Editorial: Cherishing our freedoms

Friday, Dec. 15, 2006 | 7:18 a.m.

When Americans think of the freedoms that this nation guarantees them, most often they are embracing the protections afforded by the Bill of Rights.

Ratified on Dec. 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights encompasses the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution that provide the very building blocks of our nation.

They include the rights to worship as one pleases, to assemble with others, to speak freely and to air grievances with government. Americans cannot be forced to house soldiers in peacetime nor do they have to submit to searches or seizures unless a legally obtained warrant is presented. Americans have the right to due process under the law when charged with a crime and the right to face their accusers. These are among the privileges adopted 215 years ago "to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its (government's) powers."

There are other patriotic holidays on which Americans celebrate the nation's declaration of independence from British rule and days on which they laud the sacrifices made by the military men and women who serve and protect our great nation.

But Bill of Rights Day passes quietly, without parades and pomp. Perhaps that is as it should be in a nation where pursuing one's faith, livelihood and interests without government interference are birthrights. We should not forget that these fundamental rights outlined in the Constitution are protections that people in many other nations still can only dream about.