I have been checking the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Kentucky Kernel, the UK student newspaper for which I used to write back during the days of quill pens and inkwells, every day, and I have yet to see any reports of pro-Hamas, or pro-Israel, protests of demonstrations on campus or in the city. Yes, that shows that Kentucky students are just plain smarter than those elite and effete Ivy Leaguers, but then it occurred to me: there are very few Jewish students at UK, with Jews being a very small minority in the Bluegrass State as a whole, while the reports of demonstrations at Penn and Hahvahd and Columbia are occurring at schools with significant Jewish populations, and it leads me to think that these demonstrations really are just as much anti-Semitic as they are pro-Palestinian.
Category Archives: Freedom of Peaceable Assembly
Democrats really hate #FreedomOfSpeech! More precisely, they hate your Freedom of Speech, but not their Freedom of Speech!
Laura Kavanagh, via Twitter. Have you ever seen a face which looks more like she just stepped in dog poop?
FDNY boss hunts down staffers who booed NY AG Letitia James, cheered for Trump at promotion ceremony
By Susan Edelman and Rich Calder | Saturday, March 9, 2024 | 6:51 PM EST
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh is hunting down smoke-eaters and other staffers who mercilessly booed New York Attorney General Letitia James – and cheered in support of Donald Trump – during a department promotion ceremony this week, The Post has learned.
There are other forms of protest, not as loud as the ones the firemen used, but which show even greater disrespect. One famously used in the past is to turn their backs to the speaker, and that, too, would make the news and anger the Empire State’s Attorney General even more. But the firemen chose to do what they did, and I see it as within their freedom of speech.
But the Powers That Be within the city are taking this protest in full-Geheime Staatspolizei-mode!
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodges fired off an email to other agency honchos warning a reckoning led by the department’s Bureau of Investigation and Trials was coming over the chorus of boos and chants of “Trump” that James received at Thursday’s event.
“BITS is investigating this, so they will figure out who the members are,” Hodges wrote FDNY chiefs Saturday in the letter obtained by The Post.
“I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward and we don’t have to hunt them down,” he continued.
“(H)unt them down”? Perhaps Chief Hodges might have worded that better, because the way he put it sure sounds like the zeal of the Department of Justice in hunting down the Capitol kerfufflers, tremendous effort to seek out hundreds of protesters, the vast majority of whom were allowed to plead down to a single misdemeanor count, and very little, if any, time in jail.
Actually, it pretty much sounds like the real Gestapo, diligently searching for Jews hiding from the Nazis.
“The [deputy chiefs] shall direct the captain of the company to make a list of those who come forward and send it directly to [FDNY operations]. I realize members might not come forward but they should know that there is clear video of the entire incident and they will be contacted by BITS if they don’t,” he wrote.
A list of talking points for deputy chiefs doing the investigation obtained by The Post said:
“We want the members to come forward. They will come to headquarters to be educated why their behavior is unacceptable.”
“(T)o be educated,” huh? In other words, a serious talking to, that I would hope most would ignore. This is the kind of thing which will generate more sympathy for Mr Trump, not less. The Democrats and the left keep telling us that Mr Trump is an fascist, a Nazi, an authoritarian wannabe dictator, but then those leftist Democrats are the ones trying to exercise authoritarian, dictatorial power over any form of dissent.
I saw, on my Twitter feed, this from Lexington Herald-Leader reporter John Cheves:
Before you do something like assault an effigy of a public official or attack a public building, stop and ask yourself, “Would I be proud if my children saw a video of me doing this?” And make sure the answer is “No.” ^JC
The Editorial Board of what my best friend used to call the Herald-Liberal were naturally aghast when conservatives protested at the state Capitol:
Then to top off this tragicomedy of errors, House officials announced a panel to take up articles of impeachment against Beshear as a bunch of armed thugs circled the state Capitol. This is the same kind of militia movement that earlier this year hung an effigy of Beshear outside the governor’s mansion.
This must stop.
Armed thugs, huh? According to the dictionary, a thug is defined as “a violent person, especially a criminal.” Yet the article the Editorial Board linked bears no mention of any shots being fired. An accompanying photograph shows three state senators, one of whom was a Democrat, walking past the “armed thugs” without an apparent care in the world.
