First Amendment

Margate Persecutes Human Sign Spinners

By Stefan Kamph Tue., Sep. 18 2012 at 6:37 AM
Categories: First Amendment, Get Off My Lawn!, War on Terror
denver-sign-spinners.7705405.40.jpeg
Westword
How big must a man's sandwich board be before the strong arm of the state comes down to crush his minimum-wage shenanigans? How long is too long for a giant arrow pointing to a mattress store where everything is always 75 percent off?

Yeah, uh, six square feet, says the Margate City Commission.

These down times have spawned a lot of makeshift solutions in Florida, such as businesses inside storage units. None, perhaps, is more iconic than the guy sweltering in a chicken suit, holding a big sign. All this makes the sub-suburban enclave Margate, which is basically just one big median swale, feel like it needs to take action.

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Margate, recession, rules about stuff, sign spinners
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First Amendment

Earl Stewart Toyota Should Ignore Lake Park Commission and Build a 600-Foot Flagpole

By Chris Sweeney Fri., Jun. 8 2012 at 5:00 AM
Categories: First Amendment
EagleFlag.jpg
Earlier this week, Lake Park town commissioners struck down Earl Stewart Toyota's proposal to erect a 340-foot flagpole along U.S. 1. What a bunch of babies. Among the reasons cited for denying the proposal were traffic and noise concerns. 

So instead of a hulking display of American awesomeness, the commissioners suggested the auto dealer install an insultingly short 50-footer. But real Americans know that this is just the latest attack on flagpole freedom in a long-running battle that has left the U.S. devoid of record-setting patriotism. 

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Allen West, Donald Trump, Earl Stewart Toyota, Guinness Book of World Records, Trident Support
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Education

Florida Senate Passes Bill Allowing Prayer in Schools; Vote Isn't Even Close

By Rich Abdill Wed., Feb. 1 2012 at 3:21 PM
Categories: Education, First Amendment, Religion
gary-siplin.jpg
This government endorsement of religion brought to you by state Sen. Gary Siplin.
​The state Senate passed SB 98 this afternoon by a 31-8 margin, paving the way for public school districts to allow student prayer in school. The bill would allow "student volunteers to deliver inspirational messages, including but not limited to, prayers of invocation or benediction," according to a legislative summary from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Legislators appear to have attempted to get around the giant mounds of precedent against this sort of thing by adding verbiage to the text of the bill that simply allows students to deliver an "inspirational message" and then prohibits school officials from controlling the content of the message.

To review: Prayer at mandatory public school events is OK, so long as a grownup isn't the one doing it.
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Gary Siplin
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Broward

Broward Commission Rejects One Proposal Requiring Permits for "Expressive Activities"

By Matthew Hendley Tue., Nov. 8 2011 at 12:49 PM
Categories: Broward, First Amendment, Occupy
broward-dickhead-logo.jpg
The Broward Commission unanimously voted down a draft ordinance proposed by County Administrator Bertha Henry to require people to apply for and obtain permits to engage in "expressive activities" at county facilities -- a mandate that many members of the public see as a stab at the First Amendment.

However, the opportunity remains for a similar ordinance to appear before the commission again.

About 24 members of the public addressed the commission; surprisingly, not one person rose in support of the proposed permits.

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Broward, Broward Commission, Expressive Activities, First Amendment, Florida, Free Speech, Occupy
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First Amendment

Westboro Baptist Nuts May Be Met With Violence Unless Bill Passes, Sponsor Says

By Matthew Hendley Mon., Jul. 11 2011 at 4:04 PM
Categories: First Amendment
westboro-baptist-lunatic-signs.jpg
via Flickr user Burstein
​State Rep. Pat Rooney is aware that everyone else on Earth not related to the Phelps family of the Westboro Baptist "Church" thinks they're a gang of lunatics.

Aside from the previous reasons for his military funeral buffer-zone bill, Rooney has added another to the list: People could get violent against the Westboro Baptist goons.

Since local media outlets have been reporting that the Westboro gang is coming to protest the funeral of 24-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Christopher Schumann, who died Tuesday in Afghanistan, Rooney's office says it's seen the reaction the news is causing.

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Fred Phelps, Jordan Christopher Schumann, Pat Rooney, Westboro Baptist Church
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First Amendment

Westboro Baptist Creeps Planning Florida Funeral Protest in Response to Proposed Bill

By Matthew Hendley Mon., Jul. 11 2011 at 10:59 AM
Categories: First Amendment
westboro-1.jpg
thegatewaypundit.com
Westboro Baptist weirdos.
​It looks like the Westboro Baptist "Church" is interpreting State Rep. Pat Rooney's military funeral buffer-zone bill as an invitation.

