King Co. sued over 'Israeli War Crimes' bus ads

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"A group that wanted to run ads critical of Israel on Metro Buses has sued King County, saying Executive Dow Constantine's decision to suspend non-commercial bus advertising following complaints about the anti-Israel ads violate the First Amendment.

The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union filed their challenge in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Wednesday. Late last month Constantine suspended non-commercial ads following complaints about the SMAC's planned campaign which included large ads that read, "Israeli War Crimes Your Tax Dollars At Work."

Constantine said such ads could introduce security concerns. County officials are working on a new advertising policy that they hope to have ready by the end of this month. King County Metro's current policy about bus advertising restricts messages about pornography, tobacco and alcohol and images and material that could threaten public safety.

In its lawsuit, SMAC said the county has long accepted ads containing non-commercial speech, including spots about the Mideast conflict between Israelis and Palestinians."

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/433715_busads19.html?source=mypi

[Violet_Crumble]

1. I wonder whether the character limit for post titles has changed or whether I could write War & Peac

Okay, well, that hasn't changed, I don't think...

I haven't seen an I/P forum look so clean and free of debris since at least the last week in 2000...

Anyway, that's a lawsuit that will go nowhere fast. There's a need for people to read the First Amendment properly and understand that it's not meant for messages on buses that are meant to make Americans stop and think for a second about an international conflict that many Americans appear to be clueless about. No! The First Amendment is there to be used in order to defend the use of hate-speech against Muslims!

Hey, Scurry! I'd give you a wavy-hello emoticon, but they're not available yet...

[libodem]

2. Obama

Had an interesting POV in his speech today. Two states!

[Ford_Prefect]

3. Unfortunately one appears to slander all of Israel when attempting to identify the culprits.

The problem is that to identify the cause you must attack Benjamin Netanyahu or his party or whatever the correct name is for the ultra right wing Zionist group. I have some of the same problems when I am told America is the ultimate evil or some similar absolute, or that Democrats are only enabling the Banksters, or that white people don't get Obama.

The essense of the remark is true but the target is not, nor does the slander of all help the cause of justice. I see the problem that racists could see the banner as an approval of hatred. The problem is how do you attack what is loathsome and terrible without performing similar behavior to that which you oppose?

It was not easy during Selma, Vietnam, or Nixon, or Iran-Conta, or ******* (insert moral disaster) to listen to those who said that America was wrong. It wasn't all wrong. I am not saying do not respond to hatred. Respond with the truth! Our Government was wrong!

I have many friends who moved to Israel or waxed rhapsodic about summer trips there in the 70's. They are part of Israel, but they tell me they do NOT approve of the monstrosity that is acting in their name. They are trapped as we are here by power that accepts no responsibility for human needs and which defines any form of dissent as dangerous to the country.

[oberliner]

4. Lawsuit over ‘Israeli war crimes’ ad dismissed

A group that sued King County over Metro bus ads critical of Israel lost in court Monday, after a federal judge tossed out the case on summary judgment.

In a lawsuit filed January, the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC) and the ACLU had accused the county of violating the First Amendment, after Executive Dow Constantine suspended non-commercial ads on Metro buses.

The county had originally approved the group’s campaign, which included large bus ads that said, “Israeli War Crimes Your Tax Dollars at Work.” Then Constantine reversed the decision days before the ads were supposed to run, citing threats of violence and an overwhelming number of complaints.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/10/11/lawsuit-over-israeli-war-crimes%E2%80%99-ads-dismissed/