Is Free Speech Under Attack in this Country?

57Brave said:
Remind me again how many antifa charged over this incident

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A white husband and wife were charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion.

St. Louis' top prosecutor on Monday charged a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are both personal injury attorneys in their 60s, also face a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault.

Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner told The Associated Press that the McCloskeys' actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise nonviolent protest.

"It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner — that is unlawful in the city of St. Louis," Gardner said.

An attorney for the couple, Joel Schwartz, in a statement called the decision to charge "disheartening as I unequivocally believe no crime was committed."

Supporters of the McCloskeys said they were legally defending their $1.15 million home.

Gardner is recommending a diversion program such as community service rather than jail time if the McCloskeys are convicted. Typically, class E felonies could result in up to four years in prison.

Several Republican leaders have condemned Gardner's investigation, including Donald Trump, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, and Sen. Josh Hawley, who has urged Attorney General William Barr to undertake a civil rights investigation of Gardner. Parson said in a radio interview Friday that he would likely pardon the couple if they were charged and convicted.

Gardner said Trump, Parson, and others are attacking her to distract from "their failed approach to the COVID-19 pandemic" and other issues.

St. Louis, like many cities across the country, has seen demonstrations in the weeks since George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, and the McCloskeys' home was initially incidental to the demonstration on June 28. Several hundred people were marching to the home of Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson, a few blocks from the McCloskeys' home. Krewson had angered activists by reading on Facebook Live the names and addresses of some who had called for defunding police.

The McCloskeys live on a private street called Portland Place. A police report said the couple heard a loud commotion and saw a large group of people break an iron gate marked with "No Trespassing" and "Private Street" signs. A protest leader, the Rev. Darryl Gray, said the gate was open and that protesters didn't damage it.

Mark McCloskey confronted protesters with a semi-automatic rifle, screamed at them and pointed the weapon at them, according to a probable statement. The statement said Patricia McCloskey then emerged with a semi-automatic handgun, yelling at protesters to "go" and pointing it at them. No shots were fired.

Photos emerged as memes on both sides of the gun debate.

Trump spoke by phone with Parson last week to criticize Gardner's investigation. Parson, when he was in the Legislature, co-authored Missouri's "castle doctrine" law that justifies deadly force for those who are defending their homes from intruders. He has said that the McCloskeys "had every right to protect their property."

Gardner declined to discuss why she decided the castle doctrine didn't apply.

Schwartz said the McCloskeys "support the First Amendment right of every citizen to have their voice and opinion heard. This right, however, must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law, which entitle each of us to protect our home and family from potential threats."

Gardner, St. Louis' first Black circuit attorney, has been at odds with some in the St. Louis establishment since her election in 2016. Most notably, her office charged then-Gov. Eric Greitens with felony invasion of privacy in 2018 for allegedly taking a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair. The charge was eventually dropped, but Greitens resigned in June 2018.

A private investigator Gardner hired to investigate the claims against Greitens was later indicted for perjury for allegedly lying during a deposition. His case is pending.

Gardner also has butted heads with police leaders, especially after she developed an "exclusion list" of more than two dozen officers who were barred from serving as primary witnesses in criminal cases over what Gardner called credibility concerns. The move angered Police Chief John Hayden, who also is Black.

In January, Gardner filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city, the police union and others of a coordinated and racist conspiracy aimed at forcing her out of office. The lawsuit also accused "entrenched interests" of intentionally impeding her efforts to change racist practices.

Several Black leaders in St. Louis have expressed support for Gardner, including Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay, who has said protesters "should never be subject to the threat of deadly force, whether by individuals or by the police."
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Gardner is about to be made a total fool of... and likely fired for this ridiculous political targeting.

It's why she is offering a settlement publicly rather than a court date.
 
do you just not want to go look for yourself or you just trying to figure out what all the protests are about?

change policies of policing, be accountable for police brutality, cut funding to it and move that money to things that help the community more than militarizing the police among other things
 
goldfly said:
do you just not want to go look for yourself or you just trying to figure out what all the protests are about?

change policies of policing, be accountable for police brutality, cut funding to it and move that money to things that help the community more than militarizing the police among other things
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So the rioters are paying attention to the local city council? Once these Bill's are passed, they will stop busting g the windows of Amazons and Starbucks?

Wait, hasnt some of this already happened in these cities?

Hmm... maybe they are asking for more?
 
Mom and Dad Brigades
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Andrew Wortman
@AmoneyResists
·
8h
Way to make the Portland protests increase in size

about a thousandfold with your fascist gestapo tactics,

@realDonaldTrump . Here’s a group of Portland mom’s singing

“Hands up, please don’t shoot me.”

The power of protest is powerful and beautiful.
 
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sturg33 said:
Libertarians have been mocked for years but continue to be right

[Tw]1285296993665982464[/tw]
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Don’t expect that to be acknowledged...if anything, you’ve got some (D) asking where the libertarians are:

https://reason.com/2020/07/20/sen-brian-schatz-says-libertarians-should-be-freaking-out-about-portland-where-has-he-been/

Sen. Brian Schatz (D–Hawaii) took to Twitter on Friday to share his thoughts on the current situation in Portland, Oregon, where animosity is increasing between protesters and police as federal agents have been forcing demonstrators into unmarked vans

The senator didn't name names or provide any concrete examples of which libertarians he believes have fallen short of the proper outrage threshold. But Schatz's comments are part of a larger trend—one where libertarians have become the perpetual scapegoat for the failed policies of both the left and the right, even when they've been fighting against those very policies for years.

