Daily Archives: February 27, 2012

Freedom From FBI Tracking Devices Is Here

Posted: February 27, 2012 at 11:10 pm

If you’ve been persecuted or harassed by the FBI in the past, you have good reason to celebrate. The FBI can no longer utilize GPS tracking technology to monitor movement without a warrant to do so. The Supreme Court has ruled that no GPS tracking can take place in an investigation without a proper warrant being secured first. This prompted the FBI to turn off about 3000 devices that were currently in use.

Apparently, this is a game changing ruling for the U.S. Justice Department who has been employing this tactic for quite some time. Most typically, the GPS units are affixed to the underbody of vehicles to keep tabs on a suspects movements.

FBI General Counsel, Andrew Weissmann reports that retrieving the devices has not been easy since the order was handed down to deactivate them. In many cases, a warrant must be issued to have them turned back on so they may be located and recovered.

According to Weissmann, the case of the United States VS. Jones (The litigation which yielded the ruling), is going to have Justice officials scrambling to adhere to the new finding. If it is trespassing to place tracking devices on a vehicle, there could be further implications based on current practices.

Weissmann explains:

“From a law enforcement perspective, even though its not technically holding, we have to anticipate how it’s going to go down the road,”

I guess it isn’t really a big deal to the general population, but I feel that if the government wants to track the movements of an individual, they should have probable cause. If that’s the case, obtaining a warrant shouldn’t be too difficult.

In my opinion, the general public has been letting people in powerful positions abuse our resources for far too long. We pay every public employee’s salary with our tax dollars, and the people should reserve the right to call them out on abusive and costly practices.

Last week, I reported on the disgraceful insider trading that is going on with our lawmakers, and this ‘GPS tracking without warrants’ is another case of government waste and hypocrisy. Stop using our tax dollars to violate the laws you helped create Uncle Sam. Thank you Supreme Court.

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Freedom camping survey 'flawed'

Posted: at 11:10 pm

EMMA DANGERFIELD

A survey being circulated to gauge the Kaikoura community's opinion on freedom camping has been met with criticism from councillors and local businesses.

The survey was compiled by Kaikoura District Council staff before new bylaws on freedom camping are introduced, after the Freedom Camping legislation brought in last year.

The survey asks questions such as: How long have you lived in Kaikoura, and do you work in or own commercial visitor accommodation – questions councillor John Macphail said were misleading.

"What does it matter how long people have been here or what business we are in?" he said. "The average ratepayer is going to be asking: `What the hell are you asking that for?'."

Councillor Neil Pablecheque agreed, saying there were too many irrelevant questions.

"All we want to know at the end of the day is do we want freedom camping."

Gerald Nolan, owner of Top 10 Holiday Park, said the council had missed the point when it came to freedom camping. Allowing freedom camping in town would result in the ratepayer picking up the tab for sewer, water, refuse and monitoring costs, and local campgrounds would employ fewer people and spend less on local services.

He too agreed the survey was loaded and questioned the need for the council to know how many guests he had staying at his campground.

"[The] survey asks no questions regarding the financial impact on the community if freedom camping is allowed," he said. "This community relies on the tourist dollar to create employment and retain services for our economic and social betterment ... there is only one winner in this debate and that is the free camper who wants our community to pay for their holiday."

Mr Nolan said true freedom camping did not mean parking in car parks and urban streets and he did not believe such campers spent much money in town at all.

Councillor John Diver also said at last week's meeting that the survey was also flawed because it did not include a map to show the areas council could and could not control – much of Kaikoura land is controlled by the Conservation Department or Environment Canterbury.

The survey is being issued with the rates, and can also be found at the council offices or library. It must be completed and returned by March 16, and will help the council to determine whether or not a bylaw is introduced, and who will pay for monitoring if a bylaw is introduced.

- The Marlborough Express

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Free speech issue bypassed

Posted: at 11:08 pm

Government employees who get into trouble for disobeying a superior’s plea to file a report that the employee thinks is false and believes will contribute to covering up misconduct will get no legal guidance on their plight from the Supreme Court, even though lower courts are in dispute over how to decide that issue.  Without comment, the Court on Monday denied review in two new cases, raising that First Amendment free-speech question from opposite sides.

