UK Proves It Is Not America As Tony Blair Gets Tough On Terrorist Sympathizers

Who was it who once said, "England and the United States are separated by a common language?"

Whoever it was, they were only half right. The rest of what separates us from each other is our system of national law.

Most significantly, the United States has a Constitution and a Bill of Rights.

The United Kingdom has neither.

All legal rights in the UK are extended to the people by the will of Parliament.

For example, there is no freedom of religion in the UK. Diversity of religious faith organizations do not have any right to exist at all. Instead, they are "tolerated" by government. In fact, the legislative act that granted such freedom of religious expression was called, "Toleration Act."

Government decree can change that around at any time it likes. Indeed, when the government didn't want Scientology around, they simply "untolerated" it and declared it had to go!

Today, demonstrating the government's complete freedom from anything as inconvenient as a Constitution or a Bill of Rights, Prime Minister Tony Blair simply rewrote the rules that govern the "freedom of speech" in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Among the new rules are:

New grounds for deporting and excluding people from the UK -including fostering hatred or, advocating and justifying violence to further beliefs. The powers will cover statements already on record. Consultation on the plans will finish this month;

Amend human rights laws, if necessary, to prevent legal obstacles to new deportation rules;

Make justifying or glorifying terrorism anywhere an offence; and,

Create a list of foreign preachers who will be kept out of the UK and consult on creating new powers to close places of worship used to foment extremism.

In the United States, neither the Executive nor the Legislative Branches of government could ever come up with a slate of new laws like these.

In fact, the US Supreme Court has declared that, as long as threats to blow up a nuclear power plant, or urging others to do so or declaring that such a thing would bring great joy, are fully protected under the "Freedom of Speech" as long as such threats or incitements are not "imminent."

Some radical imams have been boldly preaching radical Islam openly in the United States for years, and even urging individuals to go to the Middle East for jihadi training as terrorists, without any fear of prosecution or deportation. Why? Because in our country they have the right to do so.

Well, in the UK, they won't have that right any more.

But here in the US of A, we will continue to face that irony of Constitutional Democracy: The very Constitution that guarantees us freedom, also guarantees that we are free to destroy ourselves, and protected by law in so doing.

Despite the "flexibility" of the British government to change the rules of law whenever and however they choose, I still think I will continue to embrace our good old US Constitution. For all of its drawbacks, it does put the responsibility for national success right where it belongs........not in the hands of Federal or State governments, but in the hands of the people themselves.

In the United States, the laws are only as good as the people who they are meant to govern. "We the People" will perservere if we remain both "good" and faithful to the ideals of our national foundation. This not only includes the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, but something even more foundational that these. God. The God of Abraham and Moses. The God who revealed his love and salvation to the world through his Son, Jesus.

It remains yet to be seen if this is also the God of American Islam......or a different god altogether.

If it is the latter, then the foundation itself will be under attack.