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Supreme Court declines Bush bumper sticker case

TacticalEvilDan

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The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the appeal of two Colorado residents who were excluded from a speech by President Bush in 2005 because White House aides saw them arrive in a car with a bumper sticker that proclaimed: “No More Blood For Oil.”

Although they had earlier obtained tickets to the event, passed through a security checkpoint, and said they had no intention of being disruptive, White House officials and volunteers ordered them removed from the venue by two uniformed police officers. The officials were acting under a Bush administration policy of barring from then-President Bush’s public appearances anyone who might disagree with him.

The speech was held at a privately owned museum in Denver but was open to members of the public who obtained tickets beforehand. As an official presidential speech, it was paid for with government funds.

Supreme Court declines Bush bumper sticker case - CSMonitor.com

Take it to the Free Speech Zone, you hippie degenerates! :lol:


Seriously, though, why do we even have a Supreme Court when they won't rule on something so simple and yet so important?
 
Take it to the Free Speech Zone, you hippie degenerates! :lol:


Seriously, though, why do we even have a Supreme Court when they won't rule on something so simple and yet so important?

I figured out a new addition to our system of checks and balances: a big lever that citizens can pull. When pulled, the lever activates a devide that whacks the appropriate judge on the nose with a newspaper.

Bad Supreme Court. No. That's a BAD Supreme Court.

"No clearly established right?" What, now we need a specific constitutional amendment for every possible action? Amendment 4,153 to the US Constitution: No person shall be denied the right to wear a shirt that says "I'm a bomb disposal expert, if you see me running, try to keep up."
 
Take it to the Free Speech Zone, you hippie degenerates! :lol:


Seriously, though, why do we even have a Supreme Court when they won't rule on something so simple and yet so important?


Hmmm...Does Obama screen for possible threats? Oh, and a clue, I bet they are people that disagree with his agenda, ya think? But when that Bush did it, it was evil.....ohhhhhhhhh.

j-mac
 
Hmmm...Does Obama screen for possible threats? Oh, and a clue, I bet they are people that disagree with his agenda, ya think? But when that Bush did it, it was evil.....ohhhhhhhhh.

j-mac

The threat posed by bumper stickers?
 
Hmmm...Does Obama screen for possible threats? Oh, and a clue, I bet they are people that disagree with his agenda, ya think? But when that Bush did it, it was evil.....ohhhhhhhhh.

j-mac

Who cares?

This is not about one side or the other being equally wrong in their efforts to silence the opposition. This is about the Supreme Court refusing to even hear about these abuses.
 
Hmmm...Does Obama screen for possible threats? Oh, and a clue, I bet they are people that disagree with his agenda, ya think? But when that Bush did it, it was evil.....ohhhhhhhhh.

j-mac

Disagreeing does not make you a threat. Based on the story, the only thing that was used to bar them was that they disagreed with the president. I consider this a dangerous precedent.
 
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I don't like this precedent at all. Disagreeing with Bush (or any official) is not the same as causing a disruption. I'm all for tossing idiots who try to make a scene in inappropriate settings, but these two people had done nothing threatening or disruptive.
 
Even though the tickets were available to anyone, it was a private event in a private museum. Bush could set any rules he wanted there in agreement with the museum staff. The Constitution doesn't apply just because it's the president giving a speech. If he was talking at a public location then the Constitution would probably apply.

I do think the matter was silly though. No war for oil doesn't necessarily mean you are against Bush. Obama has been continuing the war for oil too. :shrug:
 
It was a public event funded by taxpayer dollars at which the leader of the nation spoke.

There should've been all sorts of Constitutional grounds for permitting dissenters to appear.
 
The Act of Certiorari should be repealed and make the Supreme Court do its job.

@TED: Dissenters should have been allowed into the town hall meeting since the president supposedly represents them as well. By denying them entrance it tells the people that disagree with the president that they do not matter to him. Although, the majority of people don't even realize that they do not matter to the politicians anyway.
 
Take it to the Free Speech Zone, you hippie degenerates! :lol:


Seriously, though, why do we even have a Supreme Court when they won't rule on something so simple and yet so important?

I raised hell about this story when it broke and some wackos on the right were defending Bushes people for this.

I agree about the free speech zone, but to me it's every square inch of all 50 states and all areas where our flag flies around the world.
:2usflag:

This was wrong.

Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.
 
I figured out a new addition to our system of checks and balances: a big lever that citizens can pull. When pulled, the lever activates a devide that whacks the appropriate judge on the nose with a newspaper.

Bad Supreme Court. No. That's a BAD Supreme Court.

"No clearly established right?" What, now we need a specific constitutional amendment for every possible action? Amendment 4,153 to the US Constitution: No person shall be denied the right to wear a shirt that says "I'm a bomb disposal expert, if you see me running, try to keep up."

