The Sarge
Member
Slowly eating away at it folks. One small step at a time.
2nd Amendment lost here also. Let me explain.
Last week both parties passed a bill very quietly. Obama signed it very quietly.
HR347 makes it a FELONY to protest anywhere around a person(s) protected by the Secret Service. One of our more basic freedoms (Freedom of Speech) has now been regulated to the whim of the Secret Service.
Think any of the Constitution is safe in this environment now?
http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/how-big-deal-hr-347-criminalizing-protest-bill
Also, while H.R. 347, on its own, is only of incremental importance, it could be misused as part of a larger move by the Secret Service and others to suppress lawful protest by relegating it to particular locations at a public event. These "free speech zones" are frequently used to target certain viewpoints or to keep protesters away from the cameras. Although H.R. 347 doesn't directly address free speech zones, it is part of the set of laws that make this conduct possible, and should be seen in this context.
http://inthesetimes.com/ittlist/entry/12874/obama_signs_the_anti-occupy_law/
The new bill modifies a 1971 law that restricted entering or blocking public areas cordoned off by the Secret Service while a protected individual is passing through, or during major public events like the Super Bowl or party nominating conventions. Violators can face up to a year in jail; if they’re carrying a dangerous weapon, it’s ten.
Allow a hypothetical scenario. I am legally carrying and pass buy a shopping mall with a Congressman speaking to a crowd. At the whim of the Secret Service I can be gang tackled and thrown in the slammer for ten years. The burden for them to prove "my state of mind" is now been reduced to nothing more than their discretion.
2nd Amendment lost here also. Let me explain.
Last week both parties passed a bill very quietly. Obama signed it very quietly.
HR347 makes it a FELONY to protest anywhere around a person(s) protected by the Secret Service. One of our more basic freedoms (Freedom of Speech) has now been regulated to the whim of the Secret Service.
Think any of the Constitution is safe in this environment now?
http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/how-big-deal-hr-347-criminalizing-protest-bill
Also, while H.R. 347, on its own, is only of incremental importance, it could be misused as part of a larger move by the Secret Service and others to suppress lawful protest by relegating it to particular locations at a public event. These "free speech zones" are frequently used to target certain viewpoints or to keep protesters away from the cameras. Although H.R. 347 doesn't directly address free speech zones, it is part of the set of laws that make this conduct possible, and should be seen in this context.
http://inthesetimes.com/ittlist/entry/12874/obama_signs_the_anti-occupy_law/
The new bill modifies a 1971 law that restricted entering or blocking public areas cordoned off by the Secret Service while a protected individual is passing through, or during major public events like the Super Bowl or party nominating conventions. Violators can face up to a year in jail; if they’re carrying a dangerous weapon, it’s ten.
Allow a hypothetical scenario. I am legally carrying and pass buy a shopping mall with a Congressman speaking to a crowd. At the whim of the Secret Service I can be gang tackled and thrown in the slammer for ten years. The burden for them to prove "my state of mind" is now been reduced to nothing more than their discretion.