Mike Rosen: 1st Amendment trashed (charges dropped against Columbus Day protestors)

Since I'm opposed in principle to torture and murder, especially of children, and since many latter-day Mexicans are the descendents of these Indian sects, by the same logic the jury applied, I should be free to break the law and block the Cinco de Mayo parade with impunity.

Of course, that would be ridiculous. Just as the jury's verdict was ridiculous. The jurors indulged themselves in a fit of jury nullification, choosing to ignore the law and taking sides, politically. Racist white jurors in the deep South, years ago, engaged in similar abuse of our justice system when they sympathetically acquitted Ku Klux Klanners who murdered blacks.

The anti-Columbus protesters were charged with loitering and failing to obey a lawful police order. They blatantly violated the First Amendment rights of their fellow citizens, Italian-Americans who had legally obtained a permit to conduct their parade.

The protesters, who claim that Christopher Columbus committed genocide, argued that the parade constituted symbolic "ethnic intimidation." Just in case that argument didn't fly, they hedged their bets by contriving a cop-out defense in which they lied about not hearing police orders to disperse. That charade was both preposterous and cowardly, given that their blockage of the parade was obviously premeditated.

Jury foreman Eric Ruderman - incredibly, a lawyer himself - and others bought into the ethnic intimidation gambit. Juror Laura Reister deferred to the defendants' "perception" that the parade was designed to intimidate them, saying that the prosecution didn't present evidence to the contrary. This is dumbfounding. The Italian-Americans in the parade weren't intimidating anyone. How about the millions of state and federal government employees who take the day off as a paid legal holiday, are they guilty of ethnic intimidation, too? None of them advocate the enslavement or murder of Indians, nor is Columbus a threat, having died 500 years ago. What these activists "perceive" is irrelevant. They clearly broke the law and violated the rights of others in the process. Anti-abortion protesters also have strong "feelings" and deeply-rooted religious beliefs when they block access to abortion clinics, but their feelings don't trump the rights of others. Timothy McVeigh had strong feelings about government misbehavior when he bombed the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. The 9/11 Islamic terrorists had strong feelings, too. It's not a justification for criminal acts.

Indian activists and militants have been beating this anti-Columbus thing to death for years. They've had their hearing in the court of public opinion and have failed to persuade me and many others about the merits of their cause. Historians are divided on this subject. There are good things and bad to be said about Columbus and his impact on the New World and the Old, just as there are good and bad things to be said for Aztec, Mayan and every other civilization. American Indians might prefer a fantasy world in which Europeans never found their way to these shores. Those of us who are descended from European immigrants see it differently. But the argument is moot. Get over it.

In 1977, neo-Nazis were initially denied the right to stage a march in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Ill., where one out of every six Jewish residents were survivors or directly related to survivors of the Holocaust. Talk about ethnic intimidation. The Nazis ultimately prevailed in court, with the help of the ACLU(!), who argued that the principle of free speech in our society, even hateful speech, must take precedence over the sensibilities of those who may be offended by such speech. Where was the ACLU this time around?

Disheartened by the antics of one lawless jury, the city attorney's office has thrown in the towel and dropped charges against 230 other demonstrators cited at the Columbus Day parade. By rewarding this kind of behavior, city officials are encouraging more of it in the future. The First Amendment may not be dead in Denver, but it's at least seriously ill.

Mike Rosen's radio show airs daily from 9 a.m. to noon on 850 KOA.

Cindo de Mayo celebrates a Mescan victory over the French colonials.

I always give it a pass on protesting it. Besides, its got food, beer and lovely women dancing.
Whats not to like?

They indeed are encouraging more of the same kind of behavior. When the political environment in Denver is such
that they stifle any well intentioned voice of opposition.
back in 92 the Mayor (Webb-that old smelly sneaker) and
Gov. Romer( Roy boy -who promoted the gay agenda to cover his own infidelity insisted he could use the assests of his office to oppose Amendment #2 -the legitimate response
to his covert tampering with our code) the political climate
remains unchanged. They still believe they dictate to the entire State.Election of the Salazar brothers and the
installation of Democratic controlled Congress suggests there is nothing new in the Sodom of this State.

"They blatantly violated the First Amendment rights of their fellow citizens, Italian-Americans who had legally obtained a permit to conduct their parade."

OK I don't agree with the protesters but in fact they did not violate the first amendment rights of their fellow citizens.

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.

Unless they were members of congress and passed a law that stopped the parade and their right to free speech these protesters did nothing but break a local ordinance.