Ga. Legislature shows little regard for free speech
Georgia Republicans like to talk about honoring and protecting the U.S. Constitution. But they are about to pass a law that blatantly violates one of its most important protections, the freedom of speech.
I’m not a fan of picketing or demonstrations at private residences; as a matter of policy and decency, family homes ought to be off-limits. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Frisby v. Schultz, agreed, with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor writing the majority opinion upholding a ban on demonstrations enacted by Brookfield, Wisc.:
“The type of picketers banned by the Brookfield ordinance generally do not seek to disseminate a message to the general public, but to intrude upon the targeted resident, and to do so in an especially offensive way. Moreover, even if some such picketers have a broader communicative purpose, their activity nonetheless inherently and offensively intrudes on residential privacy. The devastating effect of targeted picketing on the quiet enjoyment of the home is beyond doubt.”
The core of O’Connor’s argument was that picketing and demonstrations targeting a private home are less expressions of speech than they are attempts to harass and intimidate. I think that’s right.
However, Senate Bill 469 is a very different animal. Sponsored by state Sen. Don Balfour, R-Gwinnett, the bill attempts to use O’Connor’s argument to justify a limited ban on picketing of private homes that “interfere(s) with the resident’s right of peaceful quiet enjoyment.” It’s that “limited” part that so clearly violates the Constitution.
Under SB 469, you see, the only people or groups that are banned from protesting outside private residences in Georgia are labor unions and union members.
As the bill’s sponsors have made very clear, SB 469 would still allow anti-abortion protesters to demonstrate outside the home of a physician or hospital executive. Environmental groups would still be able to protest outside the homes of company executives. Church groups could still protest outside the homes of strip-club operators.
Labor unions — and only labor unions — would be prevented from expressing their opinions in such a manner. And only company executives who might be targeted by such protests would be protected by the law. Everybody else is on their own.
Because that provision so blatantly discriminates against a particular point of view and against a particular group of people, it is also blatantly unconstitutional.
This is not an arcane point of constitutional law. It is not a close call. Georgia legislators know that what they’re about to pass violates the right to free speech, but they don’t seem to care much.
The bill has already passed the Senate. This morning, in a surprise 9 a.m. committee meeting that wasn’t publicly announced until after 8 a.m., it was also approved by the House Industrial Relations Committee by an 8-1 vote. Democrats on the committee weren’t warned of the meeting beforehand, so only one managed to make the vote. (Another bill significantly cutting unemployment benefits for jobless Georgians was approved at the same time.)
To their credit, Tea Party supporters in Georgia also oppose the bill, recognizing that a government that tries to discriminate on the basis of what message is being communicated is a dangerous government to everybody. But their voices, like the voices of so many others, are drowned out by the voice of those who speak loudly and wield big bucks.
– Jay Bookman
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309 comments Add your comment
Oscar
March 26th, 2012
3:41 pm
o, according to the Georgia Republican party of holier than thou white men, they own their women
___________
Are the GOP Muslims now. I thought it was the Muslims who thought they owned their women. Or is it also Christians who read the Old Testament.
Bruno
March 26th, 2012
3:41 pm
Just a sampling of the violent assaults on people’s sensibilities that I am talking about…
Shouldn’t this be outlawed in Georgia?
You mean as opposed to the “peaceful” OWS protests out in Oakland, Jam??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HequVgLRPUo
ragnar danneskjold
March 26th, 2012
3:41 pm
Dear Jay @ 3:08, I am with friend Thulsa @ 3:14. I listen to Rush almost daily and I have a pretty good memory and none of that sounds familiar. Are you sure these were not some parodies he was doing? I know leftists don’t understand Rush’s humor, and that may be what is going on here.
Jay
March 26th, 2012
3:41 pm
Oscar, just to clear that up: The Supreme Court said that state and local governments CAN pass laws outlawing such protests. The justices did not ban such protests themselves.
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
3:42 pm
And given that those men stomped on that woman’s head in Kentucky, I believe the Georgia legislature must protect us from the organized crime and should outlaw all Tea Party protests.
chuck
March 26th, 2012
3:42 pm
Oscar, the Supreme court did not ban such protests. The upheld a law banning it in certain cases.
Allison
March 26th, 2012
3:42 pm
Why do republicans hate the working class? And why do working class folk keep voting republican?
To Doggone/GA: I logged into your facebook account and you are scary dude, scary.
Oscar
March 26th, 2012
3:43 pm
Thanks, Jay, without that part the whole thing make little sense, at least not to me.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
3:43 pm
TD @ 2:59
Why no mention of the conservative AFA which rountinley work to boycott programs and tv stations on things they do not agree with?
I know that Fox, the right wing columnists, bloggers and radio pundits haven’t mentioned the AFA during the Limbaugh boycott issue, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going on or that these outlets are not aware of the actions of the AFA…….
William
March 26th, 2012
3:43 pm
“One more observation about chuck’s “violent assaults on people’s sensibilities”, would he fully endorse legislation that would keep the Westboro Baptist Church from protesting at funerals of Georgia veterans?”
Are you a veteran, JV? Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about what these guys have done? Should a family be entitled to grieve without being harassed?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
March 26th, 2012
3:44 pm
Why, it was just the other day while I was standing in line at Whole Foods, this huge __________ lady had 3 shopping carts filled with beer and cigarettes and in her hand were (gasp!) food stamps. And you wanna know what else? She had __________ kids, all of them talking on iphones and had on the latest Nikes. But what’s worst is, I followed her out to her car and it was a brand new Cadillac with 20″ spinning wheels.
Dear Georgia,
March 26th, 2012
3:44 pm
Most people voted in 2010 to send a message that they wanted CHANGE and made this state a one party administration. Congratulations and do not complain. This is what you all voted for. After all, the majority votes 50 plus one wins!!
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
3:44 pm
“I have white people…. all of them. Every last iota of a white person. I hate him. We didn’t come down here to play today. Three’s too much serious business goin’on here in the black community to be out here slidin’ through South St. with white dirty n….er whores on our arms. You want freedom? You are gonna have to kill some white people. You’re gonna have to kill some of their babies. We have to get our act together. I hate white people, all of them, every last one of them”
Black Panther thug outside of a voting precinct in PN during the 2008 election.
Little to no coverage by the media. No reaction by Holder except to drop the case against the Panthers. Now a 10,000 man march to find Zimmerman. Again, little to no media attention…. no reaction by Holder and the Dept of Justice. What if they find him? Then what. Murder him with vigilante justice? That won’t go over too well with the electorate. I cannot imagine the fallout.
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
3:45 pm
Will the state be required to pick up the tab for all these extra procedures that they are requiring? Will all women be required to purchase insurance on the open market that covers these state requirements? Will the Georgia Republicans be there to care for the 22 week old child with no arms and legs or with the heart missing or lungs missing or no skull? Republicans claim to utilize the most recent medical evidence but they only acknowledge the “medical evidence” that meets their needs.
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
3:45 pm
And given that that Tea Partier in San Diego raped a woman, it is probably best that we simply outlaw the Tea Party in Georgia altogether.
It is simply too dangerous to allow otherwise…
Bruno
March 26th, 2012
3:45 pm
A good percentage of it. One does what he has or wants to do. It is a matter of priorities.
Maybe it’s simple a matter of principle with you, that no one should ride for free, but to expect that significant new sources of funding will open up by forcing everyone to buy insurance is foolish IMO.
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
3:49 pm
I believe that laws that keep them a certain distance away from the actual funeral are sufficient, William.
Granted, if it were one of my family that they were doing that at, I would be extremely upset and there is some possibility that I would choose to ignore the law of the land.
And suffer the consequences.
But, just as is the case with burning Old Glory, I have always and will always advocate that free speech is paramount in this republic, and that it comes far before my sensibilities…
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
3:49 pm
Wow. Georgia’s white male Republicans have now established that they don’t need no scientists or doctors to establish the scientific facts since the real science does not say what they want to hear. So, they’ll just make up their own truths. Georgia Republicans are a pathetic batch.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
3:50 pm
Yeah boy…….. It just those lefties after Limbaugh….. It never occurs from right leaning org…….. Never .. well maybe all the time, but you know what I’m saying
1. Pray for Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake to make wise decisions regarding his company’s direction.
2. If you have not done so, sign the Boycott Pledge at http://www.BoycottTheHomeDepot.com.
3. Call your local Home Depot store and ask to speak to the manager. You can find the number to your local store here (click “Store Finder” at top of page) or in your local phone book.
4. Print the paper petition and distribute it at Sunday school and church.
http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147517850
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
3:50 pm
“They can sign a waiver taking full responsibility for their own medical expenses”
Knowing full well there’s not a hospital, doctor or nurse in the world that would turn them away to die in the street just because they don’t have insurance.
William
March 26th, 2012
3:50 pm
“Black Panther thug outside of a voting precinct in PN during the 2008 election. Little to no coverage by the media.”
You don’t understand, kayaker. Blacks are a minority and, as such, enjoy the benefits of a double standard. That is because whites are the ones in power don’t you know? Forget that we have a black mayor of Atlanta or president of the United States. It doesn’t change the fact that a double standard is appropriate and moral. Do you see?
William
March 26th, 2012
3:51 pm
“Knowing full well there’s not a hospital, doctor or nurse in the world that would turn them away to die in the street just because they don’t have insurance.”
That would have to change. NO free lunches. They would have to die for their choice. It’s radical, I know. But we CANNOT afford a nanny state any longer.
Bruno
March 26th, 2012
3:51 pm
Doggone–For the record, if you don’t mind. I’ve always believed that you are a lady poster. True or not??
My Party has ALL the answers. Your party is full of poopyheads! (formerly That Black Guy)
March 26th, 2012
3:52 pm
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
2:44 pm
_______________________________________________________________________
Would you have a problem if the 22 year old kid next door with the 4 20″ woofers and the 2500 watt stereo sat in his garage next to your house and practiced from midnight until 8 in the morning?
It’s not about free speech as much as “quiet enjoyment of your home”.
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
3:52 pm
I commend Jay for his ability to sit there and listen those arrogant holier than thou white male Georgia Republicans. My ears are hurting after only a matter of minutes of listening to their bull.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
3:52 pm
what the heck…… one more for good measure
http://www.christianpost.com/news/nom-launches-boycott-of-starbucks-over-same-sex-marriage-stance-72006/
Took all of 1 minute to find the info, yet the wailing and gnashing of teeth about Limbaugh’s advertisers being boycotted continues as if it is a one way street
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
3:52 pm
…some parodies he was doing?
Ah, yes.
One of the conservative cornerstones of the lout’s defense.
It’s all a big f’ing joke. His venom is just parody and his malicious lies are just for fun.
Take a look around, scores of former advertisers aren’t laughing anymore…
Finn McCool (Class Warfare === Stopping Rich People from TAKING MORE of OUR MONEY)
March 26th, 2012
3:52 pm
Tea Party supporters in Georgia also oppose the bill
Conservative heads are a ’sploddin. Tell the Tea Partiers to jump on ethics once they are finished with this subject.
My Party has ALL the answers. Your party is full of poopyheads! (formerly That Black Guy)
March 26th, 2012
3:53 pm
BTW, I disagree with the “limited” scope of the bill.
Jay
March 26th, 2012
3:54 pm
Finn, the Tea Party has also pushed ethics reform, but alas, to equally little effect.
Bruno
March 26th, 2012
3:55 pm
But we CANNOT afford a nanny state any longer.
William–Once again, what do you expect to realistically change with the ACA?? The “free riders” now are largely young, poor, or here illegally. Where are these new sources of revenue coming from in order to provide them all with insurance??
Jay
March 26th, 2012
3:56 pm
Jay
March 26th, 2012
3:37 pm
Those handful of “New Black Panthers” idiots and Fox News seem to have hit upon a mutually symbiotic relationship. The NBP clowns pretend to pose a serious radical danger to white people, giving Fox a chance to scare its audience and validate their fears, and in return Fox gives the NBP a level of visibility that they in no way deserve given their tiny numbers and almost total lack of support in the black community.
Both parties in that deal are playing the Fox audience for useful fools
Thulsa Doom with his boot on liberal throats
March 26th, 2012
3:56 pm
Jay @ 3:25,
If you’re going to take on the Doom you better not come light. And you came light sir.
First of all I clicked on the link to digital spy the first link of yours which says conservative Eric Bolling and cons were boycotting HBO over Maher’s comments. The headline says it but when I clicked on the link both on Eric Bolling and then the link that credited Entertainment Weekley with the story I could find nothing in the article about this “boycott”. The headline from ET says it but the article itself mentions nothing about a boycott from Boling or conservatives.
Secondly I clicked on your link from the spoken examiner and this nobody conservative commentator from that paper that probably no one on here has heard about. There was no mention of an organized boycott. None. The commmentator suggested that perhaps its time that cons “consider” a boycott on HBO considering Maher’s remarks.
Is this the best you can do sir? No boycott but a suggestion from a con at a smaller paper that cons “consider” a boycott? Seriously?
Thirdly you mention Brent Bozell and the Media research center boycotting Ed Schultz’s broadcaster. Bozell and the MRC has had a long standing policy of not engaging in going after people’s advertisers. This is the first and only time that I’ve seen where Brent went after someone. And why did he finally do it? Because he was sick and tired of the libs going after Limbaugh’s advertisers that he finally decided he would do what the libs do for once and fight fire with fire.
You really ought to do a better job of research if this is the best you can come up with. Like I said- you came light.
