It’s not enough that we have a president who thinks the Constitution is an old piece of toilet paper. Now, evidence has surfaced that Michael Bloomberg, the Republican Mayor of New York, infringed on the rights of Americans and then lied about it to cover it up.
The first amendment of the United States Consitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Bloomberg has passed no laws that prohibit the people’s right to assemble, but his government has, more than once, declined to give permission to groups wanting to hold anti-war protests on the Great Lawn in Central Park, most notably to a group that requested such a protest during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. I’m no lawyer, but I do understand that it is reasonable to deny such requests when it is in the best interests of the majority to do so. The reasoning at the time was concern for the condition of the lawn and for the ability of the police to secure the demonstaters. The latter is a critical issue in our post 9/11 world. Unfortunately, the Bloomberg government took a cue from the Bush (Mis)Administration on this one: the concern about security was a head-fake intended to make people look the other way while their rights were trampled.
Protesters have, of course, been accusing Bloomberg of playing politics, not wishing to upset the convention delegates while they were in town. The opposition can always be counted on to make such accusations, no matter which side they are on. What’s tragic about the current state of the United States is that those accusations turn out to be true more often than not. In this case, email messages and court depositions have been entered as evidence in a lawsuit, proving that Bloomberg lied. Bloomberg has. predictably, opted for the Reagan defense in this particular instance (a favorite of all politicians, Repbublicans in particular). He “had no knowledge” of some details and, of course, can’t recall certain conversations or emails.
This is one more example of the abuse of government power that is growing like a virus. We have seen it again, and again, and again throughout the history of the United States, from politicians of all parties. But today, for a multitude of reasons, government officials are going beyond what any before them have done and, when caught, are not getting punished for it. It’s one more sign that people need to take matters into their own hands and kick these idiots out of office over the next few elections. Idiots are idiots, no matter the party they represent. Those who have done harm to our country, gotten away unpunished with high crimes and treason, or stomped on the rights of the people they are supposed to be leading and protecting, need to be sent a clear signal — voters can step up and finish their politcal careers for them. Unfortunately, the current establishment makes it quite difficult to get anyone other than more idiots in office, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. All it takes is for enough Americans to wake up and stop being idiots themselves. Or another revolution.
Technorati Tags: Micharl Bloomberg, idiots, first amendment, American Revolution
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