I’ve gotten several emails with advice on how to handle yourself if local officials are obstructing your First Amendment right to peaceful assembly with burdensome permit or insurance requirements.
Quoting from an e-mail:
You should not need a permit or insurance for a First Amendment event.
Consider letting local officials know that you individually intend to engage in your First Amendment to the United Stated Constitution right to freedom of assembly. You are not part of any formal organization but intend to invite like minded members of the public to join you. While government can regulate the time, manner and place of assembly to some extent, government cannot act in a manner seeking to prevent your protest and cannot discriminate against your protest based on content. You will comply with reasonable restrictions to clean up litter and refrain from blocking access, but you have no budget or funds to secure any insurance and cannot be responsible for the behavior of others.
Have there been any anti-war protests in your area? Ask to see their permits and the conditions imposed. Did local officials require insurance in those cases?
See also:
FAQ on rallies from the First Amendment Center.
When Obama got elected, I decided that the American public made a choice, especially after John McCain ran one of the most lackluster, dysfunctional and aenemic campaigns imaginable. I thought I would give Obama the benefit of my doubts because he was OUR elected President, chosen by a fair election. In less than four months after taking office, he has completely lost all my support and faith in his administration’s ability to do much beyond ruining this great country. From the stimulus package, his overall budget and where he is spending much of the money, his decision to reduce military spending by $1.2 billion, particularly the missle defense system following the North Korea missle launch, lifting the embryonic stem cell research ban, his political appointments, capped off by his consistent running down of our country and APOLOGIZING to the Muslim world, who hate us, and the Europeans, who have always resented America’s standing in the world, during his just ended foreign tour. Not to mention the tax increases that we all know are coming, along with “TRILLIONS” in debt as far as the eye can see. In short I’ve gone from lukewarm support to outright anger and fear. This guy is starting to scare the HELL out of me!!!!!
I hope & pray this TEA PARTY movement turns into a political force for change back to the country established by our Founding Fathers
Robert,duuude! How old are you? Did you know that we didn’t have an income tax until Roosevelt taxed us to pay for WWII? AND at that time it was 3%.
People back then were pitching a royal fit!! I remember my grandparents raising cane about it.
Are you also aware that we are being taxed for 45% and up of our income?
Get a history book and crack it open.
To the topic- It will be a cold day in H&LL before I pay one cent for a permit to tell my .gov that they have bastardized the Constitution and violated the laws of this country.
It takes money to run this great country of ours and I’m continually amazed by those that don’t want to pay their share.
I don’t know if they could prosecute them all, but would you be willing to volunteer as one they do prosecute?
I say, change your federal tax filing status on your w-4, so they can’t touch your money, then refuse to pay federal income taxes. If enough people do this, how could they prosecute them all?
DeAnn I had the SAME idea! I think its definitely something we should do. I was thinking either the frist amendment or the Bill of Rights. A copy of the first amendment might be a little more on message. But I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking about typing up either a pamphlet or an essay defending the first amendment, more specifically the right to peaceful assembly and petition and distributing it at the events.
lynda, i think your concerns of inflation are real. especially across the board, the value of the US dollar in foreign exchange is also going to hurt as well. the EURO already worth about 1.39 on the dollar, expect this to increase. precious metals seem like a solid investment right now, putting a good percentage of my portfolio into silver in these hard times. luckily for me i moved 50% to government securities a little over a year ago as things started to look gloomy for the future.
Due to the rising cost of cigarettes, and future health concerns, my wife (with much help convincing her from me), quit smoking this past year. it was absured to pay over $4 for a pack of cigs. But the socialist health care seems good for us right now, for the kids anyways. About 6 years ago we were in a position where I was working. My employer did not provide health care, and I made just enough money not to qualify for any help getting coverage.
But one thing is certain, the government lately seems like an out of control freshman college student who just got his first credit card…
What will our children say in a few years if we don’t do anything? This is insane. READ THE CONSTITUTION! Remember your safe and free life, and keep it for your children.
Joradan, God bless you! My husband wants to print up the first amendment on a piece of paper and when they someone ask for his permit that is what he will give them. Not sure it would work but it should.
Did our founding fathers require a permit from the British when they dumped their tea in Boston Harbor all those years ago? No they didn’t. So why should we be bullied around by our government and be told that we need a permit to stand on the ground that we, as taxpayers, pay for. I for one refuse to pay my government to oppress me and tell me where I can and can not stand. I am an American. And if I choose to stand on something I pay for by God I will!
This section is for Permits/Insurance that we have to have for the tea-party! Not your smoking! heath insurance.
Lynda, thanks for pointing out this article. It seems global warming isn’t the only topic of disinformation.
I’m not a smoker, but I have friends that are, and what alot of them tell me is that if you go to an Indian Reservation like we have in Ks., there is NO tax because the Indians are not required to charge tax. My mom smokes, and I think it’s a bad habit, that said, it’s none of my business. This government is WAY out of control!! It MUST be pushed back! God Bless!
Wow I’m paying 500 a month for my insurance I make just under 60 k a year
I smoke 2 to 3 packs wife does too however I’ve been trying to quit cause I want to not cause these stupid taxes
a sugestion go to your local Indian reversation and buy there oklahoma advertised no new tax on ciggretts
Go for it Lynda, I smoke 2 pks a day and I will do the same plus I will quit buying all the chemicals in manufactured food and grow my own. If I don’t support Monsanto type companies they will lose money and our government will have to prop them up with our tax dollars, so why don’t we quit work and they won’t be able to get tax dollars. Better yet get involved in the Tea Tax Parties on Apr 15 and refuse to pay taxes! My hubby will keep me on tobacco because it’s cheaper than getting prescriptions to sedate me; he doesn’t like it when I go on a rampage because I don’t have a cigarette.
Smokers are NOT the Fed, they don’t print themselves up some more money to pay extortion, they shift ALL that spending from some OTHER part of their budget. EVERYONE pays tobacco taxes. Get ready for convenience stores to add to business closings and unemployment, and a huge new boost for organized crime.
I want to remind all smokers who still have children at home to run right out tomorrow and SIGN THEM UP for Socialist Children’s Health Program. Then you can drop the insurance you were paying for to pay your new cigarette extortion taxes : ). They have vastly raised the income limits for eligibility, and now some families with income up to $80,000/year will be eligible. I understand some states also allow ADULTS in this program, so find out if YOU, or adults in your family are eligible.
My husband and I each smoke 3 pk/day, and have NO intention of EVER quitting, ESPECIALLY in light of THIS - MUST READ:
The Scientific Scandal of Antismoking By J. R. Johnstone, PhD (Monash)
and P.D.Finch, Emeritus Professor of Mathematical Statistics (Monash)
http://members.iinet.com.au/~ray/TSSOASb.html
We will be paying about $6/day in new extortion tax, or about $180/month, or about $2190/year. We are going to finance that by dumping DirecTV, our 2nd phone line, and our dial up internet service, and replace with cable TV and DSL. That will save only about $20/month, but we now have a fast internet connection - and also we will get local networks. We will finance the balance by signing up our two kids we still have at home (and maybe myself as well?) with Socialist Children’s Health Insurance Program. That will save us $350/month, or about $4,200/year, so we will come out ahead $2,250/year.
Since I am very opposed on principle to paying EXTORTION, we will do our best to avoid the new cig taxes ANYWAY. So, this whole situation MAY have some stimulating effect on the economy from us. However, since the massive tripling of government debt is likely to be financed by the PRINTING PRESS, I am expecting horendous INFLATION rates in the fairly near future, so any excess we will have by making the indicated changes just might help us to keep our heads above water.