That Pesky 1st Amendment
This year’s crop of GOP candidates have been very aggressive in claiming the mantle of “Constitutional conservatives.” They claim reverance for the document (while telling us it doesn’t mean what 200 yrs of history says it means) and say we’ve lost our way. In fact, in the “Summer of Spittle” in 2009 anti-health care reform protestors claimed they had the right to protest at Town Hall meetings because the 1st amendment gives them this right.
Despite all the talk of the Constitution, a lot of these candidates hate the press. We’ve seen Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller handcuff a reporter for asking inconvenient questions. Now there’s this:
As the candidates arrived, a group of Paul supporters pulled a female MoveOn member to the ground and held her there as another Paul supporter stomped on the back of her head and neck.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, “Lauren Valle of MoveOn.org approached Paul and tried to give him an “employee of the month award” from Republicorp…a fake business MoveOn created to symbolize what it says is the merger of the GOP and business interests controlling political speech.”
The video shows more than the initial story says. The woman didn’t “trip” and the head-stomping was not accident. She was wrestled to the ground and held down while a man stepped on her head. In the news clip, the woman is lucid and talking to reporters afterwards (but complains of a headache). Today we’re hearing the woman is in the hospital.
Christine O’Donnell’s campaign has also had some run-ins with the 1st amendment. Besides her now infamous “you’re telling that’s in the 1st amendment” gaffe, she’s also barred local news from covering her events because she didn’t like their coverage of her campaign. Yesterday, the News Journal was once again barred from an O’Donnell event.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell held a “Small Business Owners for O’Donnell” event this afternoon in Newark.
It was the fourth group to launch a “for O’Donnell” effort in recent weeks, preceded by medical professionals, Hispanics and sportsmen.
Minutes before the event started, Chris Merola, a member of O’Donnell’s communication staff, informed The News Journal that the paper would not be allowed to remain at the press conference.
Other media outlets, including Philadelphia and Salisbury television stations, were allowed to remain. The event, held at the Newark Regional Republican Headquarters, had been announced through a press release distributed by the campaign’s public relations firm.
Constitutional conservatives obviously don’t like the “Freedom of the Press” part of the 1st amendment. The Constitution means only what they want it to mean.
Stomping a girl ? Their motto: You hold her, I’ll kick her.
This is the very reason I call myself a MORE MUSCULAR progressive.
These fucking bullies need some pay-back !
I am so completely outraged by the bullies supporting Rand Paul I could plotz. I sincerely hope they catch these guys and lock them up.
Plotz doesn’t do us much good.
That’s about all democrats seem to do when confronted by the more aggressive republicans. When will they ever LEARN ?
Action is required.
I want my country back.
This thuggish, violent behavior is escalating, and I’ll admit I’m fearful – for myself and others. What sort of men attack a woman for political differences? The sort who should be thrown in prison for decades. I shudder to think of what would have happened to this woman if she encountered these “men” in an alley.
And every single one of Paul’s supporters who stood by and did nothing, or worse, cheered, is no different than the people who watched, and cheered, that girl being raped in the high school parking lot a few years ago.
Wanna talk about the death of civilization? Watch the video.
For crying out loud, we’re now assaulting people for political views.
So yeah, I want my country back.
We have to develop a highly aggressive MIND-SET in thought, word and deed to counter the forces arrayed against us.
We are LOSING this war.
Our ALLIES in the WHITEHOUSE and in congress,except for the VERY few[Alan Grayson],seem incapable of expressing our concerns or FIGHTING for OUR future.
At the next Rand Paul appearance, protestors should carry “Don’t Tread on Me” signs.
I find this scary, at least 3 people I can see from the video are directly involved. One person held her and shoved her down. Someone else helped hold her down while the guy stomped on her.
Yeah, at least a 100 muscular protesters carrying “Don’t Tread on Me”signs with brass knuckles in their pockets and locked and cocked and hot to trot.
The guy who stomped on her was wearing a “Don’t Tread on Me” pin, apparently.
Has Rand Paul made a statement about the incident yet? This is very bad for his campaign, especially considering his Aqua Buddha incident. He needs to apologize to the woman immediately for what happened.
What do you expect? their asshole hero kidnapped a woman and abused her on account of her views. It is a whole brigade of cowards.
Is this what the Senate will become when the Rand Pauls and Christine O’Donnells of this “movement” get to DC? We’ve already seen O’Deranged’s thugs on the people’s mall in Washington pushing citizens around, wait until she becomes a US Senator.
These teabaggers don’t give a crap about the Constitution, it’s all just an act to get power and jam their extremist agenda down our throats.
Washington, DC
203 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone Number: (202) 225-2831
That is the number for Ron Paul’s office. Let’s play their game. Call him up and ask why his son hasnt spoken out against political violence. And while you’re at it, ask why his son, who is running for congress avoids the public.
I aldready called and got a very nice young man who said he would pass the message along.
The wingnut spin on this is that the violent moveOn fanatic attacked the foot of a peaceful Rand Paul supporter with her head.
But seriously why is that guy not in jail?
Here’s the Paul campaign response:
You see, both sides are to blame.
He’s probably not in jail because he ran away – in a very manly-man way.
Now there’s new footage of the attack. The stomper hasn’t been identified yet.
OMG! That video makes me sick to my stomach. I hope they find these “men” and put them away for a long, long time. Actually, everyone standing there watching should be charged as well – granted, I realize that’s not probable. But did you notice how no one reached out to help her as she lay on the ground?
i wonder how they would have taken that. As we’ve seen (with the man of the year video) when you interrupt a teabag in the middle of one of their “actions” they become even more hostile.
