White House Backs Right to Arms Outside Obama Events

[babsbunny]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081803416.html

By Alexi Mostrous
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Armed men seen mixing with protesters outside recent events held by President Obama acted within the law, the White House said Tuesday, attempting to allay fears of a security threat.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said people are entitled to carry weapons outside such events if local laws allow it. "There are laws that govern firearms that are done state or locally," he said. "Those laws don't change when the president comes to your state or locality."

[sofa king]

1. The master de-fuser.

I like President Obama more and more every day. He's thoughtful and pragmatic, and isn't afraid to call things the way they are, instead of the way he wants them to be.

Then he figures out how to make things the way he wants them to be.

[Adsos Letter]

3. I agree! Those that keep insisting that "Obama wants to take yer guns!!1!"

are gonna' have a hard time dealing with his response to these wingnuts.

[EFerrari]

7. When did these people ever respond to reality?

Imho, they won't stop AND they will keep testing the limits. :shrug:

[Adsos Letter]

14. Yeah, but arguing it in the Court of Public Opinion just became harder.

[Hansel]

15. Really?

Have you seen the polls numbers lately about the lies that the right has been spewing about health care reform. Most people are buying them no matter how many times Obama says they are not true.

These people don't believe anything else Obama says, why would they believe this. To them it will be taken as disingenuous pandering. Count on it.

[Adsos Letter]

23. Yes; really. Among sane people, that is.

[truedelphi]

30. yes you are right, it did. Thanks

For some sanity.

[EFerrari]

17. I would much prefer that but given that the media is owned by

right wing interests, I don't have any confidence that it's true. :(

[The Wielding Truth]

29. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. It's time to remember

that they need an alpha dog to follow, and it's time to have them fall in line.

They loved being told by Bush that they had no rights, so if we stand up, they will stand down. That's how they think. It's time to let them know how to behave.

It's a shame that they can't just realize that they are being used.

We, on the other hand, are the self checkers. We review our actions and words to make sure that they are verified truths and they hurt as few as possible. We put others before ourselves.

When there are those out there who are misleading others, that's when we rise.

The time has come to stop the propaganda and help the misinformed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. THis is exactly what we have been saying, those of us who get it.

I don't like it, but it is legal, and trying to do otherwise would give them exactly what they want.

Read arrest and case to the USSC.

[Hansel]

13. Those of us who get it?

Like everyone else who thinks it's a bad idea to bring arms to events where there have been heated arguments and mass hysteria based on rabid anger don't get it?

Please get over yourself. We are smart enough to know the laws. We are also smart enough to know that this isn't a smart idea.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Do you'd rather have the WH fall for the trap and give them what they want?

[truedelphi]

32. The precedent has already been set - when Bush's people had anyone

Disagreeing with them thrown off into a "Free Speech Zone"

I don't think public safety, or the President's own safety for that matter, should be minimized jsut for the sake of winning an argument.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. The precedent was not legal, the civics lesson from the WH is precisely this

Regardless of what we think, locals set their state laws, we don't.

Now I can bet the SS is taking measures that technically conform to the law, and increase the security.

Call me silly, but I am proof positive they are doing that.

But they are going to conform to the letter of the law and not give these idiots what they want... aka a soap box.

I personally rather have a head of state that actually respects that piece of paper he took and oath to defend and protect (and don't get me started on renditions) than one who does not. And some of the T-Shirt cases are in the courts, so sooner or later a court will strike those zones down, as late and symbolic as that is.

[truedelphi]

35. You don't see a big difference between someone

Who is wearing an opposing viewpoint tee shirt as opposed to someone carrying a weapon?

The first amendment and the second amendment are two different things. And these RW thugs cannot bring their precious piece aboard a commercial jet, and they cannot bring their precious piece into high schools with metal detectors etc.

There are places to bring guns, and places where safety concerns and the need to not have to face someone with a gun trumps that. Townhall meetings should not be one of the places where guns are sashayed around.

I think of the Coal Miners who have to meet in town hall meetings when they have already had people in the community shot at (And sometimes killed) by the hired thugs with guns. They should be able to go to town hall meetings with out that type of intimidating factor.

[Webster Green]

4. That should make the gun nuts STFU about "he's gonna take your guns"..

Nice contrast to chimp events. The chimp was scared shitless of T-shirts and bumper stickers, and had people arrested for them.

Nice chess move! :rofl:

[Dora]

5. IMO, those Obama supporters who can ought to show up at these events carrying as well.

Strength in numbers, I say.

[EFerrari]

6. What else are they going to say?

[rucky]

8. He just crushed hundreds of paranoid fantasies.

poor freepers are one step farther removed from reality.

[sweetpotato]

9. Why do they still HAVE guns?

Weren't the democrats going to take all the guns away?

Wow - a President following the law.

What to make of that?

[Zorra]

10. Naturally. These fools make conservatives look like dangerous wacko extremists

that no reasonable person would want to be associated with.

These dumbass republicans can't seem to keep from shooting themselves in the foot.

[polichick]

11. The sad part about this is Bush could get away with banning guns outside events...

Obama can't. He doesn't have a choice, and that's not right.

[X_Digger]

20. "can't"? Nah.. won't.

He's smart enough to let the goobers look stupid- and when they don't get hauled away, another paranoid fantasy goes down in flames.

[polichick]

21. I mean he really CAN'T - politically speaking. nt

[Hansel]

12. That's awesome. How brave.

They have 24/7 secret service security surrounding them. Their supporters, however, not so much. Key phrase: "Armed men seen mixing with protesters..."

[Hubert Flottz]

16. And Bush was scared of T-shirts!

Bush was an AWOL AND a Coward!

Couple Arrested at Bush Rally Settles Lawsuit for $80,000
by Andrew Clevenger

The federal government has agreed to pay $80,000 to a Texas couple arrested for wearing anti-President Bush T-shirts at a 2004 event with the president in Charleston.

Jeff and Nicole Rank went to Bush's Fourth of July speech at the state Capitol wearing homemade T-shirts with a red circle with a bar through it over the word "Bush."

On the back, hers read "Love America, Hate Bush" and his read "Regime Change Starts At Home."

When the couple refused to cover up their shirts, they were arrested and charged with trespassing. Those charges were later dropped by the city of Charleston, and city officials later apologized. More...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/08/17/3243

[Vinca]

18. Nothing good can come from a collection of nuts with a few armed

people in their midst. Whose to say one of the nuts can't grab a gun from someone's holster and take out whatever they're mad at?

[Butch350]

19. WH wants to make sure they don't start yelling...

"SEE, THEIR TRYING TO TAKE OUR GUNS, OUR phallic SYMBOLS AWAY FROM US".

Now that's one argument or point the gun toters can't make.

[Qutzupalotl]

22. Good.

They're doing this as a form of protest, so it's protected free speech.

[REP]

24. Obama is a smart and brave man

Not perfect, but I admire the hell out of his courage.

[Ilsa]

26. Whereas Bush* was too afraid to let in people who had

"No Blood For Oil" bumperstickers on their cars three blocks away. Thom Hartmann gave a great rundown today of bogus arrests at bush events.

[blondeatlast]

27. No, Mr. Gibbs just offered a civics lesson in a sound bite. The WH didn't endorse anything

but the rigths of LOCALITIES to determine their own law.

[Paladin]

28. The Gun Nuts Will Still Hate Obama. This Doesn't Change Anything. (n/t)

[Obamanaut]

31. Now the tide will turn. There will be a brazillion threads saying how

wise this is. I already miss the "Ack! Guns at a rally!" threads.

[DU GrovelBot]

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