Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I'm not a big fan of Michael Savage -- the kind of over the top rhetoric he uses doesn't seem to serve any real purpose, though it is occasionally entertaining if you agree with him. I don't, however, think that city entities have any real business being involved in censuring or censoring talk radio, particularly not with their own distortions. Savage isn't anti-immigrant, he's anti-illegal immigrant. Congratulations on a brave stand by Ed Jew, the one vote that prevented San Francisco from falling completely into totalitarianism: San Francisco fails in attack on Savage
The vote tonight was 9-1, with third generation San Franciscan Ed Jew turning in the veto vote, after getting up and affirming Savage's First Amendment right to express his opinion.
Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval had introduced a resolution condemning the radio talker. After the vote, he called for the tally to be rescinded and the proposal sent to committee, which essentially is a polite way of letting the issue die.
"For the record, I do not agree with comments allegedly made by Mr. Savage, but the First Amendment gives him the right to make those comments," Jew said...
...Michael Savage, on his show tonight, said he wants people to urge authorities to arrest illegal immigrants, because he is being targeted in a "dry run" to see how far illegal aliens can go in silencing free speech.
"This is a dry run against free speech in America by the Islamists and the illegal aliens who are now becoming one and the same," he said. "It's the same organizational structure. … I am the target of this dry run. They want to see how far they can get in silencing a voice of freedom in the United States of America. They want to see which, if any, governmental agencies will stop them."
"Guess what they learned so far?" he continued. "That not only will no governmental agency stop them in their attempts to kill free speech, they will aid them in their attempts to kill free speech. We have lost our freedoms already.
"Lady Liberty has been hog tied. She is being raped by the illegal aliens. She is being raped by the landlords who are using the illegal aliens. Lady Liberty is there in bindings screaming for us to release her," he said.
Savage noted another protest is scheduled tomorrow by illegal aliens...
Savage has an opportunity to fight back:
"You have a strong federal civil rights action that you can file against Supervisor Sandoval and the city of San Francisco," he advised. "You have a constitutional right to state your political opinions and no city official has the right to lie about what you said or to call for a mob to come to your door to threaten you and to try to have you fired."...
This is one of the few times I've seen the First Amendment invoked correctly.
I am not a fan of Savage, every time I have caught any of his show, he seems to be about ready to have a meltdown - I can't listen to his ideas because his presentation bothers me. But, lots of people really like his show and his schtick.
This was a government entity trying to stifle speech. It's exactly what the First Amendment was formed to prevent. This wasn't a Hollywood lefty saying they didn't like it - this was a GOVERNING BODY trying to stop the speech of someone they don't like.
What's scary is that only one person stood up against it.
Theresa, that IS scary and it meshes with something else I saw Monday.
I went to the airport to meet my cousin who had a few hour layover enroute, which she'd made specifically so we could meet and talk.
Well. I hadn't been to this particular airport since 9/11, as the smaller one in my city is more convenient for the cut rate airlines I usually fly - when I fly - but it's always been one of my favorite places in the world. It is huge, exciting, and features some architectural jewels, people coming and going from all over the world, and of course the dazzlingly beautiful planes. Many times I've just gone out there to draw and enjoy the atmosphere.
Well that's all gone now. It's a dark, grim, fortress. Gone are the beautiful neon light displays, gone are the restaurants and the wonderful vistas, and visitors are relegated to the outer perimeters. I had to wait for my cousin, whose plane was late, in the basement where the baggage arrives. There wasn't anyplace to sit and noplace to eat besides Starbucks and similar kiosks. There is reinforced concrete everywhere, information concerning flight arrivals and departures was hard to find, and it was almost impossible even to see a plane.
Now, I am not a person who will deny the threat of terrorism. I know it's real. But I can't help but feel that something is happening in the US, that the government and government bodies on various levels are misusing fear, misusing the threat, and it's taking some very ugly forms that are darkening American life. It doesn't matter whether the darkness is emanating from the Left or from the Right - it's a sense I have that we're losing our basic freedoms.
I didn't feel any better after talking to my cousin, who told me of the large numbers of people being held in prisons across the US under counterterror and immigration laws, and whom she's trying to help in cases where injustices have been done. It got worse when she told me that the people she's helping - people from all over the world - from Mexico, Africa, Mongolia - are blaming - guess who - the Jews - for their plight.
Sophia:
Will you please quantify what you mean by "large numbers of people being held in prisons"? What is the ratio of counterterrorism vs illegal immigration detainees? Are you asserting that these people are being held unconstitutionally and are not connected with terrorism or illegal immigration? Are the people your cousin is helping accused of terrorism or illegal immigration?
As for the change in the airport ambiance, I blame the terrorists. 9/11 did after all happen.
There's a fine line to be walked here, but I think the Supervisors' resolution stays just on the legal side of it. Isn't it non-binding, nothing more than an expression of opinion?
Jack Okie, I'm just now hearing about this from my cousin, and will report back when I have more information.
She says people are being held without charges being filed, held indefinitely in violation of the Constitution.
Some are green card holders, some are indeed illegal aliens, some had been visa holders and their visas elapsed, etc, so admittedly there's a range of people/cases to be considered. She says there are far more than people realize.
I was skeptical too but she isn't a nut, she's 62, not a child; and she feels the Constitution is being violated. Apparently there were laws providing for such detentions passed after the Oklahoma City bombings but they weren't vigorously enforced until after 9/11, which is understandable.
On balance, it's impossible to dispute the fact that people attacked us and are probably trying to attack us again, unless one is a conspiracy theorist which I'm not; but I contend that we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water. We should endeavor to remain as open and democratic as possible, shouldn't we? Isn't it important to try and keep America lively, vital, and exciting as well as safe and fair?
And - we shouldn't let our fear control us. We have something precious here, and much of it exists in the intangible things: the ability to partake fully of our world is one of them. I too deplore that so much of that sense was lost on 9/11.
The word police, that pick a new victim each week, are absolutely right. Free speech is over rated. The very fiber of our country is being ripped to shreds and our future as a nation is in question. But hey, what is really important is that we lie in wait for anyone who dares to utter a word in our country's defense or speaks even a sentence that does not reflect the present day take-it-up the-butt policy. Is this what we do with the freedom people have died for, waste it on this nonsense of finger pointing and having people fired that express an opinion. If you don't like what people say, say something different, don't silence them for God's sake. Oh I'm sorry I said God, guess you'll have to sue and fire me.
Michael Savage has the right to believe that some kids diagnosed as having autism just need to be treated like unruly brats.
I think he belives that autism is over diagnosed liked ADD.
The islamofascsist, lefist, FAKE anti-war crowd, don't like Michael Savages speech.
CAIR wants to suppress Savage over his criticism of islamofascism - and they have sued him.
Now they've added a SECOND attack on Savage to silence him.
The TRUE goal is to silence Savage over his anti-islamofascist speech.
Eddie,
Don't change the subject. What he said was incorrect. Plain and simple. It shows a lack of understanding of autism.
Also, I assume your use of bold type and capitals is intended to represent yelling/shouting. That is also a tactic many people use to silence others opinions or to stop a conversation. Interesting.