The Free Exercise Thereof...

It is a rare moment in politics when there are two Current Things. History shows us that the public has trouble processing more than one major matter at a time. Yet here we are, facing a double-barrel blast of “interesting times:” Greenland and the ICE protests in Minnesota.

My recent thoughts on Greenland are here, and my take on the death of Renee Good are here.

The latest on the latter front is the invasion of a church (during services) by organized (and partially paid, I believe) anti-ICE protestors due to the belief that the pastor was voicing support for ICE activities.

Whether that belief was mistaken (it apparently was) or not is of no matter. Interfering with people’s free exercise of their religious beliefs, in private and on private property, is as unAmerican a thing as there is. While the First Amendment only debars the government from interfering in such a way, the first duty of a government based on the rights of the individual is to protect those rights from infringement by others.

Some of the earliest European arrivals came here to freely practice their religions, and that tradition is woven into the very fabric of the nation. The very deliberate choice to secularize the government (no state religion, no religious tests) has resulted in a nation that is more religious than many European nations with state-sanctioned religions.

Some argue that there’s too much religion, others argue that there’s too little, but those arguments are irrelevant. Free exercise is fundamental to liberty, and interfering with that free exercise in a private space falls rather clearly into the “intimidation” category of exceptions to free speech.

This is why it’s not only good that the government is considering prosecuting the church-invaders, it’s proper that it do so. I repeat, defending our rights from infringement by others is the first job of any freedom-based government.

While protest is also protected from government interference by the First Amendment, that protection is limited to “the right of the people peaceably to assemble,” not to trespass or intimidate or interfere with lawful activities.

Including, and especially, in a house of worship.

Don Lemon, pithily dubbed a “human stain” (oh, I am so jealous!) by National Review’s Jeff Blehar, again beclowns himself by demonstrating an ignorance of 1A that’s inexcusable for someone who purports to be a source of informed news and opinion.

The Feds are mulling charges against Lemon and other trespassers.

A century and a half ago, in the aftermath of the Civil War and the enactment of 13A, 14A, and 15A, the Feds enacted several acts to protect freed blacks from those who would deny them their rights. One of these was dubbed the Ku Klux Klan Act, and it would be deliciously ironic if Lemon, a black man, was prosecuted via that Act.

More recently (1994, to be precise), the FACE Act was enacted to protect access to reproductive centers. As part of the sausage-making process, language was added protecting places of religious worship. Since the legislation includes intimidation, it, too, can be pointed at Lemon and the rest. Despite the state AG making it obvious he’s not going to enforce the law, the Feds can pursue the matter. As can any of the parishioners in civil court.

Up until this moment, the Left was winning the perception/PR war in the ICE-v-protestors matter. But, as is so often the case, the Left’s arrogance and deeply distorted... nay, solipsistic (only we matter) worldview is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Invading a church may play well to the religion-haters on the left, but even secular people who aren’t blinded by partisan ideology should and will cringe at this deeply anti-American action.

Yes, and again, the America-haters on the left will be pleased by my characterizing this as anti-American, but they are the #1 problem today. Their way is destructive and their goals are ruinous.

While the ICE actions are deserving of much criticism, and there are too many reported instances of rights-violations, the behavior of the Soros-funded protestors is wrong. It’s not the way to win hearts and minds, it’s not the way to highlight injustice, and its fundamentally anti-American nature is ironic in a land built by righteous protest.