ACLU Seeks to End Ban on Sales of Shirt Listing Iraq War Dead

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/29/2193/

ACLU Seeks to End Ban on Sales of Shirt Listing Iraq War Dead
by Howard Fischer

PHOENIX - The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal judge to void a new law making it a crime to sell products with the names of dead soldiers. It may be the first such challenge of any law of this kind in the nation.0629 10

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, the attorneys charge that the law, which took effect on May 24, violates the constitutional rights of Flagstaff businessman Dan Frazier. He has sold T-shirts that feature the words “Bush Lied” on one side and “They Died” on the other - over a field of the names of more than 3,000 U.S. service members who died in Iraq.

What is causing immediate concern, the lawsuit states, is that Flagstaff police officers told Frazier just a week ago that they were preparing a report on his activities and referring it to the City Attorney’s Office, “which would seek the filing of a criminal complaint.”

The law subjects offenders to up to six months in jail.

State Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, the sponsor of the measure, said the lawsuit didn’t surprise him.

Waring said he believes the new law will withstand a legal challenge. He said he can’t be the only one to believe that, noting that the measure gained unanimous legislative approval as well as the signature of Gov. Janet Napolitano.

more...

[BuyingThyme]

1. What's the difference between a news broadcast and a t-shirt?

[panader0]

2. I agree. The dead are listed daily in the USA Today

and many local papers as well. Will they be liable too under this stupid law that seeks only to hide the shame of the bush administration? Another "too stupid to believe law"

[babylonsister]

3. I don't know but one of the sites I frequent says they've been banned. I

can't remember which one. Maybe a parent complained?

[poverlay]

5. Do you know if the law bans wearing a similar shirt or simply selling them? If not do you have a

link by chance? I'll make my own damn shirts and give them away! Censoring bastards.

Maybe I'll make one that says: "We will never forget: Bong Hits for Jesus"!

Excuse me, I have to go write a check to the ACLU.

[babylonsister]

6. This isn't the site I was talking about, but it's 'a' site that has the

banned t-shirts. See info on left:

http://carryabigsticker.com/

[poverlay]

9. THX... n/t

[Cha]

10. "Censoring bastards" is right.

Except when it comes to fascist hate speech and then it's ALL SYSTEMS GO!

[Tesha]

7. The news broadcasters make more money and hire more-expensive lawyers

and lobbyists.

Tesha

[BuyingThyme]

8. I guess they should charge more for the shirts.

[Breeze54]

4. I remember reading about this more than a year ago

Waring’s measure seeks to avoid that issue by limiting the prohibition on the use of the names
of dead soldiers without permission of relatives to the sale of items or the promotion of a business.
He said that means Frazier is making money off their names.

It was the pro-war families that were pissed at him for using
their soldiers names without their permission, as I remember it.
That's why I copied the pics of the shirts. Just in case.