The Constitution Applies to Me Too! ... or did you forget?

My second favorite movie of all time is Gettysburg. I am a history nerd, as you can see. I even took a Civil War and Reconstruction class while I was in college. Maybe that was because I was a history major; maybe it was for fun... who knows? Anyways, in the movie, Gettysburg, *spoiler alert* the South loses the war at Gettysburg, and many Confederate soldiers are taken prisoner. The following is one of my absolute favorite parts in the entire film... of any film, really:

Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: I don't mean no disrespect to you fighting men, but sometimes I can't help but figure... why you fightin' this war?
Confederate prisoner: Why are you?
Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: To free the slaves, of course. And preserve the Union.
Confederate prisoner: I don't know about other folk, but I ain't fighting for no darkies one way or the other. I'm fightin' for my rights. All of us here, that's what we're fighting for.
[pronounces it 'rats']
Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Your what?
Confederate prisoner: For our rights. The right to live my life like I see fit. Why can't you just live the way you want to live, and let us live the way we do? Live and let live, I hear some folks say. Be lot less fuss and bother if more folks took it to heart.
Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Where'd you get captured?
Confederate prisoner: From a cut just west of Gettysburg town. Wasn't a pretty sight. Many a good boy lost a young and promising life. Some wore blue and some wore gray. Seen enough of this war?
Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: I guess I have.
Confederate prisoner: I guess I have too. Looks like I'm gonna be sitting out the rest of it.
Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: Well, I appreciate you talking to me.
Confederate prisoner: [salutes] See you in hell, Billy Yank.
Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain: [salutes] See you in hell, Johnny Reb.

Did you get chills? I always get chills. I love this movie. But why do I love this scene? It's because of the Confederate Soldiers response. He says he is fighting for his rights. He says that all the boys in his company are fighting for their rights. What he doesn't realize- well, what most people didn't realize at the time- is that the rights they were so adamantly fighting for... did not exist. They were assumed rights. And by so assuming, they were actually hurting the rights of many people in the country. This misunderstanding of the Constitution led to the American Civil War, which in turn resulted in over 600,000 deaths. It is the bloodiest war in America's history.

Recently, Chick-Fil-A has come under fire for their support of traditional marriage. People are calling them unconstitutional and demanding that Chick-Fil-A's be boycotted for their view and support of traditional marriage. I have heard the pro-gay marriage side over and over again. They tell us it's unfair. They say it is unconstitutional, or violating their rights. I have heard that we, the pro traditional marriage supporters, are a backwards people, and are trying to inflict our personal beliefs on the masses. I am basically called Unconstitutional for my beliefs. Ouch.

Do you know what the Constitution says in the Bill of Rights, Amendment 1? I will tell you: "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." These are basic rights listed in the Constitutional Amendments. Many of the states, when the time came to sign the Constitution, were hesitant to sign until these basic rights were guaranteed. Our country would not exist the way it does as we know it if the Bill of Rights had not been added to the Constitution.

Do you know what's unconstitutional? Being told that my basic human rights are not valid anymore. I do have the right to be a member of a Church, and not only that, but the free exercise thereof. I also have the freedom of speech. Those two rights alone make it Constitutional for me, or any other person, like Dan Cathy, to stand up and say that not only are we pro traditional marriage, but we will put money towards anyone who is supporting traditional marriage. And guess what? That's not unconstitutional.

There have been many cries for the separation of Church and State (please show me where that is stated in the Constitution… please. Or, are you referring to the Religion clause? Ok, well, read on; I will make my point clear on my religious rights) with Dan Cathy's remarks. Wait... what? Since when was Chick-Fil-A a Church or a State? They're not. They have values, just like any business, and they expressed them, just like any business can, and many have. The shocking thing with Chick-Fil-A is that they support Traditional Marriage…. Wait... why is that shocking? I'm confused. Why is it shocking for a business to support traditional marriage? Why is it ok for Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc., to support gay marriage, but not for Chick-Fil-A to support traditional marriage? Jim Henson's company came out and said all the money that they received from Chick-Fil-A would be donated toward an organization that is pro- gay marriage. Why is that ok, but it is not ok for Chick-Fil-A to show their support of traditional marriage? This may come as a shock to the world, but many businesses make lots of money, and as such are very active players in the political arena, whether by contributing those funds to politicians, public programs, or common people. Since they are not a Church, they are practicing their right to take a stand and address the issues they want to. It's their right, just as it is our right to support or protest against them.

The Mayor of Boston, Mayor Merino, and many other mayors have come out and said that because of their views and support of traditional marriage, Chick-Fil-A is not welcome in their cities. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel said, “Chick-fil-A's values are not Chicago values. They're not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you're gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.” So.... does that mean that anyone who has values similar to the values Chick-Fil-A has are no longer welcome in the city of Chicago? Let's role with this idea for a minute, shall we? The LDS Church supports traditional marriage. Many LDS people live in Chicago who support the Churches view on traditional marriage. Chick-Fil-A was told they were not welcome in Chicago because of their values and support of traditional marriage. So, logically, since the mayor is saying that anyone who supports traditional marriage is not welcome in the city... the LDS Church, or other Christian faiths are no longer welcome… is that what I’m hearing? Wait… wait! Didn’t the pro-gay marriage community call for a separation of Church and State? I’m confused, because it would appear that the side violating that is… the pro-gay marriage side. Weird. I totally did not see that coming. And yet, when these mayors came out and told Chick-Fil-A that they were not welcome, they were hailed as heroes by the pro-gay marriage community. Wait... what? My fear with any State leader coming out and telling us that a certain organization is not welcome in their city because of their values is that it will not only impact businesses, but it will move into religion. How long until my Church is no longer invited into a state because of our religious views? WAIT! Isn’t religion protected in the Constitution? Oh! Ok! Now I understand why I’m upset by this. Let me explain.

I have the freedom of religion and the freedom to practice my religion how I want. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are very pro traditional marriage. In 1995, the leaders of the LDS Church proclaimed that “We the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” Yes, the Church has openly declared that marriage is between a man and a woman. I 100% support that and I stand by it. I am in no ways forcing my religious beliefs onto you; I am merely telling you what I stand for. Now, let’s say that gay marriage is legalized. How does that affect my religion? Well, on the inside, it does not. We will still function as the Church that we are. However, let us say that a gay couple comes to us and asks to be married in our Church or Temple. We would not allow it, and the State would have to come in and try to protect their personal beliefs by somehow taking away some of mine. We will be discriminated against, and our religious freedom will be torn to shreds. Am I being over dramatic? No. I am not. For how can there be a world where gay marriage is legal, and religion gets equal rights? There cannot be. To many, marriage is a very religious thing. To me, marriage is sacred and should not be touched by the State. By their simple words of telling Chick-Fil-A to stay away with their values and opinions, these mayors are taking a step in the direction of taking away my religious rights.

Why is it unconstitutional for me to defend my rights? Oh! IT’S NOT. That is what I am trying to say. I have rights too. And just like me, Dan Cathy has the freedom of speech and press, which is exactly what he is using in taking the stand he did. And guess what? While there are so many actively fighting for gay marriage rights, they tend to forget about my rights and throw them to the wind. I'm not saying they should stop fighting- everyone has the freedom of speech. I'm just saying for those who are out there actively fighting for the rights of the gay community, just remember whose rights you are taking away to get them. Since when did my rights become less important than anyone else’s?