First Amendment & Right To Peaceably Assemble

        Unless you totally ignore the news, you are aware of the demonstrations at the State Assembly here in Wisconsin last year.  The right to peaceably assembly and protest are guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution.  It reads as follows:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

        I certainly have no problem with these freedoms.  I support them.  I was a little concerned with damage to both public and private property, but that seems to be hard to prevent with any protest, except the tea party of course.  Some people get emotional and out of control. 

        I was surprised, but did not even object to protesters being bused in from out of state.  I can understand this since the changes Wisconsin made may have consequences for public sector unions nationwide. 

I do not like some of the name calling personally, but it is part of freedom of speech.  I support people’s right to call people names if they want

The one thing that I totally disagree with is death threats.  This is not guaranteed under the first amendment.  I had not attended these protests in Madison personally and had little knowledge beyond what the media reported. 

I knew there were death threats, but I thought they were kind of a form of name-calling.  I never thought they were serious threats.  I recently found out just how serious the death threats were taken. 

State legislatures were provided armed escorts.  State legislatures were provided vans and busses for their security.  Sometimes the threats were so serious that decoy vehicles were used.  There were times meetings were cancelled because the police did not feel they could adequately protect the legislatures. 

I would be ashamed to admit I was associated with any group that made death threats part of any protest.  The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) was a major force in the protests.  This scares me.  Some of these people that at the very least may have condoned or supported these death threats could be teaching our children.

I know most teachers don’t support making death threats, but I am concerned that it was even allowed to happen.  How strong is the union leadership?  Do the union leaders totally control the membership? 

I think it is time the union membership takes control of their union.  It is time union members police their protests.  Death threats do more to hurt their cause than help.