What good would it do if our inalienable rights, you know “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” were only valid on the Moon?
Our freedoms wouldn’t have much practical effect and of course, that’s how some powerful folks might prefer it. While we have the right to petition our government, increasingly we have no place to exercise this right. One reason is a recent regulation of the U.S. Postal Service that forbids people from petitioning outside post offices.
Wait a second . . . the Post Office is public property! But the Postal Service wants it both ways. They want the benefits of a government guaranteed monopoly so that no one can compete with them, and they want the ability to deny access to normal activity that’s not only allowed on public property, but constitutionally protected.
That’s why U.S. Term Limits and the Initiative and Referendum Institute have sued to overturn this regulation. The idea that citizens can be prohibited from engaging in peaceful political activity on public property is ridiculous AND dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Post Service specifically allows politicians to pass out their literature at post offices. In their defense, the Postal Service says that they received no negative comments when they published this regulation in the Federal Register. Everyone subscribes to the Federal Register, don’t they?
You may have the right to petition, but looks like you can only use it on the Moon. We’ll see if the courts can bring that right back down to Earth.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.