Overpass Sign Urging Bush/Cheney Impeachment Causes Flap

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Overpass sign urging Bush/Cheney impeachment causes flap

The Associated Press

BUTLER, N.J. - Just like every Monday rush hour for the past three months, an activist group hung a series of large cards calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney on the overpass of a busy northern New Jersey highway. But the debate about whether the group is allowed to continue posting the cards, which give the Web address to the group's site, "ImpeachThem.com" , on northbound Route 23 is heating up.

The group claims free speech laws allow it to hang the cards; police say the political message is distracting to motorists; and state transportation officials say the group must obtain a permit to continue the weekly practice.

Stuart Hutchinson, an organizer for the activist New Jersey Impeach Groups, told The Record of Bergen County for Tuesday's newspapers that "no permit procedure can impede the right to practice speech in the United States."

The group was told to stop posting the cards in July by borough police. However, police had to relent after they were informed by state police that the group could display the sign on state property.

Read more: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/104-09112007-1405863.html

---

The message is "distracting to motorists," as opposed to, you know, ads for slabs of dead cow and ads with sexy women selling malt liquor.

[robinlynne]

1. distracting, guess they'll be taking down several million billboards along our highways

then...

[Canuckistanian]

4. Exactly

Some billboard ads are definitely more distracting than an 'Impeach Bush/Cheney' sign.

[pink-o]

28. Exactly!

....on the bus from JFK to Grand Central 2 years ago. On one of the overpasses was this HUGE plasma TV playing advertisements. I am not lying, it must have been at least the size of a regular billboard. So that's okay and won't distract the drivers, right?

But maybe the NJ police actually think the TRUTH will rile up them motorists more than the mind-numbing pretty pictures begging us all to consume.

[KansDem]

47. I want those marquees in the front of churches taken down...

There are a few I see regularly lit up with the "message of the day." THEY ARE DISTRACTING!!! They must be removed, immediately!

[cascadiance]

8. Perhaps we could actually HOPE they rule that way for that reason!

Then we'd have judicial precedence to put Clear Channel's billboards OUT of business! Having our freeways free of corporate billboard clutter actually might be an even bigger prize to gain from this!

[defendandprotect]

19. Well -- I like this kind of protest -- it should move along and continue to pop up . . . .

wherever -- !!!

[alstephenson]

2. Freeway Bloggers Rock!!!

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[babylonsister]

3. Bravo for the bloggers AND troopers! nt

[Bitwit1234]

5. WHY do bush supporters have so much clout.

Negative signs, announcements etc about a democrat, when protested are left in place.

[tom_paine]

29. Why did the Nazis have so much power and clout?

The answers are actually almost identical, especially if you strip away the violence and rascism.

[John Q. Citizen]

6. That should free up the borough cops to fight crime.

[LiberalFighter]

22. They fight crime?

[dickbearton]

7. K&R.

[Ian David]

9. Associated Press picked-up their story. Their work is done. They can go home now.

And by "They" I mean The New Jersey State Police can go home.

[lonestarnot]

14. Thanks for the explanation! Go Home Poles!

[complain jane]

10. Butler, NJ is redneckville

If you pass a pickup truck w/a confederate flag and a W bumper sticker anywhere in NJ, chances are it's heading home to Butler, NJ.

[leQ]

11. K&R (n/t)

[goforit]

12. Yes!! I've been waiting for this!!! Permit to speak vs. freedom of speech.

[panzerfaust]

31. Freedom of Expression Zones

Sadly happened a long time ago now. Apparently whilst we were waiting.

The rest of the world has noticed, although we have not: "The demonstration itself was very peaceful and friendly, even though the Police corralled the demonstrators behind token street barriers in a United States style freedom of expression zone ..." (about half-way down the link)

"a US Style Freedom of Expression Zone!" Few of us would have even conceived of such a term 40 years ago?

Truly, we have long lost much of our freedom of speech.

