How say you?

[OntarioVanMan]

A federal appeals court ruled last week that it's unconstitutional for the National Park Service to require people to get permits before distributing religious or other free speech material in its parks. Glisson said of the ruling, "It's freedom of Speech. This is the United States. If I don't you don't want the material they're passing out, don't take it. They have the right to pass it out."

Park Service

"The purpose of our mission isn't to prevent the First Amendment; it's to prevent conflicts," he said. In St. Louis, knowing about the Nazi rally ahead of time allowed the memorial to provide extra rangers to help control crowds,

Mount Rushmore has few free-speech permit requests

 

[Turtle]

People don't go to National Parks to be bombarded with handbills and free speech discussions from special interest groups. They go to National Parks to rest and recreate, and often to escape the political and religious hot button issues of the day. Those who want to use the venue to encroach on the private liberties of others should simply be fed to the bears, no permit necessary.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Well the courts allowed for the 2nd Amendment to be allowed in National Parks, why not the 1st? In fact, the two go hand in hand. You can always shoot the solicitor, then claim you thought it was a bear giving out handbills.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

If a group of rabble rousers are allowed to interrupt a funeral service, then I guess there is no relief from the 1st Amendment.

 

[chefdennis]

I have no problem with them exercising the 1st ammendment right to free speech, as long as when they are asked to stop and leave me alone and they just ignore that request that they don't have a problem with me bearing the arms that the 2nd ammendment give me.....

That should end the problem and no one would get in trouble for feeding the bears....

 

[DaWhale]

The airports have booths set up for those who want to pass out literature. Certainly an option for the park service.

 

[Turtle]

I don't know about these things, But isn't Free speech one of them inalienable rights? Like right to bear arms?....can you limit it in any way?

While free speech is an inalienable right, like all inalienable rights, it can still be limited in certain situations, particularly when exercising your inalienable right would infringe on the inalienable rights of others. Like, the classic case of falsely shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater, where the exercise of free speech could incite panic and may result in injury or even death.

The primary inalienable rights are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. (Originally, it was "Life, Liberty and Property", but Thomas Jefferson replaced "Property" with "Pursuit of Happiness".)

The "pursuit of happiness" has come to mean many things to many people, but in the strict, original context,it meant the right to pursue any lawful business or vocation, in any manner not inconsistent with the equal rights of others, which may increase their prosperity or develop their faculties, so as to give to them their highest enjoyment. It means that you can do and be whatever you want. If you want to be a buggy whip maker, you can be one. An expediter? No problem. Be all you can be, whatever you want to be, it's up to you.

But the "pursuit of happiness" extends as a practical matter beyond that of business and vocation, the ordinary trades and pursuits, to the common everyday business and callings of life, which are innocuous in themselves, and have been followed in all communities from time immemorial, must therefore be free to all alike upon the same conditions.These include recreational activities and intellectual pursuits, everything from playing a game of Jacks to reading a book to whatever else makes you happy within the scope of not infringing upon the rights of others.

So, your free speech is an inalienable right, right up to the point where the exercise thereof infringes upon the rights of others. An inalienable right to free speech does not give you an inalienable right to be rude and inconsiderate, especially when the rudeness and inconsideration takes away from the pursuit of happiness of someone else, which is what "disturbing the peace" laws are all about.

Now, here's why this one really caught my attention. I've been to Mt Rushmore half a dozen times. It's a really kewl place for many reasons beyond that of the monument itself. Twice I have had people come up to me and want to talk about my religion, or more accurately, about theirs, and why mine should be the same as theirs. Both times my response was no thanks, not interested, and both times they persisted. In both cases I had to ask them a second time to please not talk to me and to please leave me alone. I should have the liberty and freedom to stand there and mind my own business and be left alone in my pursuit of being happy doing what I was doing.

Faced with the choices of standing there and trying to pursue my happiness while enduring their blithering blather, or killing them, I was forced to abandon my pursuit of happiness and move to another location. And in both cases they followed, in one instance a fellow insisting that I at least take one of his pamphlets, and in the other case two fellows insisting that I listen to what they have to say because my eternal soul depends on it. In both cases they ended up infringing on my personal liberties and inalienable rights.

And in both cases, they should have been fed to the bears, where after a week or two they would have become pine tree fertilizer, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, poop to poop.

 

[layoutshooter]

I was once bothered by a "religious" type on the sea wall in Key West. It was evening, twilight, quiet and I was just sitting there.

The man came up and made his statement. I thanked him, told him that I was not interested and wished to be left alone. He persisted. I proceeded to exercise MY right to free speech, cussed him up on side and down the other, told him to leave me that "heck alone" and to get away from me. He looked "shocked" and "offended" and LEFT!! PEACE AND QUIET as I pursued MY happiness!!