Washington subway bans 'issue' ads after request to run Mohammad cartoon

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

(Reuters) - The Washington transit system on Thursday suspended all "issue-oriented" advertising after being asked to run a subway ad featuring a cartoon depiction of the Prophet Mohammad.

The ban, approved unanimously by the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, prohibits political, religious and advocacy ads through the end of the year, a spokesman said.

The transit system had been asked by the American Freedom Defense Initiative to display the cartoon that won first prize at an event in Texas this month at which two gunmen opened fire near the venue and wounded a security guard before they were shot and killed by police.

The ad, which calls for Americans to support free speech, features a bearded, turban-wearing Mohammad waving a sword and shouting: "You can't draw me!"

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/washington-subway-bans-issue-ads-request-run-mohammad-224114480.html

[rug]

1. That;s Gellar's group.

[starroute]

2. Boy, I'd like to know where they get their money

The things they've been doing lately don't come cheap.

[cbayer]

12. She got millions in a divorce settlement and from her ex-husbands

life insurance policy.

And they get private donations of course.

[rpannier]

3. If she's so anxious to get it out there

She and her ilk can feel free to tattoo it on their foreheads

She's fine one for getting others killed

[KinMd]

4. If Geller and her groupies love these posters so much...

why not put them on their own personal vehicles? Let your family go run errands in it.

[Canoe52]

5. Excellent idea!

My hats off to you!

[Recursion]

6. That's bigger than DUers might realize; DC metro has a lot of "lobby" ads

because so many staffers ride the metro every day.

It's also the only place I've seen a series of ad posters for the Joint Strike Fighter.

[Fearless]

7. I'm guessing anything can be an "issue" if they want it to be.

Cowards.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Philly's transit is doing the same

SEPTA to bans hate ads on vehicles

They had to adjust their policy to remove the vehicles from the designation of being a "public forum".

[left-of-center2012]

9. American Freedom Defense Initiative

Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), also known as the American Freedom Defense Initiative, is an extreme right-wing American organization that has been widely described as Islamophobic.
It describe itself as a "human rights organization dedicated to free speech, religious liberty and individual rights."
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) lists SIOA as a hate group.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Islamization_of_America

[Novara]

10. I applaud them for banning all of these sorts of ads

Yeah, let's see her ride around with the cartoon plastered to her vehicle.

This is why we can't have nice things.

[cbayer]

11. Hate group spouting hate speech. Good for the transit authority.