Houston demands pastors turn over sermons
I think the city of Houston is definitely violating our first amendment rights by issueing subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity...
By: DailyWorldwideNews
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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos insists he's a big fan of the First Amendment.
That's what the Republican legislator from Racine County said to justify his belief that corporations, businesses, labor unions or anyone else should be able to spend as much money as they want on political campaigns.
The Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United decision, the one that declared that corporations have the same First Amendment rights as individual citizens, was spot on, the speaker declared as he and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca engaged in a debate before a packed WisPolitics.com luncheon last week.
Barca had just declared that the biggest threat to American democracy was the court's decision that money equals speech. The Kenosha Democrat added that it's critically important to overturn the decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited spending in political races.
But a smug and confident Vos, cocksure that Scott Walker would be re-elected governor and the Republicans would continue to control the Legislature after Nov. 4, was having none of it. He also declared that not only should corporations be able to give, the so-called independent issue groups should be able to collaborate with a candidate's campaign as well. (That's currently illegal under Wisconsin law and its alleged violation by Walker backers is behind the controversial John Doe investigation.)
I'm a huge believer in the First Amendment, he declared, as if there's no question that the Founding Fathers intended to include corporations in the Bill of Rights.
It was interesting to learn that Vos suddenly had such respect for the constitutional amendment authored by James Madison to protect minority views from "the tyranny of the majority." (It's apparently hard for Vos and the 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court to admit that the Founding Fathers only mentioned individual American citizens in their deliberations.)
Vos is the same guy, after all, who has been a consistent defender of secret legislative caucuses and was behind the move to forbid the Governmental Accountability Board from allowing online access to campaign contribution disclosure forms filed by legislators.
He was also one of the instigators of tough rules to limit demonstrations in the State Capitol during and after the protests in 2011, including prohibiting cameras and other recording devices in the Assembly balconies.
But when it comes to corporations-as-citizens, he's suddenly a firm believer in that First Amendment.
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MANCHESTER James Foley, the New Hampshire journalist murdered by ISIS forces in Syria last summer, has been named this years recipient of the Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment Award.
The freelance journalist and videographer, who grew up in Wolfeboro, was announced yesterday as the recipient of the 12th annual award given by the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications.
A panel of judges decided to honor Foley for his work in telling the personal stories of people trapped by war and senseless violence.
He gave voice to people in places where there is no free speech or free press, and he gave his life because of it, said school executive director David Tirrell-Wysocki.
The award will be presented posthumously at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester on Nov. 12. The evening event will also feature an address by Donald Trump, who joins a notable group of national figures who have donated their appearances on behalf of the nonprofit school.
The First Amendment Award was established to honor New Hampshire organizations or residents who protect or exemplify the liberties granted in the First Amendment.
Past honorees include former state Attorney General Philip McLaughlin, former Keene Sentinel Editor Thomas Kearney, state Rep. Daniel Hughes, Dover City Councilor David Scott, First Amendment attorney William Chapman, ConVal School Board member Gail Pierson Cromwell, The Portsmouth Herald, David Lang and the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, and The Telegraph of Nashua.
Foley had reported from Iraq and Afghanistan and was kidnapped in Libya for 44 days in 2011. His work appeared in Stars and Stripes and GlobalPost, among others. He went to Syria in 2012 to report on conditions there and was taken by militants at Thanksgiving that year. His parents, Dr. John and Diane Foley of Rochester, did not hear from him for more than a year.
He was executed in August of this year, becoming the first American civilian to be killed by Islamist fanatics called ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). Foleys beheading shocked the world. His parents plan a funeral Mass for him in Rochester this Saturday, which would have been his 42nd birthday.
Nackey Loeb, the late president and publisher of the Union Leader Corp., founded the school in 1999 to promote understanding and appreciation of the First Amendment and to foster interest, integrity and excellence in journalism and other forms of communication. More than 7,000 people have participated in the schools media-related classes, workshops and other events.
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Award to honor James Foley's work telling the stories 'of people trapped by war'
An unusual First Amendment fight has erupted in Houston where lawyers for the city have raised alarm bells among conservative religious leaders after subpoenaing sermons delivered by several local pastors.
The legal clash stems from a voter lawsuit against the city over its rejection of citizen petitions that were filed to repeal an equal rights ordinance approved by Houstons City Council in May.
Pro bono attorneys representing Houston have demanded copies of sermons and other speeches given by five pastors and religious leaders who have spoken out against the ordinance, which bans racial and sexual orientation discriminationin city employment and contracting, housing and public accommodations.
A subpoena on Pastor Steve Riggle, senior pastor of Grace Community Church, asks for all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to [the equal rights ordinance], the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a national conservative legal group, filed a motion on Monday in Harris County district court objecting to the records request on First Amendment grounds.