If one of us was there to say “get your stinkin hands off her, you damn dirty Teabag” they may have killed.
I say give em mississippi and call it a day.
Sickening. If you watch closely, there is a sexual assault as well as the person pulling her down reaches under her arm and gropes her breast.
but at least they arent the obama police state, a1
In the still picture from the video the man appears to be holding her breast.
Rand Paul himself is even in this video maybe ten feet away.
Sooooooooo…..I’m waiting…..WHO’S with me?
You can bullshit and jolly-pop all you want on here with your still-birth OUTRAGE!
It DOESN’T DO ANY GOOD!!!!!!!!
ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS !!!!!
what do you have in mind skip? i think harassing the fraud, father of RaNdY NoZe is a decent first step.
play their game. They dont understand or respond to civility.
It was hard, showing this to kids. 🙁
See my previous posts on here.
yes, you have said “we need to take action” “no more sitting around”
as for your brass knuckle idea, I dont think brandishing weapons is quite the way to go. so, what else do you have in mind?
The brass knuckles are in your pocket. Only to be taken out to inflict the most damage to your opponent. Assault is assault. Whether fist or brass knuckles.
Democrats bring LIBRARY cards to KNIFE fights.
I AM a MORE MUSCULAR PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT and I apologize to no one, especially you, you library card carrying pussy.
laughable. I present you with the title LefTeabag.
I asked you for actual reasonable ideas on how to deal with this violent right wing threat, and you call me a pussy. I gave you a chance to actually contribute to the discussion and you lashed out…. just like a teabag,
A credit to the progressive cause you are.
What you really are is a pathetic thug who seems unable to think past “me smash”
Progressives dont need junk like you.
I am EXACTLY what they need ,PUSSY.
You’ll cry out for me when a TEABAGGER grabs your TESTICLES,if you have any, at the next counter protest.IF, you have the TESTICLES to go.
its cute. you remind me of the drunk lonely guy at the end of the bar looking for a fight with anyone just so another human will touch them.
I am sympathetic to whatever condition turned you in to such a wretch.
Lonely?
There’s no beatitude for the lonely, the BOOK don’t say they’re BLESSED!-Street Preacher, Midnight Cowboy
I haven’t been in a bar in ages, wimpy.
I have a wife, family and friends that understand the passion I’ve always expressed all my life for the working people and downtrodden in our society.
I’ve served in an UNPOPULAR war.
I’ve led an exemplary life.
I could, very easily, sit back and watch.
Yet, you must understand. It is the curse or blessing of my make-up.
I am of equal Irish and German parts.
My mother keened about this.
See, she knew I had a Irish soul, but a warrior’s heart.
Can you now see my life-long dilemma?
so, face down in the gutter.. wont admit defeat, though your cloths are soiled and black.
I see someone challenging people who ask them for information…
I see someone picking a fight with someone they agree with because the person doesn’t share their “me smash” mentality.
I see someone hurling insults and questioning masculinity, in a very odonnellesq way, to try and goad another person into a physical altercation.
Your accomplishments, or history, or even your service don’t really matter to me as far as this conversation is concerned because here is how i see our conversation having gone.
you “WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING”
me “yeah, like what?”
you “brass knuckles and SOMETHING”
me “ok, what else? be speciffic”
you “PUSSY”
I’ll leave alone your stated readiness for violence and German/Irish roots, im sure they are unconnected. Just remember when you are smashing teabaggers, there are 20 fox news camera filming you with the caption “the face of liberal America”
So you ask can i see your life long dilemma…. yes. and its a shame the path you have decided to walk down because of it.
Asshole 1 I.D’d:
http://www.lisagraas.com/2010/10/paul-supporter-who-wrestled-woman-to.html
At least 2 curbstompers identified – one of them is Paul’s Bourbon County campaign manager.
Asshole #2 Id’d: Tim Profitt, Rand Paul’s Bourbon County coordinator
http://pageonekentucky.com/2010/10/26/debate-attacker-possibly-identified/
Just beat me, U.I!
Since these are Paul’s campaign workers I guess that explains why his statement about the incident was so weak? I really didn’t understand why he just didn’t condemn the incident.
It probably took him back to his aqua buddha days…
so, can we publish their home addresses?
that is what they would do to us.
I hope they have to use public defenders.
Well, sheesh, Profitt confessed to the AP. Combine that confession (do we know if he had a lawyer present?) with the video and I can’t imagine any attorney jumping to take his case.
did the teabag confess or brag
so, face down in the gutter.. wont admit defeat, though your cloths are soiled and black.
I see someone challenging people who ask them for information…
I see someone picking a fight with someone they agree with because the person doesn’t share their “me smash” mentality.
I see someone hurling insults and questioning masculinity, in a very odonnellesq way, to try and goad another person into a physical altercation.
Your accomplishments, or history, or even your service don’t really matter to me as far as this conversation is concerned
because here is how i see our conversation having gone.
SO, dear friend, please, illuminate us.
What what IS your panaceas for this conundrum?
Will you hang back as the shock troops of the militant left take on the right?
I suspect you will.
Your weakness is manifest plainly here.
You are a maggot crawling through the excrement of a warrior and claiming superiority for your intimacy.
protestors should carry “Don’t Tread on Me” signs
*
oh my yes – to all these wingnut events