Feds pay $80,000 over anti-Bush T-shirts

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Yahoo News

A couple arrested at a rally after refusing to cover T-shirts that bore anti-President Bush slogans settled their lawsuit against the federal government for $80,000, the American Civil Liberties Union announced Thursday.

Nicole and Jeffery Rank of Corpus Christi, Texas, were handcuffed and removed from the July 4, 2004, rally at the state Capitol, where Bush gave a speech. A judge dismissed trespassing charges against them, and an order closing the case was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

"This settlement is a real victory not only for our clients but for the First Amendment," said Andrew Schneider, executive director of the ACLU of West Virginia. "As a result of the Ranks' courageous stand, public officials will think twice before they eject peaceful protesters from public events for exercising their right to dissent."

White House spokesman Blair Jones said the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing.

"The parties understand that this settlement is a compromise of disputed claims to avoid the expenses and risks of litigation and is not an admission of fault, liability, or wrongful conduct," Jones said.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070817/ap_on_re_us/bush_protesters_lawsuit_2

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:rofl: Good for the Rank's and for the ACLU!

[FARAFIELD]

1. right after that she said

"and wolverines make good housepets"

[Bozita]

2. As Bush would say, "This is your money, folks!"

Why not track liability back to the source of the illegal orders?

[Raejeanowl]

16. Yes, Fine the Bum Who Authorized This

My preference is to reaffirm the individual's right to wear the bloody t-shirts than to pay good tax dollars as a penalty for partisan goon squads quashing free speech.

I don't know about you folks, but I personally didn't authorize the government to muzzle dissenting citizens.

[Tesha]

3. K&R some *GOOD* news.

[RamboLiberal]

4. ABC has headline: Secret White House Manual: How to Stop Anti-Bush T-Shirts

But when clicked so far only this pic:

Another story on their site has this:

The ACLU said in a statement that a presidential advance manual makes it clear that the government tries to exclude dissenters from the president's appearances. "As a last resort," the manual says, "security should remove the demonstrators from the event."

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3489979

[Vidar]

5. I'm glad the Ranks had a happy ending to their ordeal. From the

headline I momentarily thought the feds were trying to buy up t shirts to prevent their use.

[alfredo]

11. If they did, I'd make thousands and set the price where I would be

comfortable for the rest of my life.

[saigon68]

6. Put this on a shirt

[0007]

9. .....or this one



[saigon68]

12. That rocks like this

[bamacrat]

7. Good, but of course the WH would admit no wrong doing. n/t

[RamboLiberal]

8. The ACLU pdf on this case is an interesting read

On White House practices at Bush events. 11 pages. http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/freespeech/rank_v_jenkins_complaint.pdf

[dogfacedboy]

15. The CheneyBushCorp scum need to be taught

that they can't get away with their anti-American b.s. any longer. This suit helps that cause, but we all know that it does not intimidate them. $80,000.00 of taxpayer's money is peanuts to those cockroaches.

[Truth2Tell]

10. K & R

For the ACLU.

[defendandprotect]

13. When something like this happens, Bush should pay some part of this ---

I thought the same with Giuliani in NYC because so much of what he did was overturned and expensive for NYC --

They have to assume some responsibility for what they do and should not be able to cause such expense in lawsuits for the city.

Additionally, Giuliani was trying to put in place $80 million to overturn the ban on capital punishment . . . I'm not sure where that deal is now???

On $80,000 . . . Bush should pay $8,000 at least.

[gratuitous]

14. This is sort of good news

The bad part of it, of course, is that your First Amendment rights come with a price tag, and an unscrupulous administration can simply buy your rights to assemble peaceably, speak freely and petition your government for redress. In that context, $80,000 is a pretty measly sum.

[Vinca]

17. Aha! A way to pay for healthcare. Where's my t-shirt? nt