Jefferson Muzzles awarded for 1st Amendment jackassery

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, April 9, 2008 3:30 PM | permalink

Remember FEMA faking a press conference? The judge telling a rape victim that she couldn't use the word "rape" in her testimony? The guy who wasn't allowed to have a "GETOSAMA" license plate in New York? The woman who was charged criminally for swearing at an overflowing toilet in her own home? The people responsible for this jackassery are getting their comeuppance, in the form of the vaunted Jefferson Muzzle Awards. This dubious distinction has been handed out annually since 1992, highlighting the nation's most egregious violations of First Amendment rights. Muzzles were handed out to eleven other businesses, organizations, and government entities.
My favorite is the lifetime achievement award for the FCC, "for years of applying inconsistent (if not arbitrary) standards in determining what is 'indecent' on broadcast airwaves."

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Discussion

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#1 posted by DyslexicDan , April 9, 2008 4:08 PM

The Sarpy County (Nebraska) Attorney L. Kenneth Polikov award was hard for me to read. Shirley Phelps-Roper and the Westboro Baptist Church would be the last people I want to see defended. There is something fundamentally disgusting about protesting a funeral. It almost makes me not want to defend the First Amendment. Almost.

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#2 posted by MuffinTop , April 9, 2008 4:13 PM

It'd be nice if they handed out "Jefferson Muzzles" for "egregious violations of Second Amendment rights" as well...

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#3 posted by bluesunshine , April 9, 2008 4:36 PM

I wouldn't mind if they handed out any sort of muzzles to Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or Sean Hannity, but that's just me....

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#4 posted by chgoliz , April 9, 2008 4:37 PM

Wouldn't those be Jefferson Muskets?

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#5 posted by MuffinTop , April 9, 2008 4:48 PM

@CHGOLIZ brilliant!

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#6 posted by pauldrye , April 9, 2008 5:15 PM

Ffff, Jefferson Muzzleloaders, obviously.

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#7 posted by Waldo Jaquith

, April 9, 2008 6:09 PM

Well, what with the organization existing solely to defend First Amendment rights, Jefferson Muskets probably aren't in the cards. But I do wish there were an NRA, but not so looney (e.g. God wants us to have shoulder-fired missiles) to do that kind of thing. Though if the NRA endorses just one more Democrat for statewide office here in Virginia, I may have to become a member.

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#8 posted by Talia , April 9, 2008 6:50 PM

I REALLY wish it didnt keep logging me out when I tried to comment. Anyway

On the upside I recall reading somewhere charges were dropped against the toilet woman.

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#9 posted by jetsetsc , April 9, 2008 7:22 PM

#2: Damn right! I can't stand to see poorly regulated militias.

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#10 posted by Jake0748 , April 9, 2008 7:52 PM

I'm agreeing with #1, let a family bury their child in peace. I'm all for the first amendment, but sometimes there has to be compassion for wounded people. Who did the protesters think they were going to convince?

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#11 posted by Shauni , April 10, 2008 9:55 AM

I think the award wasn't necessarily for supporting the Phelps protest, but the technicality that the police used to get them.

There are other ways of protecting those families. Harassment suits, disturbing the peace or incitement to riot.

And I doubt the protesters wanted to convince anyone; they're just a bunch of attention whores. First Amendment means we have to let them speak, but we also have other rights to consider (right to privacy, for instance)

I definitely can't agree with the Jena Jefferson award, though. Not all speech is protected. Hate speech is a gray area, but threats are not. (And if you think those nooses didn't constitute a threat, there's something wrong with you)