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THE
PLAN TO BAN TEA PARTY RALLIES SIT
DOWN & SHUT UP OR ELSE By
KrisAnne Hall
www.AmericansUnitedforFreedom.com
March 6, 2012  Heading
into the most important election of our lifetime, Barack Obama and a terrified
Congress want to make sure angry Americans can never again gather en mass to change
the course of history as we did with the 1.2 million member 912 March and the
demonstrations that flipped Congress in 2010. No, our tyrannical politicians
want to force you to stay home and shut up.
THE
FIRST AMENDMENT SHALL NOT DIE
ON OUR WATCH! – STOP HR347 & 1794
FAX CONGRESS NOW! The protected right of the people peaceably
to assemble is unalienable, something that has afforded deep fundamental and historical
foundations to our freedom. Our Founders established a clear "no trespassing sign"
via our First Amendment to keep the government away from this God-given right
essential to Liberty. "Congress shall make no law abridging…the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for
a redress of grievances." But new legislation is gaining ground in Congress
that will destroy this absolutely central, simple and non-negotiable right imperative
to a free people. HR 347 and S 1794, the "Federal Restricted Buildings
and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011" has nothing to do with improving landscaping
around federal buildings.  This
bill is being presented as a No Trespassing bill. Reasonable people understand
that lawful restrictions and protections are needed for government officials
and government functions. However, this legislation makes it a federal
crime to allegedly DISRUPT the "ORDERLY CONDUCT" of government. THE
FIRST AMENDMENT SHALL NOT DIE
ON OUR WATCH! – STOP HR347 & 1794
FAX CONGRESS NOW! The violator doesn't have to be physically
on the grounds where the government business is being conducted, just within the
vicinity of the self-proclaimed "business of government." The law is not limited
to buildings or locations as the title suggests, but seems to be "roving" and
follows persons protected by Secret Service wherever they may go. - Standing
on a sidewalk with a sign as a Congressman walks by? BUSTED
- Traffic
slowing to read your Tea Party signs? BUSTED
- Make a statement
at a town hall meeting that your Congressman doesn't like? BUSTED
1752(a)(2)
knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt
the orderly conduct of government business or official functions,
engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity
to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct,
in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official
functions;  1752(a)(3)
knowingly, and with the intent to impede or disrupt
the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions, obstructs or
impedes ingress or egress to or from any restricted building or grounds;
1752(c)(1)
the term 'restricted buildings or grounds' means any posted, cordoned off, or
otherwise restricted area – (B) of a building or grounds where
the President or other person protected by the Secret Service
is or will be temporarily visiting; or C) of a building or grounds
so restricted in conjunction with an event designated as a special
event of national significance; THE
FIRST AMENDMENT SHALL NOT DIE ON OUR WATCH!
STOP HR347 & 1794 –
FAX CONGRESS NOW! The right protected in the First Amendment
is the right to peaceably assemble. We do not have the right to impede
the flow of traffic, either on sidewalks or roadways. We do not have the right
to impede anyone's business practices. But this law is not about private business,
it is about government operations. Make that Big Brother Government Operations. This
Congress has a habit of writing in vague and overbroad terms; yet, in order for
laws to be Constitutionally sound they CANNOT be vague and overbroad in ANY aspect,
and they can ONLY interfere with the rights of the people in as narrow a capacity
as both necessary and according with Constitutional principle. But this law makes
it a crime to disrupt the government. The Supreme Court has said this
type of broad language gives too much power to the government, and they have been
saying this since 1939. This law actually places the desire of
the government to be free from disruption unconstitutional power over the right
of the people to redress the government of their grievances. THE
FIRST AMENDMENT SHALL NOT DIE ON OUR WATCH!
STOP HR347 & 1794 –
FAX CONGRESS NOW! Suppose your Congressman, who is under Secret
Service protection, has a town hall meeting and many members of the community
show up to challenge him on his voting record. This law could be construed to
allow federal charges to be brought against these citizens for disrupting his
town hall meeting by attending and demanding to be heard under the First Amendment.