“The same kind of militia movement that earlier this year hung an effigy of Beshear outside the governor’s mansion”? Hanging the hated in effigy has a long history in America, as noted in The Hill:
Americans have a long history of citizens committing violence against president effigies to voice political dissent.
James Madison, John Tyler, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter were all burned in effigy during their presidencies. And each time this happened, the offending party leaders repudiated the distasteful and disrespectful actions of their constituents.
President Obama was hanged in effigy, and Kathy Griffin posted a picture of her holding President Trump’s severed head.
The Editorial Board again:
But Republicans in Frankfort and Washington, D.C., who have played pattycake with these kinds of extremists for years, have got to stop this wing of the party from hijacking them literally, it seems, and on policy. They have got to become grown-ups and stop with these silly games that end in not so silly ways.
Did the hanging of Governor Beshear in effigy last spring end in violence? It seems that no one was harmed, other, perhaps, than the feelings of his supporters. Did the armed demonstration on January 9th result in injuries, damage or death? If it did, the Herald-Leader had nothing about that.
The Editorial Board appear to be like Twitter and The New York Times and others: they don’t like freedom of speech when it isn’t speech with which they agree.
There was, of course, plenty of freedom of speech exercised by the left when Mr Trump was in office. He was regularly hanged in effigy, the Usual Suspects rioted with frequency, including during his inauguration, but somehow, some way, the left had no problem with that. Heck, they didn’t say much during the “fiery but mostly peaceful protests” during 2020’s summer of hate following the left wing riots in protest of the unfortunate death-while-resisting-arrest of the methamphetamine-and-fentanyl-addled previously convicted felon George Floyd. It’s only when conservatives protest that the left yell for people to shut up, and want to punish them when they don’t.
So, what’s going to happen to the FDNY members who do not turn themselves in “to be educated why their behavior is unacceptable,” and have to be ‘hunted down’ by BITS? Are they, too, just going to get the stern talking to, or are they going to be further punished for exercising their freedom of speech? It would be amusing to see none of the firemen turn themselves in, and then have their union defending them in arbitration. The FDNY employs over 11,000 uniformed firefighting and 4,274 uniformed EMS employees, and the consequences of a union action would be drastic.
“Queer Advocates” are alarmed that Uncle Sam isn’t going to pay for their kink parties
It was, I suppose, inevitable. As I reported here, a tweet from Chaya Raichik on Libs of TikTok exposed a proposed $1,000,000 federal grant to the William Way LGBT Community Center in foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia, in which Mrs Raichik stated that “includes $1M of your tax dollars to go towards renovating an LGBTQ Center in PA which boasts rooms to try BDSM and s*x f*tishes and hosts BDSM and s*x k*nk parties. There’s even a k*nk party happening there this weekend!”
Upon hearing about that, Pennsylvania’s two Democratic Senators, John Fetterman and Bob Casey, removed the requests for the funding.
Well, of course the kinksters wanted to salvage what they could, and also of course, The Philadelphia Inquirer was perfectly willing to help them do it!
Philly’s kink scene speaks out about safe, ‘very chill’ parties, after Pa. senators pull funding from community center that hosts them
Queer advocates reacted to the withdrawal of funding with alarm.
by Zoe Greenberg | Friday, March 8, 2024 | 10:46 AM EST
The William Way Community Center, a central hub of Philly LGBTQ life since the 1970s, found itself in a media firestorm this week when U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey requested to pull $1 million in federal funding after learning the nonprofit rents space to a group that hosts kink parties.
Kink parties can range from educational workshops to casual networking meetups to play parties, where attendees consent to certain protocols beforehand, said Jamie Joy, a sex educator and kink organizer in Philly. Protocols often include respecting people’s identities and confidentiality, not taking photos or using phones, and negotiating risks and boundaries in a consensual way with other attendees. Many of the parties are explicitly sober.
“These community spaces are where we can actually learn how to be safe and keep each other safe,” Joy said.