The Kansas crazies haven't placed it on their public schedule yet, but the Palm Beach Post reports the "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates Fags" sign-wielding loons are planning to protest the funeral of 24-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Christopher Schumann, who died Tuesday in Afghanistan.

The funeral arrangements haven't yet been made, the paper says, but Schumann's parents live in Port St. Lucie.

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Fred Phelps, Jordan Christopher Schumann, Pat Rooney, Westboro Baptist Church
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First Amendment

State Rep. Rooney Files Bill to Keep Westboro Baptist Bozos at Bay

By Matthew Hendley Fri., Jul. 8 2011 at 1:08 PM
Categories: First Amendment
westboro-baptist-lunatic-psychopathic-creeps.jpg
towleroad.com
​State Rep. Pat Rooney isn't too happy about the "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates Fags" sign-wielding lunatics from the Westboro Baptist "Church" in Kansas parading around funerals extolling their hate under the protection of the First Amendment.

For the second straight legislative session, Rooney is introducing a bill that would create a buffer zone between "funeral services of soldiers, first responders, political figures, and minors" and anyone nutty enough to protest it.

His last bill, HB 761 -- which would have made it illegal for anyone to protest the funerals within 1.5 miles -- died in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee last year. The new bill, HB 31, introduces the same exact text, except brings down the buffer zone to 500 feet.

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Christina Taylor Green, Fred Phelps, Gabrielle Giffords, Pat Rooney, Westboro Baptist Church
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First Amendment

Fort Lauderdale Hires Attorney, Moves to Dismiss Photo-Ban Lawsuit from Journalists

By Stefan Kamph Fri., Jul. 8 2011 at 12:34 PM
Categories: First Amendment, Law
kentstew.jpg
journoterrorist.com
Norm Kent and City Attorney Harry Stewart.
​Today is the deadline for the City of Fort Lauderdale to respond to a lawsuit by area journalists over signs illegally prohibiting photography near the downtown set of Rock of Ages.

Norm Kent, a lawyer and the publisher of South Florida Gay News, filed the suit last month, then met with City Attorney Harry Stewart in a hearing seeking an emergency order to prevent cops from enforcing the ban. While no arrests were made over photography, some cops did obstruct photographers, supposedly in the name of the law.

Now the city has retained Alain Boileau, an attorney with McIntosh Schwartz, to answer the charges. Boileau says that More »

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Alain Boileau, Harry Stewart, lawsuit, Norm Kent, photography ban
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Activism

Journalists Sue Fort Lauderdale Over Photography Ban, Plan Himmarshee "Lunch-In"

By Stefan Kamph Wed., Jun. 15 2011 at 1:52 PM
Categories: Activism, First Amendment
rock-of-ages-photo-ban.jpg
Carlos Miller
​Fort Lauderdale has a lawsuit on its hands after letting a movie production company put up bogus no-trespassing signs, which attempted to prohibit photography by citing a random city ordinance.

The Hollywood film Rock of Ages is being filmed around the Himmarshee Village area. Several journalists and photographers were told they're not allowed to take pictures there, despite the presence of many bars, eateries, and open sidewalks nearby.

Attorney (and South Florida Gay News publisher) Norm Kent has filed a civil suit against the city and Police Chief Frank Adderly, whose police officers have been helping to enforce the photography ban.

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Carlos Miller, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Frank Adderley, Michael Koretzky, Norm Kent, photography, Rock of Ages
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First Amendment

College Student Defends Facebook First Amendment Rights and Settles With Former Principal

By Leslie Minora Wed., Jan. 5 2011 at 1:59 PM
Categories: First Amendment
Thumbnail image for source chris kasurak.jpg
via Chris Kasurak
Cartoon of cyberbullying, free speech's evil tug-of-war partner.
​Where is the line between cyberbullying and free speech? If one exists, it's wide, gray, and quite cloudy, and Katherine Evans walked it for two years as she sued her former Pembroke Pines Charter High School principal for his decision to suspend her for three days for her actions on Facebook. Evans, now a journalism student at the University of Florida, will receive $15,000 in attorneys' fees and $1 in nominal damages, and the suspension will be removed from her school record in accordance with the settlement reached last week.

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