first amendment rights

No Dissent

[courtesy of Blog for America]

From an email I received earlier today:

For everyone that was on the 9 am call this morning, here’s an update on our “PeaPod” event in Denver. While in line to get into the event, our activists were asked by security officials from the Performing Arts Center to discard their signs (and peapod outfit) or they would be arrested as they were requested to do by Secret Service. One elderly activist that was holding a sign reading “McCain = Bush” was ticketed for trespassing while in line for refusing to relinquish her poster or her spot in the queue. The story below comes from  the Center for Independent Media’s CO outlet, but many local cameras were trained on our folks as they were asked to leave.

All of this comes just three years after 3 citizens were asked to leave a Privatize Social Security event in Denver that McCain and President Bush appeared at together. Peas in a pod on the economy and squashing dissent… We’ll let you know as more clips come in.

read more »

ILWU: "No peace, no work"

by Penny Denenberg [courtesy of Party Line]


Ilwu_members_2 Last Thursday, on May 1, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union called for a work stoppage at all West Coast ports to protest the war in Iraq. Dock workers shut down 29 ports from Long Beach to Seattle.

The Pacific Maritime Association brought an action to prevent the shut-down, but despite a last minute ruling from an arbitrator forbidding them from taking the day off, the ILWU proceeded with their action. Rallies took place up and down the coast.

"It's important that these processes are in place and we respect them," ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees said of the ruling by arbitrator John Kagel. "We also have an obligation and are proud to respect the First Amendment rights our members have as citizens governed by the Constitution. This is a voluntary act of good citizenship to shake the tree in Washington, D.C., and get those folks to wake up and respect the overwhelming majority of Americans," who want to end the war, Merrilees said.

read more »

Odds & Ends April 22

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

The eyes of the nation are upon Pennsylvaia, but there's still a lot going on right here in California.  So, here are a few stories of note:

read more »

Jerry McNerney v. Comedian Rush Limbaugh

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Rush doesn't consider anyone who disagrees with him a real person, that's been obvious for a while.  But I guess the fact that this comes so SOON after the whole MoveOn/BetrayUs thing strikes me as odd.  You'd think that whole deification of the military thing would kick in and prevent him from smearing men and women in uniform so soon.

Jon Soltz of VoteVets has a righteous post.  And Jerry McNerney really has his back up (this is from an email):

Where does Rush Limbaugh get the moral standing to pass judgment on our heroes who wore this nation's uniform and returned to exercise their First Amendment rights? Even for Rush, that's too far!

Will you join me in calling the following radio stations to demand they take Rush's show off the air?

KWSX in Stockton - (209) 551-1280
KSFO in San Francisco - (415) 954-7449

read more »

Dems Up the Ante on Dirty Tricks

by Lucas O'Connor [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

The Merc is reporting on a new strategy from the CDP to disrupt signature-gathering for the Dirty Tricks Initiative:

"We're asking volunteers and activists to be fraud busters," Art Torres, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said in a telephone conference call, "to help stop Republicans from stealing the White House."

Torres said he's calling on party volunteers to help find the location of signature gatherers and post them on the state party's Web site "so everybody can see where they are, and we can proceed to the locations to offer rebuttals or register Democratic voters at the same time.

"Our intention is not to harass, nor to engage, nor to debate people collecting signatures," Torres added. "This is the first time I've authorized a 'do not sign' campaign, which we want to be not only non-violent but non-intrusive on anybody else's First Amendment rights."

read more »
Syndicate content