Democrat Governor Bill Ritter held a rally today detailing his opposition to Amendment 48. The Rocky Mountain News reports that Governor Bill Ritter had a man arrested for protesting the "Personhood" amendment.
Gov. Bill Ritter announced his opposition to Amendment 48 on the Capitol Steps today, but not before a man was arrested while trying to shout the governor down.
Ritter laid out his reasons for opposing the Personhood Amendment — including the havoc he thinks it would cause the state — and managed to get through his talk without stumbling amid the distraction of the unidentified man yelling things like, "How much to kill babies, Bill?"
A Colorado State Trooper on the scene said the man was arrested for unlawful assembly and failing to obey a direct order when the officer asked him to leave the property.
While Governor Bill Ritter and I are in agreement with regards to Amendment 48, the arrest of the heckler on government property for illegal assembly is a troubling development. I am no fan of boorish behavior, but this protestor should not be arrested merely for expressing his opinion. The Colorado Constitution, Article II, Section 10 states, "every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject, being responsible for all abuse of that liberty." It sounds as if this section protects the protester.
Recently, there has been a trend to criminalize politics. Democrat Barack Obama's campaign sent a letter to television stations threatening legal action over an unflattering NRA ad. In Missouri, Barack Obama "truth squads" threaten legal action of anyone whose advertisements do not parrot the party line.
It is unfortunate that Barack Obama and Bill Ritter feel that they should apply government pressure, including the power of arrest, to shut down speech with which they disagree. If Barack Obama becomes President, how much more legal pressure will he bring upon his opponents? Constant vigilance in the face of legal threats will be the only way to prevent the criminalization of speech and the silencing of dissenting voices (including this weblog) in the years to come.
by Civil Sense
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