Ten Commandments Supporters Jailed: A Personal Account

The Rev. Daniel J. Sparks, OAC ^ | October 9, 2003 | The Rev. Daniel J. Sparks, OAC

[george wythe]

I've been to several Freeps over the years, including the WTO Freep in NYC, and the number one rule is show respect for LEO.Amen.

I've been involved in public demonstrations before, and I have always had the LEOs on my side.

A member of my group has called the cops in advance to let them know about our plans, we have chosen a location for demonstration in conjuction with the cops, and we have respected their orders once the demonstration started.

Cops are trying to keep the peace, and sometimes, cops know that keeping a little distance between opposing protestors, or between protestors and their target, will contribute to a peaceful demonstration.

Btw, many times the cops have been sympathetic to my cause, and therefore, they were just trying their best to do their job in a fair and safe manner.

Why do people have to make the cops' job more difficult?

[Labyrinthos]

Why do people have to make the cops' job more difficult?

Because they think they are more important than the cause.

[weegee]

How many presidents have been the target of shooters? Now how many Supreme Court justices have been the targets of shooters?

I have seen rhetoric from the "peace" crowd that shows a violent streak. I have not seen this from the 10 commandments protestors.

Assess the risk.

[kegler4]

"So, what you're saying is that there should be public areas that are "non-free speech zones." Do I have that correct?"

George Bush and his Secret Service certainly seem to think it's OK. The non-free speech zones for him are so large that he doesn't have to see or hear people who disagree with him, signs or no signs.

[freeeee]

The problem is not the sign; it's the proximity to the intended target.

What danger does a sign of the Ten Commandments held outide a building pose to people inside a huilding?

[xzins]

(I don't know about GW and the Secret Service. I'd have to think about the security issues of crowd control on that one????)

But, fortunately, this is about the Supreme Court opening session.

But signs are a threat to those who are on camera. They provide an alternative background message.

[AppyPappy]

Why not stand where you are told?

[freeeee]

Free people needn't justify to anyone, let alone government where they protest. Rather, the onus is upon government, who has been hired for the very purpose of upholding the people's rights to show a strong need to restrict access for legitimate security purposes, and then only to the minimum extent necessary to accomplish their stated purpose. Surely the Supremes must have safe access into and out of their destination, but keeping a man holding a sign of the Ten Commandments away while allowing others can not logically or rationally be shown to aid in that purpose in any way.

Furthermore, there is the obvious potential for abuse in resticting the public's access for political reasons. Allowing supporters access while denying it to protesters is a naked political ploy, using security as a flimsy excuse. Due to the painfully obvious fact that attackers can and have in fact posed as supporters, the only just policy is to allow every peaceful person access or none of them. Denying rights based solely upon political preferences is about as contrary to the very purpose of our government as one can get, and that's precisely what is happening here.

The end result of this policy is to give political supporters a front row seat for propaganda purposes, while confining protesters to a parking lot miles away and surrounded by a battallion of riot police who will use the flimsiest of excuses to start a riot and assault demonstrators. This will create a chilling effect on protests, and quite on purpose.

[GeekDejure]

Ten Commandments !!!

Oak Hay... now I'm waiting to see if the Feds will force JimRob to ban me from FreeRepublic !!!

.

[danielsparks]

There are several questions that have been raised in this forum which are already answered in the article I wrote. However, I know that there are several other details that may not be clear. For this reason, I will provide a diagram of the scene and address some specific details.

I will try to post this information here and it will also be available on my website (www.danielsparks.com).