[ASLplease]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

ASLplease ASLplease:

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

<yawn>

You bring the damn penis everywhere so maybe quit this nonsensical 'argument' ok? It was funny for a moment but it has nothing to do with anything.

possesion of something doesn't make you a criminal. and I feel a need to remind you of this.

S'not about mere possession, it's about what you're doing with it. I shouldn't have to point this out to you and I don't think you're being sincere.

I agree.

And protesting in public with a rifle where you are not getting shot at, and you are not shoot at anyone or anything is a perfect display of what separates law abiding people from criminals.

[Akhenaten]

$1:

and your equivalent would be..........


firing the weapon
assaulting someone using the weapon as a club

No the equivilent to me would be making death threats contrivining free speech laws. The rifle is meant as a threat. Even the rationale for the right to carry it is a threat -- to tyranical government. This has been already touted. Now is the government really tyranical? Is this really what the 'founding fathers' thought of? C'mon. It's a stupid publiciy ploy that could turn very bad in an instant....and as I pointed out before, what precident does this make? Now should everyone show up armed to any protest?


C'mon. I'm not putting down the right to bear arms but this was stupid and immature/irresponsible.

[martin14]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

$1:

and your equivalent would be..........


firing the weapon
assaulting someone using the weapon as a club

No the equivilent to me would be making death threats contrivining free speech laws. The rifle is meant as a threat. Even the rationale for the right to carry it is a threat -- to tyranical government. This has been already touted.

someone elses' opinion.


Did the protester do anything illegal during the protest ?

[Akhenaten]

Sorry I edited that post to add more.

$1:

Did the protester do anything illegal during the protest ?

NEver said he did. Read my edit.

[Akhenaten]

ASLplease ASLplease:

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

S'not about mere possession, it's about what you're doing with it. I shouldn't have to point this out to you and I don't think you're being sincere.

I agree.

And protesting in public with a rifle where you are not getting shot at, and you are not shoot at anyone or anything is a perfect display of what separates law abiding people from criminals.

Yep ok. Everyone should show up to every political protest or rally now armed. You've convinced me.

[BeaverFever]

Member of right-wing umbrella agency FreedomWorks sends instructions on disrupting town halls:

$1:

Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”

– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”

– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”"

Full memo here:

http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/townhallactionmemo.pdf

Annnnnnnnd...you heard it here first (probably deserves in own thread):

$1:

Oil Industry Behind 'Energy Citizens Rallies'
Tuesday, August 18, 2009

By John Fleck
Journal Staff Writer
ALBEQUERQUE JOURNAL

The U.S. oil industry's main lobbying organization is behind a series of "energy citizens rallies" against pending climate change legislation, including two in New Mexico later this month, according to a memo obtained by the environmental group Greenpeace.
"We don't want critics to know our game plan," American Petroleum Institute president Jack Gerard said in the internal memo, which Greenpeace provided to the Journal. A spokeswoman for the institute confirmed the memo's authenticity.
Greenpeace U.S. executive director Phil Radford, in a response addressed to Gerard, characterized the rallies as "astroturf," an effort by corporations to create the appearance of grass-roots support for an issue.
An American Petroleum Institute spokeswoman said they are a legitimate effort to give voice to concerns held by the companies' employees and various other groups.
The institute argues that climate change legislation will cost jobs and raise energy costs. Advocates counter that it will contribute to a new green energy sector that will actually lead to economic growth.
Greenpeace research director Kert Davies called the rallies a "behind-the-scenes plan to disrupt the debate and weaken political support for climate regulation."
The New Mexico rallies are scheduled for Roswell on Thursday and Farmington on Friday. A list published on oil giant ConocoPhillips' Web site lists 21 events nationwide.
In his memo, Gerard acknowledges that the primary reason particular states were targeted was "to aim a loud message" at those states' U.S. senators.
New Mexico's senior senator, Democrat Jeff Bingaman, is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. As such, he is likely to play a key role in the final climate change and energy legislation taking place this fall in the Senate.
The target of the oil industry's ire is the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which passed the House of Representatives in late June.
It would set a cap on emissions of greenhouse gases, which come from burning fossil fuels and have been linked to global warming. The bill also sets up a trading mechanism, allowing companies to buy and sell emissions credits. That would establish a market aimed at finding the most cost-effective ways of reducing climate change emissions.
The Senate plans to take up the issue after deliberations on health care reform are completed, Bingaman said during a luncheon talk Monday in Albuquerque.
American Petroleum Institute spokeswoman Cathy Landry said Monday the purpose of the rallies is to send a message to Congress that the House-passed legislation "will cost American jobs and it will raise energy costs."
Landry said a wide range of organizations have signed on in support of the rallies, from the Farm Bureau to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
A group of activists gathered outside the Embassy Suites Hotel on Monday, where Bingaman was speaking to an energy group, to send a different message.
Standing outside Bingaman's talk holding a sign that said "Make Our Energy Clean, Make It American," Sierra Club organizer Shrayas Jatkar said he and other activists had shown up to send a message that supporting climate change legislation means supporting green energy jobs.
"It's not just trees and frogs and the environment," Jatkar said. "It's business."
That message was echoed inside the meeting room, where Albuquerque technology entrepreneur Rusty Schmit said climate change, and the resulting need to change our energy infrastructure, could be a good thing for business.
"A lot of us believe it creates a lot of business opportunities," Schmit said