City council members are supposed to be public servants, not Big Brother overlords who will tolerate no dissent or challenge, ADF senior legal counsel Erik Stanley said. In this case, they have embarked upon a witch-hunt, and we are asking the court to put a stop to it.
But in a breaking development Wednesday, Houston Mayor Annise Parker appeared to be backing away from the initial requests. Janice Evans, a city spokeswoman, told Law Blog in a statement:
Mayor Parker agrees with those who are concerned about the city legal departments subpoenas for pastors sermons. The subpoenas were issued by pro bono attorneys helping the city prepare for the trial regarding the petition to repeal the new Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) in January. Neither the mayor nor City Attorney David Feldman were aware the subpoenas had been issued until yesterday. Both agree the original documents were overly broad. The city will move to narrow the scope during an upcoming court hearing. Feldman says the focus should be only on communications related to the HERO petition process.
Houston City Attorney David Feldman suggested to the Houston Chronicle in a story published Tuesday that the documents demanded by the city could shed light on the extent to which signature gatherers opposing the ordinance were aware of the rules governing the referendum process.
Reports the Chronicle:
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Houston Mayor Says Citys Sermon Subpoenas Came as a Surprise
First amendment denied part 1 Baldwin county al
It was fine for me to record until I asked questions about wearing my hat then the deputy told the clerk I was recording I ended up pussing out and paying ti...
By: Thomas Duke
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First Amendment test. NYC FUCK YOU PIG!
Nypd pass first amendment test only after being reminded of oath. Fuck the police! COP=criminals on patrol, cowards on patrol. Here #39;s the link to the unedited version. http://youtu.be/G6mvd2L8i...
By: Pocholo
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Minneapolis officials are reportedly considering legal action to prevent the Washington Redskins name from being used at TCF Bank Stadium.
The Minnesota Daily reports that the city attorney is investigating whether the city has legal authority to ban the football teams name and logo.
I have my doubts, said Cam Gordon, who represents the University and surrounding areas on the City Council.
He said there might be issues with the ban violating freedom of speech. And at a council committee meeting late last month, the councilman called the issue a minefield.
You think?
Its the most horrific name in sports history, said Clyde Bellecourt, founder of the Minneapolis-based American Indian Movement.
Hes right, of course. It is.
And hate speech can be suppressed without violating the First Amendment if it causes the listener to react violently. But, the Supreme Court has made clear that people still have a right to hateful speech.
That officials in Minnesota are being pressed to challenge that right is not without some irony because Minnesota has had more than its share of assaults on the First Amendment.
A 1992 case before the Supreme Court defined the difference between hateful acts of hateful speech when it overturned the conviction of a teenager for burning a cross on the lawn of an African American St. Paul family.
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Oppression Agenda Day 4 Cat Calling is protected by the first amendment
http://biffburroghs.blogspot.com/ http://poxyrants.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/PoxySquirrel https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001782467676 Thi...
By: Biff Burroughs
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Oppression Agenda Day 4 Cat Calling is protected by the first amendment - Video
god and first amendment 10/9/ #39;14
ok all good peoples out there - - this video is about the lack of common sense being applied to all this religious controversy - - I know I probably have off...
By: dave esser
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Twitter filed a lawsuit against the federal government this week over First Amendment rights, marking the latest round in a battle between tech companies and the government over how much they can reveal about government requests for their user information.
This debate began when Edward Snowden revealed information about the PRISM program, which suggested that the government was asking tech companies for private user information. Tech companies can report the number of requests they receive in broad terms. Twitter hopes to put users at ease by giving them more detail about the requests, but the government is keeping them quiet.
Here are some questions we thought you might be asking:
What kinds of requests is Twitter is being told it can't talk about?
These are requests that basically could be related to people who the government thinks might be connected to, for example, terrorism. The government sends notices to a company like Twitter saying, "We want information about this individual or this group, and because it's a matter of national security, you can't even tell anyone we asked." In its lawsuit, Twitter is saying that it has a First Amendment right to reveal that the government is asking it for information.
What is the government saying?
The government says that this is a matter of national security and revealing any information at all could actually jeopardize the investigation.
Why is Twitter taking up this fight?
Twitter and other tech companies were really put on the spot when Edward Snowden leaked information about the so-called PRISM program, which suggested there was wide government surveillance of user information that was stored with tech companies. For a company like Twitter, Google, Microsoft or any of these big players, it left them in this position of not being able to deny or confirm how much information they had given to the government. This made their customers uneasy. So they basically have said to the government that they want to be able to say something, and they've been fighting with the government for at least some degree of transparency.
So they can't say anything at this point?
