Sen. Lee (R-Utah): Tea Party group’s First Amendment rights violated

[babylonsister]

Awwww...:cry:

Sen. Lee: Tea Party group’s First Amendment rights violated
By Alicia M. Cohn - 11/18/11 03:57 PM ET


Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) believes First Amendment rights were violated when a group of Tea Party-affiliated voters were barred from holding a planned meeting in a House office building this week, his office said Friday.

The freshman senator had arranged a meeting Thursday in Russell, a Senate office building, for Tea Party activists and members of Congress and informed the Senate Rules Committee “weeks and weeks ago," according to Lee's office. The meeting had been approved, and several members of Congress planned to attend, including Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

According to influential Tea Party group Freedom Works, over 200 Freedom Works activists planned to attend the event, which was going to stream live on C-SPAN. A group of Tea Party leaders appointed as the Tea Party Debt Commission planned to present and discuss a set of deficit-reduction recommendations with members of Congress.

"The point is these people need to be heard," said Brian Phillips, communications director for Lee. He pointed out that a group of "Occupy Wall Street" protesters were allowed to come into Senate office buildings in the past and stage a public protest in the halls.

"But all of a sudden when the Tea Party comes in they shut it down," he said.

According to Lee's office, the Rules Committee shut down the meeting because it was being called a hearing and a hearing had not been cleared with the committee.

more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/194605-sen-lee-tea-party-groups-first-amendment-rights-violated

[Le Taz Hot]

1. The last, pitiful sputterings of a

faux "movement." They're pouting because the spotlight is off them and, reluctantly, on to OWS.

[justiceischeap]

2. Sen. Lee, if you're going to complain about this, then you better speak up about the violence

in the streets towards the OWS protestors. You can't have it both ways. When people are arrested and pepper-sprayed for practicing the same rights you claim the Tea Party was denied, it's all part and parcel of the same issue.

[Scuba]

3. Someone please send him a link to the cal-davis pepper-spraying video. n/t

[icnorth]

4. I feel the same way...

an outrage, a dagger pointed at the heart of the Koch brothers corporate socialism. ;-) On the bright side, I'm sure Diamond Pat Robertson and CBN or Trinity Broadcasting would be more than happy to host their whimsical little diatribe.

[JoePhilly]

5. Sounds like the Tea Party hasn't figured out that the Citizen's United case

made them irrelevant.

Why whould any sitting member of congress spend even 5 minutes in a town hall meeting when they could spend that time talking to a lobbyist for a Patriotically named (anonymously funded) super PAC.

The lobbyist tells you how to vote, you agree to do so, and in return, they run endless ads in your state and district explaining what a great family values candidate you are ... while also running even more ads explaining how your opponent hates America and sleeps with farm animals.

[SpiralHawk]

6. So the Baggers lie about holding a 'hearing' then whine about

how unfair it is that they are supposed to be honest and tell the truth. Twisted wankers, Baggers are.

No wonder no one respects them. They should use some of the payola their Billionaire PuppetMasters funnel to them to Invest in some Integrity.

[icnorth]

7. Integrity is anathema to their thought process. n/t

[Ian David]

8. Anyone remember Sensenbrenner turning off the lights and microphones on ACTUAL hearings? n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Yes. And remember when Conyers had to have hearings in the BASEMENT?

IIRC, he didn't even have a sound system.

[DenverDad]

10. The "comments" section

at the end of this blog is priceless!

:rofl: