MissH, Do you not understand the danger of government using temporary safety issues to permanently strip us of our first amendment rights?? That is what is happening here.
Let me ask you this, do you think we would have sued them if the ordinance was just temporary and would have went away after completion of the project?
The US Supreme court just ruled 9-0 against those that had set limits on how far away one had to be on a public sidewalk in front of an abortion clinic. The town also passed an arbitrary 100 foot rule to keep protestors 100 feet away from all overpasses (public sidewalk). Why 100 feet, why not 90 feet or 115 feet. We will win on this point, no question.
Your comment of us “Skirting around the sign ordinance wearing t-shirts instead of holding signs is juvenile at best” really shows your ignorance. Nowhere in the ordinance did it address wearing clothing. This was intentionally done to prove that the town was “chilling” free speech.
Your comment “Even without the construction, protesting on the bridge is a dangerous distraction”. How so? There are scrolling marquee signs, LED billboards, etc. all along this stretch that takes your eyes off the road. We were in line of sight. This stretch of interstate was no more dangerous than anywhere else in the state and the traffic flow is excellent. These protests are occurring in over 500 cities across the nation. Not once has an accident occurred as a result of these protests.
There could be ten more accidents or deaths at that location during this construction. It has no bearing on the lawsuit. The case was about what occurred before the construction and what will happen after the construction.
As far as you blaming the local Tea Party and you personally trying to make us look bad by claiming all of the calls, emails and threats they were receiving, were occurring because of the local Tea Party is ridiculous. This is a national story and we are shaking the tree of liberty. If a few nuts fell off, do not blame us. We are using the legal process to fight this and your comments do nothing to advance the cause of freedom and liberty.
That is the beauty of our American legal system - this will be resolved in a court of law. What is not necessary is the harassment of good police officers by those who claim to be for “liberty and freedom” but only when it suits them. You are now acting like the extremists we despise on the other side of the aisle.
You personally in your past comments on Free Republic have published the personal phone numbers of the town board members and police officers. You have asked that others forward this information on to other websites. When suddenly there are 300-400 vile and harrassing phone calls a day (including death threats) and thousands of e-mails crippling the ability of a small town police department to protect the public your response is that a few acorns fell off the tree? Your tactics have gone to far. There are more than a few nuts that fell off the proverbial tree of liberty on this and I think you and the local tea party have engaged in and encouraged tactics that do nothing to further the cause of conservatism. You give the rest of us legitimately striving to forward the conservative cause further hurdles to jump.