After all, it will not be hard to claim that people who are not happy with the
Congressman's voting record had the "intent" to disrupt this meeting. This vague
and overbroad language has the potential to ultimately prevent people from gathering
outside any government building or politician's function for fear of being charged
with a federal offense. In Constitutional law, we call that a "chilling effect"
and the Supreme Court has always held these restrictions to be unconstitutional.
After all, who can afford to risk going to jail, to carry a record of federal
arrest, to stand for their rights – even if they will win?  The
right to orderly conduct of government is NOT a constitutionally protected right.
However we DO have the right to free speech and the right to peaceably assemble.
Our Constitution enshrines in government the fundamental principle of protection
for our God-given, unalienable rights freely to speak and assemble. These rights
of We the People are held as foundation stones of our individual Liberty and the
government must protect these rights, not limit them. And throughout history,
our Supreme Court has protected these rights.
- Hague v. CID, 307
U.S. 496 (1939)
- Boos v. Barry, 485 U.S. 312, 318 (1988)
- United
States v. Grace, 461 U.S. 171, 177 (1983)
- Educ. Ass'n v. Perry
Local Educators' Ass'n, 460 U.S. 37, (1983)
In every single case,
the Court ruled that the people's First Amendment right to protest fundamentally
outweighs the government's right to avoid uncomfortable situations at which politicians
may be called to account for their actions. THE
FIRST AMENDMENT SHALL NOT DIE ON OUR WATCH!
STOP HR347 & 1794 –
FAX CONGRESS NOW! People have the right to complain, the right
to have their voices be heard, the right to redress their grievances in the form
of protests. These actions are supposed to make the government take notice. Disruption
cannot be the standard to stop speech. To allow the government to create this
new standard allows the government to tell us to sit down and shut up. The
chilling effect occurs not in the fact that you are denied your due process. If
you are arrested because of unlawful legislation you can fight the prosecution
and even sue the government for violating your rights. If the Supreme Court has
not become completely corrupted you have fairly good odds of winning. But, as
anyone who has been wronged by a government agency can tell you, a victory will
often come at the expense of a ruined life and livelihood. The bottom line
is that there are laws in every municipality that punish Trespass, Disorderly
Conduct, Assault, and any other crime involving real threats against government
and persons in government. Why do we need a vague and overbroad FEDERAL LAW to
enforce laws that are already in effect, when that law could encroach on our God-given,
protected rights? William Penn said, "Necessity, it is said, is the plea for every
infringement of human Liberty; it is the argument of tyrants and the creed of
slaves." Clearly, we don't need a "Federal Trespass Bill." We already have one;
it's called the Bill of Rights! When will we have enough of government intrusion
on our Constitutionally protected rights? We were outraged because we are Taxed
Enough Already. When will we recognize that if we cannot trust the government
with our finances, then we certainly cannot trust the government with our Liberty? THE
FIRST AMENDMENT SHALL NOT DIE ON OUR WATCH!
STOP HR347 & 1794 –
FAX CONGRESS NOW!
Keep Faith,
Lynne
Roberts, President
Americans
United for Freedom
 KrisAnne
Hall is a former prosecutor and Constitutional attorney who was fired from her
job for teaching the Constitution to citizen groups. She is a disabled veteran
of the US Army, a Russian linguist, a mother, a pastor's wife and a patriot. Her
former employer, State Attorney for Florida's 3rd Judicial Circuit, gave her a
choice – give up her First Amendment right to speak on her own time or be
fired. KrisAnne said, "My First Amendment rights are worth more than a paycheck
and I will not surrender them." She now travels the country and teaches the Constitution
and the history that gave us our founding documents. We are proud to have KrisAnne
as a contributor to Americans United for Freedom.
To send
a check, please complete and print a contribution page form
and mail it with
your donation to this address: Americans United for Freedom
PO Box 1310
Herndon, VA 20172
Americans United for Freedom is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization (pending)
which focuses on nonpartisan civic education and advocacy regarding important
national issues.
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