The Rise of the Obama police state!
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - August 10, 2009 - "We don’t want interacting,” said the police officer, to the shock of the conservative activist holding the camera. She was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, filming a demonstration by ACORN in favor of Barack Obama’s proposed government-run health care program; and what she had just witnessed, as the officer led away the offending man who had dared speak to the activist, was nothing short of the disruption of free speech, of the press, and of the right to assemble - by the police.
As reported by the Examiner, “Things took a surprising and dangerous turn when a police officer, clearly sympathetic to the ACORN rally, attempted to shut down the opposition. At one point, during a very civil discussion between an opponent and a supporter of the (illegitimate) president’s plan, the police officer returned and actually told the individuals opposing the (illegitimate) president’s plan they were not allowed to speak. The man in the blue shirt, a supporter of the (illegitimate) president’s plan, later returned and attempted to defend the free speech rights of the counter protesters.”
For all intents and purposes, she was reporting on the demonstration. Yet every time she attempted to converse with opponents of ObamaCare, the police intervened. Not exactly what one would call the protection of unalienable rights. It looks more like a police state - in its infancy.
On Wikipedia, a police state is described, “The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on their mobility and on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement.” Exactly what was seen in Baton Rouge. In this case, nobody was arrested. But it is troubling, to say the least, that the police were apparently ordered to disrupt any interaction between supporters and opponents of ObamaCare, even ones that were perfectly willing to debate.
“We disagree. We can have a civil conversation and talk while we walk. We disagree. It’s fine,” said one ObamaCare supporter, who was also disgusted by the police action.
Really, the ones who had obviously expressed a desire to avoid even civil discourse of their views were the ACORN demonstrators. Of course, there is no such thing as freedom from speech or debate. But if one does not like what is being said, one can simply move to the other side of the street.
But since they were protesting, wasn’t the point to defend their views? When they put themselves out there, as members of a self-described public interest organization, they actually are public figures - a part of the national political debate. That makes the views expressed by the organization subject to public scrutiny by press or citizen journalists alike.
Instead, in Obama’s Amerika, apparently there is the stunning emergence of a political elite. They are beyond reproach and criticism, and the police will see to that, as can be seen by this appalling display.
As reported by the Examiner, “Things took a surprising and dangerous turn when a police officer, clearly sympathetic to the ACORN rally, attempted to shut down the opposition. At one point, during a very civil discussion between an opponent and a supporter of the (illegitimate) president’s plan, the police officer returned and actually told the individuals opposing the (illegitimate) president’s plan they were not allowed to speak. The man in the blue shirt, a supporter of the (illegitimate) president’s plan, later returned and attempted to defend the free speech rights of the counter protesters.”
For all intents and purposes, she was reporting on the demonstration. Yet every time she attempted to converse with opponents of ObamaCare, the police intervened. Not exactly what one would call the protection of unalienable rights. It looks more like a police state - in its infancy.
On Wikipedia, a police state is described, “The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on their mobility and on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement.” Exactly what was seen in Baton Rouge. In this case, nobody was arrested. But it is troubling, to say the least, that the police were apparently ordered to disrupt any interaction between supporters and opponents of ObamaCare, even ones that were perfectly willing to debate.
“We disagree. We can have a civil conversation and talk while we walk. We disagree. It’s fine,” said one ObamaCare supporter, who was also disgusted by the police action.
Really, the ones who had obviously expressed a desire to avoid even civil discourse of their views were the ACORN demonstrators. Of course, there is no such thing as freedom from speech or debate. But if one does not like what is being said, one can simply move to the other side of the street.
But since they were protesting, wasn’t the point to defend their views? When they put themselves out there, as members of a self-described public interest organization, they actually are public figures - a part of the national political debate. That makes the views expressed by the organization subject to public scrutiny by press or citizen journalists alike.
Instead, in Obama’s Amerika, apparently there is the stunning emergence of a political elite. They are beyond reproach and criticism, and the police will see to that, as can be seen by this appalling display.
