Obama outlaws OWS and other Protestors H.R. 347

Breaking NEWS.
US Congress passes authoritarian anti-protest law with felony charges for impeding government.
Well - Here's one for all the Liberals out there- today Obama signed away our first amendment right to peaceful protest. Just how many of you all will be voting for Obama AGAIN?? Here is another example of how much Obama loves you!

The bill—H.R. 347, or the “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011”—was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, while only Ron Paul and two other Republicans voted against the bill in the House of Representatives (the bill passed 388-3). Not a single Democratic politician voted against the bill. Obama has signed this bill into law today.

Among the central provisions of H.R. 347 is a section that would make it a criminal offense to “enter or remain in” an area designated as “restricted.”

The bill defines the areas that qualify as “restricted” in extremely vague and broad terms. Restricted areas can include “a building or grounds where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting” and “a building or grounds so restricted in conjunction with an event designated as a special event of national significance.”

Like ...... The White House!

Violators face a $25,000 bail and a FELONY charge. No - you won't hear about this in the main stream media- sorry. How many of you socialists will want to protest knowing that you will be charged with a felony? The standard punishment under the new law is a fine and up to one year in prison. If a weapon or serious physical injury is involved, the penalty may be increased to up to ten years.

Also criminalized by the bill is conduct “that impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions” and “obstructs or impedes ingress or egress to or from any restricted building or grounds.” These provisions, even more so than the provisions creating “restricted areas,” threaten to criminalize a broad range of protest activities that were previously perfectly legal.

Now the Grounds Improvement Act of 2011 will keep all areas around Obama and other politicians Hippie free- free of those pesky free loading protestors. I guess they were stinking up the place!


You just can't make this stuff up!

SOURCE; http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2012/03/us-anti-ows-legislation.html

So Obama writes and passes House bills now? Wow, he IS getting more powerful.

Obama signed this bill into law today- maybe you missed that.

What did you expect him to do on a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate and with only 3 votes against in the House? The people had spoken by way of their elected representatives.

Your "blame Obama for everything" mantra is the height of hypocrisy.

JSG wrote: What did you expect him to do on a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate and with only 3 votes against in the House? The people had spoken by way of their elected representatives.

So, you are saying that the executive branch is subservient to the legislative. You and the President are both exceptional constitutional scholars. rofllol

No, that's not what I'm saying.

Perhaps you don't know how a veto is overturned. Look up the numbers needed in the House and Senate and then look at how many voted for this bill and then get back to me with your estimate on the chances of an executive branch veto standing.

I also firmly believe that if Obama HAD vetoed the bill, you and others would be on here screaming about how "arrogant" he is, vetoing a bipartisan measure pass by a majority of Congress.

As usual, an OP is made with bits and pieces of the whole story. Even the ACLU isn't getting its shorts in a knot over this one (although they do indicate they'll be watching it to see how law enforcement enforces it):

The bill slightly rewrites a short trespass law, originally passed in 1971 and amended a couple of times since, that covers areas subject to heightened Secret Service security measures.

Source: http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/how-big-deal-hr-347-criminalizing-protest-bill

It doesn't even apply specifically to the OWS as implied in the OP.

JSG wrote: I also firmly believe that if Obama HAD vetoed the bill, you and others would be on here screaming

As Archer would say, don't tell me what I would do or what I think.

neptunechimney wrote:

JSG wrote: I also firmly believe that if Obama HAD vetoed the bill, you and others would be on here screaming

As Archer would say, don't tell me what I would do or what I think.

OK, what you would do or think if Obama had vetoed the bill.

archer wrote:

neptunechimney wrote:

JSG wrote: I also firmly believe that if Obama HAD vetoed the bill, you and others would be on here screaming

As Archer would say, don't tell me what I would do or what I think.

OK, what you would do or think if Obama had vetoed the bill.

Perhaps you forget that I lean libertarian. I would have applauded his backbone. IMO that is one reason the r's got so beat up in 06 and 08 President Bush's lack of backbone to use his veto pen.

To JSG, a veto is not sneeze. A lot of the pols who voted for would have thought long and hard before voting to override. They can change their vote like we change underwear. I think you know that.