Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Freedom of Assembly Under Fire
Townhall ^ | July 31, 2019 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 08/01/2019 3:28:27 PM PDT by River Hawk

Do law-abiding American citizens still have the right to gather peacefully to discuss their ideas without fear of government censorship and retribution?

In my adopted hometown of Colorado Springs, the answer is "No" if you believe in strict border control or question whether the U.S. can survive as a nation-state. The answer is "No" if you wish to meet with others to express concern about the unsustainability of current U.S. immigration policy. The answer is "No" if you dare to speak unvarnished truths about the deleterious security and economic impacts of illegal immigrants, Third World and sharia-promoting Muslim refugees, temporary guest workers, chain migration beneficiaries, diversity visa lottery winners, and legions of unassimilated and unvetted visitors and other visa holders from around the world.

In spring 2017, award-winning journalist and former Hoover Institution media fellow Peter Brimelow and his educational nonprofit VDARE reserved the Cheyenne Mountain Resort for a conference on immigration and sovereignty issues. A local far-left gadfly who bragged about wearing her "pink pussy hat while driving (her) Prius" launched an online petition condemning Brimelow's organization as a "hate group." The petition threatened both the resort and the mayor, bellowing that "the residents of Colorado Springs will not support businesses that profit from hate groups and will not re-elect politicians hospitable to those hate groups!"

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: freedomofassembly; freedomofspeech

1 posted on 08/01/2019 3:28:27 PM PDT by River Hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: River Hawk

There is only one thing worse then a Progressive.....A gutless conservative.


2 posted on 08/01/2019 3:44:32 PM PDT by traderrob6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: traderrob6

Sadly, we have too many gutless conservatives.


3 posted on 08/01/2019 3:45:24 PM PDT by River Hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: River Hawk

Then conservatives need to get over their liking for martyrdom and abandoning people to their fate.


4 posted on 08/01/2019 3:50:58 PM PDT by BlackAdderess
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: River Hawk

On this forum even.


5 posted on 08/01/2019 3:56:32 PM PDT by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: River Hawk; All

Thanks for posting. List of Grievances ALERT!


6 posted on 08/01/2019 3:57:03 PM PDT by PGalt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BlackAdderess

Correct.


7 posted on 08/01/2019 3:57:32 PM PDT by River Hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: River Hawk

Time for a RICO suit.


8 posted on 08/01/2019 3:57:40 PM PDT by Darteaus94025 (Can't have a Liberal without a Lie)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MrEdd

Yep.


9 posted on 08/01/2019 3:57:52 PM PDT by River Hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Darteaus94025

There is a lawsuit currently pending. You can read about it at the VDARE.COM website.


10 posted on 08/01/2019 3:59:31 PM PDT by River Hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: River Hawk

This works both ways. 15 or 20 years ago a nearby conservative town became aware that there was an abortion clinic doing business. The owner of the building faced an immediate backlash. There were protests. His restaurant very quickly went out of business. No one would rent space from him. The clinic vanished. The building’s name was changed. As far as I know he’s left town. He wasn’t running the abortion clinic, merely rented space to it, but he paid the price.

Of course the 1st Amendment allowing freedom of assembly isn’t nearly as enshrined as an inalienable right as abortion...


11 posted on 08/01/2019 4:29:10 PM PDT by hanamizu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hanamizu

Sounds like false equivalence. Your story contained no GOVERNMENT intervention.


12 posted on 08/01/2019 5:14:15 PM PDT by Hugh the Scot (I won`t be wronged. I won`t be insulted. I won`t be laid a hand on. - John Bernard Books)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: All

Welcome to Coloina!


13 posted on 08/01/2019 5:59:38 PM PDT by Retvet (Retvet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hugh the Scot

Your story contained no GOVERNMENT intervention.


Didn’t read the article, just the excerpt that referred to a ‘far-left gadfly’. As far as I know, in the local situation I cited there was no organized group at all. Just a widespread distaste for what was going on in the landlord’s building. A shunning if you will.


14 posted on 08/01/2019 6:03:08 PM PDT by hanamizu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: River Hawk
In theory one does have the freedom to peaceably assemble.

In practice, that is a horse of a different color. Should the Democrat Party and its Allies approve your agenda, one is allowed to assemble.

Should the Democrat and its Allies not approve of your Organization or its agenda, that is a different story. Then is when they send in their goon squad, members of Antifa, packed up by the police in with orders to break up your assembly and send as many of your participants to the hospital to be treated for their wounds. Should any of those assembled attempt to defend themselves or others from the attacks of the goons, the police will immediately descend upon them and swiftly and brutally subdue them. Just as the Germans did in the 1930s when the Brownshirts and Hitler Youth attacked the Jews.

So the Question of do law abiding Americans still have the right to peacefully assemble would be answered yes in theory but no in practice.

15 posted on 08/01/2019 6:26:32 PM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sport

“So the Question of do law abiding Americans still have the right to peacefully assemble would be answered yes in theory but no in practice.”

Yes, that’s the situation we’re in now.


16 posted on 08/01/2019 6:43:39 PM PDT by River Hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson