ACLU Sues King County Over Banning Anti-Israel Bus Ads

[The Straight Story]

ACLU Sues King County Over Banning Anti-Israel Bus Ads

The ACLU of Washington has filed suit against King County for refusing to run anti–Israel ads on Metro buses.

Taylor: "We should keep in mind that the purpose of the First Amendment is to protect speech that is difficult to hear and that makes people uncomfortable. Mild speech doesn't need our protection."

That's the ACLU's Kathleen Taylor. The lawsuit is on behalf of the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, or SeaMAC. They created the ad. KUOW's Meghan Walker has more.

The ad reads, "Israeli War Crimes, Your Tax Dollars at Work." Next to the text is a photo of a group of Palestinians standing next to a crumbled building.

http://kuow.org/program.php?id=22407

Note to mods: Did not put this in the I/P area because it is not about I/P but about speech here in the US

[Ozymanithrax]

1. I may not agree with what they have to say...

but I defend to the death their right to say it.

The ACLU does good work. Freedom of speech is essential to all other freedoms, without freedom of speech, no other freedom exists.

[davidinalameda]

2. are they going to run ads showing market places

and buses that have been blown up by suicide bombers?

[Puregonzo1188]

4. And that is relevant how?

If people are know so pro-Israeli they are blind to the First Amendment we have a serious issue.

They run political advertisements. A group, with a political agenda, bought ad space and advertised their agenda.

[davidinalameda]

7. shouldn't we grant both sides equal time

[FreeState]

9. No one is stopping the pro-side from placing ads in King County n/t

[Tesha]

6. WHy would they do that?

The American media already has that task
very well covered.

Tesha

[TheMadMonk]

10. No problems whatsoever. And I'd pay good money for the response...

...ads which highlight the kill ratio, which at times runs as high as 100 innocent Palestinians for every innocent Israeli.

That's innocents for innocents and nothing whatsoever to do with the exchange ratio for actual combatants.

And it is far, far to systematic for it to be explained away as indiscriminate flailing at a "faceless foe". The simplest explanation which fits ALL the available facts, indeed supported by Israel's own words It that the modern Palestinian conflict is a continuation of a thousands of years old campaign of regional genocide.

l
Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.)

Exodus, Chapter 34, verses 11-14

You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.

Leviticus, Chapter 26, verses 7-9

[Donald Ian Rankin]

3. Do they allow other political adverts?

If not, that's fine; if so, good for the ACLU.

[pennylane100]

5. The ACLU usually sues only when they are on the winning side

but I do not know what the policy and I agree that it should be followed.

[Quantess]

11. Good question.

I know that Portland buses do not allow political ads. Not sure about King county, WA.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Rachel Corrie was a Washingtonian and a victim of an Israeli war crime.