William
March 26th, 2012
3:57 pm
“I believe that laws that keep them a certain distance away from the actual funeral are sufficient, William…But, just as is the case with burning Old Glory, I have always and will always advocate that free speech is paramount in this republic, and that it comes far before my sensibilities…”
I appreciate your resolution. Not all speech is protected, of course. When it becomes less of an expression of beliefs and more a means to harm, then it becomes problematic. I suppose one way to get them to cease and desist is to give them a proverbial taste of their own medicine (like protest the funeral of one of their own or picket their church). I wonder if this has been tried…
Jay
March 26th, 2012
3:57 pm
Thulsa, your sense of self-esteem is exceeded only by your lack of judgment. Or is it the other way around?
Thulsa Doom with his boot on liberal throats
March 26th, 2012
3:58 pm
Spokane examiner
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
3:59 pm
TD @ 3:56
I have provided plenty……………….
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
4:00 pm
AmVet, 3:52.
I don’t seem to note a lessening of the advertising going on with Limbaugh. I listen to him frequently and the same commercial interludes seem to keep coming up, perhaps even more. He is carried in over 600 stations nationwide with close to 18,000 local and national advertisers. Do you think that all but the most liberal are going to give up that listening goldmine? To date, according to him, he has lost 3 national sponsors and about 45 local ones. To expect that he will go off of the air with a bunch of liberal protest is a pipe dream. Guess it’s just more of that pesky free speech.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:01 pm
“For the record, if you don’t mind. I’ve always believed that you are a lady poster. True or not??”
Why does it matter?
Thulsa Doom with his boot on liberal throats
March 26th, 2012
4:01 pm
Jay,
Of the 3 links you provided I see nothing about an organized boycott except from the third link about Brent Bozell who did so only in response to libs going after Rush’s advertisers.
The first 2 links are without merit and I have to consider them to be “nonresponsive”. You need more and heavier ammo if you are going to make a charge like you made and make it stick.
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
4:01 pm
I wonder if the Tea Party is getting everything that they had expected and then some from their elected ones.
Finn McCool (Class Warfare === Stopping Rich People from TAKING MORE of OUR MONEY)
March 26th, 2012
4:01 pm
conservative Eric Bolling and cons were boycotting HBO over Maher’s comments.
Game of Thrones Season 2 starts next Sunday. We’ll see who is left walking that walk after that.
Now that’s a Game Change (the other reason conservatives are probably ok with boycotting HBO)
My Party has ALL the answers. Your party is full of poopyheads! (formerly That Black Guy)
March 26th, 2012
4:02 pm
Mick
March 26th, 2012
3:05 pm
bruno
Yes, it’s required to drop the lib card into every post these days, where is your argumentive creativity man? Bummer…
________________________________________________________________________
Is the “con” card ok in every post?
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:03 pm
kayaker
Than let you be the 1st right leaning individual on this blog to denounce the American Family Association for their continual boycotts of tv programs, corporations, etc………….
William
March 26th, 2012
4:03 pm
“Those handful of “New Black Panthers” idiots and Fox News seem to have hit upon a mutually symbiotic relationship. The NBP clowns pretend to pose a serious radical danger to white people, giving Fox a chance to scare its audience and validate their fears, and in return Fox gives the NBP a level of visibility that they in no way deserve given their tiny numbers and almost total lack of support in the black community.”
Are you kidding me? It was all play acting? Is that how liberals deflect criticism of actions they can’t defend? It seems if anyone is pretending, it is you. You need to get out more, my friend. I suppose the black teens in northern cities who have targeted and beat up white kids were just play acting as well. I suppose there is really no visceral hatred of whites in some blacks (just as the opposite was and still is true). Peddle that baloney somewhere else if you want to sell it.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:03 pm
“It’s not about free speech as much as “quiet enjoyment of your home”.”
If he is violating any laws, yes I would. If not, there are other ways to deal with it. I could always use the technique a friend of mine did about a neighbors barking dog. She taped him for 2 hours and then at 3:00 in the morning she put the tape recorder and a speaker outside her neighbors bedroom window and turned it up as loud as it would go.
Finn McCool (Class Warfare === Stopping Rich People from TAKING MORE of OUR MONEY)
March 26th, 2012
4:04 pm
I wonder if the Tea Party is getting everything that they had expected and then some from their elected ones.
They are still rallying but Fox News isn’t covering them. I guess Fox News got what it wanted out of the deal – election results it liked.
Oscar
March 26th, 2012
4:05 pm
Free speech means freedom to express your opinion. It does not mean you have the right to harass other people, interfere with their privacy or disturb the peace. Any future action by a homeower for an injunction to stop picketing and protesting outside his home would be upheld by this Supreme Court. That’s clearly indicated in their opinion. That’s why they write extended opinion, as guidelines as to what they will decide in future cases.
William
March 26th, 2012
4:06 pm
“William–Once again, what do you expect to realistically change with the ACA?? The “free riders” now are largely young, poor, or here illegally. Where are these new sources of revenue coming from in order to provide them all with insurance??”
