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OH!!!! I get it now! You want them to exercise some "common courtesy"? Wasn't that what was asked of the terrorists trying to build that mosque at Ground Zero, and all we heard from you guys is that building it is "their Constitutional right"? Same thing here Mr. Hypocrite. That guy was exercising his 1st amendment, therefore he had a Constitutional right to do so and broke NO laws.
Let's go deflecting!
There's a subtle difference between constructing a building (with a prayer space, yes) on your own property, vs. bothering people waiting in a line they can't very well leave. If the hell-preachers preached eternal damnation in their own church, nobody would bat an eyelid.
It's this "captive audience" thing, and I know it's a very popular thing to try and circumvent for those who like praying loudly "to be seen by men", just like the Jewish carpenter told them they shouldn't do. (Incidentally, I don't care if you're praying, selling insurance or shilling for Scientology. Don't bother people waiting in line. It's not nice.)
Oh, and if you know of any terrorists involved in the Park51 project, I do assume you've informed the FBI, right? Wouldn't want to think of you as an accomplice.
Yes, the Internet does give a bigger platform for kooks and schizophrenics.
That's why I find it so entertaining. I don't have to go to an asylum or some streetcorner, I can go to my living room, log on, and get all the bat**** crazy I can stand practically for free.
Thanks for helping to expand my entertainment choices.
I watched the video and I read the newspaper articles. Some facts are clear, some are not clear.
1. This has absolutely nothing to do with persecuting Christians. It's clear that the content of what the guy was reading had nothing to do with his arrest. It was, as we say in constitutional law parlance, content neutral. It is absolutely clear that the law enforcement response would have been the same if he had been reading from the Bible, the Koran, Origin of Species, the Declaration of Independence, or the telephone book.
2. It's not clear what he was arrested for, although the likeliest charges are probably disorderly conduct or unlawful trespass, or possibly conducting a public assembly without a permit.
3. It is impossible to tell from the video whether he is on the public sidewalk or on land that is part of the property on which the DMV office is located. This is an important distinction because public sidewalks are considered traditional public forums in constitutional law, which means people are permitted to use them for public speech, such as preaching, making political speeches, and the like.
4. While their web page says that they think they have the right to preach anywhere on public property, this is clearly not accurate. For instance, they are not entitled to stand inside a courtroom while proceedings are going on, or even in the lobby of a public building, both of which are public property, and conduct religious or political rallies and speeches.
5. It is clear that the guy is an obnoxious jerk.
All this said, I don't think they should be prosecuting the guy. I am in favor of freedom of speech for the Westboro Baptist Church. When I lived in Grand Rapids in the early 1980's I was almost alone among my friends in supporting Mike Woroniecki, an obnoxious jerk who used to harangue crowds in public places with a bullhorn to tell them they were going to hell.
If he needs to get a permit and stay on the outside of the property line he should do that.
OH!!!! I get it now! You want them to exercise some "common courtesy"? Wasn't that what was asked of the terrorists trying to build that mosque at Ground Zero, and all we heard from you guys is that building it is "their Constitutional right"? Same thing here Mr. Hypocrite. That guy was exercising his 1st amendment, therefore he had a Constitutional right to do so and broke NO laws.
So you would have no issues of a group of 12 gay men and women talking about how great it is to be gay outside the DMV without permission to do so also? Both instances would be inappropriate and stupid.
Last edited by R.J. MacReady; 05-06-2011 at 12:52 PM..
3. It is impossible to tell from the video whether he is on the public sidewalk or on land that is part of the property on which the DMV office is located. This is an important distinction because public sidewalks are considered traditional public forums in constitutional law, which means people are permitted to use them for public speech, such as preaching, making political speeches, and the like.
This has absolutely nothing to do with persecuting Christians. It's clear that the content of what the guy was reading had nothing to do with his arrest. It was, as we say in constitutional law parlance, content neutral. It is absolutely clear that the law enforcement response would have been the same if he had been reading from the Bible, the Koran, Origin of Species, the Declaration of Independence, or the telephone book.
A very pertinent point, actually. If car insurance salesmen got the bright idea that the DMV line consists of people who own and/or operate vehicles and are bored, should we be OK with them working the line? I'd say no.
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