– US Secret Service Confirms New Power Over Free Speech (Sinclair News, Mar 20, 2012):
Today we received an email linking to a story on Gulag Bound
US Secret Service Says No Anti-Obama Rallies Allowed!
March 20, 2012, 11:28 am By Sher Zieve 6 CommentsOver the weekend I received an email from my local TEA Party Director that Barack Hussein Obama would fly into Carlsbad, NM airport on Wednesday 21 March, in order to “make an appearance at the South Easter NM oilfields.” However, apparently after hearing that an immediate anti-Obama rally had been planned, Obama and his entourage changed the landing location to Roswell, NM… a city 77 miles from Carlsbad.
Note: Interesting as, despite the fear and trepidation Obama is trying valiantly to instill into the American people, his own panic seems to be showing.
After having the above article brought to our attention we decided to contact the United States Secret Service to verify that the agency did in fact have the authority to determine who could or could not attend a public function on public property held by Barack Obama. We were told the following:
“We were sent a memo after the recent signing of the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011, advising we now had the authority to deny anyone access to any public event held by the President or Vice President. Prior to President Obama’s signing of HR 347 the Secret Service did not have any involvement in deciding who could or could not participate in any public function on public property by the President. Prior to HR 347 being signed the Secret Service only screened and approved or denied people for “ticketed” events which were designed for invited or ticketed guests only.”
So yes, it appears the United States Secret Service has wasted NO time in using their new found power to determine what “speech” is permitted around any public appearance of Barack Obama.
The Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011
Eugene Volokh • March 16, 2012 7:35 pm
Andrew Napolitano condemns this recently enacted statute:
Last week, President Obama signed into law the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011. This law permits Secret Service agents to designate any place they wish as a place where free speech, association and petition of the government are prohibited. And it permits the Secret Service to make these determinations based on the content of speech.
Thus, federal agents whose work is to protect public officials and their friends may prohibit the speech and the gatherings of folks who disagree with those officials or permit the speech and the gatherings of those who would praise them, even though the First Amendment condemns content-based speech discrimination by the government. The new law also provides that anyone who gathers in a “restricted” area may be prosecuted. And because the statute does not require the government to prove intent, a person accidentally in a restricted area can be charged and prosecuted, as well….
This abominable legislation enjoyed overwhelming support from both political parties in Congress because the establishment loves power, fears dissent and hates inconvenience, and it doesn’t give a damn about the Constitution. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and only three members of the House voted against it. And the president signed it in secret. It is more typical of contemporary China than America. It is more George III than George Washington.
One can reasonably criticize the law, but this strikes me as rather excessive.
The mere fact that now the United States Secret Service has the authority to silence free speech anywhere that Barack Obama appears is simply WRONG. Anyone who says the Secret Service will not abuse the power needs to remember one very important and unspoken fact: The United States Secret Service will DO whatever Barack and or Michelle Obama instruct them to do. So while the Secret Service may not on their own abuse the power, Barack Obama and his campaign’s past acts demonstrate Obama will direct the Secret Service to use this new authority to make his public events appear as if the world loves him.