It's ironic that "We the People..." in the preamble of the Bill of Rights is often completely skipped over. So, why is it important? Because it specifically states what the Bill of Rights are actually for. Namely, they exist to protect the American people should the US federal government ever go bad.
No joke.
With this in mind, the Bill of Rights suddenly has context and makes a lot more sense. How do you protect a group of people from a malicious government? Well-- You protect the people's ability to communicate, you keep them armed, you keep soldiers out of their homes, you protect their right to privacy, as well as their right to a fair trial; plus, you grant them the ability to have other rights and grant the State governments some power. Generally speaking, we just listed the complete Bill of Rights. When we look at the uprisings in the Middle-East, we can easily see how important free communication, arms, privacy, and a fair judiciary system are for fighting off tyranny.
- Barbara Gaston