[lonestarnot]

13. Doing their patriotic duty in Jersey I see!

:woohoo: :bounce: YES! :patriot:

[tom_paine]

30. "Patriotic" the way the SA was "patriotic"

Just making sure as few eyes as possible see the truth, and intimidating the truthtellers.

That's all this is about, at least from the Bushie-Nazi perspective.

[lonestarnot]

15. Thanks for posting this hissy!

:applause:

[lonestarnot]

16. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

[cynthia]

17. Freeway bloggers are the best

I would love to see some photos of the Impeach BUSH/cheney signs if anyone has them.

Wouldn't it be great if this case shut down the stupid Clear Channel garbage that is out there?

[JohnnyRingo]

18. It appears that overpass is owned by Dick Cheney

Since it's on state property, Cheney or Buxh likely feel it's theirs until they leave office.
As per the article, an $800 a day fee is sufficient to grease the local officials to literally look the other way.

BTW
Their most excellent website has detailed instructions on how you too, can be a "Freeway Blogger":
http://www.freewayblogger.com/

[happygoluckytoyou]

20. SPECIAL ARTICLE FROM GEORGE AND DICK ---->

NOT NOW ---- JUST WHEN WE ARE PLANNING TO CUT-AND-RUN.... WE'RE NOT BRAVE.... WE'RE JUST SLOW


Officials: Bush to announce troop cut By MATTHEW LEE and ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writers
7 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - President Bush will tell the nation Thursday evening that he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by as many as 30,000 by next summer but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned.
In a 15-minute address from the White House at 9 p.m. EDT, Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at two days of hearings in Congress, administration officials said. The White House plans to issue a written status report on the troop buildup on Friday, they said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Bush's speech is not yet final. Bush was rehearsing and polishing his remarks even as the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker were presenting their arguments for a second day on Capitol Hill.

In the speech, the president will say he understands Americans' deep concerns about U.S. involvement in Iraq and their desire to bring the troops home, they said. Bush will say that, after hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the U.S. military presence but not abandon Iraq to chaos, according to the officials.

The address will stake out a conciliatory tone toward Congress. But while mirroring Petraeus' strategy, Bush will place more conditions on reductions than his general did, insisting that conditions on the ground must warrant cuts and that now-unforeseen events could change the plan.

Petraeus recommended that a 2,000-member Marine unit return home this month without replacement. That would be followed in mid-December with the departure of an Army brigade numbering 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers. Under the general's plan, another four combat brigades would be withdrawn by July 2008.

That could leave the U.S. with as few as 130,000-135,000 troops in Iraq, down from about 168,000 now, although Petraeus was not precise about whether all the about 8,000 support troops sent with those extra combat forces would be withdrawn by July.

Petraeus said he foresaw even deeper troop cuts beyond July, but he recommended that Bush wait until at least March to decide when to go below 130,000 — and at what pace.

At the White House, Bush met with House and Senate lawmakers of both parties and he publicly pledged to consider their views. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the president didn't talk about the nationwide address.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush appears poised merely to bring the country back to where it was before the election that put Democrats in control of Congress — with 130,000 troops in Iraq.

"Please. It's an insult to the intelligence of the American people that that is a new direction in Iraq," she said. "We're as disappointed as the public is that the president has a tin ear to their opinion on this war."

In his speech, Bush will adopt Petraeus' call for more time to determine the pace and scale of future withdrawals and offer to report to Congress in March, one official said.

As Petraeus and Crocker have, Bush will acknowledge difficulties, and the fact that few of the benchmarks set by Congress to measure progress of the buildup have been met, the official said. Yet, he will stress that a precipitous U.S. withdrawal would be a catastrophe for Iraq and U.S. interests.

The president will discuss "bottom up" security improvements, notably in Anbar Province, which he visited on Labor Day and where Sunni leaders have allied themselves with U.S. forces to fight insurgents. And, he will note incremental progress on the political front despite unhelpful roles played by Iran and Syria, the official said.

Crocker was particularly keen on detailing diplomatic developments, including Saudi Arabia's move to open an embassy in Baghdad and a third conference of Iraqi neighbors to be hosted by Turkey in Istanbul at the end of October.

