City council wants speech limits after pastor threatens curse on official

[question everything]

City council wants speech limits after pastor threatens curse on official

By: Associated Press

ONTARIO, Calif. -- A suburban City Council wants to limit public comment during its meetings after a pastor said he was placing a curse on the city manager and his family.

"It touched a nerve for me," Councilman John Anderson said. "Not that criticism directed at (the city manager) is anything to get worked up over, but this went beyond criticism." Anderson asked City Attorney John Brown to look into how officials could stop speakers whose comments stray too far from city business, and Brown said he believes it's possible without violating the First Amendment.

During this week's council meeting, Pastor John Sabbath of Liv-In Christ Christian Center in Chino said he was placing a curse on City Manager Greg Devereaux and his family. The pastor was upset that the city did not give funding to his organization following a request he made several years ago.

Free speech advocates said they doubt the council could muzzle speakers unless their comments veer into slander or hate speech. "It has to be extreme," said Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition. Ontario, about 45 miles east of Los Angeles, has 170,000 residents.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/06/10/backpage/6_9_0616_10_28.txt

[htuttle]

1. So, now these wingnuts think they can cast curses and do magic?

[Kagemusha]

3. Yeah, that's sort of um, banned in the Bible, I recall.

But I've never heard of this sect either so who knows. Freedom of belief and all that.

[htuttle]

8. Worse yet, they seem to be doing it because they didn't get city money

Like some kind of Wizard Mob Protection Racket?

:crazy:

Get Harry Potter on the phone, pronto!

[Kagemusha]

2. I suppose this doesn't fall under 'uttering a threat'.

Just wondering..

[Armstead]

4. They don;t have to change the law

They already have the ability to control public comments at meetings through things like parliamentary procedure.

All they have to do is tell speakers to stick to their points, and if they get abusive then turn off their mikes or have them escorted out.

[question everything]

11. Or simply turn off the microphone (nt)

[htuttle]

13. Or they could respond by counter-casting the feared "Turkey Curse"

ERISIAN MAGIC RITUAL - THE TURKEY CURSE

Revealed by the Apostle Dr. Van Van Mojo as a specific counter to the evil Curse of Greyface, THE TURKEY CURSE is here passed on to Erisians everywhere for their just protection.

The Turkey Curse works. It is firmly grounded on the fact that Greyface and his followers absolutely require an aneristic setting to function and that a timely introduction of eristic vibrations will neutralize their foundation. The Turkey Curse is designed solely to counteract negative aneristic vibes and if introduced into a neutral or positive aneristic setting (like a poet working out word rhythms) it will prove harmless, or at worst, simply annoying. It is not designed for use against negative eristic vibes, although it can be used as an eristic vehicle to introduce positive vibes into a misguided eristic setting. In this instance, it would be the responsibility of the Erisian Magician to manufacture the positive vibrations if results are to be achieved. CAUTION- all magic is powerful and requires courage and integrity on the part of the magician. This ritual, if misused, can backfire. Positive motivation is essential for self-protection.

TO PERFORM THE TURKEY CURSE:

Take a foot stance as if you were John L. Sullivan preparing for fisticuffs. Face the particular greyfaced you wish to short-circuit, or towards the direction of the negative aneristic vibration that you wish to neutralize. Begin waving your arms in any elaborate manner and make motions with your hands as though you were Mandrake feeling up a sexy giantess. Chant, loudly and clearly:

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

The results will be instantly apparent.

[myrna minx]

14. Dontcha hate it when Voldermort's Death Eaters

meddle with California City Council meetings. :rofl:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. You have to be verrrrry careful if you try to lay a curse on someone

because that lays you wide open for bad stuff to happen to you. At least that's what I have heard.

[ima_sinnic]

6. so somebody actually gets worked up over a "curse"? sheesh.

curse away, it's fun to watch supposed grown-ups get all red and huffy-puffy in the face while uttering superstitious hokus-pokus. better they just laugh at the idiot than respond by "making a law."

[myrna minx]

7. Sounds like the Black Adder's witch smeller is needed in

Ontario California---STAT! :rofl:

[htuttle]

10. Good Idea! Someone go fetch the Witchsmeller Pursuivant!

[TlalocW]

9. As well as a refresher in first amendment rights

The city council could stand to read some James Randi or watch Penn and Teller's, "Bullshit!" for better critical thinking skills.

TlalocW

[jaxx]

12. So much for that christian compassionate conservatism

[enlightenment]

15. Back before Nevada was a state, an entire town had a

curse placed on it by an LDS leader. In the 1840s, Mormon settlers founded the town of Genoa, in northern NV, but over time many 'gentiles' also settled in the community. In the 1850s, Brigham Young recalled all of the Mormon settlers from the towns they had settled across the west (in preparation for an armed conflict with the federal government - it didn't happen).

The mayor of the town, a guy named Orson Hyde, offered to sell the town to the gentiles -- they accepted and gave him a small down-payment. The Mormons left, and the gentiles apparently decided that they didn't need to pay the rest of the price. Orson tried to get them to pay up, and when they refused, placed a rather long-winded curse on the entire community. It's kind of cute, in an over-blown kind of way . . .

Some folks claim that the curse has had a detrimental effect on the town over the years - personally, I think that's stretching credulity.

Point of the story (I guess) is that there's not much new under the sun.