Author Topic: Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony  (Read 1361 times)

Offline Chairboy

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« on: January 30, 2006, 05:43:49 PM »
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183147,00.html

Pretty scary, Arlen Specter is proposing an amendment to make political protests a felony if they're performed outside of the designated 'free speech areas' which are usually located a mile or so away.

I hope I'm not the only one troubled by this.  We've had our disagreements in the past, and it seems sometimes like there are members of this board who are more than willing to give up civil liberties because they don't like the people excercising them, but I sure hope this is the camel that breaks the straws back for them.

We're past the slippery slope and are now just falling straight down.
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Offline john9001

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2006, 05:50:30 PM »
does "giving aid and comfort to the enemy" mean anything to you?

Offline Fishu

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2006, 05:52:27 PM »
Good luck with that.. when things gets bad, the people will be protesting regardless of the laws.
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storch

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2006, 06:00:41 PM »
it will never fly

Offline Toad

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2006, 06:02:32 PM »
Specter must have lost his mind.
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Offline midnight Target

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2006, 06:03:04 PM »
Land of the Free....

Offline Sandman

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2006, 06:20:22 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by john9001
does "giving aid and comfort to the enemy" mean anything to you?


Does the Constitution of the United States mean anything to you?
sand

Offline ChickenHawk

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Re: Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2006, 06:21:15 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy

We're past the slippery slope and are now just falling straight down.


Amen!

Deeply troubling.
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Offline Sandman

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2006, 06:22:48 PM »
Hell... how did it ever become legal to have designated free speech zones in the first place?
« Last Edit: January 30, 2006, 06:25:05 PM by Sandman »
sand

Offline xrtoronto

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2006, 06:23:07 PM »
A Felony???

...good grief...

Offline Gunslinger

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2006, 06:42:59 PM »
This trouble's me.  This seems to have nothing to do with the patriot act as it stands and the act needs to be trimmed, not fattened up.

I can see the need to keep protestors away from events, but not to make it a felony when people at protest get out of hand.

Offline Gunslinger

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2006, 06:49:51 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Sandman
Hell... how did it ever become legal to have designated free speech zones in the first place?


If you have an event and somone wants to protest it by shouting and heckling you arent they in fact infringing on your right of free speech.  Public speaking would become a shouting match.

Free speech has NEVER meant unlimited write to say or do anything.

Offline Holden McGroin

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2006, 06:53:14 PM »
We've had worse...

Quote
sedition act of 1918
SECTION 3. Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports, or false statements, ...or incite insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct ...the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, or ...shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States ...or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully ...urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production ...  or advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than 20 years, or both....  


and then it was repealed...
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Offline DREDIOCK

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2006, 07:03:30 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Sandman
Hell... how did it ever become legal to have designated free speech zones in the first place?


I was wondering the same thing.

Now HOW many times have we heard hear about the Patriot act?

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Offline lasersailor184

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Patriot Act amendment to make protest a felony
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2006, 07:07:40 PM »
Specter is crazy.  The bad part is us PA'ians elected him because he was the best of the bunch.  :confused:

Hell, the only reason I voted for him was to keep a republican majority.
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