Nampa resident Ronalee Linsenmann parked her bumper-sticker-covered Geo Metro on the grass of the old Ada County Courthouse Friday morning, followed moments later by Ike Sweesy of Boise, who parked his Chevy Corvette right next to the Geo.
Occupy protestors said it was only a matter of minutes before several ISP officers showed up at the site. Those officers had the cars towed off the grounds and parked on the street by 11 a.m.
Linsenmann said she felt she had as much right to park her car on the grounds as the protestors did to have tents on the old courthouse lawn.
“Oh my goodness, if they can camp there for free speech, why can’t I park my free speech car with all my bumper stickers?” Linsenmann told the Idaho Statesman Friday morning. “I have lots of opinions. They told us the cars had to be moved, but if it is about free speech then that car should be able to stay.”I thought that this was a rather clever way of pointing out the silliness of camping. Yes, it's free speech, but so is parking the bumper sticker covered Geo, or the Corvette as a symbol of the value of hard work.
I suppose that we should be happy that the Occupy Stupidity crowd does what it does. The alternative would involve actually doing something.
But how does this fit in with the US Supreme Court's decisions that find nude dancing for money to be a free speech issue, but sending money to political candidates is something that can be regulated to a farethewell?
ReplyDeleteBut that doesn't point up the contradictions quite as cleverly as Linsenmann did.