I guess you didn’t read my previous post. Please do. In addition to what I said there, it is obvious that some form of basic and affordable insurance would be necessary.
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
4:06 pm
GFY 71.
Listen to him 24/7 if you want.
But don’t let the facts get in your way…
03/26/2012
Rush Limbaugh’s advertising woes continue, as kitchen and bath fixtures company Kohler is the latest company to pull its content from the radio program.
On Monday, Kohler responded to pressure from customers who wanted to know if the company advertised on Limbaugh’s program. Kohler tweeted that the company does not support Limbaugh’s comments and pulled its advertisements from his show.
That now makes 141 companies that have ceased advertising on Limbaugh’s show.
One hundred and forty one. Not good for El Rushbo and his paymasters.
But damn beautiful to me…
pogo
March 26th, 2012
4:06 pm
Private homes should never be a target for demonstrations by any damned body. Never. Issues that are public should be confined to that arena.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:10 pm
“Issues that are public should be confined to that arena.”
A sidewalk IS a public arena
William
March 26th, 2012
4:10 pm
“I could always use the technique a friend of mine did about a neighbors barking dog. She taped him for 2 hours and then at 3:00 in the morning she put the tape recorder and a speaker outside her neighbors bedroom window and turned it up as loud as it would go.”
LOL. I did something similar to this in the dorms years ago. The guys across the hall came in several nights very late and then started partying and playing music very loud. I made a “party” tape for them exclusively of live rock and roll songs and then, the next morning after they did it again, when they were hung over and passed out, I cranked up my 250 watt amplifier with JBL studio monitors and walked out of my room. Came back a hour later and there they were, pounding on my door. They didn’t do it again.
Thulsa Doom with his boot on liberal throats
March 26th, 2012
4:11 pm
Jay
March 26th, 2012
3:57 pm
Thulsa, your sense of self-esteem is exceeded only by your lack of judgment. Or is it the other way around?
And your arrogance is exceeeded only by the hubris of your posting of very poorly researched links that not only do not prove your point but bolster my point. Did you really think I would not read those bogus links and then not take my conservative hammer of truth to your liberal glass wall of lies?
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
4:11 pm
suck,
They can boycott anything they wish, just as you have the right to make a decision as to what you listen to or choose not to. Why is disagreement so disagreeable to you? When a person or a group feels threatened by a government action to take away some of their freedoms, they don’t like it, just like you, I would presume. You back the right of the OWS protestors to speak out for their rights but ignore those of religions convictions. I am not a religious person, don’t attend church, not so sure about the Bible and Jesus….. but I feel that those that do have a right to be left alone to believe as they wish without the ACLU, the government and every liberal in the land wanting to shut them down.
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
4:11 pm
Private homes should never be a target for demonstrations by any damned body.
I’m inclined to agree, pogo.
Even though I still say it is better to err on the side of free speech rights than not…
Otherwise we start turning into Russia or China or Iran or…
carlosgvv
March 26th, 2012
4:12 pm
Big Business has been trying for many years now to return to the days of laissez faire. In the late 1890’s they had an almost 100% laissez faire environment. The number one reason they lost this was the emergence of labor unions. Business recognizes Unions are their mortal ememies when it comes to having no Govt. regulations. So, it’s no suprise that their Republican lackeys would enact a law specifically targeting Unions. What’s beyond my understanding is how so many Republican voters support the very people who care nothing about them.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:13 pm
Jay
You can “kill” my 3:49 that you have in time out….. I re-posted with one less link a few minutes later…….
Thanks
William
March 26th, 2012
4:14 pm
“That now makes 141 companies that have ceased advertising on Limbaugh’s show. One hundred and forty one. Not good for El Rushbo and his paymasters.”
I am glad. Although I would probably agree with much of what Limbaugh has said, I am not a fan. He is (like Maher) just a mean spirited person and a clear hypocrite. He does the right no good in the long run.
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
4:16 pm
What! The March of Dimes gives the state of Georgia an F for it’s birth statistics. We’re Number Last on ANOTHER issue. Be proud, Georgia.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:16 pm
kayaker
And those who are organizing against Rush can do as they wish, right?
I never said that the AFA can’t or shouldn’t boycott…….. But I am pointing out the HYPOCRISY of those crying about Limbaugh being boycotted and are silent as a mouse when it comes to right leaning orgs doing the EXACT same thing………
You are ok with organization and individuals boycotting or you are not…….. Common sense dictates that it can’t just be good or bad when it fits one’s political or religious beliefs
So are you good with both? That is the question
Jay
March 26th, 2012
4:16 pm
Thulsa, the two words “Dixie Chicks” are all that’s needed.
