Open Thread for The Weekend
ASSOCIATED PRESSONTARIO – The City Council is looking for ways to limit public comment during 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 in an interview. “Not that criticism directed at (the city manager) is anything to get worked up over, but this went beyond criticism.”
The incident occurred when Pastor John Sabbath of Liv in Christ Christian Center got up to speak during this week's council meeting. Sabbath was upset that the city did not give funding to his organization following a request he made several years ago.
He said he was placing a curse on City Manager Greg Devereaux, Devereaux's wife and his family.
Anderson asked City Attorney John Brown to examine how city officials could stop speakers whose comments stray too far from city business. Brown said he believes it's possible to do that without violating the First Amendment.
Free speech advocates, however, said they doubt the council could limit speech unless comments veer into slander or hate speech.
“It has to be extreme,” said Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition.
Nevertheless, Mayor Paul Leon vowed to crack down on speakers who attack council members or city officials.
“I'm going to stop people in their tracks when I believe they've crossed the line,” he said.
Information from: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 6/10/2006 12:08:00 AM
5 Comments:
Thank gos this guy isn't in skid row trying to get stuff for us.
I mean I yell at the city council members and being alkmost like a santa clause figure type , it is the stupidest thing I could ever do.
But I was under the impression preachers couldn't curse they could only bless.
Seems to me soemone doesn't understand that compassion , if his business is ministry , is unconditional and that means when dealing with people in poositions of power and authority.
SOmetimes you have to speak rough , but cursing someone because they won't give you money or automatically approve your project or plan because you feel entitled to it aint the way to go.
recently I ran into this. SOme people feel you are supposed to do their beck and call without question.
The first place that needs to change their public comment period is the police commission meetings. They allow black activists to stand and make statements of hate, anger, violence and threats and no one does anything about it. These are John Mack's friends so he should follow city council and change the wording so words of hate, abusive or offensive language is not accepted.
DGARZILA, I thought it was funny when you told city council members you're sorry for saying they were all on medication.
the city attorney should also look into having politician that lie in public like Antonio arrested.
I said I thought they should all be on medication on my blog. Esp, when it came to appealing a decision that they can't win.
But the Times didn't give us the whole story in which the vote was bifurcated and they voted to still move forward to find language for the ordinace against sleeping ,, and sitting , and lying on the sidewalk.
So I apologized for thinking that some of them needed psychiatric medication
Contact FBI
"Marcos Aguilar"
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