The Implied Hierarchy of Constitutional Rights

Well, it’s started.  We are finding out in a very large way that some constitutional rights are much more important than others.  The definition of “radicalized” religious zealot depends on which religion the nut carries to the extreme.  The number of deaths in an attack by crazy people doesn’t matter.  It’s the ethnicity and religion of the perpetrator and–most importantly–his choice of weapon.  You can kill peaceful Sikhs in a temple, blow up a bomb at the Olympics and an abortion clinic, and attack Federal Buildings and employees AND day care centers and still not register on some folks’ list as a “terrorist” or possibly lose your right to a fair trial.  You can spew religious hate at women and GLBT as long as it comes from the ‘correct’ religion because that’s a first amendment right but please don’t criticize the religious views because they’re  “special”.  Believe in the wrong religion and you’re on EVERY ONE’s radar and they will try to block you from building religious facilities in their neighborhood. You can do all kinds of crap and not lose access to military style weapons or get on any one’s radar. In fact, people will enable you by throwing money at elected officials to ensure you don’t get on any one’s radar.  Your decisions can kill people, ecosystems, entire cities and regions and economies and you will only get off with a few fines that aren’t very large for you because your balance sheet is massive and your political power even more so. Plus, you will be left to do it over and over and over again.

Welcome to the nation that prioritizes rights by sex, race, economic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion.  Now go hang out in your particular ghetto and don’t complain about anything.

This is an open thread.