Leonard Pitts Jr: These are ominous times for American freedoms

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

I'm sorry, but I still want my pound of flesh.

Granted, apologies have been given and promises made. Still, the transgression was so profound, so antithetical to the letter and spirit of the Constitution, that it's hard to let it go at that.

For those who missed it: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recently went to Hattiesburg, Miss., to speak at Presbyterian Christian High. Scalia typically does not allow video or audio recordings to be made of his speeches, but no such prohibition was announced at this particular appearance, which was open to the public. Two reporters covering the event recorded the speech in order to quote it accurately in their stories.

Afterward, both were confronted by a deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service, which provides security for Supreme Court justices. The deputy seized a digital recorder from Denise Grones of the Associated Press and erased its contents. She also confiscated a cassette tape from Antoinette Konz of the Hattiesburg American and later returned it, erased.

-more-

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001905369_pitts18.html

[opihimoimoi]

1. Brown shirt Brown shirt

Its what we get for voting right wing. Brown shirt shit.

[ArtieBoy]

2. I've even read

the outrageous idea that because terrorists take hostages in the hopes that the hostages' submission will be shown on the TV news and dispirit us...we should just do away with freedom of the press until we're "truly free." As a matter of fact I read this exceedingly dumb comment here. The America I grew up in is quickly disappearing, I think.

[luisao]

3. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one

I haven't seen evidence that Scalia actually requested the admittedly despicable actions of the marshalls.

I wish half as much energy went into continuing to hammer the illegitimacy of Bush v. Gore as the duck hunting and this. If Scalia and Cheney are "long-time friends" and hunting buddies as major media reported, then participating in Bush v. Gore was an abomination. Why is this unmentioned in the flap over duck hunting?

[Jack The Tab]

4. Scalia has repeatedly denied his speaking egagements be recorded...

And he is usually always speaking about how sacred the constitution is to him.

Plain and simple, he knows his ideology is highly controversial and inflamatory and would repulse the majority of Americans. He has said since this flap that he does not mind the recordings for the print media, but will still deny TV or radio coverage.

He knows he is way radical and way outside the mainstream.

[teryang]

5. As a public persona, he has no right to privacy

...when appearing in a public place. He can put it in a contract with a private institution where he speaks, but as a prior restraint on the press it is not enforceable except by contract by that institution with its invited audience. A US marshal has no authority in this situation as the justice is a third party beneficiary of the agreement with the attendees.

His only option would be to refuse to speak. Those providing security for the institution could ask people who bring cameras or recorders to leave if there were such an agreement with the attendees. This latter practice is done all the time by public schools when there are performances by their bands, drama groups, etc. However, they tend to have copyright agreements with their performers whereby copyright is assigned to the school. As a public personage, Scalia has no copyright to his public statements.