Posted on 03/20/2016 2:01:02 PM PDT by drewh
Donald Trump is once again shrugging off the escalating violence at his rallies, saying the people protesting his presidential campaign are largely to blame for incidents.
These people are very disruptive, Trump said on ABCs This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. These are not innocent lambs.
The Republican frontrunner said the demonstrators who shut down an Arizona highway leading to the Phoenix suburb where he was scheduled to speak were violating his right to free speech and the rights of his supporters to come hear him.
Theyre really stopping our First Amendment rights, Trump said. If you think about it, George, they block they blocked a road, they put their cars in front of a road. We had thousands and thousands of people wanting to come. They were delayed for an hour because of these protesters.
Trump continued: These are professional agitators, and I think that somebody should say that when a road is blocked going into the event so that people have to wait sometimes hours to get in, I think thats very [unfair] and there should be blame there, too.
He added: I think its very unfair that these, really, in many cases professional, in many cases sick protesters can put cars in a road blocking thousands of great Americans from coming to a speech and nobody says anything about that.
The brash billionaire also refused to condemn one of his supporters who punched a protester as he was being removed by security.
He or his partner was wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit, Trump said of the protester. This happened to be an African-American man who was very a person at the rally, who was very, very incensed at the fact that somebody, a protester, would be wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Frankly, that was, you know, it was a tough thing to watch. And I watched that. But why would a protester walk into a room with a Ku Klux Klan outfit on?
We dont condone violence, and I say it, he said. And we have very little violence, very, very little violence at the rallies.
Trump even applauded his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, after a video appeared to show Lewandowski grabbing the collar of a protester at a rally in Tucson.
I give him credit for having spirit, Trump said. He wanted them to take down those horrible, profanity-laced signs.
Lewandowski came under fire earlier this month after he allegedly assaulted Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields after a press conference in Florida. Trumps campaign denies her claims.
When signs are put up, lifted up with tremendous profanity on them I mean the worst profanity, and you have television cameras all over the place and people see these signs I think maybe those people have some blame and should suffer some blame, Trump said.
No, but you certainly are revealing yours... As I pointed, what they are doing may be, and probably is, illegal. But they are not violating his 1st Amendment rights - only the government can do that.
Are Trump supporters completely incapable of staying on topic? The question is not whether what they are doing is legal, moral, ethical or even polite - the question being discussed here is whether it constitutes a violation of Trump's 1st amendment rights, as he claims. It does not.
The man, identified as Tony Pettway, 32, was arrested inside the Trump event and charged with the misdemeanor before being released, the Tucson Police Department said.
Thanks for the link to the eye witness account.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
He has now been formally charged with assault.
The man’s right. When will the prosecution of these violators come about?
That would be a rhetorical question...maybe if he was a homosexual or some other victim group member.
Maybe I’m just getting paranoid but George Stephanopoulos was relentless this morning on this point. And it’s convenient with all the hundreds of thousands to attend Trump rallies that this guy just lets loose.
I didn’t feel that way about the other supporter who clocked the protestor, don’t know why.
Which detail is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. Only the government has the ability to violate your 1st Amendment rights. It is plain English, people! Go back and read the amendment. It says, "Congress shall make no law..." It says absolutely nothing about what your neighbor can or can't do. There may be state or federal laws being violated by these protests, but the Constitution is not.
From silverleaf a must see first see video from an eyewitness at the Tucson rally
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAVT1fZHl_4
Not that the protesters aren’t assahts, but only governments or government actors can violate the 1st Amendment.
This is a pretty basic principle of civics.
Does Trump have a clue how the Constitution works?
Charges should be dismissed.
Apples and oranges. A firearm is a tool and your scenario would be the same as if you stole a hammer.
In Florida, where I live, a company cannot make a policy that forbids you to have a firearm in your vehicle while at work because it violates an individuals 2nd Amendentment right to bear arms. The company is not a government. It is an entity that can violate an individual right.
No, he would sue under commercial and contractual grounds.
And, if that hosting service originally decided not to host him due to the content of FR, they could with impunity.
I am amazed that the protesters are getting away with this. Years ago there was a judge Roy Moore keep the Ten Commandments rally at the foot of the Supreme Court. At one point I politely asked one of the cops if it was okay if I sat on one of the bottom steps. He sneered at me and told me if I so much as put a toe on a step he’d arrest me so fast my head would spin. And we were mannerly and well behaved protesters.
If I were to say:
“Mr. Trump eats the heads off babies”
Or
“Mr. Brilliant eats the head off babies”
I could be sued for libel for the bottom statement and not the top. The statement is patently false in both cases, but because Trump is a public figure it is deemed free speech. Just because he’s a public figure doesnt mean it damages him any less. You could probably argue, in fact, it may damage him more. This is what he is getting at.
I don’t nessasarily agree, but he kind of has a point.
Exactly. As always, only socialist crybabies are allowed to break the law.
Nope. The government won't let you.
youre mistaken. private people can be and are sued for infringements of constitutional rights as can counties, cities and state governments.
For example?
So did someone make a policy that Trump couldn't speak or have peaceful assembly? If protestors break the law arrest them for the law they broke.
So answer me this:
a landlord tells a tenent they cannot fly an American Flag on the apartment they rent.
Here’s another one:
A person sues and artist because he/she does not like the content because he/ she feels it offends thier religion.
I agree. However, my point is, constitutional rights are bestowed by our creator to each individually.
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