So I hate to take the side of the nazis, but...

[WrenchMonkey]

...this is a pretty shaky agrument against their right to assemble:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36618626/ns/us_news-life/

A neo-Nazi white supremacist group rallied against illegal immigration in downtown Los Angeles Saturday as hundreds of counter-protesters gathered to shout them down...

There was a brief flare-up of violence when a man removed his shirt revealing tattoos that featured Nazi lightning bolts, which some in the crowd deemed offensive.

Counter-protester James Lafferty, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild, said he saw the tattooed man punched and kicked... counter-protesters hurled rocks, branches and other items over the police line toward the neo-Nazis...

Danielle Heck, a spokeswoman for the (community activists and civil rights) groups, told The Associated Press that the groups shouldn't be allowed to gather because they practice hate speech and seek to incite violence.

Basically, they're saying that those idiots shouldn't be allowed to assemble (never mind that pesky First Amendment) specifically because these other idiots will get pissed off and pelt them with ROCKS.

"You can't say things we don't like because we will beat you up."

Like I said, I'm hardly posting this to defend the nazis.

I'm just pointing out that when your argument (or your conduct) makes NAZIS look good in comparison, you're doing it wrong.

And doing it in the name of "Civil Rights," just might be the definition of irony.

Robert

 

[joe_peters]

Yeah, I'm not in favor of progressive socialists of any stripe.

Maybe if we ask nice Iran will nuke LA for us.

 

[WB9YZU]

Your right, those groups have just as much a right to air their views as the group ( incited by answerLA to "counter protest" ) that came to shut them down.

The problem with groups like the NSM isn't that they are offensive to many folks, but that the rally invariably turns violent.

For a number of years, the NSM petitioned to rally in Skokie, IL, a largely Jewish community. For some reason, being as the NSM held the rally to spout anti-Semitic, they had violence issues there also.

I think that these "Counter Protest" groups feed right into the plan of the NSM. They actually enable the NSM to get their 15 minutes of fame, and their message out. If they would just ignore their rally and take on the issues at their own rally, they would be better served.

Ron

 

[RedHeep]

You're not really trying to evacuate a movie theater by screaming "Fire!" either, it just creates an opportunity for people to get hurt.

I love the Bill of Rights as much as the next guy, but if an organization has a documented history of violent behavior at their "gatherings," you can't let them gather in a place that would provide that opportunity.

Nobody's suggesting that they can't assemble in a farmer's field off of I-40 in Amarillo, TX, they're saying they shouldn't do it in an area that will incite violence.

I also believe in the legalization of narcotics, but there's a difference between doing it in your living room and doing it while you're driving your car. If you put yourself in a position to hurt other people, it should be against the law.

 

[Darky]

If it's the inciting of violence you're worried about, counter protesters shouldn't be allowed to assemble. They're the ones who got violent.

 

[ECKSJAY]

If it's the inciting of violence you're worried about, counter protesters shouldn't be allowed to assemble. They're the ones who got violent.

Agreed.

While I see where people are coming from, I have a slight problem with the 'proactive' stance vs. reactive. They're allowed to peaceably assemble, yes. When that peaceable assembly turns sour, disband it. I don't necessarily agree with preventing the assembly from happening in the first place. It kinda negates the rights of free speech and peaceable assembly.

I don't condone what the white supremacists do. I chuckle at the irony of counter-protesters becoming violent because the neo-Nazis are different.

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

I'm just amused that people care so much and give the neo-Nazi groups so much attention. That ship sailed a long time ago. Do these counter-protesters think they are obligated to show up to the white supremacist protests and make a scene, give them free press, etc.? Doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

I mean, if there were no counter-protesters there, you think people on the street would be walking by and hearing their speeches and think "that's a really good point, I think I could side with these guys." Get real. The neo-Nazis only grow because people join to feel like they're part of something. Quit giving them attention and they'll eventually die out.

Or maybe I'm just too apathetic to waste 4 hours of my time holding a sign and throwing rocks at anyone.

Edit: But apparently not apathetic enough to come in here and make this post.