To get an idea of what this looked like, I created a map to help:

View Antiwar demonstration 08-09-10 in a larger map

Shortly after arriving, I saw a middle-aged woman being taken away in cuffs. I immediately pulled out my FlipCam and started recording. Turns out her name was Stacy Robin Schneider and she was merely collecting signatures for an open letter/petition for TexasEnvironment.org. You may not agree with the group’s position, but for the police to arrest her for this is just stupid.

Just minutes later, I was recording a little video of the line and turned around to find Dan McCarthy interacting with a police officer, trying to move his poster closer to the corner and to the press vans. He was arrested as well, ultimately under the charge of “criminal trespassing” on what I believe was a “public sidewalk.” Here’s the footage, although the sound did not come out well (if somebody wants to caption it, that would be awesome).

This was all KXAN had to say about these arrests:

The media finally paid attention to us, and I was even interviewed at one point (though I cannot find a video online right now). It was quite interesting to see the variety of people present at this demonstration. I met people from the Socialist Worker, from immigration groups, from the Tea Party, and more. And for the most part, we all got along peaceably so that we could protest Obama’s policies, especially the WARS, together.

It was now about 2 p.m. and people were quickly flowing into the building. The back of the line quickly moved past us and thus the free speech zone now held absolutely zero value for the protesters. As the demonstrators began to disperse, I asked them to stick around a little longer while I tried to convince the police officers to allow us to move the “free speech zone” closer to Gregory Gym. So, I found an officer and respectfully made my request. He immediately said no. I asked if there was someone with more authority we could talk to. He called his Sergeant, and the Sergeant said no as well. I asked if I could appeal this even higher. He said there was a Lieutenant on duty, and I asked if I could talk with him. Lieutenant Birdett (I think that was his name) came over and we had another chat, with no positive result. We couldn’t go anywhere else. However, the Lieutenant did reveal something I didn’t know: when the president is around, the Secret service has, quoting the Lieutenant, “total control”.

“Really?” I asked him. “Can I get you to say that into the camera?” as I hastily reached into my pocket to pull out the FlipCam again. But no, he wouldn’t give me the satisfaction. Rats!

At this point, I ran into a guy with an insane sign, saying “The Obama Presidency is Christianity in Action!” Read my comments about this guy here.

I left after this because I needed to work more that afternoon, but the action didn’t stop there. Long after the line was gone, more demonstrators were arrested simply for exercising free speech. Antiwar activist Chanda Seymour was arrested for asking “Who designates the free speech zone?” and she wasn’t even asked to leave:

Just minutes later, as I understand, John Bush of Texans for Accountable Government was arrested, even though he even had a press pass (which should have, in theory, afforded him even greater protection). His response to the police’s actions was above reproach and absolutely heroic:

Finally, I recorded a recap video once I got home, so you can see better some of the signs that Dan had brought to the campus and that I made for the demonstration.

Thankfully, all of those arrested were able to go home at midnight on $20 bail.

Dan McCarthy, dragged away in cuffs

Photo credit: KXAN. Many thanks as well to all of those people who recorded the day’s events to put on display to the world.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

Demonstration Report from UT-Austin on August 9, 2010

Hey Jon, didn’t I promise you Bush 3.0? You may not be a libertarian now, but keep this up for long and you may end up, oh I don’t know, like John Stossel or Andrew Napolitano…

But I’m still curious, why do “conservatives” want to oust Barry? Seriously, he behaves exactly like Republicans should want: he gives corporate handouts, he passes socialized medicine (remember Bush’s “Prescription Drug Plan” plus some), he encourages education (No Child Left Behind!), and most of all he ratchets up every war effort possible. What’s not for a conservative to love?

Oh wait, I get it. He’s a Democrat stealing the thunder of Republican big-government programs. That’s why.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

Jon Stewart Crushes Obama on Civil Liberties

Essentially, the plaintiff is arguing that the so-called “preclearance” provision should be struck from the books. The provision requires that any time a local government wishes to change its election laws that government must first receive permission from the U.S. Justice Department.

From the Austin American-Statesman article:

The “preclearance” provision, known as Section 5 of the act, also applies to seven other states — and portions of another eight states — with a history of racial discrimination in voting. Most are in the South.

The provision fails to acknowledge progress made in race relations over the past four decades, not to mention the recent election of the nation’s first African American president, said Greg Coleman, an Austin lawyer representing the utility.

“Section 5 says, you people in part of the country, because of what your grandfathers did, you cannot be trusted even to enact the smallest change in voting policies and procedures without submitting them to the federal government,” said Coleman, a former Texas solicitor general.

“It’s kind of a badge of shame, actually,” he said.

Legal theorists say the Austin utility’s challenge could be one of the most consequential election law cases on the court’s docket in years.

To me, getting rid of this provision makes perfect sense. Even if it was necessary in 1965 – and I’m pretty  confident that it was not - it certainly should not be a requirement now. Certainly the election of Barack Obama, despite all the negatives that I could associate with it, shows that the United States is moving beyond racism. (Yes, I know about the incidents surrounding November 4th, but I’m talking about America as a whole.)

Preclearance subverts local governance in favor of a nanny state that gets to call the final shot. And even if discriminatory election laws could be created, there’s a court system in place that can hear appeals. It’s high time that these sorts of laws be eliminated.

Of course, certain minority groups are lining up with national organizations to oppose this move:

“What you’ve got is this little MUD saying basically that racial discrimination in the polling place is history, but the evidence is completely to the contrary,” said Lisa Graybill, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. “Individual and systemic discrimination continues at the polls.”

The ACLU of Texas represents Nathaniel Lesane, an African American resident of Northwest Austin MUD No. 1 whose name is on a court brief supporting Section 5.

Occasionally, the ACLU can do something good, but this is not one of those times.

Historically, Chief Justice Roberts has been opposed to expanding the Voting Rights Act, so it seems possible that this could be a defining moment in the court for the next few years.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in April and should have a ruling by June.

Post from: LibertarianChristians.com

Supreme Court will take Austin Case