|
Edited on Wed Sep-21-05 12:18 AM by anarchy1999
Kay Lucas, Director of The Crawford Peace House, defends our rights as Citizens of the US and our 1st Amendment in front of the McLennan County Commissioners Court.
Dear Mods,
I have permission to post this in full and it is a matter of public record. Thank you.
Today was another hearing about Camp Casey and what is before the commission, issues now are port-o-pots and shade tents in the ditches and placing a permanent marker at the site. Next hearing, next Tuesday. No decisions today.
An address to the McLennan County Commissioners Court
Sept 20, 2005
By Kay Lucas
In the early days of the Bush Administration, those who came to Crawford to protest its policies were denied their first amendment rights by the local governments. The designated “free speech zone” was the high school football field parking lot, Pirate Field, a very secluded area with no public visibility. You all know the old saying about the tree falling in the forest with no one there to hear. Then the city of Crawford passed an ordinance requiring 25 days to get a protest permit.
When government begins establishing policies that deny rights established by our country’s founders, it becomes imperative that citizens stand up and challenge those policies. The Crawford Peace House believes that ALL Americans have rights. Not just the privileged.
We understand that local citizens are concerned for their family’s safety. We do all we can to facilitate everyone’s safety. But along with the prestige of having George W. Bush as a neighbor, comes the responsibility, as American Citizens, of realizing that sometimes a little inconvenience from slow traffic is a relatively minor thing when compared to other Americans who show up to protest their prestigious neighbor’s policies.
Their loved ones are dead and more are dying every day because of that neighbors’ policies. .All over this country, American Citizens have been denied their first amendment rights and relegated to “free speech zones” because the man who lives on Prairie Chapel Road does not want to be bothered by citizens who disagree with his policies. A man by the way, who inserted himself into the neighborhood by buying a piece of property to serve as a Hollywood stage set with “western ranch style flavor,” from which to sell himself to the American people as a rugged Texas cowboy.
We were not, and are not funded by big business or big money. We are supported by our fellow Americans, who believe they still have the right to protest the government wherever that government does its business. Americans who demonstrated that by a history making thousands of them showing up for a month long vigil at the Western White House. And even though the Crawford Post Office workers returned several boxes of it, there were thousands of letters of support of the events in August.
The Crawford Peace House was established to stand witness for Americans whose First Amendment rights are being challenged. The Crawford Peace House exists for several other reasons. We believe what Holy men from many faiths taught. Jesus of Nazareth said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” We believe peace is possible, and love and respect for our fellow man will bring that about. We want to honor and follow the words of Gandhi, who said, “There is no way to Peace. Peace is the way.” We support a cabinet level Dept. of Peace. We are peaceful people. We support and defend the constitution, the bill of rights and especially the first Amendment.
We hope this Court will also uphold our rights.
Thank You.
Dear DU'ers,
Kay is the Director of The Crawford Peace House and will be in San Francisco this weekend. If you are there, find her, and give her a hug for me! Keep her safe.
Please respond on what you think of this speech. I was pretty impressed.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
