Bill of Rights Day - December 15
| About Bill of Rights Day Bill of Rights History Community Ideas Media Resources |
Public Schools Proclamations & Resolutions Bill of Rights Day Materials Public Service Announcements |
Bill of Rights Day Public Service Announcements
This page contains scripts for Bill of Rights Day Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that can be read on the radio or on public access cable TV to make people aware of Bill of Rights Day (December 15), to remind them of the freedoms we have lost since September 11, 2001, and to encourage them to find a copy of the Bill of Rights. We hope you will use them. Choose your favorites or more than one, or focus on a different amendment each week leading up to Bill of Rights Day. Each is approximately 30 seconds long. Feel free to adapt them.
- The Bill of Rights (one PSA)
- The First Amendment (four PSAs)
- The Fourth Amendment (four PSAs)
- The Fifth Amendment (one PSA)
- The Sixth Amendment (two PSAs)
- The Eighth Amendment (two PSAs)
The Bill of Rights (one PSA)
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. For 216 years, the Bill of Rights protected us from government intrusion into our private lives and guaranteed us free speech and due process of law. Since September 11, 2001, our government has diminished those freedoms in exchange for what it tells us is more security. On December 15, the 216th anniversary of our Bill of Rights, you can find a copy of the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
The First Amendment (four PSAs)
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The First Amendment guarantees free speech, freedom of religion and the right to assemble peaceably for the redress of grievances. Looking back over the 216 years of the Bill of Rights, there have been many times the government has eroded our essential liberties guaranteed in those ten amendments. This is one of those times. With laws like the PATRIOT Act on the books, this December 15 is a good time to find a copy of the Bill of Rights and remember how precious freedom is.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The First Amendment guarantees free speech and freedom of association. Four years ago, the U.S. Attorney General gave permission to law enforcement to attend religious meetings and political gatherings, without any suspicion of crime or terrorist activity. He authorized fishing expeditions at the expense of the First Amendment. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the First Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to peaceably assemble for the redress of grievances. In March 2006, the PATRIOT Act was reauthorized, giving the Secret Service broad powers to set up restricted areas at presidential speaking events. Heavy fines and jail time are the penalties for assembling under these new terms. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the First Amendment at bordc.org to remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to free speech. But the PATRIOT Act prohibits free speech in the case of librarians or bookstore clerks who receive a secret court order to produce library and bookstore records. Librarians and clerks can go to jail if they reveal an FBI search. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the First Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
The Fourth Amendment (four PSAs)
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees us protection from unreasonable searches by requiring that the government obtain court warrants to search our homes. On December 16, 2005, the President admitted he authorized searches of our phone calls and emails for four years without warrants. Congress passed the Protect America Act, authorizing those searches in August, 2007. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Fourth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be secure in our homes against unreasonable searches, and provides for a process of court warrants when the government must search. The PATRIOT Act allows FBI agents to issue National Security Letters to obtain hotel, airline, and other business records without a warrant from a judge. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Fourth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be secure in our homes against unreasonable searches, and provides for a process of court warrants when the government must search. Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act allows searches of our library records and bookstore purchases without reasonable suspicion of involvement in crime or terrorism. It allows fishing expeditions on our reading habits. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Fourth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be secure in our homes against unreasonable searches, and provides for a process of court warrants when the government must search. The PATRIOT Act allows law enforcement to get secret court orders to search our homes without revealing the search. An authority that used to be reserved for searches of foreign spies may now be used in your neighborhood. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Fourth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
The Fifth Amendment (one PSA)
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Fifth Amendment guarantees no one will be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. For more than 3 years, the U.S. government imprisoned a U.S. citizen, Jose Padilla , as an enemy combatant and denied him due process. The Bush Administration prevented the Supreme Court from ruling on the case by transferring it to a criminal court. Don’t wait until that happens to you! On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Fifth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
The Sixth Amendment (two PSAs)
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. If you’re accused of a crime, the Sixth Amendment guarantees you a speedy trial by jury and the right to be told the charges against you, to hear the witnesses for and against you, and to have a defense attorney. Since 9/11, the U.S. government has imprisoned three menin the U.S. as “enemy combatants” and denied them some or all those rights. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Sixth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Sixth Amendment guarantees if you’re accused of a crime, you may have a defense attorney as your advocate. In 2001, the U.S. Attorney General short-changed defendants of that right by abolishing the requirement for the Bureau of Prisons to go to a judge for permission to wiretap conversations between prisoners in federal prison and their attorneys. On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Sixth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
The Eighth Amendment (two PSAs)
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Eighth Amendment guarantees no cruel and unusual punishments will be inflicted. In 2005, Congress passed a law prohibiting cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of any person in U.S. custody. But in a signing statement President Bush declared he may take exception to that law. But can the President sign a statement to make himself exempt from the Eighth Amendment or any other part of the Constitution? On December 15, the 216th birthday of the Bill of Rights, read the Eighth Amendment at bordc.org and remind yourself of the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Eighth Amendment guarantees no cruel and unusual punishments will be inflicted by our government. In September, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act, which allows U.S. personnel to use waterboarding, stripping prisoners naked, inducing hypothermia, and use of dogs with prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. On December 15, the 216th anniversary of our Bill of Rights, read the Eighth Amendmnt at bordc.org, and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.