Earlier this week, the far-right social media account LibsofTikTok called out Fetterman and Casey for supporting a federal spending bill that included money for “an LGBTQ Center in PA which boasts rooms to try BDSM and s*x f*tishes and hosts BDSM and s*x k*nk parties.” Soon after, the Democratic senators pulled funding they had previously requested. While both senators signed letters to withdraw the funding, Fetterman has said he’ll work to restore it next year.
So, at the very least, Mrs Raichik has saved the taxpayers a cool million bucks. As the Inquirer previously reported:
William Way has struggled to get federal funding this year. In July, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee voted down several requests for funding of LGBTQ centers, including William Way and two others in Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan’s district.
I can’t see why the federal government is subsidizing any private groups at all!
Some queer and kink advocates reacted with alarm, saying that kink is a normal part of human sexuality and that hosting safe parties that adults consent to attend is not something Congress should try to police. The monthly kink parties at William Way are run by a separate group called the Aviary, and have been held there for more than a decade.
Nope, sorry, wrong answer. Congress isn’t trying to “police” that kind of stuff, but Congress also shouldn’t be paying to support it. What consenting adult queers — hey, if they call themselves that, then so can I! — do amongst themselves, as long as they aren’t messing with minors, is really none of my business, at least as long as they keep it reasonably private. But when they expect me to have to pay for their ‘activities,’ expect the taxpayers to pony up, then we have the right to say no, it’s your business, not mine, and you can pay for it yourselves.
There’s more at the original, as reporter Zoe Greenberg tells us how good and wholesome the BDSM/kink parties are, with one-sided reporting which parrots the kinksters’ propaganda, and they’re just appalled that the Senators, people who have to do something really radical like face the voters — Senator Casey is up for re-election this year — might do things like be concerned about the actual voters in the Commonwealth.
Well, they can do whatever stupid things they want, as far as I am concerned, but they can pay for it themselves.
Government-enforced shutuppery
The Biden Administration keeps going after the Capitol kerfufflers, and is now charging Stephen M Baker, a sometime-journalist, with the same four offenses used against the vast majority of the protesters.
Musician and libertarian writer who works for ‘The Blaze’ arrested on Jan. 6 charges
Steve Baker, who led a David Bowie tribute band and started working for Glenn Beck’s website in 2023, said he “100%” approved of the Capitol attack, the FBI said.
By Ryan J. Reilly | Friday, March 1, 2024 | 2:45 PM EST |4:19 PM EST
WASHINGTON — The former lead singer of a David Bowie tribute band who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, licensed his footage to media outlets, and now works as a writer for Glenn Beck’s “The Blaze” website has been arrested on misdemeanor Capitol attack charges after turning himself into federal authorities in Texas.
Steve Baker, a musician and libertarian writer who was a frequent presence at the federal courthouse in Washington during the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy trial and other Jan. 6 cases, faces the same four standard misdemeanors as many lower-level Capitol riot defendants.
A copy of a FBI affidavit, provided to NBC News by defense attorney William Shipley, indicates that federal prosecutors will focus on comments from Baker that show he was sympathetic to the mob, including when he referred to Nancy Pelosi as a “b—-” after talking about the mob raiding the former House speaker’s office, and a comment in which he said he regretted that he didn’t steal government property during the attack.
There’s more at the original.
The FBI Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint and Arrest Warrant tells us just how politically motivated the prosecution is:
24 – Witness 2 was subsequently interviewed by FBI, during which time Witness 2 stated he/she had known BAKER for approximately 10 years. Witness 2 had previously observed BAKER live-streaming video to multiple platforms under the name, “Stephen Ignoramus.” These platforms included YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Bitchute, Brightyon, Dlive.tv, Twitch, and Periscope. Witness 2 had previously observed videos by BAKER and had been alarmed by the content which Witness 2 described as including advancement of conspiracy theories and mockery of minority groups. Witness 2 further advised that one of BAKER’s YouTube channels had been banned by YouTube in or about December 2020.
Mr Baker was clearly documenting the Capitol kerfuffle as it was ongoing, and his stream was picked up by the credentialed media. While working as an occasional freelancer at the time, Mr Baker has been an accredited journalist subsequently. Of course, the government doesn’t like the freedom of speech that Mr Baker has exercised, using as part of the FBI agent’s affidavit that he, horrors!, “advance(d) conspiracy theories” and “engaged in “mockery of minority groups.”
