Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

1st Amendment Protects Harassment [semi-satire]
Semi-News/Semi-Satire ^ | 30 Sep 2018 | John Semmens

Posted on 10/01/2018 11:19:50 AM PDT by John Semmens

CNN host and legal expert Don Lemon chided Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) for objecting to being harassed and threatened in public last week. Out for dinner at the DC restaurant Fiola, Cruz and his wife were accosted by activists from a group called Smash Racism. This group deems it their right to “disrupt the peace of right-wing scum.” Cruz and his wife temporarily left the restaurant and reentered later via the back door. Smash Racism has since added Fiola’s to their list of “right-wing scum,” warning the owner and his employees that “you are not safe.”

Lemon contended that “this type of citizen feedback is what Cruz signed up for when he decided to run for public office. As a so-called ‘strict constructionist’ of the Constitution, the Senator is well aware that freedom of speech protects a citizen’s right to approach him anytime and anywhere to air his grievances. There’s nothing in the First Amendment that says the speech has to be polite or that it can’t be loud.”

“I think the kind of citizen activism shown by Smash Racism is healthy for our democracy,” Lemon added. “We shouldn’t expect everyone to feign tolerance for abhorrent views or politicians. An insistence that decorum must prevail favors the more educated. If knowledge and verbal skills are allowed to dominate, famed political debaters like Cruz will thrive. But this shuts out the ignorant and inarticulate whose main hope of being heard is to drown out those they disagree with. Maxine has it right. We need to show supporters of Trump that they are unwelcome anywhere, anytime in our democracy.”

In related news, former President Obama bristled at the “passive aggression” shown toward him by young attendees at a recent speech of his and demanded that they “put down your damned phones and listen to me.” The great irony here was that many of the phones in use were free “Obama phones” given out during his administration.

if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...

https://azconservative.org/2018/09/30/dems-warn-gop-on-kavanaugh-confirmation/


TOPICS: Government; History; Humor; Politics
KEYWORDS: cnn; harassment; intolerence; media; obama; satire; trump

1 posted on 10/01/2018 11:19:51 AM PDT by John Semmens
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: John Semmens

No, no it doesn’t.


2 posted on 10/01/2018 11:21:04 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson