Politics

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A student at Modesto Junior College named Robert Van Tuinen had wanted to celebrate Constitution Day in hopes of helping out his classmates. Constitution Day is the day when the Founding Fathers signed the document that created this country. Robert bought several pocket sized Constitutions and started distributing them out on campus and that's when trouble began.

Apparently college officials weren't too supportive of Robert's love for the U. S. Constitution because while Robert was distributing some copies a campus security officer confronted him and took him to the school administrators. It seems that Robert was in violation of school policy. He was only allowed to distribute something like the Constitution in one of the college's "free speech areas".

Yes, the college has something they call "free speech areas." Just imagine if you or I had wanted to distribute copies of the gospel of John or to preach the gospel. What do you suppose might have happened? What would have happened is the same thing that happened to Robert. Both religious and political freedoms are under attack in America.

Now here is what's so ironical about Robert's case. This college student wasn't allowed to express his Constitutional right because he didn't get permission from the college and even if he got permission somebody else had already rented the area where Robert was allowed to distribute copies of the Constitution. Thus this young college student was not allowed to exercise his Constitutional rights of free speech.

This is all quite absurd and it only goes to prove the continual violation by the state against individual liberties that are being undermined in one form or another. Suppose this young man had wanted to preach the gospel. I'm sure he would have been denied just the same because he was not within the "free speech areas."

I recall this very thing happening years ago when I was attending San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Ca about 30 miles north of Modesto. It seems that somebody on campus, either a student or a college administrator, had complained about a student distributing religious material and they were told to stop. Eventually it was ruled that the student was allowed to exercise his rights under the U. S. Constitution.

Eventually Robert Van Tuinen had his day in court and won and so freedom prevailed. You see, the school is a state institution, which means they can't deny any citizen their right to freely express themselves. In court Van Tuinen brought Modesto Junior College to court claiming they violated his 1st Amendment rights.

After a year of court proceedings Robert won his case.
Modesto Junior College had to get rid of their "free speech areas" and they could not prevent students from handing out flyers whenever or wherever they wished. In addition the college had to pay Robert $50,000 for violating his rights.

For the Christian and all freedom lovers this is an important victory for which we can be so thankful. There are cases like this all across the country. Towns and colleges think they can decide when you have access to your Constitutional rights. But each time someone like Robert Van Tuinen stands up and defends his rights, we all win. Only when somebody like Robert has the courage to stand up for what is right can we all win. Be encouraged and go out and do likewise in comformity to what Jesus commanded in His Great Commission Matthew 28:18

The politicians in Washington D. C. have been trying to destroy that great document the U. S. Constitution for a long time and it is about time every Christians and freedom loving American stands strong against the Leviathan of the Totalitarian state and all its lies and oppression.





Carlton Pruitt ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member)and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching.

See all his videos on http://www.youtube.com Type LAStreetPreacher in the search bar. CONTACT at Carlton2061@gmail.

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