O'Donnell 1st Amendment remarks draw laughter in argument

First Amendment news on Tues integrated the ACLU v. the Federal Communications Commission in a case about net neutrality. An additional is a suit about obscenity laws. Internet suppliers want to block enforcement of a law censoring content for minors that the 1st Amendment gives grownups a right to consume. However the 1st Amendment languished in obscurity until Christine O’Donnell displayed her total ignorance of it in an argument against her Democratic opponent in the race for a Delaware Senate seat on Tuesday. Resource for this article – Christine O’Donnell reveals First Amendment ignorance in debate by Personal Money Store.

All of the First Amendment laugh lines from O’Donnell

The First Amendment was the highlight of a debate Tues between Christine O’Donnell and her Democratic opponent Chris Coons. Ben Evans of the Associated Press reports that at Widener University Law School, O’Donnell ridiculed Coons for saying that teaching creationism in public schools violates the First Amendment by imposing religious doctrine. O’Donnell cited “indispensable principles of the Founding Fathers” in her Tea Party talking points about overreaching federal government. Then Coons responded. He said, “One of those indispensable principles is the separation of church and state.” O’Donnell responded with “Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?” The audience found that quite humorous.

Every person extends to see O’Donnell’s ignorance

The First Amendment is in the Bill of Rights. It makes it impossible for any law “respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.” Later in the debate Coons said O’Donnell revealed a “fundamental misunderstanding of what our Constitution is.” Then O’Donnell said, “You’re telling me the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?” Next, Coons summarized the First Amendment when O’Donnell then said, “That’s within the First Amendment?” Wesley Leckrone, who’s a widener political scientist, said to Evans, “You really audibly heard the crowd gasp.”

Response from O’Donnell remark

Technically, the Christine O’Donnell was right when it comes to the First Amendment. Amendments came with the Bill of Rights. In 1791, these all came together. According to Evans, Thomas Jefferson started the phrase. That’s where “separation of church and state” comes from. Jefferson explained the 1st Amendment made “a wall of separation between Church and State.” O’Donnell fled from reporters after the debate. The campaign manager for O’Donnell responded later. She “simply made the point the phrase appears nowhere in the Constitution.”

Citations

SF Gate

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/10/19/politics/p060642D21.DTL and tsp=1

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Brainy Quote

brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_jefferson.html