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Title: Sheriff Claiming to be ‘Oath Keeper’ Wants to Jail Flag Burners, Deport Antiwar Protesters
Source:
Free Thought Project
URL Source: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/sh ... rners-kick-antiwar-protesters/
Published: Aug 3, 2015
Author: Matt Agorist
Post Date: 2015-08-04 07:54:05 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 449
Comments: 7
Mustang, OK — Since its founding in 2009, the American nonprofit group, known as the Oath Keepers, have primarily dedicated their mission to upholding the Constitution rights of US citizens. Much of the work done by this organization has been beneficial to the preservation and advancement of freedom and liberty. However, on Sunday, an Oath Keeper meeting in Mustang, Oklahoma would show just how far off course this organization has gone. Oath Keeper member and Canadian County Sheriff, Randall Edwards, showed that the ‘oath’ he took to protect the Constitution, apparently lacked the First Amendment. During the group’s four hour-long meeting at the Mustang Community Center, Edwards called for those who practice their free speech by a means that doesn’t meet his arbitrary approval, should be jailed. “People who were burning the American flag should have been thrown in jail,” said Edwards. Instead of booing him off the stage, these fellow “Oath Keepers,” erupted with applause. “People who fly any flag above the American flag should be put in jail for treason,” continued Edwards seemingly replacing the inalienable right of free speech with the right to kidnap and cage people over their use of a piece of cloth. Edwards then went on to say that he would have thrown the Westboro Baptist Church protesters all in jail if he would have been in town during a recent protest at a funeral. Again, he was met with a thunderous ovation. The members of the Westboro Baptist Church are a vile group of hateful scum who intentionally provoke others so they can later seek civil damages. However, even the vilest of speech much be protected. To limit the speech rights of those with whom you do not agree is to essentially limit your own. As Voltaire famously wrote, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” After completely missing the target on the flag burners, and the Westboro Baptist Church, Edwards went on to state that those who protest against the US acts of aggression overseas should be forcefully removed from the country. This sheriff, who claims to honor his oath to the Constitution said that those who are critical of military “shouldn’t be allowed in this country.” According to Edwards, the men and women who served in this country’s military, who are now critical of it, should be kicked out of the country. Ironically, many members of the Oath Keepers overlap their memberships with organizations like Veterans for Peace, whose mission is inherently anti-war and, therefore, critical of the military. This meeting shows that the Oath Keepers have come a long way in the last six years. What started out as a group of current and former military and police declaring that they would protect the rights of citizens, has been infiltrated by ardent fascists who only want freedom for themselves and no one else. If this group wishes to be taken seriously, it will do best to address this tyrant sheriff within their ranks. h/t Red Dirt Report
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#1. To: Deckard (#0)
Burning the flag is free speech.
Burning the flag is free speech. Amen. People should die for Jesus not in wars over colored cloths.
Burning the flag is STUPID speech, in my eyes, but it's a political statement, and as such, protected by the First Amendment. Ignore the people who do that sort of thing and they go away, or they don't, but you're ignoring them so you don't know about it, and therefore don't care. It's a piece of cloth. Don't tear up the freedom of speech over a piece of cloth.
Not when it's the Rainbow Flag. Then it's "HATE Speech." "Free Speech" is relative to whomever is in the position to rule on defining a flag, a symbol, a word. Truth is, the 1st Amendment no longer exists.
Burning any flag is hate speech, against whatever that flag represents. Hate speech should be free. But let the hate provoke anybody to so much as smash a beer bottle on the street, and into the paddy wagon he goes.
To my point -- there IS no "FREE" speech if "hate" speech isn't legal. Hate speech should be free. But let the hate provoke anybody to so much as smash a beer bottle on the street, and into the paddy wagon he goes. Smashing a beer bottle and littering is considered a misdemeanor (I believe.) Depending on the witnesses, perhaps a threat. But a broken-bottle arrest based on "hate speech"? That's not the USA, my friend.
And MY point is that I don't believe in hate speech laws at all. Speech is speech. The serpent had the right to tempt Eve. It was up to her not to eat. If you take an action based on speech - such as get pissed off and smash bottles - then you get arrested.
“People who were burning the American flag should have been thrown in jail,” said Edwards.
#2. To: Vicomte13 (#1)
(Edited)
“People who were burning the American flag should have been thrown in jail,” said Edwards.
#3. To: Pericles (#2)
#4. To: Vicomte13 (#1)
Burning the flag is free speech.
#5. To: Liberator (#4)
Not when it's the Rainbow Flag. Then it's "HATE Speech."
#6. To: Vicomte13, Grand Island, nolu chan (#5)
(Edited)
Burning any flag is hate speech, against whatever that flag represents.
#7. To: Liberator (#6)
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