Category Archives: Free Speech

Segment from Free Speech TV: The Most Extreme Congress
In this segment on Free Speech TV #39;s "Ring of Fire" program, Howard L. Nations, a nationally renowned trial lawyer, discusses Congress #39;s low approval rating a...

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Segment from Free Speech TV: The Most Extreme Congress - Video

By Adam Ondo Published on November 07, 2013 8:25 AM Op-Eds, Opinions

Last week, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly went to Brown University to give a lecture on Proactive Policing in Americas Biggest City. He was met by more than 100 students and community activists who disrupted the meeting to the point that it had to be canceled. This type of behavior is in direct contradiction to the idea of free speech that is supposed to be found on college campuses. More importantly, this behavior is also illegal. Upset by the surveillance of Muslims and of the use of stop-and-frisk practices by the NYPD, the protestors conspired to prevent Commissioner Kelly from exercising his right to free speech and also prevented open-minded audience members from hearing what he had to say. Im not going to debate whether or not the protestors grievances were justified, as I would rather elucidate the multiple legal implications of their actions. When Brown officials asked protesters to allow Kelly to speak and reserve their comments until a question-and-answer session, the protestors refused. Brown student and protest organizer Jenny Li called this disobedience a powerful demonstration of free speech. This couldnt be further from the truth, as shouting down someone else is not a legitimate use of free speech. Ms. Li seemed to acknowledge this, apparently without realizing she was contradicting herself, when she said about the administrations decision to continue the lecture, We decided to cancel [the lecture] for them. Brown University President Christina Paxson was right in saying, The conduct of disruptive members of the audience is indefensible and an affront both to civil democratic society and to the universitys core values. Brown isnt the first university to be faced with this problem, though. A similar incident occurred at UC-Irvine in 2010, resulting in 10 students being convicted of conspiring to disturb and disrupt a meeting and speech, which is a misdemeanor in California under Penal Code 403. Rhode Island has a similar law that could be applied in the Brown case, as well as a lesser charge of disorderly conduct. At one point in the protest, a relatively large protestor acted aggressively and in a threatening manner toward a female administrator when asked to please stop shouting. This threatening and tumultuous behavior could warrant charging him with disorderly conduct pursuant to Rhode Island Penal Code 11-45-1. However, the sentence for this crime is not to exceed six months imprisonment, so it may send a better message to hit him, and every other disruptive protestor, with the charge of disrupting the meeting. Technically, the charge would be disturbance of public assemblies generally ( 11-11-1). This charge carries with it a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment. The egregious nature of the protestors actions warrant a harsher penalty in my opinion, so this is the path I would pursue. Furthermore, if one watches the video of the ordeal, it is obvious that the disruptions were planned as a group and well in advance, with numerous protestors reading scripted material in a predetermined order. The routine was choreographed by the protest organizers, one of whom is known to be the aforementioned Ms. Li. Since every person who shall conspire with another to commit an offense punishable under the laws of this state shall be subject to the same fine and imprisonment, many of the protestors not directly guilty of the crimes listed above could be charged with conspiring to disturb a public assembly, thus earning them the same sentence of one year imprisonment ( 11-1-6). As I have shown, there are ways to deal with criminal dissident elements in both the student body and the community, so why hasnt the District Attorney in Providence charged anyone yet? Radicals cannot be allowed to shutdown meetings, discussions and other forums promoting dialogue merely because they are opposed to a certain policy, person, or country. Free speech is not allowed to flourish in this type of environment, where anarchists terrorize authority figures trying to ensure respectful dialogue. It would be a shame if these criminals went unpunished for their actions. Ondo is a member of the class of 2014.

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Overzealous protesters threaten the right of free speech

T-Shirt Artist Takes NSA To Court For Violating Free Speech
Air Date: Nov. 1st, 2013 http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/11/01/sauk-rapids-graphic-artist-challenges-national-security-agency/ This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material...

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T-Shirt Artist Takes NSA To Court For Violating Free Speech - Video

FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Panel 3
FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Panel 3.

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FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Panel 3 - Video

FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Panel 1
FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Panel 1.

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FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Panel 1 - Video

Free Speech PSA

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Free Speech PSA - Video

FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Fred Litwin Intro.
FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Fred Litwin Intro.

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FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Fred Litwin Intro. - Video

FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Jacob Mchangama
FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Jacob Mchangama.

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FOURTH Free Thinking Film Festival-Collision! Free Speech and Religion-Jacob Mchangama - Video

Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Monday said that the biggest casualty of Congress Party's arrogance, while in power, has been the Fundamental Right to free speech.

"Those who have followed Indian politics, and the workings of the Congress Party after Independence, would agree that the stand of the Congress Party does not come as a surprise. The biggest casualty of the Congress Party's arrogance while in power, and its tendency to trample over Institutions, has been our Fundamental Right to Free Speech," Modi wrote in his blog titled 'Today Opinion Polls, what next?'

He further said that the UPA Government has shown their intolerance towards social media criticism, when Government suspended Twitter handles.

"On that occasion I had blackened my Twitter display picture as a mark of solidarity with all those in Social Media who were speaking up for free speech and expression. Some months back, a Restaurant in Mumbai was threatened for expressing its opinion against the UPA's policies in a creative manner on a Sales Receipt," he said.

He also said that opinion polls in India have had mixed records of getting their predictions right and wrong, and added that it is up to the political parties to determine what to do with the findings of an opinion poll.

"As for opinion polls, it is not that I have any particular affinity for them. In fact, I am quite aware of their limitations. Our enlightened pollsters made assertions about how Gujarat will vote against the BJP in 2002, then again in 2007 and even in 2012 with such great confidence only to be proven incorrect by the people," he said.

"However there is an important principle and ethics here that holds true for every Party and Government. A government that is in denial over where the public opinion really stands, is doomed to be thrown out of power," he added.

Modi further wrote that it is utterly puerile to resort to extreme steps only because opinion polls do not notify what the political party wants to hear.

"If the poll is favourable, we are free to become complacent or we can continue our work on the ground without becoming over confident. But if they are not favourable to us, we are free to reject the numbers and remain in denial or we can choose to take corrective action where it merits," he added.

He also wrote that his concern is not limited to this proposal to ban opinion polls, and added that the Congress might resort to even ban the Election Commission, if they lose an election.

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'Fundamental Right to free speech biggest casualty of Congress' arrogance': Modi on opinion polls

Senior leader of the BJP Arun Jaitley Monday accused the Congress of posing threats to the right of freedom of expression, and said: "A potential loser in the elections cannot seek to alter the rules of free speech."

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, in an article on the party's website, was responding to a statement from the Congress seeking a restriction on opinion polls, in the run-up to the elections.

Jaitley said the government's "unconstitutional censorship order" last month concerning "artificial competition" to the prime minister's national day speeches was prompted by "Modi-phobia".

He added that opinion polls too were part of freedom of speech.

"Restricting them is constitutionally neither permissible nor desirable. The Election Commission will be best advised to keep away from the controversy concerning the ban on opinion polls and allow the market place of democracy to accept or reject the findings of the opinion poll," he said.

"When the trend of opinion polls are adverse to political parties, they rubbish them," Jaitley said.

"They start demanding a ban. The loser demands a ban and the potential winner wants them to continue. A ban on such polls cannot be considered based on who is demanding the ban," he said.

According to the CNN-IBN-The Week pre-poll survey telecast last week, the BJP was set to retain Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and defeat the Congress in Rajasthan.

It said the BJP was slightly ahead of Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in the three-way split in Delhi.

Five states, including Mizoram, are to go to the polls November-December.

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Congress trying to restrict free speech, says Arun Jaitley