Everything else is gravy. They were banned from every country music station in the country. Their tour dates were canceled. Their career took a massive hit. And why exactly? (The company leading the blacklisting effort, ClearChannel, happens to be Limbaugh’s syndicator).
I also recall Newt Gingrich, in a speech to the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, urging members to conduct an advertising boycott of the AJC because he didn’t like the criticism he was receiving.
In other words, your claim that conservatives are too committed to notions of free speech to use boycotts and political pressure to silence opponents is repudiated by countless examples, beginning with the blacklisting of the 1950s and continuing to the present day.
pogo
March 26th, 2012
4:17 pm
I am a “Con” but these jokers in our state government make me sick. All of them. Jay is correct in his crusade about the state of government ethics in Georgia. No matter which party controls Georgia they all feed at the trough of special interests and lobbyists. Georgia needs ethics reform badly.
Oscar
March 26th, 2012
4:17 pm
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:10 pm
“Issues that are public should be confined to that arena.”
A sidewalk IS a public arena
_______
Read the court’s opinion again. They say any protests in front of public homes is harassment, whicy they clearly indicate they would not allow in any future case brought before them. Whether there is a local law banning it or not. It’s dicta in this case, but a declaration of how they view a protest in front of a private home, on the public street or not.
My Party has ALL the answers. Your party is full of poopyheads! (formerly That Black Guy)
March 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
3:42 pm
And given that those men stomped on that woman’s head in Kentucky, I believe the Georgia legislature must protect us from the organized crime and should outlaw all Tea Party protests.
_____________________________________________________________________________
And given that those protesters pushed the elderly woman down the steps in DC, I believe the Georgia legislature must protect us from the organized crime and should outlaw all OWS protests.
And given that those men poured feces and urine down the steps at a bank in LA, I believe the Georgia legislature must protect us from the organized crime and should outlaw all OWS protests.
And given that those men raped those women at their camps, I believe the Georgia legislature must protect us from the organized crime and should outlaw all OWS protests.
Seriously JamVet? Neither side can claim to be angels.
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
And your arrogance is exceeeded only by the hubris of your posting of very poorly researched links that not only do not prove your point but bolster my point. Did you really think I would not read those bogus links and then not take my conservative hammer of truth to your liberal glass wall of lies?
I seem to recall someone in the not too distant past showing a similar amount of ass. Who was that masked man. Dave R., I do believe although there were others as well.
Oscar
March 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
4:11 pm
Private homes should never be a target for demonstrations by any damned body.
I’m inclined to agree, pogo.
Even though I still say it is better to err on the side of free speech rights than not…
Otherwise we start turning into Russia or China or Iran or…
________
Don’t see why you would want to err at all. just get it right.
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
AmVet,
If he did lose 141, and I doubt it, that represents only 0.00078333 of his advertisers if my calculator is right. Hell, he could lose a thousand and that would only represent 0.0555555 of the total. Write all of the letters to Home Depot that you want….. he will still be on the air exercising his right to free speech and holding liberal feet to the fire. He, Hannity and Boortz….. the liberal’s nemesis.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:20 pm
“You back the right of the OWS protestors to speak out for their rights but ignore those of religions convictions.”
You have not ONE reference of me backing or being against the OWS………….
You might be able to find one where I said that the local authorties were in their right to make the OWS or any other group follow local laws and ordinances, but what you do not have…… is what YOU stated
So do not be like some others on here and place your generalities, hyperbole and talking points on me; especially when you have nothing to back it up
Thanks for your cooperation
Peadawg
March 26th, 2012
4:20 pm
“FYI, I’m in the Georgia Senate chambers.
They’ve just begun debate on HB 954, the anti-abortion bill that I’ve written about earlier. If you wish, you can watch live at”
Has a women come up in support of this bill? I haven’t seen one yet.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:21 pm
“Read the court’s opinion again”
I’m under no obligation to agree with them.
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
4:23 pm
The sponsor of the bill came up with the twenty weeks number via an induced dream. Likely a combination of drug and scripture induced.
kitty
March 26th, 2012
4:25 pm
Jay, looking forward to your piece on the abortion bill hearings. I heard today on WSBTV news that doctors who either testified at the hearings or even just attended the hearings have had offices vandalized. Too much of a coincidence IMO. Funny how such good “christians” some of those anti-abortion protestors are, huh? Good grief!!!
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
4:26 pm
Suck, 4:18,
I don’t like those Baptists from Kansas protesting at veteran’s funerals or that Black Panther thug telling the world how much he hates white people. They have every right to express their opinion as long as they are not breaking any laws. But don’t criticize me if I don’t like it and say so. Free speech is free speech, whether you like it or not. If House Res 347 was used to protect the President from harm and was used only for this purpose, I can buy it. But it goes a lot further than that……… that creeping government control of what we say and what we do.