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Mr. Hayden #39;s project (first amendment)
By: Angelica Garant
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First Amendment Song Mashup
via YouTube Capture.
By: Karissa Hair
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Filmmaker critical of Obama found GUILTY!
A conservative filmmaker who dared to exercise his First Amendment rights to be critical of Barack Obama, has received a sentence from a federal judge that includes five years probation, 8...
By: CleanTVcom
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First Amendment test CCSU
This is the encounter that occurred after I filmed the officer stopping vehicles for what I thought was student id checks.
By: Cody DallaValle
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Nude dancing is a form of constitutionally protected expression, but just barely. The U.S. Supreme Court has described it as only within the outer ambit of the First Amendments shield. Courts have upheld a slew of restrictions on strip clubs based on their possible secondary effects on a surrounding community, like blight, decreasing property values and increase in crime (especially prostitution).
But sometimes the strip clubs win. The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday handed a rare victory to an adult entertainment company seeking to build a8,935-square-foot Adirondack style club in Mendon, Mass., a town of about6,000 people located about an hour southwest of Boston.
The Mendon Board of Selectman granted Showtime Entertainment LLC a license to build the strip club in 2010, on the condition that it abide by 18 pages of regulations and several newly amended zoning bylaws. Showtime could only build on four parcels in the town specifically carved out for adult entertainment. The company would have to confine the club to 2,000square feet; make it no taller than 14 feet; and open the clubs doors no earlier than 4:30 p.m. on school days. The town also banned alcohol in the club.
The justification for the rules: maintaining the rural aesthetics of Mendon as asmall town and avoiding traffic congestion.
Showtime sued, alleging that the zoning restrictions violated the First Amendment. A federal district judge sided with the town, ruling in 2012 that the regulations were narrowly tailored to serve the towns substantial government interest.
Showtime appealed, placing the case before the Boston-based First Circuit. The appeals court suggested that the towns justifications for the restrictions were pretense.
We see no cognizable difference in aesthetic impact between a large building hosting adult-entertainment activities and a large building hosting a bridge club or a bible study, Judge Juan Torruella wrote in theunanimous First Circuit decision.
The First Circuit also found insufficient evidence that the proposed club would impact traffic.
We believe that the record makes clear thatthese interests, although theoretically substantial in their ownright, are not what prompted Mendons amendments to the bylaws, JudgeTorruella wrote.
The ruling means that Showtime cant be held to the bylaws.
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RICHLAND, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The former Gull Lake High School student, who reportedly posted a song with potentially threatening lyrics to YouTube will not face charges.
On Thursday, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas said they won't be seeking charges against the teen.
He adds that no crime had been committed that they could determine.
Newschannel 3 sat down with an attorney to find out just how far your First Amendment rights will carry you.
Tuesday, Gull Lake Community Schools sent out a robo-call to parents, alerting them to a possible threat.
In that call, the Superintendent said a former student wrote a song that contained lyrics describing violence against the district.
That song was posted to YouTube, but has since been removed.
"In this case, if it didn't even get past step one, that tells me the Sheriff doesn't think it was a legitimate threat, and that might be because of who it's coming from, the circumstances that was made, and you know, when they look at...what the individual's actually capable of, they realize it was a totally empty threat," said attorney Don Smith, with Willis Law.
But how far is too far? And at what point is someone no longer protected under the First Amendment?
The Sheriff's Department will not say what those lryics were, but Smith says for authorities to pursue the case, it would have to be a specific threat that causes an imminent risk to people.
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Attorney discusses first amendment rights in wake of alleged Gull Lake threat
Consumer interest paramount in protecting Open Internet
Nebraska College of Law Prof Gus Hurwitz discusses consumer interest and First Amendment in FCC #39;s Open Internet Roundtable, 10.7.14.
By: Mike Wendy
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Consumer interest paramount in protecting Open Internet - Video
Twitter VS Government - BREAKING NEWS
http://www.twitter.com/chefmarco305 MY ERIC GARNER VIDEO - http://youtu.be/VYa0vlw2mqY?list=UUWKBBPLvMxpkXNFXX3VoomA Twitter Sues the Government for Violating Its First Amendment Rights ...
By: chefmarco305
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Mike Jones Supports the First Amendment, Even When Local Gov #39;t Doesn #39;t Like to Be Questioned
All videos by Dale Matthews are on the non-commercial site BadCounty com and also on Facebook and Twitter. Josephine County Weekly Business Session, Septem...
By: Dale Matthews
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Mike Jones Supports the First Amendment, Even When Local Gov't Doesn't Like to Be Questioned - Video
INFORMUCATE: FIRST AMENDMENT
Informucate Fast Facts Videos cover thousands of topics, with more added daily.and if you like our videos, you will love our unique take on the news at http://www.informucate.com.
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