In Congress, cracks in Republican support for the Iraq war remained, as epitomized by heated questioning Tuesday of Petraeus.

"Is this a mission shift?" asked Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. "Are we continuing down the same path that we have laid out before, entirely reliant on the ability of the Iraqis to come together to achieve that political reconciliation?"

Sen. Norm Coleman said he wants a longer-term vision other than suggestions that Petraeus and Crocker return to Capitol Hill in mid-March to give another assessment. "Americans want to see light at the end of the tunnel," said Coleman, R-Minn.

Many rank-and-file Republicans say they are deeply uneasy about keeping troops in Iraq through next summer, but they also remain reluctant to embrace legislation ordering troops home by next spring. Democrats, under substantial pressure by voters and politically influential anti-war groups, had anticipated that a larger number of Republicans by now would have turned against Bush on the war because of grim poll numbers and the upcoming 2008 elections.

Indeed, Petraeus' testimony helped to solidify support elsewhere in the GOP, keeping Democrats far from the 60 votes they needed to pass legislation ordering troops home.

"Americans should be happy that we can begin to reduce troop levels months ahead of schedule," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

"I'm optimistic that when the votes are counted, they'll be roughly the same as they have been all year," said McConnell, the Senate Republican leader. "As you know, we've lost some, but not a lot and I think that's a likely outcome again."

Echoing testimony given to the House on Monday, Petraeus and Crocker acknowledged that Iraq remains largely dysfunctional but said violence had decreased since the influx of added U.S. troops.

Crocker said he fears that announcing troop withdrawals, as Democrats want, would focus Iraqi attention on "building the walls, stocking ammunition and getting ready for a big nasty street fight" rather than working toward reconciliation. "It will take longer than we initially anticipated" for Iraq's leaders to address the country's problems, he said.

The two days of testimony seemed to turn the debate away from the list of 18 benchmarks by which the White House and Iraq's government had said earlier this year that they preferred to measure progress. The administration has protested more recently that the benchmarks offer an unrealistic or incomplete look at the situation.

The hearing fell on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In an unusual admission, Petraeus said he was not sure whether his proposal on Iraq would make America safer.

A visibly heated Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked the question to which Petraeus said: "Sir, I don't know, actually. I have not sat down and sorted that out in my mind. What I have focused on and riveted on is how to accomplish the mission of the multinational force Iraq."

[olddad56]

21. wouldn't it be sweet if...

At a National televised NFL football game, someone unrolled about a 100 ft banner that said Impeach Bush and Cheney. If they unrolled it from the end first, Impeach would be the last word to be displayed. It would be nice.

I was once at a night game in Candlestick Park between the Giants and the Dodgers. Some guys in centerfield unrolled this banner. When it just said "The Dodgers" in the form of their blue logo, the whole 50,000+ crowd was was booing and carrying on. Then when they finished unrolling it and it said "Fuck the Dodgers" the place went crazy. It didn't last long, and maybe you would have had to have been there, but it was sweet.

Just imagine a 100 foot sign that started out to just say BUSH, then CHENEY and BUSH, then when everyone is booing, the word IMPEACH gets unrolled and the house goes wild.

[screembloodymurder]

23. Support the Troops

Has anyone heard of a similar ban on Support the Troops signs? Was anyone arrested for putting them up? Cops have decided selective enforcement is OK. That way they decide what's free speech and what's a felony.

[northzax]

24. I wonder why the State is making this arguement?

If I were them, I would say that you need a permit to display commercial messages. since the signs include a website, which solicits donations, I don't think it's an appropriate use of public space. Else, what's to stop someone from hanging a sign from the overpass saying "eat at joe's?"

[Orsino]

25. To ensure that only corporations can distract our motorists. n/t

[northzax]

26. you mean on billboards?

on private property? I see no reason why impeachthem.com can't rent a billboard, on private property, or get permission from a landowner to use private property for their signs. I do see a problem with anyone using public land for advertising, without renting it from the public first.

