April 24, 2011

Welcome to the Peoples’ Republic of Howell

As our new governor is turning our great state into the Peoples’ Republic of Michigan (by the way, his new welcome to all the other statists is: Welcome to the P.R.O.M.), the City of Howell is trying to get rid of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

The City Manager, Shea Charles, introduced at the last City Council meeting on Wednesday April 13th what he called “Free Speech Zones”. That’s funny; I thought that anywhere I stand in the United States is a ‘Free Speech Zone’.

The thought behind this insanity was to prevent groups such as the Baptist Church in Kansas, Pro-lifers, Skinheads, Bible thumpers, etc., from putting forward their thoughts, even though that is their right. We may not like their words or speech-related deeds, but we need to allow them to speak their thoughts because our Constitution recognizes that right.

Even though Howell’s proposed Free Speech Zone would only be limited to city festivals for now, where will it end? The American Civil Liberties Union has already threatened the City with a lawsuit if they initiate the ideas. Using the law to tell Americans that they can only speak their minds in special cordoned-off areas is not free speech, it is restricted and constrained speech.

With Governor Snyder wanting to turn our cities, townships, and villages into regions directly controlled by the State, pulling a Stalinist plot to turn our Republic into a pseudo-Communist state, now the Republican base can whoop it up over Howell also.

Just as in 2008 when America voted in a President knowing nothing about what he stood for, our state last year voted in someone of whom all we knew was that he was the CEO of a defunct computer company.

We cannot, as Libertarians, allow the County Seat of the place that we call home to initiate this authoritarian, anti-First Amendment dictum. If we do, we as the largest third party in America may be the next group that they decide they don’t like our message of Liberty, Freedom and the American Way.

As the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Livingston County, I propose that we watch this dark business in Howell very closely and, if it passes and becomes law, that we peacefully oppose it at every turn, taking up the “cross of Liberty” by defying the injustice and denying the “Free Speech Zones” at every City Festival…even to the point of arrest if need be. Let’s force the issue to the United States Supreme Court if that is what it takes!

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Any and all comments about my comments are welcome. Write me via the Contact area of this website, or email me directly at: brightonwolfman@gmail.com

Todd Richardson, Chair
Livingston County Libertarian Party
810-355-8291