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Goodbye, First Amendment: "Trespass Bill" Will Make Protest Illegal

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Autolykos Posted: Wed, Feb 29 2012 5:49 PM

From RT:

RT:
Just when you thought the government couldn’t ruin the First Amendment any further: The House of Representatives approved a bill on Monday that outlaws protests in instances where some government officials are nearby, whether or not you even know it.

The US House of Representatives voted 388-to-3 in favor of H.R. 347 late Monday, a bill which is being dubbed the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011. In the bill, Congress officially makes it illegal to trespass on the grounds of the White House, which, on the surface, seems not just harmless and necessary, but somewhat shocking that such a rule isn’t already on the books. The wording in the bill, however, extends to allow the government to go after much more than tourists that transverse the wrought iron White House fence.

Under the act, the government is also given the power to bring charges against Americans engaged in political protest anywhere in the country.

The keyboard is mightier than the gun.

Non parit potestas ipsius auctoritatem.

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to be fair, the bill is really more of what is already on the books.  RT, which is run by the russian state, is apparently exploiting people's ignorance.

It never says that the government has the power to bring charges against anyone in the country. And it's not passing itself off as a means of detracting nosy tourists.  It simply says people can't go in the white house or places where the president is staying, they can't engage in disorderly conduct, they can't block interupt his job, and they can't try to physically hurt him.

Yes, it means that the president is a special man who is above the people.  But that is already the case with the rooftop snipers and secret service that beat people up if they even try to shake the president's hand.  It seems like more of the growing paranoia from them.  Which you'd think would prevent people from becoming president at all.   Soon they'll have to bulldoze all of the houses in Washington DC to prevent anyone but government and its employees from living or going there.   Everyone there will sleep on cots in locked underground fallout shelters. Which will be amusing.

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