Suppression Through Intimidation
Posted by Prof | Filed under What They Really Mean Is...
via the gracious Glenn
I am saddened to hear this news. It seems like some locals have decided to suppress free speech, without quite saying that is what they were trying to do.
Lynn Rosko planned to hold a tax payer tea party at Jaycee Park in Cape Coral on April 1st. The idea was announced at a Cape Coral City Council meeting, then an e-mail blast by the Republican Party and it was mentioned in the local media.
With all of that attention, the City of Cape Coral felt there could be more than 500 people attending the tea party.
Therefore Rosko needed to get a permit and insurance for the event.
That’s right neighbors. They are using the threat of civil litigation to silence us. The city of Cape Coral has said that their subjects will not be allowed to gather in a peaceful rally to celebrate liberty. The city of Cape Coral has said that their subjects cannot meet in a public forum, without some one person pre-selected to take the fall if some sort of accident should befall a rally attendee. The city of Cape Coral, Florida has told their subjects that too many people in their feifdom actually beleive in the right to assemble guarenteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. The city of Cape Coral, Florida, in these United States, has flatly chosen to ignore the right of the people to ask for a redress of grievances.
They claim it is because of liability issues and the fact that so many would show up that rally organizers need a permit, a permit, to express their ideas.
I just think that is the saddest thing ever.
I sincerely hope Ms. Rosko will attend the rally in Fort Myers, and is allowed to tell her tale to those assembled. I hope she actually recognizes it for what it is– strongarm tactics by a goverment that doesn’t want you to exercise your rights under the First Amendment.
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March 29th, 2009
this is not sad news. this is an opportunity. Gather and I hope you get 10,000 people there. Who in their right mind would try to disperse a crowd of patriotic Americans. If the politicians are that stupid, just think of how the rest of the country will react. Amazing opportunity!
March 29th, 2009
The police are on your side. If there is an elected official dumb enough to demand that this crowd be dispersed, he will never be elected to public office again. He may think that he will be rewarded by the thug in chief at the oval office, but he will just wind up under the bus.
March 29th, 2009
Just show up. Everyone knows when to be there, so what if they tell you you can’t be there. It is a public park, let them try and stop it.
March 29th, 2009
Alas, I do not live in Cape Coral, Florida. But I would very interested to see how many people showed up… In fact, I’ll publish the photos of anyone who shows up there with a Simon sign that they made themselves, let alone a t-shirt.
March 29th, 2009
Doesn’t the Constituion guarntee the right of peaceful assembly? Apparently not in Flordia.
I wonder what the record of assemblies in this town would reveal in regards to the requirements they have stated,
March 29th, 2009
We are having a similar problem here for our Teaparty here in Calif. We don’t need a permit ,but they wanted to charge us to use their power,and have insurance because of that.
We’re getting a generator….
March 29th, 2009
Not that I agree this is how things should be done, and I have no idea how much a permit might cost (where I am, I think it’s about $50), I checked a couple of places on line for coverage for a political rally with 500 in attendance:
http://www.specialeventinsurances.com gave me $210
http://www.galescreek.com gave me $375.
So depending on the level of excitement you can generate, it might not be that hard to gin up donations – that’s obviously just $10 from 21 people. There’s going to come a point where we will have to get serious about organization, and nothing keeps people interested like how you spend their money.
Those were the only two sites I found that would give an on-line instant quote – there may be other options.
Good luck to them.
March 31st, 2009
[...] days ago I wrote this. Today I bring you news of this. Way to go citizens! Please, if anyone who is going there reads [...]
April 14th, 2009
[...] And of course, the lovely Cape Coral. [...]