The Court had been asked, in separate cases from New York and Washington, D.C.,  to further clarify its decision five years ago in Garcetti v. Ceballos, denying First Amendment protection to public employees for remarks they made in the course of their official duties.   Federal appeals courts have since split on whether that denial of protection extends even to a situation where a worker has been fired or otherwise disciplined for refusing to file an official report about their work, when superiors had demanded that the report be submitted in a form that would be false and could conceal wrongdoing within the agency.   The Justices’ refusal to step into that controversy leaves it to be worked out further among the lower courts, meaning that public employees will have different legal rights depending upon where they live and work.

The denial of review of that issue came amid a series of new orders, with the Court granting no new cases for decision.   In  one of the other orders, the Court refused — for the second time — to allow a conservative advocacy organization named Freedom Watch to join in the oral arguments on the new health care law.   Freedom Watch is not directly involved in the case, but it regards the new law as a forbidden intrusion into the private lives of Americans.  It has filed a friend-of-Court brief in the case seeking to compel Justice Elena Kagan’s disqualification from taking part in the coming decision, on the argument that she was involved previously as a government lawyer in the Obama Administration’s pursuit of the new law in Congress.   The Court refused on January 23 to grant Freedom Watch time in the oral argument, and, in the new order, it simply refused to reconsider.  Justice Kagan took herself out of the Court’s action on both occasions without saying why, but apparently because Freedom Watch’s challenge was a claim against her but was not one involving a formal motion for her to recuse.  If there were a formal recusal motion, she would act on it directly.  The Court’s orders on the argument issue contained no explanation.   There is no indication that Kagan will take herself out of participation in the health care argument or ruling.

In one of the public employee free-speech cases, Byrne, et al., v. Jackler (docket 11-517), the police chief and two other officers in Middletown, N.Y., sought to challenge a Second Circuit Court decision that they had acted illegally for their roles in the firing of a probationary officer after he had refused an order to file a report about another officer’s striking of a suspect during an arrest.  The fired officer, Jason M. Jackler, disobeyed because he knew the facts were different from those he was told to put in the report.  The Second Circuit ruled that Jackler was not acting in the role of a police officer, but rather as a private citizen resisting an official coverup, at the time he disobeyed, so the Garcetti decision did not apply.

Exactly the opposite outcome had come in the other case, Bowie v. Maddox (11-670).  David M. Bowie, a former FBI agent who had gone to work in the local Washington, D.C., government’s inspector general’s office, investigating misconduct inside the D.C. government.  Bowie was fired after he had refused to submit an affidavit that would have sided with his superiors falsely in a civil rights case involving a black employee against the IG office.  Bowie believed that the employee had been fired on demand from the FBI, which was reportedly upset by an earlier lawsuit claiming race bias in the Bureau’s policy on promoting black agents.  Bowie’s superiors wanted him to tell their version in the affidavit.  The D.C. Circuit Court, relying upon the Supreme Court’s Garcetti decision, ruled against Bowie, concluding that he was fired for refusing to carry out an order in the line of duty and thus had no First Amendment protection for his refusal.

Besides turning down both of those petitions, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a constitutional challenge to a Maine law that requires those seeking to raise and spend money in state election campaigns to organize as a political action committee for that activity, and make significant disclosures about their financial operations.   That was challenged in a petition, National Organization for Marriage v. McKee (11-599), after the state law was upheld by the First Circuit Court.  The NOM is an organization set up to promote the traditional view of marriage as being reserved solely for opposite-sex couples.  It argued in challenging the PAC requirement that states do not have the constitutional authority to impose such obligations unless an organization has election campaign activity as its “major purpose.”

 

Posted in Cases in the Pipeline, Featured

Recommended Citation: Lyle Denniston, Free speech issue bypassed, SCOTUSblog (Feb. 27, 2012, 12:23 PM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/02/free-speech-issue-bypassed/

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Australia club to defy league over 'freedom of speech'

Posted: at 5:22 pm

SYDNEY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A-League club Gold Coast United will continue to defy Football Federation Australia (FFA) and send their players out in a strip bearing the slogan “Freedom of Speech” for the remainder of the season.

The FFA considered cancelling Gold Coast’s match against Melbourne Victory at the weekend because of the slogan, which replaced the logo of club sponsors Hyatt on the front of the team’s shirts.

The row is muddied because of the ongoing war of words between outspoken club owner Clive Palmer and the FFA and its chief executive Ben Buckley.

Club chief executive Clive Mensink said on Monday that the FFA had “overreacted” to the use of the slogan, which he said was being used to highlight the plight of refugees.

“It is public knowledge that Mr Palmer’s group of companies are in a legal dispute with the Hyatt and, as a result, the club wasn’t comfortable playing with the Hyatt brand on the playing strips,” Mensink said in a statement.

“It was suggested internally that as a replacement, something non-controversial would serve as a message to the broader community.

“We currently have two African refugees playing for the club who have experienced what it is like to live in a country fighting for freedom of speech.

“We thought it was an innocent term as we all recognise in Australia that freedom of speech is something we all respect.”

The FFA issued a statement on Saturday saying the club, currently bottom of the 10-team league with four rounds remaining, was in “material breach” of its Club Participation Agreement (CPA) over the use of the slogan.

“The club did not have FFA approval for usage of the slogan on the playing strip and on stadium signage as required under the terms of its participation in the A-League,” Buckley said.

“FFA directed the club not to use the slogan on the playing strip or in signage… The club declined to comply with the FFA direction and proceeded regardless.”

Palmer, a billionaire mining magnate, said last week that soccer was a “hopeless” game and that he preferred rugby league, a comment which Buckley condemned as “offensive to the players, coaches, administrators and volunteers who are the life and soul of Australian football”.

Mensink said the slogan had nothing to do with the row.

“It is our constitutional right to embrace this message and we don’t believe FFA should have the power to intervene,” Mensink added.

“Fans and the public deserve to know and have the right to freedom of speech, and it’s a slogan which will keep until the end of the season and possibly next season as well.”

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O’Brien)

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Liberty Mutual Insurance Launches New Benefits Select Group Disability Products

Posted: at 5:21 pm

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

To help meet the needs of mid-sized companies—and the employee benefits brokers and consultants who serve them—Liberty Mutual Insurance has introduced the Benefits Select product line. Benefits Select is a suite of cost-effective group disability products designed to help employers attract and retain employees while watching the bottom line.

“Our goal with the Benefits Select product is to provide affordable benefits backed by our exceptional customer service and claim management,” notes Jean Scarrow, chief operating officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Group Benefits unit. “We offer the same level of case management as in our high-end customized products. Benefits Select offers solid group disability products, balanced with a standard plan design that allows a lower price point.”

Benefits Select features two complementary group products. The first is an administrative services only short-term disability product. The second is a fully insured long-term disability product. Taken together, the Benefits Select suite provides:

Flexible funding options Alternate plan designs Secure online tools for employees and employers to file and manage claims Effective clinical management

“The addition of Benefits Select allows benefits brokers and consultants to better meet the needs of their clients,” notes Scarrow. “Some—particularly those in the middle-market— want the savings provided by the cost-effective, standardized plan design of Benefits Select, while others require higher levels of customization and flexibility to meet the needs of their employees. In any event, without exception, all of our customers benefit from our unparalleled clinical management protocols and return to work focus.”

More information on Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Benefits Select products is available at http://www.libertymutualgroup.com/groupdi.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company's report of 2010 net written premium.

Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2010 revenue. As of December 31, 2010, Liberty Mutual Insurance had $112.4 billion in consolidated assets, $95.4 billion in consolidated liabilities, and $33.2 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

Liberty Mutual Insurance offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers compensation, property, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, reinsurance and surety. Liberty Mutual Insurance (www.libertymutualinsurance.com) employs over 45,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

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American Liberty Petroleum Corp. Reviews Western American Energy Production & Potential

Posted: at 5:21 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

American Liberty Petroleum Corp. (OTCBB: OREO)(herein after "American Liberty" and/or "the Company") is pleased to review Western America's established energy production legacy while exploring its ongoing potential.

American Liberty Petroleum's President, Alvaro Vollmers, commented: "We consider ourselves fortunate to have the opportunity to further America's tradition of western US energy production. Our Nevada-based projects represent our belief that there are real solutions within our own borders that will contribute to the nation’s increased energy independence."

In 1865, the first commercial oil well in California was drilled. Today, hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil are produced in the area every day through the combined efforts of major western industry players such as Chevron, Occidental Petroleum and Aera Energy (jointly owned by ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell).