After George Floyd's killing, people on social media coalesced around a common refrain: "Where are the libertarians?" It's a bizarre response, given that libertarians have been beating the drum against police brutality far longer than either mainstream party. "Having left the issue on the back burner for so long," notes Reason's J.D. Tuccille, "some people don't want to admit that we were there ahead of them. Unfortunately, when it comes to police misconduct, we've been way ahead of them."
 
goldfly said:
do you just not want to go look for yourself or you just trying to figure out what all the protests are about?

change policies of policing, be accountable for police brutality, cut funding to it and move that money to things that help the community more than militarizing the police among other things
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I think you and others should watch this video.

Minneapolis is a liberal dream... and yet...

[Tw]1285585572883337216[/tw]
 
A Michigan school district fired a popular high school teacher and coach after he pointed out that "Trump is our president" on social media.

Varsity baseball coach and social studies teacher Justin Kucera said Walled Lake school district officials hauled him into a closed-door meeting after he indicated his support for President Trump's speech to reopen schools. He told the Washington Free Beacon the Walled Lake Western principal and district superintendent gave him an ultimatum: be fired or resign.




"I was required to meet with [human resources], the superintendent, and my principal [on July 10]. They initially took my statement on why I tweeted those tweets and they told me they would have a decision about my future employment in the upcoming days. When they completed the meeting, I was told I had the option to either be fired or resign." Kucera said.

Neither the school district nor the principal responded to requests for comment.

Kucera said the statement that cost him his job was intended to unify, rather than divide.

"I know a lot of people are just rooting for Trump to fail, and I don't think that anybody should do that," Kucera said. "Agree with him or not, you should want the president to do well. I apologized that [my tweet] brought so much negative attention, but I'm not sorry for what I said."

Kucera was a popular figure at the high school before the episode, according to parents and former teachers. Even his detractors lauded him on social media as they condemned the tweet. One student said she would need to find a new "favorite teacher" after seeing the missive. Multiple sources said that the teacher never brought politics into the classroom.


Bryant Hixson, a recent Walled Lake Western graduate, said his political views have no impact on how he views his coach and teacher.

"Prior to Mr. Kucera's tweet, I cannot recall an instance where he shared his political affiliations while teaching or coaching," Hixson said. "My political views have no impact on how I feel towards Mr. Kucera. Mr. Kucera has always been supportive of me as my AP World History and student leadership teacher and as my baseball and basketball coach."

A parent of two Walled Lake Western boys told the Free Beacon—on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution—that Kucera was an apolitical figure who coached his son in baseball and basketball and taught his sons AP History and student leadership.

"Justin coached my son his entire high school career and also was his AP History teacher and student leadership teacher for two years. I know Justin very well," the parent said. "If there's one thing that I would commend Justin for is, he always tried to stay apolitical. He always tried to stay right down the middle, avoid [political] conversations, and let the students make their own call based on their own life experiences." The father of two believes Kucera lost his job because administrators caved to a mob that had little to do with the school district.


Other Walled Lake teachers have expressed their political views without any repercussions. Paulette Loe, a now-retired Walled Lake Western teacher, encouraged students to read an article from the Atlantic about "how to beat Trump" while still employed. Nicole Estes, a kindergarten teacher in the district, called Trump a "sociopath" and a "narcissist" on Facebook in 2016 and is still employed at Keith Elementary School. Neither Loe nor Estes responded to requests for comment.

The teachers' union representative that accompanied Kucera at the meeting did not respond to a request for comment.
 
Yall remember when Obama sent in ATF, etc to squash the Bundy protests a few years back?

Think there was a thread on here about it.

Of course, Trump continues to expand on horrendous Obama precedent... we gotta stop giving the government so much authority
 
i don't have one to give ya right now cause i'm still laughing at you comparing the situation of armed white folks upset about taxes occupying a gov't building as similar


but hey, you do you
 
Oh so folks on federal property.... Obama sent the feds in to squash and arrest people. Protesters resisted.

I remember you being upset about this.

So tell me... what's the difference between this and portland.

Obama set a lot of bad precedent that future presidents are sure sure.to push further. Disaster
 
you think armed citizens are occupying a building in portland?

do you have evidence of that?


or are you just grasping at whatever weak example you think is closet to try to make your silly point?
 
goldfly said:
you think armed citizens are occupying a building in portland?

do you have evidence of that?


or are you just grasping at whatever weak example you think is closet to try to make your silly point?
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Yes. Citizens are literally assaulting federal buildings in Portland.

You know this.

But you dont care.

Your fake outrage is predictable.

Shame Obama set another awful precedent. At least Trump shut down the child separation policy... maybe he will shut this one down to if we are lucky

(By the way... feel free to make an actual argument, or prove me wrong... but I know you cant)
 
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