Bloomberg says 1st amendment is a 'privilege', not a right

[Q]

- He was quoted as saying this (Democracy Now) about protestor's right to assemble in NY. Anyone else hear this or have a link?

- It's not the 'Bill of Privileges'...it's the Bill of RIGHTS.

[Catfight]

1. RECALL him New York!

[sui generis]

2. It is funny in an ironic sort of way -

they don't hate us for our FREEDOMS, they hate us for our privileges.

Whenever someone says that we don't have a "right", or tries to distinguish between "privilege" and "right", it should remind you that the person making that distinction has the medieval notion that you are a serf, and your existence is at the sufferance of the local lords, and that they know what's best for you.

Not very American.

[chelsea0011]

3. A privilege is having Guiliani hand picking you as his successor

[Webster Green]

4. I heard it on 'Democracy Now' yesterday morning....

....on my way to work. I couldn't believe he said that. He is really making a mess out of this thing.

Someone needs to clue this guy in . The whole country is a free speech zone. I think he is going to find that out the hard way.

[zbird]

5. Here are a couple of links.

"People who avail themselves of the opportunity to express themselves ... they will not abuse that privilege," he said at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "Because if we start to abuse our privileges, then we lose them, and nobody wants that."

from: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-prot0817,0,5982241.story?coll=ny-nynews-headlines

also:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/17/nyregion/17speech.html

[Q]

7. Thanks for the links...

...but I'm still wondering what he actually MEANT? Like so many GOPers before him...he seems to consider the Constitution as an 'antiquated', dusty document that can be disregarded whenever it conflicts with their ideology.

- We now have a government of, by and for the government.

[shaolinmonkey]

6. By that logic, the free-speech arguments for attack ads is

totally flawed. All the B.S. about money = speech can finally go away. Thanks, Mikey, you jackass.

[latebloomer]

8. Yes, I read it in the NY Times

yesterday's paper edition.

"he expected most protesters who come to the event later this month would 'be reasonable', but he warned that 'if we start to abuse our privileges, then we lose them.'". . .

"'I never understood the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment were a privilege,' said Leslie Cagan, national coordinator for United for Peace and Justice. 'I don't know why he is framing it that way.'"

"Mr. Liddy echoed that thought: 'Unless the mayor paid someone to rewrite the Constitution.'"

on edit- Liddy was the head of a group of protesters against Bloomberg.

[liberalitch]

9. So it's in the Bill of Privileges section of the Constitution...

not the Bill of Rights portion?

[zanana]

10. During the 2000 election fiasco,

Dennis Hastert said that voting was not a right, but a privilege.

[Q]

11. RWingers have been trying to deconstruct the Constitution...

...for many decades. They want people to believe that they have no 'rights'...only privileges given them by the State.

[gandalf]

13. Democracy is a privilege. Not every country has it.

People should be grateful and not abuse the privilege of living in a democracy. Otherwise this privilege will be taken from them.

And that is quite easy, by the way. If you happen to be called an enemy combatant...

Already in the 1970s the Trilateral Commission wondered if there were perhaps an excess of democracy (The Crisis of Democracy
by Crozier, Huntington and Watanuki for the Trilateral Commission.
New York University Press, 1975).

[nolabels]

12. People have suffered horrible miserable deaths, toiled untold hours.......

Dreamed incalculable dreams and loved on a cherished embers that this agreement on this idea. This idea that we have these things, these very important things that no one is able to take away for any reason they are called our 'PRIVILEGES', written down on that time tested document 'THE BILL OF PRIVILEGES' :argh:




btw these 'PRIVILEGES'null and void upon your local GOP shills request, Have a nice day :-)

[kentuck]

14. Great ! Now they want to change the Bill of Rights !??

to Bill of Privileges?? Get fuckin real, Mayor!