Weekly Zeitgeist
July 8, 2008:
- Is Obama shifting rightward? What should supporters do?
~Arianna Huffington- Is the economy in free fall?
~Dean Baker- Gas prices through the roof; SUV and truck sales headed to the basement.
~Michael T. Klare- The Iraq war has always been about oil.
~Bill Moyers and Michael Winship- Obama's shifting position on FISA
~Glenn Greenwald; Bob Ostertag- Will Bush bomb Iran?
~Jim Lobe; Amy Goodman- The debate over intergenerational feminism following Hillary's loss.
~Courtney Martin- Campaign for universal health insurance.
~Roger Hickey- California Supreme Court recognizes gay couples' right to say "I do."
~Gilbert Herdt and Robert Kertzner- A Supreme Court on the Brink.
~NY Times Editorial
And one for the road:
Professor Ticketed for "No to Empire" Bumper Sticker
The police state in the mirror is closer than it appears:
Professor Robert Ovetz was driving through San Francisco on the morning of June 30 when he saw the lights of a police car behind him.
Ovetz pulled over.
"When the officer came up to my window, he asked the typical police requests: registration, drivers’ license, insurance card," says Ovetz. "I asked him why he was pulling me over. And he said because of the bumper sticker on my back window."
That sticker says, "No to Empire," in large bold letters, and on the bottom in very small letters, "www.thenation.com," Ovetz notes. It’s a bumper sticker from The Nation magazine.
Ovetz’s first reaction was to laugh, he says.
Then he recalls the following conversation:
"How could it be illegal for me to have a bumper sticker on my back windshield?"
"It’s obscuring your view."
"You’re just trampling on my free speech rights."
"No sir, I’m just doing my job."
At that point, the officer went back to his squad car for a few minutes.
When he returned, he gave Ovetz a ticket.
That ticket cited part of the vehicle code that prohibits driving a car if the "driver’s clear vision" is "obstructed by snow or ice" on the car windows.
"I’ve never seen snow in June in San Francisco," says Ovetz’s attorney, Ross Dreyer. [snip]
[Ed: You can buy your very own "No To Empire" bumper sticker (pictured above) at the Nation Store.]
Professor Ticketed for "No to Empire" Bumper Sticker
The police state in the mirror is closer than it appears:
Professor Robert Ovetz was driving through San Francisco on the morning of June 30 when he saw the lights of a police car behind him.
Ovetz pulled over.
"When the officer came up to my window, he asked the typical police requests: registration, drivers’ license, insurance card," says Ovetz. "I asked him why he was pulling me over. And he said because of the bumper sticker on my back window."
That sticker says, "No to Empire," in large bold letters, and on the bottom in very small letters, "www.thenation.com," Ovetz notes. It’s a bumper sticker from The Nation magazine.
Ovetz’s first reaction was to laugh, he says.
Then he recalls the following conversation:
"How could it be illegal for me to have a bumper sticker on my back windshield?"
"It’s obscuring your view."
"You’re just trampling on my free speech rights."
"No sir, I’m just doing my job."
At that point, the officer went back to his squad car for a few minutes.
When he returned, he gave Ovetz a ticket.
That ticket cited part of the vehicle code that prohibits driving a car if the "driver’s clear vision" is "obstructed by snow or ice" on the car windows.
"I’ve never seen snow in June in San Francisco," says Ovetz’s attorney, Ross Dreyer. [snip]
[Ed: You can buy your very own "No To Empire" bumper sticker (pictured above) at the Nation Store.]
Labels: 2008 election, civil rights, economy, FISA, health care, law enforcement, Opinion, War
posted by Barbi @ 1:20 AM
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