-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Mass. governor demands ID at political rallies Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 15:06:31 -0700 From: John Gilmore <gnu@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private>, gnu@private References: <40AD90B5.2020903@private> In a hallway in a public school where the Governor of Mass was speaking: > > SECURITY NOTICE > > The following items will not be admitted: ... > > SIGNAGE LITERATURE ... > > Government issue photo ID may be required. So to listen to the governor you now may need to show your government-issued "papers please", in addition to having your non-government-issued "papers" confiscated? I'm glad that Joe Bradley refused to surrender the flyers he'd collected, and instead alerted the public. But lost in the discussion of the First Amendment right to carry pieces of paper around, is the issue of whether the First Amendment right to assemble and listen to (or petition) the Governor without "government issue [sic] photo ID". I am a live person, a citizen, and a taxpayer, and I have no government-issued photo ID. What rights do I have to listen to the Governor when he comes to speak? He seems to think I have none. What do you think? John Gilmore www.papersplease.org www.freetotravel.org www.toad.com -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Mass. governor apparently delights in censoring his constitute... Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 06:58:36 EDT From: Majstoll@private To: declan@private CC: thomas@private And what about the ridiculous demands for photo-ID? Surely some people objected or refused, right? I went to DC City hall last year with a friend without ID and the guards looked at me like we were crazy. I pointed out that we were en route to a public meeting and that Americans are not required to have any ID. The guard let us in after an a bureaucrat told us in a self important tone "even I have to show ID here." Mike Stollenwerk -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Mass. governor apparently delights in censoring his constitutents [fs] Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 07:40:16 -0400 From: Robin 'Roblimo' Miller <robin@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> References: <40AD90B5.2020903@private> > > ... where does the slippery slope of "legitimate" security limitations > end? > How much control over public appearances do our elected and appointed > officials deserve? Is it appropriate for public officials to "script" > their > appearances such that visible signs (literally and figurative) of dissent > are suppressed? Suppresion of dissent has become part of the Republican playbook nationwide. We had a similar situation here in Manateee County, Florida, a few months ago, during a "town meeting" held by Congresswoman (and former Florida Secretary of State) Katherine Harris. Ms. Harris's literature was allowed; only material produced by Democrats and other subversives was prohibited, and they were the only ones harassed by (Republican) Sheriff Charley Wells and his deputies. I dislike seeing these echoes of the old Soviet Union in my country, no matter what party is behind them, although I am afraid that at the moment the Republican Party seems to be the one doing the best Stalin-led Communist Party impersonation. Several articles on my personal Web site -- http://roblimo.com -- expand on this theme. - Robin 'Roblimo' Miller author and editor Bradenton, FL -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Mass. governor apparently delights in censoring his constitutents [fs] Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 08:56:11 -0400 From: J.D. Abolins <jda-ir@private> To: Thomas Leavitt <thomas@private> CC: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> References: <40AD90B5.2020903@private> Security concerns about "six or eight sheets of 8 by 11 paper"? Well, the OSS -- the special operations service of the ALlies during World War 2 -- did teach its agents how to kill with a tightly rolled up newspaper. But, as one former OSS operative explained in her memoirs, it was totally impractical. Image telling the Gestapo to hold on for fifteen minutes while the OSS agent rolls up the newspaper! <g> But letter size paper? Maybe the fear of the death of a thousand paper cuts being inflicted. The designation of literature rather than paper sheets of all kinds shows the perception management concerns with content. Echos the selectiveness of the shunting of critical protesters to remote "free speech zones" while the supportive demonstrators are brought in close. Thomas, thank you for sharing that article. J.D. Abolins PS. The "governmental ID may be required" notice at the public meeting is of some concern. Sooner or later, I predict we'll have a public comment meeting on National ID systems where all attending must show several IDs. A great ways to discourage to who object to extensive ID systems in general. But we know that "stackign the decks" is rare in politics. <wink> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: [Politech] Mass. governor apparently delights in censoring hi s constitutents [fs] Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 16:00:47 -0400 From: Hoefelmeyer, Ralph <RHoefelmeyer@private-net.com> To: 'Declan McCullagh ' <declan@private>, 'politech-bounces@private ' <politech-bounces@private> Declan, The people of Massachusetts deserve what they have - they have elected demo-fascists to their public offices - what do they expect? As for being nice to the staffers - NO! People who suggest or enforce stupid policies or ideas need to be pilloried publicly. Too often in our society, people meekly accept something because it's a law or policy. This has got to stop. Ralph -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Mass. governor apparently delights in censoring his constitutents [fs] Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 13:27:24 -0700 From: Thomas Leavitt <thomas@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> References: <40AD90B5.2020903@private> Declan, FYI, apparently the Boston Globe picked up on this and followed up with the Governor's office... who claim it is a "big misunderstanding". http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/20/romney_is_wrapped_on_leaflet_policy/?rss_id=Boston%20Globe%20--%20City%20/%20Region%20News A spokeswoman for the governor said Romney's interns at the event made a mistake, and that because Bradley wasn't intending to distribute the fliers, he should have been welcome to enter. The ACLU thinks that the Governor's policy prohibiting distribution of literature at events of this sort violates the First Amendment (but they don't plan to take him to court over it). No comment about the I.D. requirement, however. Regards, Thomas Leavitt -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Mass. governor apparently delights in censoring his constitutents [fs] Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 17:48:39 -0400 (EDT) From: Dean Anderson <dean@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> Thanks for publishing this. I'll miss you after you are sent to Guantanamo as an unlawful combatant. Why, before you know it, someone will be secretly _video_taping_ these 'consensus-building' town meetings. It is interesting that the "democracy" planned for Iraq involved such town meetings selecting the representatives. I wonder if those meetings were/are meant to similarly suppress certain viewpoints. Can that be called democracy? So is it the case that the Iraqi's aren't ready for democracy, or is it the case that we aren't ready for Iraqi democracy? Another thing I noticed: It also caught my attention that Nicolas Berg was beheaded, but not beaten or tortured or made to wear womens' underwear. I wonder which is worse: Being killed, or being humiliated, tortured, raped, and then killed. Given the choice, how many would prefer beheading? Berg's death, while unfortunate, doesn't seem to justify our presence in Iraq, as some claimed. --Dean _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 24 2004 - 22:02:55 PDT