Saturday: 3000? will be dancing for thomas jefferson

[u-Bob]

http://codepink.org/blog/2011/06/come-dance-with-me/

Dancing can be dangerous. In Ceausescu?s Romania I was arrested for dancing without a partner. In newly independent Guinea Bissau, my dancing partner was thrown in jail for boogying before the President and his wife had the first dance. In Cuba I was awoken at 4am to bail out a friend who had been locked up for ?lesbian dancing.? And in Afghanistan I narrowly escaped arrest for dancing on a ?men-only? dance floor. On each occasion I was shocked by the misuse of government power and disrespect for personal freedom.

So I naturally felt the same sense of outrage when I heard about the case of Mary Brooke Oberwetter, who was arrested for dancing quietly (with a headset on) at the Jefferson Memorial back in 2008. She sued the Park Police, lost and then appealed. On May 17, 2011 the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against her, saying that that dancing at memorials is forbidden ?because it stands out as a type of performance, creating its own center of attention and distracting from the atmosphere of solemn commemoration.? Never mind that Oberwetter was arrested at midnight, when there was nobody but her and her friends around. Never mind that tourists at these memorials are always talking loudly, posing for photos and making all kinds of ?distractions.? Never mind that dance can be a way to express joy at the freedoms espoused by our founding fathers.

To protest this absurd ruling, some folks put out a call on Facebook to gather on Saturday, May 28, to dance at the Memorial. I heard about it from my friend Adam Kokesh, an Iraq war vet and producer of the show Adam vs. the Man on the network Russia Today. A committed libertarian, Adam decided to help spread the word and join the protest.

It was Memorial Day weekend. My partner Tighe Barry and I were on our way to New York, but we decided to make a quick trip to the Memorial to support the dancers. When we got there, two park policemen were talking to the group. We moved closer to hear what they were saying and overheard someone ask the police how they define dancing. Tighe put his arms around my waist and started swaying, illustrating how hard it is to define what, precisely, is dancing.

Suddenly, to our utter amazement, we were set upon by the police. They yanked us apart, handcuffed us and shoved us on the ground.

the rest is internet history....

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150453268357946

[sperbonzo]

Now that a democrat is president, there's no need for code pink to worry about those same two wars that are still going on, or the third one that he started. Lets focus on disrupting other peoples enjoyment of memorials for our own amusement, and forcing the police to look stupid for doing their job enforcing the law! What a FANTASTIC set of priorities! WooHoo!



.

[Agent 488]

Originally Posted by sperbonzo

Now that a democrat is president, there's no need for code pink to worry about those same two wars that are still going on, or the third one that he started. Lets focus on disrupting other peoples enjoyment of memorials for our own amusement, and forcing the police to look stupid for doing their job enforcing the law! What a FANTASTIC set of priorities! WooHoo!



.

they are still protesting. some of the biggest anti-war protests ever have happened under obama.

no wars for israel.

[u-Bob]

Originally Posted by sperbonzo

forcing the police to look stupid for doing their job enforcing the law! What a FANTASTIC set of priorities!

wait... weren't you supposed to be a libertarian? Ok, one of the minarchist variety, but still...

[sperbonzo]

Originally Posted by u-Bob

wait... weren't you supposed to be a libertarian? Ok, one of the minarchist variety, but still...

I am a libertarian, (a constitutional libertarian), but with all the really huge sweeping powers that the federal government is taking over right now, I just think that the priorities are kind of screwy here, that's all.




.

[u-Bob]

Originally Posted by sperbonzo

I am a libertarian, (a constitutional libertarian)

u've got mail

[sperbonzo]

Originally Posted by u-Bob

u've got mail

LOL!! Thanks for that!

[Frasier]

Civil Disobedience

Boston Tea Party
Civil Rights Movement

Lots more have made a difference in this country and in the world

[Sly]

Originally Posted by sperbonzo

I am a libertarian, (a constitutional libertarian), but with all the really huge sweeping powers that the federal government is taking over right now, I just think that the priorities are kind of screwy here, that's all.




.

Priorities like the police worrying about people dancing at a monument? ;-)

A quick dance does not take long and most bystanders would enjoy it anyway. Taking away attention from the monument? Please.

DC is a dangerous city, I'm sure they can think of something valuable for those police to do. Maybe even actual police work!

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by Sly

Priorities like the police worrying about people dancing at a monument? ;-)

i guess face slamming wheelchair-bound drunks is getting old

[Sly]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

i guess face slamming wheelchair-bound drunks is getting old

No way, that never gets old.

[u-Bob]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

i guess face slamming wheelchair-bound drunks is getting old

and they probably already shot all garden ornaments...