First amendment meets second
In Atlanta, seems it’s OK for OWS protestors to peaceably assemble. Unless one of them open carries a rifle. So the mayor ordered protesters be cleared:
The order came from Mayor Kasim Reed, who says the last straw was a man walking around Woodruff Park Tuesday afternoon carrying an assault rifle.
He did so legally.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Lots of things here.
1) Shows just how silly the (ahem) persistent efforts to portray this as OWS on one side and and TP on the other really is–there’s more than a little cross over. It’d be nice if the more orthodox righties out there would quit pretending otherwise.
2) Lots of Greens and Lefties I know have been bitching about a double standard, vis a vis “well the TP folks had guns and no armed response from the cops happened, the OWS are unarmed and look how violent the cops are being, hypocrites”. They’re also full of shit. This shows that actually…the powers that be do notice when people show up with firearms.
In this case they’re showing up and sticking around, not having a few hours of rally time and then getting home in time to watch Sean Hannity.
Big difference. Also a big difference–the TP was largely focused on the political dimension (ie govt is too big and too careless with our dollars/taxes). The OWS stuff is including the discussion of the real power structure–the financial sector and the role of corporate money in our politics, something the TP all but ignored.
3) As such, NOW that you’re drawing attention to something the Bloombergs of the world actually care about, showing up with a rifle will get you noticed–whether or not you’re doing so legally.
4) Did I mention how far off base the anti-gunners proposing some sort of double standard are?
What, you really think if the TP had showed up in DC, CA or NYC armed that there wouldn’t have been mass arrests and a huge police response? Hell, it might have actually been a revolution.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:39 am
And he’s a MAIG member too. No surprise there.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:40 am
Given that DC, CA or NYC severely limit carry and all have assault weapons bans the Police would have a legal pretext to go after anyone carrying. Which was kind of Unc’s point given the legality of the governor’s actions in this example.
Also I love how in one thread you talk about how OWS isn’t anti-capitalist and here you talk about how they’re all about “real power structure–the financial sector and the role of corporate money in our politics”. And in this very post you go from OWS and TP are really kissing cousins but the TP ignores the “real power structure”.
And gotta love the requisite Fox News swipe.
Way to take a post about the overreach of government to crush 1st and 2nd amendment rights into your own personal crusade on how OWS is a-okay and people are just crazy to think that they’re radical, ignorant, or petulant.
Keep up the good work, your debating style is most persuasive.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:43 am
No argument. Want a cookie?
Capitalism isn’t the crony capitalism you refer to here, jackass. What you’re defending–and what the OWS folks are objecting to–is private gains, socialized losses, and that isn’t capitalism.
Of course I’m swiping at Fox News, they’re providing the disinformation that’s allowing people as stupid as you to think they have a handle on this issue.
October 28th, 2011 at 10:01 am
Hey, Darwin! Here’s another difference between the Tea Party rallies and the OWS (or Flea Party, as you all are parasites) “rallies”: the Tea Party either stayed one day, or left for the evening and came back the next day, they cleaned up after themselves, and they didn’t get in everyone else’s way. You parasites have occupied parks, camped in them overnight for weeks on end, rendering them useless for the public, and you leave a mess. Oh, and some of your support crew have rebelled against “redistributing the wealth” when THEY had to feed “professional homeless” people with their own efforts and food. You parasites can only be “generous” with other people’s money.
October 28th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Behold the master of rhetoric.
“No argument. Want a cookie?”
We have the condescending cookie trope, in two threads no less! Odds on internet tough guy making an appearance?
Lovely assumptions, 1) that I watch or like Fox News, 2) That I’m defending private gains, socialized losses.
You do realize that anyone can mock a reflexive jab at a news network. Not just their fans.
I guess it’s not possible in your world to think the OWS crowd has the wrong solution to the crony capitalism problem. Because clearly, disagreeing with OWS means that you’re a defender of the “big banks”.
As you say: “There’s no third option.”
October 28th, 2011 at 10:18 am
Maybe if you actually were presenting a coherent set of objections to OWS you might actually have a useful dialog going here, but it seems pretty obvious it just bugs you that I’m underscoring the lack of hypocritical approaches by LEOs by noting the confluence of TP and OWS agendas in some specific areas, but like it or not, that is relevant here.
The responses are different from the authorities because the guy with the rifle in Atlanta this week is there for a different reason and for a different length of time than the guy who was there last year.
And frankly I don’t care whether you watch Faux News or not–the point stands that you’re getting the incoherent and incorrect ad hominems you’re lobbing at OWS from there ilk. If the shoe fits…
October 28th, 2011 at 10:31 am
I believe the Issue isn’t whether or not the OWS is better than the Tea Party, or Vice-versa, but whether a U.S. Citizen was denied his 2A rights Illegally.
As shown in many Open Carry Events, the Right to Peaceably Assemble does NOT mean the RKBA goes away.
Politicians need to understand that. And if the OWS people don’t want Armed Citizens near them, well, if it’s a Public Spot, and there is No Law against going there with Firearms (as some States still have), then the OWS can Leave or Carry their Own Weapons in a Lawful Manner. If they are Occupying Private Property, and the Landowner wants to exercise his Property Rights and Post “No Guns Allowed “signs, then the Armed Citizen has to Respect that also.
Constitutional Rights are not just Applicable to only one sub-set of the Citizenry. Except the Age Requirements ones, and the Women’s Vote, and the Poll Tax, but you get the Point.
October 28th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Wouldn’t be allowed in NC. While we can carry open, cannot do so at demonstrations or protests.
October 28th, 2011 at 11:07 am
Les is correct on all counts.
October 28th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Les, Georgia is one of those states that have a vague “no carry in public” rule. We’re chipping away at it, tho.
And to clarify: It was the mayor, not the governor.
October 28th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Thanks Jackalope, I was about to mention the public gathering crap. Permitted and lived in ATL not to far away from Woodruff until late 08. Texas still recognizes the GFL until it expires 😀