City Councilwoman Liz Brown has been known for her vitriolic criticisms, but she really outdid herself at last week’s council meeting in attacking fellow Councilwoman Karen Goldner, as Political Notebook reported Sunday.
But first, she ranted against the administration of Mayor Tom Henry for allowing Occupy Fort Wayne protesters to remain in Freimann Square.
“There’s always freedom of speech, freedom of assembly,” she said. “However, it’s not permanent, and it’s not free.”
Apparently, her last statement was referring to the fees the city levies on groups and people who rent park space for events – not the First Amendment, which, last time I checked, is permanent and is free.
Shut up and move on
Like so many other issues these days, liberals and conservatives are both guilty of stretching their beliefs to cover the Occupy movement. Conservatives don’t like the issue being portrayed as free speech and freedom of assembly, because that would mean allowing the Occupy groups that are non-violent to continue. Liberals aren’t talking much about the precedent being set by indefinitely allowing protesters access to parks and other property.
Still, at least in Fort Wayne, the Occupiers don’t seem to be causing trouble or costing much money, so it seems their First Amendment rights should prevail.
Reading and hearing some commentators and politicians denounce the Occupy movement so vociferously makes me imagine how they would have reacted to the incident that occurred in Boston 238 years ago next month.
Probably something like:
“How long can we tolerate these dissidents, these ne’er-do-wells who have nothing better to do than to dress like Indians and resort to thuggery and violence when they don’t get their way?
“They say they have no leaders, but it’s clearly the Whigs, the so-called Sons of Liberty, who were behind this destructive act of violence in Boston Harbor on Dec. 16, 1773. They illegally destroyed perfectly good tea by dumping it into the harbor, refusing to pay the tax that King George lawfully imposed on the colonies.
“And we’re not talking a cup or two. Three hundred forty-two chests of tea from three ships, thrown into the sea like sand, robbing the East India Co. of its rightful belongings.
“If these people don’t like the law, let them move. Let these squatters pay the same taxes all the rest of us must pay.
“In the meantime, where is the colonial government that is supposed to provide security? Parliament should throw out the Massachusetts governor, Thomas ‘Henry’ Hutchinson, and replace him with a military governor who will enforce the law against Samuel Adams and those other rebels. The Boston Harbor should be closed until the East India Co. is repaid.
“Let’s make these people move on before they make more demands, like free speech and freedom to protest.”
