http://rt.com/usa/news/348-act-tresspass-buildings-437/ The First Amendment has been officially wiped from the books. Real Americans will end up dying over this, and it appears our country has pretty much run it's course as any kind of model for Democracy.
I would like to think there's NO WAY IN HELL this will pass court challenge. I would like to think that.
Based on the date of the article, it actually died 3 weeks ago. That being said... this bill is clearly for the people in power, NOT FOR THE PEOPLE! Fucking ridiculous. The end is coming soon. Not the end of the world. But I wait for the stock markets to collapse. I mean, REAL collapse. The system is a sham. And we'll all be left in chaos. This is merely a step in the process.
If I read the article correctly, this only pertains to protests where they may directly come into contact with anyone under Secret Service protection. And only within the same building or on the same grounds those people are. The idea being it keeps people from being assassinated who are under Secret Service protection. Is that really such a bad thing?
This was my understanding as well, and no, it's not a bad thing. It hardly signals the end of the first amendment. :MARIS61:
The article doesn't say what you think it says, and neither does the bill. But, just in case, I'd overreact with hyperbole if I were you! :MARIS61:
This country died many years ago... probably when the patriot act was passed, but I'd wager even before that.
It gives the potus the power to have anyone arrested for speaking about anything, anywhere, anytime. All that is required is a presidential memo designating the SS to protect someone or something in the vicinity of the speaker. It outlaws all peaceful protests at political rallies for presidential candidates right off the bat. With a memo it could outaw speech in public parks, arenas, highways, churches, anywhere the potus wants. It has no limiting factors, no safeguards, no balance of power, no limits to the force which can be used to stop the speech. It is basically a license to kill.
Sounding more like an appropriations bill authorizing monies for federal grounds landscaping -- this bill, better known to those in the DC beltway as the 'Trespass Bill' -- potentially makes peaceable protest anywhere in the U.S. a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The legislators responsible for bringing this legislative excrement to life are Representative Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) in the House of Representatives and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT.) leading the Senate version. H. R. 347 makes protest of any type potentially a federal offense with anywhere from a year to 10 years in federal prison, providing it occurs in the presence of elites brandishing Secret Service protection, or during an officially defined 'National Special Security Event' (NSSE). NSSEs , ( an invention of Bill Clinton) are events which have been deemed worthy of Secret Service protection, which previously received no such treatment. Justified through part of 'Presidential Decision Directive 62 in 1998; Bill Clinton created an additional class of special events explicitly under the authority of the U.S. Secret Service. Past NSSE events included the funerals of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, and the national security concern that was Superbowl XXXVI. Other NSSE protected events include the Academy Awards and the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. I suppose presidential candidates, no matter how insane they may be are deserving as much security protection as Brad and Angelina's sex life. The dangerous part of this 'executive order' lies not in the triviality of a SuperBowl receiving taxpayer funded Secret Service protection -- but in the convenience manufactured for any President desperate to hide deliberations of groups like the G-8, the G-20 and the World Trade Organization. The classification of such events as NSSE -- insures the rich and powerful against any pesky accountability or transparency to the unwashed minions -- namely the US public. HR 347 & S. 1794 insulates such events as the G-8, WTO and presidential conventions against tough questions and politically justified protests. The House vote tally which took place 02/28/12, was 338 for and 3 against. The three dissenters were Rep.Paul Broun R-Georgia, Rep. Justin Amash R-Michigan and Rep. Keith Ellison D-Minnesota. Rep. Ron Paul was reported earlier as having voted against the bill, but that was based on the original vote conducted 02/28/11. Rep. Ron Paul ABSTAINED on the final vote. http://thatsmycongress.com/index.ph...s-house-votes-to-criminalize-protest-h-r-347/
This pretty much ensures that's what they'll get. When you outlaw peaceful protests, you get violent protests. It's certainly not going to result in less protests. This just gave OWS instant credibility and 100 million new American supporters. A huge gaffe by the ruling class.
The final vote: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll073.xml plus Obama's signature. Looks like he's brought the parties together as promised!
