Subject: Re: [drugwar] Re: [Houston NORML] FW: Sent to DMN & pictures of protest Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 16:54:02 -0400 To: From: Bob Armstrong I too , find Larry's tale frightening and angering . And I abhor the "free speech corals" which are used to confine demonstrators here in NYC . But I feel virtually baited by the "C" word to respond to your extrapolation : On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 09:17:27 -0700 (PDT), Tracy Blevins, Ph.D.= wrote: >=A0A free country means every square inch of this country is= free.=A0=A0Not whatever >=A0hasn't been specifically roped off or "claimed" by some= corporation. This implies no one is free to own property , to have a space= safe from trespass . Your yard is not yours ; the hallway outside your= apartment is not immune . The 4th amendment is not just abridged , it is meaningless . You have no space which is your own . No corporation or individual or partnership can simply "claim"= to own a property . They either do or not . It's a prime function of= courts . If others have no property rights neither do you . A case came up before Bush's attack on Iraq , in Upstate NY ,= where a mall kicked out a father and son who were wearing anti-war= t-shirts they had just bought there . In fact , the mall had them= arrested . The situation caused a lot of discussion on the NY LP= mail-groups . What ended up happening was that the next week there was a= platoon of protesters at the mall and lots of bad publicity and= boycotting . The Mall apologized and disciplined the personnel involved . That's not an answer to the tightening noose around our right= to protest , but be careful what you wish for . Here in NYC , it would be a great return of pre-Giuliani freedom= to walk across City Hall Park . >=A0I've had hundreds of crimes committed against me by officers of= the law. >=A0I've been yelled at, roughed up, pushed along, grabbed, laughed= at, arrested >=A0and humiliated by men and women who were paid and trained to do= exactly >=A0that.=A0=A0Something has to give in this country.=A0=A0They can't keep= clamping down >=A0harder and harder without something bursting out somewhere. Yep . --=A0 =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 Return our Right to Relax : =A0http://ny.lp.org/cgi-bin/petition.cgi?Against_the_Smoking_Ban Liberty : http://CoSy.com/Liberty.htm =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02003/09/24 4:07:12 PM