Actually, the decision is correct. You have a right to peaceful gathering for political purposes. You have a right to protected speech in the written and spoken word. You have a right to free association.

However, nowhere do you have an established right to attend a political event if you are not wanted there. The venue was a private one. They were permitted to have who they wanted at the event.

The only recourse these people should have is a refund on their ticket.

I don't agree with Bush's security decisions, but the supreme court shouldn't be hearing this case.
 
The Act of Certiorari should be repealed and make the Supreme Court do its job.

@TED: Dissenters should have been allowed into the town hall meeting since the president supposedly represents them as well. By denying them entrance it tells the people that disagree with the president that they do not matter to him. Although, the majority of people don't even realize that they do not matter to the politicians anyway.

As long as they behave. What we saw too often at town hall meetings was disruptive to the point of ending any real discouse or information gathering of any kind. You have to be willing to listen as well as want to speak.
 
As long as they behave. What we saw too often at town hall meetings was disruptive to the point of ending any real discouse or information gathering of any kind. You have to be willing to listen as well as want to speak.

I can agree with that.
 
However, nowhere do you have an established right to attend a political event if you are not wanted there. The venue was a private one. They were permitted to have who they wanted at the event.

It stopped being a protected political event when it was paid for by the government.

ETA: Sorry, I should've said private rather than protected.
 
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It stopped being a protected political event when it was paid for by the government.

No it didn't. Nowhere do you have an established right to attend a government sponsored event at a private venue. If it were on the capital lawn, I could see it being an equal access thing. However, it's at a private venue. And the fact that it was government sponsored does not in any way suddenly grant you the right to attend.
 
No it didn't. Nowhere do you have an established right to attend a government sponsored event at a private venue. If it were on the capital lawn, I could see it being an equal access thing. However, it's at a private venue. And the fact that it was government sponsored does not in any way suddenly grant you the right to attend.

That was my interpretation as well. The museum is a private venue and thus they set the security parameters, which means if they want it to be a quiet audience they will probably try to curtail any chance of there being disruptions and loudmouths in attendance.

Do I like this approach? No. If it's a townhall meeting then it should include whoever wants to attend... but legally speaking, I think the ruling was right.
 
Actually, the decision is correct. You have a right to peaceful gathering for political purposes. You have a right to protected speech in the written and spoken word. You have a right to free association.

However, nowhere do you have an established right to attend a political event if you are not wanted there. The venue was a private one. They were permitted to have who they wanted at the event.

The only recourse these people should have is a refund on their ticket.

I don't agree with Bush's security decisions, but the supreme court shouldn't be hearing this case.
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Bush was POTUS in 2005 and this event was ostensibly paid by tax payers, there was no reason why they should have been tossed.
 
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Bush was POTUS in 2005 and this event was ostensibly paid by tax payers, there was no reason why they should have been tossed.

I agree. But there's also nothing barring them from being tossed either. The SCOTUS made the right decision.
 
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Bush was POTUS in 2005 and this event was ostensibly paid by tax payers, there was no reason why they should have been tossed.

The White House is paid for by tax payers too. That doesn't mean you can just walk in and have a good old conversation with Dubya.

The military is tax funded. Doesn't mean you can walk into a military base as you please.

There are rules and most of them have to do with security. Life's a bitch, then you die. :shrug:
 
This was set aside for a reason. The question over whether the individuals who turned the two bumper sticker owners away could be sued, or whether the Administration officials sponsoring the event and used the volunteers who turned the attendees away are more properly to be sued, is the larger issue at stake.

Justice Ginsburg objected to not taking this case (as did Justice Sotomayor) but she was pleased that the larger question is thereby more likely to be taken up by the Supremes.

It ain't over.

Regards from Rosie
 
Who cares?

This is not about one side or the other being equally wrong in their efforts to silence the opposition. This is about the Supreme Court refusing to even hear about these abuses.

The supreme court turns down the vast majority writs of cert that are sent to it. There are many reasons for this above and beyond the fact that the supreme court does not have the capacity to adjudicate both all the direct appeals and discretionary appeals sent to it. In many cases, the court determines that the existing r uling was correct (a split in circuits almost always guarantees the USSC will hear the case-such as the McDonald v Chicago (14th amendment / 2nd Amendment) where the 7th and 9th Circuit reached contrary conclusions.

so in this case, who knows but pissing and moaning about the Supremes not taking up this case is hardly do to sinister reasons.
 
It is kind of stupid this went to the Supreme Court. This was a speech at a private venue where it was decided but not mandatory to open it to the public. The Bush people had every right to toss whomever they wanted for just about any reason. You can all it bad taste or cowardice but not unconstitutional. I hope they got their money back. That is about all they were entitle to sue for.
 
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