As of 2009, California’s average crude oil production was 568,000 barrels per day,[1] making it the third highest oil producing state behind Texas and Alaska.[2] At the same time, abundant oil and gas reserves still remain untapped in the western US. As of year-end 2008, California represented:

2.7 billion barrels of proved crude oil reserves 2.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves 17 of America’s 100 largest oil fields [1] 18 giant oil fields (production > 100 million barrels each) 4 super giant fields (production >1 billion barrels each) [3]

In 2009, Occidental Petroleum made a significant oil and gas discovery believed to be the largest in California in over 35 years (1+ billion barrels of oil and natural gas equivalents).[4]

To the immediate east is the state of Nevada, where the Shell Oil Company first discovered oil in 1954.[5] As of March 2010, 51.12 million barrels of oil had been produced in Nevada.[6] Among Nevada's 9 producing fields is the world class Grant Canyon oil field,[5] which for some years was the site of two of America’s highest producing wells.[7] As of February 2010, the Grant Canyon oil field represents total production of 21.13 million barrels of oil.[6] While production and exploration continues in Nevada, the state is considered under-explored.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about Western America's energy production potential at the American Liberty Petroleum website, where you can also find more information about the Company as well as the latest news releases: http://www.americanlibertypetro.com.

ABOUT AMERICAN LIBERTY PETROLEUM CORP.
Based in Bakersfield, California, American Liberty is a publicly traded company (OTCBB: OREO.OB) focused on reducing America’s need for imported oil through discovering major, new onshore US energy resources and by tapping overlooked or undervalued onshore domestic resources through exploration and development technologies not previously available. Recent significant discoveries, such as Occidental Petroleum's estimated 1+ billion barrels of oil and natural gas equivalents in California*, underscore the potential for developing new oil and gas production solutions in western America. Next door in the under-explored state of Nevada, American Liberty's 6,397-acre Gabbs Valley Prospect is located on the 26,000-acre Cobble Cuesta structure, which is estimated to represent oil reserves of 4+ billion barrels**. The Company's 7,270-acre Kibby Flat Prospect in the Monte Cristo basin, meanwhile, represents estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) of as high as 669 million barrels of oil according to a 2008 report***.

* Occidental Petroleum's Path to Easy Oil. Forbes Magazine, March 29, 2010
** Reserve Estimates for the Cobble Cuesta Structure, Alfred H. Pekarek, Ph.D., Geologist, January, 2008
*** Kibby Flat Prospect report, Jerry Walker, Consulting Geologist, Sept. 2008

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

American Liberty Petroleum Corp.
Alvaro Vollmers, President

4900 California Ave
Tower B-210
Bakersfield, CA
93309

OTCBB: OREO.OB

Certain statements in this press release are considered to be forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. American Liberty Petroleum Corp. bases these forward-looking statements on current expectations and projections about future events, which are based on information currently available. The forward-looking statements in this press release may also include statements relating to American Liberty Petroleum Corp.'s anticipated business prospects, new developments, financial performance, strategies and similar matters. American Liberty Petroleum Corp. disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors -The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We may use certain terms in this press release, such as “measured,” “indicated,” and “inferred” “resources,” which the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K which may be secured from us, or from our website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

SOURCES:
1. US Energy Information Administration (EIA) website, June 25, 2010
2. ABC News website, Oct. 28, 2009
3. San Joaquin Geological Society, 2002
4. Forbes Magazine, March 11, 2010
5. Nevada Commission of Mineral Resources website, Feb. 9, 2004
6. State of Nevada Division of Minerals website, June 23, 2010
7. Rig Zone website, March 23, 2005

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Byrnes leads Freedom to 3A title

Posted: at 12:11 am

Freedom's Carol Byrnes led almost the entire series of 11 dives to take the 3A girls portion of the District 11 diving championships Saturday at Emmaus.

Byrne, who finished third in the LVC meet two weeks ago, easily outdistanced her nearest competitor, Amanda Zerphy of Parkland, 406.20 to 387.70. Courtney Fox of Nazareth finished third with a score of 343.50.

On the boys side, Jacob Lenhart of Parkland repeated his triumph in the lVC meet. Like Byrne, he led through the final eight dives after duking it out with Easton's Brandon Roman through the first three. Mitchell Keller of Parkland finished second, 40 points behind his teammate.

Central Catholic swept the 2A competition, with both Nick Crouse and Nicole Sagle handily winning their halves of the meet.