[Pseudonym]

I am inclined to think that the media freakout about the first guy who got interviewed by Chris Matthews (riden linked the vid on page 2 of the thread) for carrying his sidearm got this rolling. If they were threatening Obama with their firearms, or were actually close enough to be a potential threat, then I might see a problem. Everything seems nice and peaceful though. Democracy in action, with police on hand to ask everyone to please keep their distances and make their points politely.

[martin14]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

Sorry I edited that post to add more.

$1:

Did the protester do anything illegal during the protest ?

NEver said he did. Read my edit.

but you used an equivalent such as 'fire' or death threats,

both illegal actions.


Carrying a weapon in AZ in the open is not illegal.
Actually, you need a permit to carry concealed.


Since you agree that nothing illegal happened,
your equivalence ideas hold no value.


There was no threat; else, he would have been arrested.

[BeaverFever]

Just because its legal doesnt mean its not malicious.

There was nothing illegal about the KKK standing around polling stations in black neighbourhoods back in the civil rights era either they were just excercising their rights too, weren't they?

[martin14]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

Just because its legal doesnt mean its not malicious.

There was nothing illegal about the KKK standing around polling stations in black neighbourhoods back in the civil rights era either they were just excercising their rights too, weren't they?

Deterring or preventing people from voting is illegal.
They should have been arrested; if they werent, ask the police.

Do you think there wasnt enough security around Obama ?

Not much of an argument here.

[ASLplease]

I think what is really bugging your guys is:

these gun toting guys are ussually stereotyped as god fearing, war mongering, under educated yet patriot 'hicks'

yet they demonstrated peacefully.

meanwhile, peace loving, pot smoking, secular liberal university students...

...have been known to start riots!

[BeaverFever]

The Klan didn't block the door or prevent them from voting, they just stood there on public property, which is their right, wearing their KKK bedsheets which is also their right and said "hello" to all the black people walking by.

"Hey boy, I've seen you around town before, haven't I? Your family lives over on maple street don't they boy? You work over at the mill don't you boy? Hey, its gonna be dark soon, hope you get home safe!"

Same thing for these teabaggers showing up armed to these rallys.

[ASLplease]

great! now we are comparing law abiding citizens to the KKK

I am waiting for the Hitler reference, who wants to make it?

[ridenrain]

Clearly.
I'm sure if this last posterboy wasn't black, it would be more red-neck racist crap from the lefties.

[uwish]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

ridenrain ridenrain:

Like the well armed blackguy said in an interview.. it's a dangerous world and I can't carry around a cop.

ya well if your country is so dangerous you need to carry around an assault rifle then your country is a shithole.

And nobody said the're all rednecks and racists, but the rednecks and racists are definitely among them

tell that to Toronto or Calgary or Vancouver..how many drive by's are we up to now?

Shit there was one in Winnipeg not to long ago.

The way I see it, same shit hole we are just a few years behind. Don't kid yourself.