Dear Friends,

We hope that you enjoyed our series celebrating the International Day of Peace 2018 on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The United States Constitution. We will continue to publish the series on the 21st of each month so that we may cover all 30 Articles. We look forward to your feedback on the series.

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United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Dignity & Justice for All Humanity

Article 20

 (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly 
and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

U.S. Constitution
Amendment 1

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.

Interfaith Peace Project

REFLECTIONS

Rights Have Limits

The First Amendment states, “…the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” The word “Peaceably” makes clear that there is a limit to this part of the First Amendment. This implies law enforcement may break up any gathering that has turned violent or raises a “clear and present danger” of violence or disorder (Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296 (1940)).

Authorities may also prevent or stop gatherings that clearly pose other immediate threats to public safety, blocking traffic for instance. However, it has been held that authorities are not allowed to break up public protests just because they slow traffic or interfere with pedestrian traffic.

Courts have held that government may set rules on where, when, and how public protests and other gatherings can take place, as long as those rules are reasonable, are not an attempt to stop demonstrations because of the political message, and  serve legitimate concerns (like safety) with as few restrictions as possible on constitutional rights.

www.lawyers.com

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ONE SONG 

All these religions, all this singing 
One song.  

The differences are just illusion and vanity.
Sunlight looks different on this wall
than it does on this wall,
and a whole lot different
on this wall over here, 
but it is still sunlight.  

We have borrowed these clothes,
these time and space personalities,
from a light,
and, when we praise,
we put it back in. 

Just as one man can be a father to you
brother to another and uncle to yet another,
what you are searching for has many names
but one existence. 

Stop looking for one of the names.
Move beyond attachment to names.
Every war and conflict between human beings
has happened because of some disagreement about
the names.  

It’s such unnecessary foolishness
because just beyond the arguing,
where we are all one people, 
there is a long table of companionship 
beautifully set and just waiting for us to sit down.

Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks