Initiative outline
It is my hope that people will continue this initiative by posting about not only their ideas of what freedom means to them, but also what is going on in their country as events shift. There is an understanding that a lot is going on in the world and people are having a very tough time. Tough time, as in not even having food to eat and the total reliance on government assistance. This in of itself bothers me a great deal.
In addition, I would like positive posts on what we all can do to make freedom happen for all. Post a photo, poem, rant, or whatever you want on the meaning of freedom. The tag #freedomfriday will be created with this first post and continue on with your help. There are so many people from around the world that enjoy freedom in their own way. Examples of how you enjoy freedom is an encouragement for those who are trying to obtain their freedom, or just something beautiful to see.
Freedom Of Assembly
As stated above, the last thing I want to do is get political or religious (at least on Steemit), since these may appear to be not so sexy topics to discuss. Let's be honest, none of us want a penny post.
So, going back to what the basic meaning of a "peaceful assembly,” and since this is a term from U.S. law and human rights we will first take a trip to the Library of Congress, and read what they had to say here:
The First Amendment states that “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.” U.S. Const. Amend. I
Of course, if you ask me we all have a right to assemble or make our voices heard one way or another. This does not mean we have to do it in a negative way or by harming anyone and no one has a right to be negative or harm us in return.
This also brings up the question, what is Peaceful Assembly? According to The Law Dictionary:
It is a right afforded under the constitution for people to meet peacefully and discuss important matters.
This bring into question what makes an assembly and what is peaceful? These days so many people have their own ideas and terminology. We have to wonder ...
The Rights To Free Assembly Explained
Thankfully I found this great website Free Assembly, and even though the person is a former United Nations special reporter, he did okay in my book. He explains:
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association are among the most important human rights we possess.
These rights protect peoples’ ability to come together and work for the common good. They are a vehicle for the exercise of many other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, allowing people to express their political opinions, engage in artistic pursuits, engage in religious observances, form and join trade unions, elect leaders to represent their interests and hold them accountable.
Today, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are enshrined in international law as fundamental freedoms. But their philosophical origins are not cultural, or specific to a particular place and time. Rather, these rights are born from our common human heritage, rooted in the simple fact that every civilization is built upon cooperation and collaboration, from many and not one. It is human nature – and human necessity – that people come together to collectively pursue their interests. Vibrant assembly and association rights are a prerequisite not only for a legitimate democracy, but also for a just society.
What I loved the most about this website is that you can go to almost any country and there is an updated alphabetized list regarding the Human Right for Peaceful Assembly. The list gives updated laws, rules, and reports. You can find this list here.
Of course we have seen or heard of groups that could not assemble. I worked at the United Nations for a year and the Burmese Ambassador I worked alongside had to meet in secret even in the United States. As much as I would like to believe humans have legal freedoms, humankind as a whole are far from where we need to be.
The freedom to assemble was constructed from these four human rights instruments:
As a part of the human race, hopefully we all think of ways to improve humankind and earth. In other words, make it a better place by giving and not taking. This may be idealistic but there are many of us that feel it is our duty. I will not go into a deep discussion about this right now but maybe in the near future.
I leave you with this question ...
How are you celebrating your Freedom?
Yours,
Eagle Spirit
Greetings,
Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a First Nation member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Medicine woman in-training, first time blogger since November 2017, (right here on Steemit), paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the Mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, energy work, and the spirit world. Additionally, I'm the creator of #MedicineCardMonday, so if you are interested in receiving a Native American blessing stop by my blog every Monday, or just say hello!
See you soon, @eaglespirit
Awesome post and concept @eaglespirit ! I agree that we are far from where we need to be, but it's helpful to look at where we've been and where we are now. Thanks for this!
@richardcrill sure thing and it looks like this may be catching on in the group. now they want to make it a weekly question for all of us to answer. ahahahah
of course i'd like to help you develop this since it came from my initiative. let me know.
this is a cool initiative...I hope to use it next Friday, although am gonna use some "freedom" to leave a cool pic here ;)
yay! thank you so much and the kitty pic is freedom at its best!
This post has received a 3.13 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @sbi-booster.
You worked at the UN?!! So cool. We definitely have to have our dinner party now (where S.T. cooks... 😉) because I want to hear about this.
yes ma’am!! :) yes yes he must cook! hehe
The right to peaceably assemble and the right of association are part of the first amendment for a reason IMHO. Like speech, they just can't be violated or abridged for any reason but fomenting sedition and harming the well being of the general public.
Doesn't mean we have to like it, means we HAVE to defend it. Let's take an easy one, the American Nazi Party. Generally speaking, the largest collection of asshats in the entire country.
But we (the committed citizenry of this country) are required to insure their right to assembly and association. Just asshattery is no where near enough to abridge their rights. Insuring their rights also insures mine. It's that selfish.
Thanks for a great imitative. It's really important in today's world. I appreciate that you are willing to take some heat to express it.
you are awesome big tom and i truly appreciate your comment and opinion. im right there with you on where you stand. i meant to add this means small groups too, i mean the meetings that took place for civil rights, underground railroad, and many more deserve their right to speak in small groups. xo
im thankful for your support and seeing the consequences hahaha
I have heard recently that the underground railroad is back in action, with a modern day look. Moving political asylum seekers from Central and South America to Canada where they can actually get asylum. I do not know this for a fact, and it might be real hard for me to confirm here in way southern Arizona but i heard it from what I consider to be a reliable source.
But you are correct. Small groups need protection as much as large.
@bigtom13 i dunno LOL there are a lot of rumors but i doubt it .. but if you say its reliable then i wonder. i mean comon there are so many "safe cities" there is no need really. i see mexicans fresh from the river so to speak right here in denver.
I'm not talking Mexicans here, I'm talking about Nicaraguans and Venezuelans primarily. People that would ordinarily qualify for "Political Asylum". That is a term that is not applied to our brown brothers and sisters in the US under current rules. Canada still grants Political Asylum to them but the journey across Mexico and the US is very dangerous. These are people that are summarily executed on their return to their homeland as enemies of the state.
yes i knew who you talked about lol however its all a damn lie. again i see immigrants here everyday coming fresh in. almost interviewed a few today bc its all BS.
This is such a cool idea and I will try to remember and join next Friday
yay thank you so much Tatt! xoxo
@eaglespirit most welcome
@tattoodjay woot, still lovein your photos! are you still in steemusa?
@eaglespirit Thanks and yes still part of Steemusa :)
is it any diff than the alliance?
Thank you for your continued support of SteemSilverGold
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I like the #freedomfriday idea a lot. I may do one myself. Even though a freedom may be held legally that does not always mean the freedom is not suppressed.
I have been looking at the Seseme system that China has began to use. The implications are enormous. One could argue that the U.S. has already began to head in that direction.
Working at the United Nations was interesting I am sure. I hope you will share more about that experience in future.
i would love to hear from you on any of the subjects i've mentioned or just your idea of freedom or what you'd love to say! :)
yeah so much suppression, we need to freedom worldwide and yes that entire aspect of beijing is pretty scary stuff. the UN experience was strange to say the least, esp with a leader always hiding for the sake of just speaking in a small group. he had to meet in homes no less, not in public at all. so sad.
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yay! thank you my cho choo