HIPPOCRIT
March 26th, 2012
4:26 pm
why dont we just pass a STAND YOU GROUND law here and if you bozos want to go protest in someone’s neighbor hood go right ahead……. leave the hoodie at home
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:28 pm
Kayaker
Strangely enough, even-though miles apart politically……. we are probably closer on how we see religion than you would think. Of course I am basing that off of one of your earlier posts
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
4:29 pm
formerly That Black Guy, my point exactly and why I drew what I thought were plainly preposterous conclusions.
Silencing any voices in this country – ala Bill O’Reilly telling Americans to STFU once the bombs started falling on Baghdad – is one of the most vile things I can think of. My mother survived the holocaust and I am especially incensed by these efforts to squash people’s rights to peaceably assemble and to be heard.
I have written repeatedly that ALL lawbreakers at any protest of any kind should be arrested and tried. Countless, like the civil rights heroes, did so repeatedly. But they made a difference, didn’t they?
He does the right no good in the long run.
And isn’t that the biggest point of them all, William? Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan referred to each other as “my esteemed opponent”. How cool is that? I’d love for us to return to cool, because I want to be cool again! (Huge LOL at me!)
pogo at 4:17, good on you buddy.
From that old CSN&Y song:
We can change the world
Rearrange the world
It’s dying, to get better
Bruno
March 26th, 2012
4:29 pm
Everything else is gravy. They were banned from every country music station in the country. Their tour dates were canceled. Their career took a massive hit. And why exactly? (The company leading the blacklisting effort, ClearChannel, happens to be Limbaugh’s syndicator).
Are you sure it was a matter of free speech being stifled by ClearChannel, and not perhaps a commercial reaction to complaining fans?? I’m guessing that the average country music fan considers themselves to be on the conservative side.
If all of Rush’s sponsors dump him and his fans are complaining, then ClearChannel would be wise to drop him IMO. It’s a matter of dollars and cents, not ideology.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:31 pm
“why dont we just pass a STAND YOU GROUND law here ”
We already have one
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:31 pm
Kayaker
So are you ok with Limbaugh being boycotted as well as AFA and their boycotts?
Ok with one or the other?
As for me……. people are welcome to organize boycotts if they like as long as it is within the scope of the law
I do not know of any laws that the AFA has broke nor any laws that have been broke with Rush’s current issue with boycotts and threats of them
Shawny
March 26th, 2012
4:32 pm
Dang it… I agree with the liberal again.
This time, absoulutely… no one should be able to demonstrate at a residence. It is harassment and nothing else.
Don't Forget
March 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
The fact that some protesters violate laws should in no way compromise the rights of peaceful, law abiding protesters to express their opinions.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
“It is harassment and nothing else”
ALL demonstrations are harrasment
pogo
March 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
The AJC hit a home run this weekend with it’s piece about cheating in schools in America. It is happening everywhere and everyone knows it. Something is seriously wrong with primary public education in America and money will not fix it. More localized control may help. And maybe it won’t. At one time the desire to be a teacher was founded in ones wish to make society better. I know from the state of my own rural Georgia schools system that is no longer the driving force of “educators”. Now they just want to be paid as much money as possible with the least amount of effort. Yes, this is a broad brush and I realize there are those teachers that still hold the noble cause. But for the majority, they consider it just another “nine to fiver” job to get as much money as they can as fast as they can with as little effort as they have to put into it and if that calls for aiding cheating on standard tests by which they are judged, so be it. This is not exclusive to Atlanta. I guarantee it is happening in schools systems all over Georgia.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
March 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
Well, I’m all for free speech. It’s just that I don’t think it applies to a bunch of longhair dirty hippies protesting something us Conservatives hold near and dear. I mean, if some Patriotic teapartiers want to protest librul Communism, like Obamacare, I think free speech is their right. But that don’t mean it’s suppose to protect a bunch of foul-smelling OWS anti-Americans that don’t even like our American way of doing things and poop all over everything. I think the OWS people and their ilk ought to get 3 protections:
1. Rock salt with the 1st volley
2. Buckshot with the 2nd
3. Howitzer shells with the 3rd
I say let’s keep the Constitution for the real Americans. People like Dick Cheney, that’s laying there right now with a new heart ’cause he wore out the first one caring so much for real American values. Use ammo and Gitmo for all the others.
Have a good p.m. everybody.
Oscar
March 26th, 2012
4:36 pm
Shawny
——————–
I don;t know. Sounds to me like the liberal is agreeing with you. Or is it the other way around. I think limitation of speech is something a conservative would want, not a liberal.
