Woman guilty of registering residents?

[bbernardini]

Some of you may remember...a few months ago in southeastern Pennsylvania, a woman was arrested for handing out voter registration forms after a showing of "Fahrenheit 9/11". She was just found guilty of disorderly conduct. Below is a little bit of the article, and a link to the full article. As usual, please make liberal use of the "post your opinion" option at the bottom of the page.

http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12832517&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6

DOWNINGTOWN -- Some of the audience in District Justice Rita Arnold’s courtroom on Wednesday looked like they had gotten lost on their way to protest the Republican National Convention.

But they were in the right place.

The had come to support Easttown resident Lani Frank, the woman arrested on June 28 for disorderly conduct outside an East Caln movie theater after watching the film "Fahrenheit 9/11."

To their dismay and Frank’s, the judge found the defendant guilty of the charge.

[prodigal_green]

1. voting is now a felony

do it three times and you're in prison for life.

[freetobegay]

2. She wanted to be arrested, she got what she wanted.

Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing & registering people to vote is also but, you have to follow the rules & she did not.

[bbernardini]

3. That's just what the guard said.

This theater has a bit of history of being partisan. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the guard and manager lied.

[freetobegay]

4. "This theater has a bit of history of being partisan"

Do you have proof of this?

I only commented on what I read in the article.

[Cheswick2.0]

6. common knowledge

from other posters who live in that area. If you search F911 threads you can probably find the posts.

[freetobegay]

8. Hear say is not good enough for me.

I get enough of that from the other side.

[Cheswick2.0]

14. the word of people who live in that town is not good enough for you?

WTF do you want a court case?

[wildeyed]

10. Well I guess if enough people say it, then it must be true.

If they are partisan, why are they showing F9/11?

[Cheswick2.0]

15. I'll take the word of the people who live there

That is hardly the point of the thread though is it? What do you think of someone being prosecuted for handing out voter registration forms?

[freetobegay]

18. Talk about changing the story!

"That is hardly the point of the thread though is it? What do you think of someone being prosecuted for handing out voter registration forms?" Of course that sounds bad. When you read the whole article, you get she violated policy was given a chance to stop & didn't, she even stated she wanted to be arrested.

[Cheswick2.0]

21. talk about having no fucking clue what is important

the policy is about partisan literature. Voter registration forms are not partisan.

[freetobegay]

23. Please quote excatley in the article where it says

"the policy is about partisan literature".

Stop making things up!

[Cheswick2.0]

26. common sense

it's a wonderful thing

[freetobegay]

28. Your still dodging the question

You can't prove what you said. The article is clear the woman got what she deserved.

[wildeyed]

24. Look, voter registration is pretty much my life this month.

I set up event after event all over town and have registered hundreds of new democrats as a result. Every venue has rules and I follow them. This women violated the rules of the venue. They asked her to stop and she refused. She got arrested.

[Cheswick2.0]

27. I don't believe they have a rule that is anti voting

[Cheswick2.0]

5. What rules are broken by handing out voter registration forms?

this is nonsense. The court should never have wasted it's time.

[freetobegay]

7. "violating the theater’s policies"

I'm not saying it's right, but business have policies for a reason.

[reprobate]

11. Since when have corporate policies carried the weight of law?

Oh, yeah. Since the bushistas took office, right?

[freetobegay]

13. Costco has policies also in the same regard

Costco happens to invest in the Democratic party. Are you going to blame that on the Repukes also?

Not everything is us or them.

[Cheswick2.0]

17. costco has a policy against handing out voter reg forms?

I find that hard to believe.

[freetobegay]

20. Just ask the locals at any Costco

Then you will just have to believe it going by your earlier post.

ON EDIT: they have a policy of nothing being distributed on their property.

[Cheswick2.0]

22. that's bullshit

I do not believe that costco has any such policy and neither does this theater.

[freetobegay]

25. You believe what you want to belive & damn anything else

Your posts in this thread prove that.

[Cheswick2.0]

30. why not create a new thread and complain about being called a freeper?

Just because people disagree with you. I have yet to find where anyone called you a freeper.

[freetobegay]

32. What the hell are you talking about?

What i post inanother thread stays there & it has no bearing whatsover on this thread. Stop trying to make trouble.

[wildeyed]

12. I own a business.

I do not allow campaigning on premises, for ANY candidates. In fact, I stopped a guy from handing out B/C 2004 stickers the other day. I would have asked someone campaigning for Kerry to stop, too.

I do allow non-partisan election activity, but only with my prior consent. I won't do it myself b/c I think my customers are pretty evenly split between dems and pugs, but if someone else wants to waste their time, have at it.

At the showing of F9/11 I went to, there were bumper stickers being passed from hand to hand. If she wanted to get reg forms out w/out being arrested, that would have been the way to do it.

[Cheswick2.0]

19. a voter registration form is not partisan

[wildeyed]

29. Right, read my post again.

I require PRIOR consent for non-partisan election activity. If someone did it without asking first, I would likely let it slide, but that is my business policy, not the theaters.

I register voters all around town. I ask permision to set up first when it is on private propery. Never been arrested, not once.

edit sp

[Cheswick2.0]

31. then you agree that hanging out voter reg forms is not partisan

and this prosecution is bull.

[wildeyed]

34. Well it is a little silly.

But if registering new voters was really the aim of this exercise, she should have ask for permission prior to the registration event. If permission was not forth coming, she should have simply passed the forms from hand to hand during the movie.

[Cheswick2.0]

16. The theater has a policy against voting?

Or registering to vote?

[wildeyed]

33. see javaman's post #9.

n/t

[Javaman]

9. She got what she wanted...

Plus most places of business have established rules against handing out flyers or soliciting any sort of information. If she wanted to do that, she should have don't it outside of the theater.
This same rule goes for any religious person or organization handing out flyers in a business establishment.
This is done, usually, so the place of business, appears on the surface at least, as not taking a stand or looks to be representing certain political or religious organizations.

[bbernardini]

35. This article really isn't the entire story.

As I understand it, religious literature was passed out at the same theater, with no consequences.

Also, the woman left the premises when asked, and was then arrested in the parking lot after ceasing her activities.

[wildeyed]

36. The theater is private property.

They can decide who does what on their property. You have the right not to patronize the business if you dislike their policies. In fact, you have the right to organize a boycott of the business, if you think they are really unfair.

But honestly, how partisan can they really be if they actual showed the movie?

[jcgadfly]

37. You can be partisan as all get out

and still want to make money.

That's why the theater showed Moore's movie. They knew it would put butts in seats.

[wildeyed]

38. Well I will judge them by their actions, not their intent.

[jcgadfly]

39. I'm not sure you got my point

You seemed to be saying, "They're showing F9/11 so they must be unbiased."

Showing the movie makes them capitalists. Their partisanship remains to be proven/disproven. Although if they did leave a person passing out religious tracts alone (if they have a policy against all items being passed out on their property), it does raise questions.