[Orsino]

33. At prices only corporations can afford.

I have no problem with hearing from people who don't have money.

[northzax]

35. drive up I-5 from Portland to Seattle sometime

there are several homemade billboards extolling Christian viewpoints, libertarian viewpoints, etc. the difference is, they are all on private property.

[Orsino]

37. Doesn't apply to my position.

I want public property kept open for public protests. For free.

[northzax]

38. then take the corporate logo off the signs

that's all I am asking. What if they had the same sign, complaining about Bush, with a Nike Swoosh on it, is that still kosher?

[Orsino]

39. What corporate logo were they displaying? n/t

[northzax]

40. Their website

Which is a: a .com and b: sells products. That is commercial. Yes, i would feel the same way if it was a du sign.

[Orsino]

41. You mean a URL?

I think I see your point, but that's not quite the same thing as a logo. If their main product is impeachment, however (so to speak), I don't see a reason to bar them from the Commons. Would you really not distinguish between them and typical commercial ventures?

[northzax]

42. I don't know where the money goes...

Do you? It's not plainly stated on the site.

so yes. Take the advertising off the sign, and i welcome the political statement.

[Orsino]

43. Would they have to incorporate as a non-profit...

...or not-for-profit to satisfy you as to their handling of money?

I had looked for one of those indicators, too, and couldn't find it anywhere on the site. It is a little strange, but it speaks to me of grass roots rather than some corporate conspiracy or scam. Frankly, I'd be much more concerned about the latter possibilities than what exactly happens to the proceeds from button, sticker and sign sales.

[northzax]

44. Let me be clear

I have no wish to cast aspersions on this group, whatsoever. I know nothing about them, and support their stated goals.

my issue is with using public space for advertising. Make the statement, i celebrate that, Do not place your name on public space and expect to be clear, i would say the same thing to the aclu or greenpeace, two groups i pay to support.

[Orsino]

50. If they took donations only...

...and sold no buttons/stickers/signs, would that satisfy you?

[pschoeb]

32. This does not constitute a commercial message

and taking donations does not constitute commerce.

[northzax]

34. actually, on further review

they sell merchandise on their website. therefore it is commercial.

[Senator]

27. Flapping Flags Are More Distracting

Particularly since so many of them are depressingly torn and faded -- never maintained by the Patrions who slap them up.

Still, it's an apt metaphor for the bushcheney cultists.

--

[november3rd]

36. High Profile

It's great that they stuck to their overpass and kept posting the signs even when the police threatened them with (another) lawless intimidation. Now the case is in the newspaper!

The police can't win these repression cases. As with Reverend Lennox Yearwood being thrown to the floor for exercising his right to attend a Congressional hearing, the publicity is going to be a disaster for the fascist forces of repression.

It's time to pile on.

[defendandprotect]

45. I'd LOVE to see an IMPEACH 'EM sign at every overpass in NJ -- !!!

[Sacajawea]

46. I saw a NY license plate that said: "IMPEACHW" just the other day...on the Long Island Expressway...

in Suffolk County. It was the real license, on both the front and back, and it was on an early '70s (?) VW microbus (I think they were called). Gave the driver a really big :thumbsup:!!!!!

[lonestarnot]

48. Delouse, Debrief, DeBush, DeDick

[SayWhatYo]

52. ahhh the L.I.E :(

as odd as it sounds, I found driving to be a lot nicer there than here in Austin, TX...

[samplegirl]

49. I prefer

Dumpsters!!! Coming to a neighborhood near you.

:think:

[Feral Libertarian]

51. Freedom of speach only applies

to those that sing from the neocon songbook.

http://www.mountainx.com/news/2007/flagged_down_activists_arrested_in_row_over_protest_flag_allege_abuse_by_bu

[wordswinker]

53. Butterflies for Impeachment

There is a groundswell in progress, see this:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilldraper/948075063/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="" width="240" height="221" alt="Lepidoptera Action Committee" /></a>