Obama and the right to burn the Koran

WaPo ^ | Sep 10, 2010 | Charles Lane

[fightinJAG]

[snip] But I am also troubled by Obama's efforts to hector Jones into changing his mind. Everyone should worry when presidents invoke wartime security, or similar arguments, against constitutionally protected free speech, even -- or especially -- when the speech is offensive, outrageous and unpopular.

Strictly speaking, there was nothing unconstitutional about Obama's campaign, abetted by an all-star cast of national security officials, to get Jones to back off. Presidents have free speech, too. But when was the last time an American citizen got a phone call from the Secretary of Defense urging him to call off a political demonstration? Invoking his status as commander-in-chief, Obama accused Jones of, in effect, abetting America's enemies: "This kind of behavior or threats of action put our young men and women in harm's way. And it's also the best imaginable recruiting tool for al-Qaeda."

This was pretty heavy-handed use of the bully pulpit. The president seemed oblivious to the contradiction between his pressure on Jones and his view, repeated at Friday's press conference, that the U.S. must strictly follow the Constitution when prosecuting terrorism suspects -- lest the terrorists win by getting us to curtail liberty. "We can't be frightened by a handful of people who are trying to do us harm," he said. Yet to the extent Obama opposed Jones's exercise of free speech -- including mere "threats of action" -- because it might trigger a violent reaction, he was expressing, and yielding to, fear of those very "people."

Obama should have condemned what Jones wanted to do, but defended unequivocally his right to do it.

In response to calls for censorship from around the world, he should have explained clearly that

[jakerobins]

Obama should have condemned what Jones wanted to do, but defended unequivocally his right to do it.

Don’t they know by now that the Marxist Obama thinks of the Bill of rights as Negative Rights(things the Gov’t can’t do for you or to you)

[dps.inspect]

Americans (of the truest sense) find it very difficult to protest, especially when the protest includes an act of civil disobedience or something worse; offending a minority. Yet, there is a boiling inside that will one day erupt if this President doesn’t handle this thing right. I’m just sayin’...

[MizSterious]

"But when was the last time an American citizen got a phone call from the Secretary of Defense urging him to call off a political demonstration?"

Not to mention a visit from FBI agents warning him that "bad things" could happen if he burned the Korans.

...visions of the ham-handed Elian Gonzales case...

[FrankR]

"Obama should have condemned what Jones wanted to do, but defended unequivocally his right to do it. "

He didn't have any problem lecturing the rest of us on the imam's right to build a mosque at ground zero, did he? What a puddle of camel snot he is.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Chas. Ln.? Homer Bedloe? Is he still around? :)

[musicman]

[KeyLargo]