Had Mr Baker expressed other views, saying something like, “Oh, this is terrible,” he’d never have been charged with anything. The government like when journalists express liberal views!
Mr Baker now faces the same charges as the majority of the Capitol kerfufflers:
- 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1) – Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority. Since Mr Baker not accused of harming anyone or carrying a deadly weapon, the maximum punishment under (b)(2) is a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, in any other case.
- 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(2) – Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds. Since Mr Baker is not accused of harming anyone or carrying a deadly weapon, the maximum punishment under (b)(2) is a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, in any other case.
- 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D) – Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building: utter loud, threatening, or abusive language, or engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct, at any place in the Grounds or in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress or either House of Congress, or the orderly conduct in that building of a hearing before, or any deliberations of, a committee of Congress or either House of Congress; The penalty for violating 40 U.S.C. §5104(e)(2) is a misdemeanor conviction punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 fine or up to six months in prison, or both.
- 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(G) – Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; The penalty for violating 40 U.S.C. §5104(e)(2) is a misdemeanor conviction punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 or up to six months in prison, or both.
The majority of the earlier convicted kerfufflers pleaded guilty to a single count of Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing, receiving sentences ranging between probation and a six months. Several of them already had time served, since many had been arrested and, at least initially, denied bail. It was simple: hammer down on charges, to ‘encourage’ the kerfufflers to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor. After all, if convicted on all four charges, and with judges who had already expressed displeasure that those who have pleaded guilty have done so to such a minor charge, those convicted could be sentenced to three years and possibly crippling fines. That Attorney General Merrick Garland, who hates Republicans because the GOP denied him a seat on the Supreme Court, has allowed his minions to offer pleas on only one misdemeanor charge, is indicative of the fact that this ‘insurrection’ wasn’t much of a much.
Also on this topic: William Teach, “Brandon Admin Arrests Journalist For Reporting On J6
The real issue is probation: if the government attaches probation to any of the convictions, then the (not very) guilty will be under government supervision of some sort for the length of his probation. Mr Baker is no fan of the government in general, or the Biden Administration in particular, and probation could be used to shut him up.
And that’s really what the dummkopf from Delaware and his fascist-inspired minions want. With an arrest on February 29th, they can keep him quiet, by revoking bail, until after the election.
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Also posted on American Free News Network. Check out American Free News Network for more well written and well reasoned conservative commentary.
I guess that Marc Rowan will keep his checkbook closed
Our constitutional rights under the First Amendment include the right of peaceable assembly, and this demonstration on the University of Pennsylvania campus in foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia has been reported to be completely peaceful. But, in speaking their piece, the demonstrators, which included some Penn faculty, have exposed themselves to criticism of their message, and, unfortunately for the supporters of the Palestinians and Hamas terrorists, some of that criticism could come from deep-pockets donors. We have covered the backlash of deep-pockets donors against the outbreak of anti-Semitism on our college campuses, as recently as yesterday, but some people just don’t listen. From The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s student newspaper:
Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine hosts College Hall protest, blocks main entrance
The only way to end protests which stop traffic is to not stop traffic for protesters.
The Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal came up with an absolutely brilliant idea, but one which will not work:
Tort Law vs. the Anti-Israel Protesters
If DAs won’t prosecute, victims can sue for false imprisonment.
By The Editorial Board | Thursday, December 28, 2023 | 6:49 PM EST
Normally we wouldn’t wish trial lawyers on our worst enemy. But as anti-Israel demonstrations grow increasingly lawless, the plaintiffs bar could help. Why not hit protesters who break the law and keep Americans from getting to their destination with a tort liability suit for false imprisonment?Idiots block traffic near LAX to demand Gaza ceasefire.
On Wednesday anti-Israel protesters blocked access to JFK and LAX airports in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. The laws of New York and California, like most states, recognize the tort. While there is no precedent applying this tort to road-blocking protesters, it fits the offense. The purpose of these demonstrations is to block the road to keep people from getting to the airport — deliberately and against their will.
