Uncle Sam Champions the First Amendment

Bravo Attorney General Alberto Gonzales! I commend your bold decision to launch the "First Freedom Project”. It is high time Americans were reminded by their own government that "Nothing defines us more as a nation and differentiates us more from the extremists who are our enemies than our respect for religious freedom," as you put it in your recent speech to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, TN on February 20, 2007.

Religious freedom is listed first in the Bill of Rights and is a fundamental freedom on which so many of our other freedoms rest. "Our great nation was founded on these principles, and many of us today believe it continues to thrive because of, not despite of, them." added Attorney General Gonzales. Bravo again!

The department released a 43-page report touting its record, under President Bush, in defending religious freedom. “This area of law has not always been given sufficient attention by the federal government, but from its earliest days this administration has worked to increase enforcement of religious freedom laws, including those against religious discrimination. I am very proud of the report we're releasing today, because it describes a legacy of protection unequaled since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” said the Attorney General.

The project will include efforts to inform government officials, employers and ordinary Americans about their religious-liberty rights, but predictably, dissenters such as the Americans United for Separation of Church and State were not thrilled by the announcement releasing a statement on February 22 stating that the Attorney General’s announcement "reeks of hypocrisy." Expect more opposition from humanist and secularist across the land.

DOJ stated that the First Freedom Project was launched because many Americans are unaware that religious discrimination permeates all areas of public life. And so, among the main areas of focus where the DOJ will attempt to combat religious discrimination are education, employment, housing and lending, the use of private land for religious purposes, and public accommodations.


"What [we] have found out is that so often religious discrimination results out of ignorance of the law," stated Eric Treene, special counsel for Religious Discrimination. And so, Attorney General Gonzales added “We are initiating a program of public education, to make certain that people know their rights, and to build relationships with religious, civil rights, and community leaders to ensure that religious liberty concerns are brought to our attention. We will hold a series of regional training seminars for these and other leaders interested in religious liberty. The first will be in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 29, followed by events in Tampa in April, Seattle in May, and others to be announced later. We have launched a new website, firstfreedom.gov, with information on the laws we enforce and how to file a complaint. And we will be distributing informational literature to religious organizations, civil rights groups, and community leaders on how to file a complaint. President Bush declared his commitment to this issue last year by saying: "We reject religious discrimination in every form, and we continue our efforts to oppose prejudice and to counter any infringements on religious freedom."

In addition to the public outreach effort, the attorney general said the First Freedom Project will strengthen protection of religious rights by creating an agency wide Religious Freedom Task Force to review policies and cases. A public-education program will also include a dedicated Web site and literature on how to file a religious discrimination complaint.

"This initiative is needed and should make a real difference. When individuals find themselves in a confrontation concerning their free exercise rights, it helps to have the attorney general and the Department of Justice on your side." concluded Attorney General Gonzales.

The freedom from coercion in matters of conscience and religious expression must be recognized by all as a fundamental human right. Free religious expression is an elemental component of the social order and we are all accountable to preserve it, but mostly our government. I for one am grateful for the Administration’s efforts in this endeavor.

Daniel Garza is President of Council on Faith in Action www.confianow.com