Free speech at presidential rallies...still a problem
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Free speech at presidential rallies...still a problem
One thing I blogged about on a fairly regular basis during the Bush years were problems with free speech issues at presidential rallies -- people arrested for wearing a protest T-shirt, for example. So what's changed since Barack Obama became the 44th president? Well, the answer -- in my opinion -- is a metaphor for Obama's entire presidency, which is better than Bush, but not better enough. Protestors are still cordoned off into zones that are too far from the action, often where Obama can't even see them (this is what happened when the president spoke at Arcadia University last month).
And now, something like this doesn't make sense to me:
When the crowd didn't move and began singing "God Bless, America" and the national anthem, Quincy Deputy Police Chief Ron Dreyer called for members of the Mobile Field Force to walk up the street.
The officers, mainly from Metro East departments near St. Louis and dressed in full body armor, marched from the east and stood on the south side of York facing the protesters.
There was no physical contact, and the officers did not come close to the crowd, but there were catcalls and more than a few upset tea party members, including a woman who shouted, "This is communism!"
These demonstrators were just out there saying the usual Tea Party blather about Obama -- nothing dangerous or that could be considered anything other than free speech; to send in police in riot gear is a provocative overreaction. Meanwhile, at a presidential event in Arizona last year, police could do nothing about an armed man in the crowd. How hard can it be to a) let non-violent dissenters speak freely and b) prevent firearms within a reasonable distance of the president and the public. It's not as bad as arresting people for wearing a T-shirt, but America can still do a lot better than this.
Please- tell me on good thing Obama has done? Please review his ELECTION promises and get back to me....— Manny Trillo- I love the title of the video: "Obama Calls in Riot Police On Peaceful Tea Party." Oh, and don't forget - he's also a Marxist/communist/Nazi/anti-Christ/illegal alien/Kenyan/Muslim/racist/terrorist sympathizing/tyrant.— Talking point sleuth
- The lilly ledbetter fair pay act unless you think women don't deserve to be paid the same as men.— cuso20
I've seen that "usual Tea Party blather" send lefties into a frenzy.— jmc- cuso, that's it, the lilly act? Wow, underwhelming.— pj katauskas
- Wow. A lefty defending free speech? The same lefties who laughably consider Fox news their Great White Whale, and try to shut it down so that they have no one questioning them? The same who, if you inadvertently misspell Obama's name, call you a racist to end the discussion? Will, I'm impressed. In sports, that's called "the makeup call". Ten articles in a row mocking Republicans, then an occasional half-hearted defending one, to show how open minded you are. Yeah, sure you are!— Catch22
- This kind of problem would not occur if the people attending Obama rallies had to sign loyalty oaths, like the people attending Bush rallies had to for 8 years. The Bush people were very good at keeping anybody who disagreed with him far away.— pic man
- Shut FOX down??? Not sure where you got that. Just would suggest they stop saying they are balanced. It only weakens their cause. Nobody watches them because they are "balanced". People to the right of McCain watch because they hear what they want to hear and people on the left get hilarious clips from various FOX "news" personalities on the Daily Show. Win win.— pagoda
- Is MSNBC fair and balanced?— pj katauskas
Frankly, for security reasons, I don't have a problem with demostration areas. Having said that, there have been no arrests, violent incidents, civil disorder,use of tear gas or even trash issues with ANY teaparty rally. In spite of the the popular reporting there were no racial slurs or threats or spitting at the capitol when the congress passed obamacare. NO EVIDENCE. If there was it would have hit youtube in about 5 seconds. Jesse Jackson,Jr. videoed the whole thing, as did some of the other congress critters and their staff, probably in hopes of getting something incriminaing. That's fair. They recorded zero, zip-nothing. Yelling racism and nazi is much easier than debating the facts. As a side note, WTO, anti Bush (he is out of office btw),pro illegal alien rallies are almost uniformly hate filled, obscence and out of control. Just sayin'.— georgel
I'm a big fan of free speech, I'm exercising my right to it right now. These incidents with Obama however seem a little bit of stretch as free speech issues. Reading the full article the crowd was ask to move and didn't do so. When you're protecting the President its not a bad thing to show that you are in control and the little show of force got the crowd to comply. No one was stopped from saying anything they wanted they just had to say it on the other side of the street. As to the guy with the assault rifle I'm sure most of the left just think he's a crazy racist but he was just exercising his 2nd Amendment rights - the police kept an eye on him and I'm sure if he raised the weapon they would have been on him in a heartbeat.— bird11- Hopefully Bunch will be one of the first ones to be let go after the new ownership settles in.— DeathforMumia
Comment removed.
Tea partiers should get used to seeing riot police at protests. It comes with the territory, as any lefty protester can attest. I remember dodging riot police on the streets of Berkeley in the 90s, simply because students were marching over People's Park becoming tennis courts. No one said civil disobedience was a walk in the park. Indeed, the symbolic confrontation with authority is an essential element.- My question wasn't whether MSNBC used the term "fair and balanced." My question was whether it WAS fair and balanced. Try again, please. fafa, saw that too. There's not a dimes worth of difference among ABC, NBC and CBS in selection and coverage of news. All have a left-lean. Anyone of any political stripe who pays even a little attention can see that.— pj katauskas
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