"It was a tough competition," Byrnes said. "I'm usually the one who finishes third or second, but today I came out on top. It's due to all my hard work."

Byrnes qualified for states last year by finishing third in the district meet. Last year three District 11 divers were invited. This year only two in each division qualify.

"Some days you're on and some you're off," she said. "I just practice all the time. I'd better do better at (states at) Bucknell. I'll have to plan my dives better and put all my higher DDs (degree of difficulty) up front so I'll be sure of making it through all three rounds."

Byrnes dives with a brace on her left wrist. "I had surgery on the wrist about a year ago and I wear the brace for absorption when I hit the water."

Zerphy said she thought she had a rougher start in this meet than in the LVC meet. Even still, she led after the first round of dives.

"Carol definitely deserved to win," Zerphy said. "She works really hard. No one trains to come in second, but sometimes you have those days. It wasn't that good a day. I was nervous. This is the first year I actually had a chance to go to states."

"I was pretty happy with my scores," Lenhart said. "I had a couple of off dives, but that happens. I can improve a little bit at Bucknell. I think my experience at Bucknell will help. States was rough last year."

Lenhart scored 427.15 to 380.55 for Keller. Roman finished third with 355.85, after a poor fourth dive dropped him from first place to fourth.

"I'm really happy with how I finished," Keller said. "It wasn't my best score. There were a lot of nerves today and I had trouble getting it together. Jake's a great teammate and he helps me out a lot. I'm happy to have him as a teammate."

On the 2A side, Central Catholic's Nick Crouse could have waved off his final three dives and still won. Crouse led through the entire 11-dive program and also had the best dive in 10 of those dives, ceding to runner-up Dennis Bonner of Salisbury on the penultimate dive.

"Most of my dives were pretty good today," Crouse said. "I think I can improve on them. Hard practice and trying my hardest is probably why my dives were on today."

Crouse scored 410.0 to 284.75 for Bonner. Blue Mountain's Lyle Luckenbill finished third with a score of 200.85.

There was a scare in the eighth round when Schuylkill Haven's Jackson Fleagle hit the board with his legs on a spin. He was forced to withdraw and left the pool area with bandages on his left foot and right ankle.

In girls 2A competition, Central's Nicole Sagl led through the entire 11-dive program, much as Crouse did on the boys' side. She scored 404.85 to 322.75 for second place finished Melody Maclaughlin of Southern Lehigh.

"I was comfortable today," Sagl said. "I had trouble on my reverses, but everything else I thought was really, really good. I' ve never experienced states before, so I'm looking forward to it."

"I was a little off in some of my dives, but I felt comfortable throughout," Maclaughlin said. "I feel good about going back to states and hope I do better than last year. I think I can do a lot better out there than I did today."

John Heilig is a freelance writer

District 11 3A Girls Diving Championship

1: Carol Byrnes, Freedom, 406.20. 2: Amanda Zerphy, Parkland, 387.70. 3: Courtney Fox, Nazareth, 343.50. 4: Tiffany Keiper, Parkland, 340.60. 5: Kelsey Jehls, Easton, 338.80. 6: Julia Molloy, Allen, 307.36. 7: Brooke Fox, Nazareth, 292.40. 8: Maddy Hain, Parkland, 289.20. 9: Serena Speer, Emmaus, 288.20. 10. Meagan Ybarra, Nazareth, 287.55.

District 11 3A Boys Diving Championship

1: Jacob Lenhart, Parkland, 427.15. 2: Mitchell Keller, Parkland, 380.55. 3: Brandon Roman, Easton, 355.85. 4: Andrew Bock, Emmaus, 350.50. 5: Josh Anderson, Parkland, 311.65. 6: Steve Suender, Pottsville, 283.50. 7: Jaylen Banks, Parkland, 280.90. 8: Clint Speer, Emmaus, 247.85.

District 11 2A Girls Diving Championship

1: Nicole Sagl, Central Catholic, 404.85. 2: Melody Maclaughlin, Southern Lehigh, 322.75. 3: Danielle Juritsch, Blue Mountain, 303.00. 4: Emily Marshall, Southern Lehigh, 288.05. 5: Kelsey King, Southern Lehigh 251.10. 6: Lorissa Luckenbill, Blue Mountain, 237.65. 7: Caitlin McGarry, Schuylkill Haven, 218.30.

