Chinese protesters use comic subterfuge to evade government censors

With the Chinese government employing more than 50,000 censors to monitor the Internet for politically deviant opinion, bloggers are using humor and satire to get their message across before the censors close in. There is always a strong element of fear and uncertainty for the bloggers as they never know where the line is between [...]

Opinion: Freedom of assembly not exend to indefinite camping

The Constitutional guarantee of freedom of assembly does not automatically guarantee the right to camp out in city parks, writes Ken Paulson of the First Amendment Center. “Courts have traditionally upheld the right of governments to manage and supervise public property. As long as there’s a rational basis for the rules and no point of [...]

Opinion: Bay Area Rapid Transit still tugging at First Amendment

The Bay Area Rapid Transit System is botching it in dealing with protests inside the stations, writes Gene Policinski of the First Amendment Center. Policinski says BART has managed to restrict almost every freedom granted citizens under the First Amendment. -db From a commentary for the First Amendment Center,  September 13, 2011, by Gene Policinski. [...]

Social media the new revolutionary pamphlet

While conceding that the social media did not cause the Egyptian revolution, Sam Gustin in Wired writes that the social media made significant contributions to the revolution’s success, a development that offers hope to repressed peoples of the Middle East. Gustin quotes Sascha Meinrath of the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative: “In the same [...]

A&A: Can police remove lawn sign protesting police brutality?

Q: I have been retaliated against for complaining about a police officer beating and raping me. Many crimes were committed by cops in the cover-up, but I have been completely silenced. I put up a sign in my front yard and got an instant response by police. I need to know if they have any [...]

First Amendment cases: Supreme Court to hear Kansas case of protesters at military funeral

The Supreme Court will hear the case of a Marine father who sued protesters who picketed his son’s funeral with signs reading “God Hates You” land “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” The picketers were from a Baptist church that believes God hates homosexuality and is punishing the U.S. for tolerating it with the death of [...]

Federal court throws out part of Houston’s law on parades, strikes and rallies

The 5th Circuit upheld much of Houston’s laws on protest activity but threw out some restrictions including the restriction on the number of permits per location and the limit for parades to two one-hour periods per week on weekdays. The district court had already thrown out the requirement for additional security and the 10 day [...]

ACLU sounds warning on role of fusion centers in domestic spying

The American Civil Liberties Union warns that the 70 fusion centers set up to collect and share information after 9/11 are operating with little oversight, even book-marking law-abiding citizens for using “threatening words” one of which is “protest.” -db American Civil Liberties Union Opinion January 29, 2010 By Amanda Simon For years now, the ACLU [...]

Jail for soldier writing rap song to protest his deployment to Iraq

A soldier and rap musician wrote a song that ironically put him into Liberty County Jail. The song protested his deployment to Iraq just as his military obligation was ending. -DB OpEdNews Opinion January 10, 2010 By Dave Lindorff In the ironically named Liberty County Jail since December 11 sits Army Specialist and Iraq War [...]

West Point wins ruling against anti-war demonstrators

A jury in a federal district court found that the U.S. Military Academy at West Point did not violate the First Amendment rights of anti-war demonstrators who wore T-shirts spelling out “U.S. out of Iraq” at a basketball game in 2004. -DB Times Herald-Record July 23, 2009 By Alexa James WHITE PLAINS, N.Y — A jury [...]

A&A: Protesting on Sidewalks

Protesting on Sidewalks Q: We arrived at the sidewalk in front of the Fox television offices. We demonstrated for about an hour then I took the bullhorn and stepped onto the private sidewalk that leads up to the front door of the office building. I spoke my piece as FOX security guards surrounded me and [...]