JamVet
March 26th, 2012
4:36 pm
71, are you saying that he has 180,000 advertisers?
Years ago, after I learned that Home Depot gave most of their money to the GOP, I no longer did business with them. (Also because of horrible service.) I choose to spend my money with whom I support or can at least tolerate. Being ignorant on these matters does not help in making those decisions.
Don’t see why you would want to err at all. just get it right.
Apparently, unlike you, I am fallible and can’t always know everything there is to know. /snark/
Must be counter-culture references hour, but that is why Joni Mitchell wrote…
And maybe it’s the time of year,
But then maybe it’s the time of man.
And I don’t know who I am,
But life is for learning.
pogo
March 26th, 2012
4:37 pm
Enter your comments here
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
4:38 pm
Suck, 4:28,
As stated earlier, I am not a Christian and certainly not a religious person. This country which I dearly love, however, was founded on religious freedom. At that time, religion played a pivotal role in the lives of the people. From what can be gleaned from surveys, it appears that only from 60-79% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, a decided shift. It seems to be the opponents of Christianity and Christians to attempt to abolish most of their teachings, remove most if not all of their influence on our daily lives, remove their history from school textbooks, outlaw prayer from Army chaplains, even on the battlefield……. a constant battle to avoid assault. Then the Catholic Church is forced to provide insurance coverage that would provide free birth control devices and the morning after pill. There are no doubt Democrat churchgoers but we don’t hear much from them.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:38 pm
pogo @ 4:35
For the most part……… I must agree. Something is wrong. I do not have the answers, but for the betterment of this country.. the issues need to be worked on with urgency…… Ds and Rs be damned
HIPPOCRIT
March 26th, 2012
4:39 pm
well doggone it!!!!!!!!!!!!…. we already have a STAND YOUR GROUND law here in Georgia…. then why do we care about protestors………….. its time to start standing your ground when assulted on your own property
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:41 pm
“This country which I dearly love, however, was founded on religious freedom”
Actually? No it wasn’t. It was settled by people seeking more freedom of religion, but it was FOUNDED on principles that EXCLUDED religion from governance
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:41 pm
Kayaker
You seem to not want to answer the question I have presented several times…. That is your choice, but it is obviuos.
As for this nation being founded on religious freedom…….. Well that is opinion and we both could provide quotes and bring up issues from that time to substantiate or negate that stance. Some of the Founding Fathers appear to have been devoutly religious individuals….. others not so much and there is evidence to back that up
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:42 pm
“Then the Catholic Church is forced to provide insurance coverage that would provide free birth control devices and the morning after pill.”
Nope. That was Georgetown University…and they ALREADY provide that service to their staff and employees, but they want to deny it to their students.
Doggone/GA
March 26th, 2012
4:43 pm
“its time to start standing your ground when assulted on your own property”
If the protestors are on the public sidewalk or road, they aren’t on your property.
They BOTH suck
March 26th, 2012
4:45 pm
” the Catholic Church is forced to provide insurance coverage that would provide free birth control devices and the morning after pill.”
This is a “yes” or “no” question.. Are there Catholic based entities that currently provide coverage for contraceptives here in the US?
If so (they answer is YES), than this issue of religious freedom is not really resonating with me……… Others are welcome to stand with the Catholic Church and their inconsistencies on this issue. Their choice but I will not be one of them
TaxPayer
March 26th, 2012
4:45 pm
As a man, I don’t feel comfortable about voting on a bill that affects a woman… I like this guy…
JOE COOL~DoWnToWn THUG
March 26th, 2012
4:46 pm
-Mitt: I Won’t Detail Plans, Because Then I’d Lose-
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/03/mitt-i-wont-detail-plans-because-then-id-lose.html
The CONs are getting CONNED!
kayaker 71
March 26th, 2012
4:46 pm
AmVet,4:36,
On that same Joni Mitchell album, Ladies of the Canyon, the title song is about three women that Joni sings about. The most memorable one of these is Annie who baked her breads while cats gathered around her. We lived in Santa Barbara at the time and Mitchell had a summer home up one of the canyons, forget which one. My wife’s name is Annie and I always identified her with the song. She often sang on Sunday afternoons at the Courthouse Park with other music people. Those were good days.
HIPPOCRIT
March 26th, 2012
4:49 pm
In 2006, the Georgia legislature with Senate Bill 396 enacted a “Stand Your Ground” law similar to the one in Texas. O.C.G.A. sections 16-3-2 and 51-11-1 provide that a person has the right to meet force with force, including deadly force, in defense of one’s self, one’s home or other property.
you know that protestors get in your face………. and if they clearly force you defend yourself….. i say we need to start exercising our legal right to defend ourselves against violent protestors