Posted by
Vansword on Tuesday, July 07, 2009 7:28:55 PM
We've heard the liberal Dems ask in voices dripping with phony, heartfelt indignation- how can Conservatives complain about taxes at tea parties and post so many anti-Obama blogs? We're in a crisis situation- we're all in this together, they want to point out. We're all Americans, in the same economic boat, they say. They tell us we need to stop complaining and be willing to make sacrifices as a country(read.....suffer higher taxes to join other nations in promulgating the notion of global warming). They insist that we have to come together to survive this crisis and make America stronger.
The Dems tell us we are paranoid, they reassure us that our Bill of Rights is still intact- in their minds we are wasting valuable time whining about things like freedom of speech. They think we are the problem! They think we need to get onboard with all of their stupid ideas and bad legislation just to keep the peace! Keep the peace and lose our freedoms! They really must think we're a bunch of uneducated idiots! They think we're not paying attention. We won't notice that their notion of freedom of speech only applies to those with their ideology!
When we notice any First Amendment infraction or the threat of such an infraction, liberals go on the offensive with name-calling and fear mongering. They have to call us domestic terrorists and extremists because they cannot go on the defensive. They know in their hearts that there is no defense for trying to quell freedom of speech. If they focus the attention on domestic terrorists, striking a patriotic pose where they appear to honestly care about this country, then surely no one will notice what's going on. FYI, all you liberals, from mayors' houses to the White House-we are noticing-and keeping track of the instances we hear about where the First Amendment has been flagrantly ignored or called into question. I've put together this list of First Amendment problems which I've run across in the past six months:
*During the Atlanta Tax Day Tea Party on April 15, 2009, Atlanta police demanded that tea party protestors hand over the sticks from the backs of their signs because they represented 'possible weapons". One woman was even forced to hand over the metal pole holding up her American flag for the same reason. These were ordinary citizens-not ex-cons or rowdy kids. They were simply exercising their right to gather in the public to air their grievances. They should be able to do so without undue harrassment from law enforcement!
*This past April, students at a UNC-Chapel Hill seminar stormed the stage where Colorado Congressmen, Tom Tancredo. was giving a speech against illegal immigration. Police had to use pepper spray to subdue the protestors- angry students who thought they could use force against someone whose views differed from their own.
*Las Vegas, Nevada tea party organizers had to call their rally "picnic in the park' in order to obtain the required permit for public assembly. They were also slapped with a 1000 fee for the permit which a generous, sympathetic private citizen paid from his own pocket. Sounds like the city government of Las Vegas, with a financual roadblock and silly rules, was trying to make it a chore to get permission to have a tea party to protest the government.
*The Office of Homeland Security, under Janet Napalitano, is trying to discourage dissenting opinion and public rallies by calling their participants extremists and domestic terrorists. This kind of intimidation from our government against its citizens because they dare to be vocal with their opinions is too blatant to be believed!
*During the height of the bank bailouts a few months ago, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry of Mass. suggested that the Senate set up a committee to help newspapers in danger of insolvency. Though he might have truly been thinking of helping out the press, which is an important part of our free republic, there is a problem with the idea: newspapers who receive a government bailout,by law, cannot endorse political candidates. Freedom of speech? Not so much!
*These same freedom of speech rights belong to those with liberal, non-conservative opinions as well! Richard Mullen, a middle school teacher from Brookeland Texas, who is an atheist and political liberal, is being railroaded by staunchly conservative school board members who all belong to the same church-a church whose pastor has publicly stated that there should only be Christian teachers in their public schools! If the school was private, they would be well within their rights to form school policy and create a religious learning institution. But, because we have a long-standing tradition of separating church and state, they are not within their rights to limit Mr. Mullen's freedom to express opinions vastly different from theirs in a government-funded school.
*Debbie McLucas, a hospital supervisor from Mansfield, Texas was told that a U.S. flag she had placed in her office was offensive to other workers, especially a woman from Africa who has only been in this country for 14 years. This woman took down McLucas' flag while McLucas was away. Her boss told her that the flag outside the building would have to be enough for her. McLucas was merely displaying her love and patriotism for her country-her homeland! Her husband and sons were once in the military and her daughter is currently serving in Iraq.
That last story had a happy ending because the story spread quickly across the Web and the hospital was inundated with phone callers expressing support for McLucas's right to have her flag. The hospital quickly reversed their decision and McLucas triumphed. Many voices for the cause of personal freedom and liberty do make a difference. We can't let any of these instances where people have been threatened and punished for having the nerve to speak up go unnoticed.
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