District 11 2A Boys Diving Championship

1: Nick Crouse, Central Catholic, 410.10. 2: Dennis Bonner, Salisbury, 284.75. 3: Lyle Luckenbill, Blue Mountain, 200.85. 4: JJ Apostolico, Central Catholic, 194.05. DNF: Jackson Fleagle, Schuylkill Haven.

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Occupy Activists‘ ’Mic Check’ Prompts Physical Altercation at Pro-Israel College Event

Posted: at 12:10 am

Occupy-New-Mexico-DarwishThe efforts of pro-Palestinian “Occupy” protesters to stifle the free speech of pro-Israel speakers nationwide continued at the University of New Mexico on Thursday night when a small group tried to shout down a speech by author Nonie Darwish. This time, their pre-planned disruption led to a physical altercation.

Darwish, founder of Arabs for Israel and director of Former Muslims United, was speaking at an event titled, “Why the Arab Spring is Failing” organized by the University of New Mexico Israel Alliance and the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Activists from “(un)Occupy Albuquerque” – a group allied with the Occupy Wall Street movement – started a “people’s mic” seen frequently during the Occupy Wall Street protests.

unm2

As seen on a video posted to YouTube (below), the pro-Palestinian activists yelled: “Mic check! Nonie Darwish speaks for Israeli apartheid! And genocide at the hands of the IDF!”

Shortly after the “mic check” begins, the audience is heard shouting at those disrupting the speech, and chanting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Then, a scuffle begins. Though the camera angle is tight – which complicates providing an objective description -- it appears an older audience member tried to grab the paper (presumably the script of anti-Israel slogans) out of one of the Occupy protester's hands, which lead to pushing and shoving.

This as other audience members further away shouted profanities, urging them to “Get out!”

It’s unclear from the tape if an older male audience member lunged at the protesters or tripped on a chair and fell forward on then. Watch the two videos here posted by the protesters:

The activists and their supporters claimed three of them were “were assaulted on UNM campus for simply trying to make their voices heard and it is a shock that a non-violent action was met with such aggression.”

If you were wondering what “(un)Occupy” is, it’s part of the “Occupy” movement, but protests the movement’s use of the word “occupy,” because, according to its website:

The word “occupy” in general is offensive to most Native Americans and indigenous people and people of color in general – again in general. Occupations have displaced us for generations by Europeans.

After the protesters left and she was able to resume her speech, Darwish told the audience, “They could have waited to prove me wrong but they can’t unfortunately and I feel sad for them because our children are being poisoned mentally.”

Watch a video from the audience perspective here:

In the description accompanying a YouTube video, one of those who came to hear Darwish speak wrote:

The Nonie Darwish talk had a big turnout and most of the attendees were glad they were there, in spite of SJP and the Occupy people getting together to disrupt the talk and prevent the speaker from speaking in the name of free speech and tolerance. Several people in the audience went to chase them out of the lecture hall, in defense of their own free speech rights. The protesters took choice videos, lied about many things and plastered it all around so it would become news. Strange that these protesters were willing to serve as an object lesson and proof of what Nonie Darwish was telling the audience: Criticism of Islam is not tolerated, and following Sharia, others have no rights or freedoms.

Local news seemed to focus on the arguments made by the Occupy activists:

 

The pro-Palestinian (un)Occupy activists claimed their free speech was defended under the law, but the courts have issued contrary opinions on this kind of speech hijacking.

A California court last year found 10 Muslim students guilty of disrupting Israeli ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at the University of California, Irvine and also convicted them for conspiring to disrupt the speech. During the February 2010 event, they stood up, one by one, and shouted prepared statements such as "propagating murder is not an expression of free speech." The AP reported then:

Prosecutor Dan Wagner told jurors the students acted as censors to block the free flow of ideas and infringed upon the rights of 700 people who had gone to the Irvine campus to hear Oren.

Wagner showed video footage of university officials pleading with students to behave, but they kept interrupting the lecture. Wagner also showed emails sent among members of UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union planning the disruption and calculating who was willing to get arrested.

Defense attorneys countered there were no hard rules for the speech, and the students might have been discourteous but didn't break the law.

While free speech is protected under the First Amendment, allowing others to exercise that speech unimpeded, without being shouted down, is perhaps no less important.

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