Can't pass out constitutions at Cal. college

[tod evans]

From Drudge;

California college bars student from handing out copies of Constitution


http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/23483119/california-college-bars-student-from-handing-out-copies-of-constitution#axzz2fROowOiY

The Constitution guarantees the right to free speech, but don’t try to pass out copies of it at Modesto Junior College in California.

A student at the school who tried to pass out pocket-size pamphlets of the very document that memorializes our rights got shut down on Sept. 17 – a date also known as Constitution Day.

Campus authorities told 25-year-old Robert Van Tuinen, who caught the whole thing on videotape, he could only pass out the free documents at a tiny designated spot on campus, and only then if he scheduled it several days in advance.

“Watching the video is a combination of depressing and nauseating, to see what rigamarole students have to go through just to express themselves on campus,” said Robert Shibley, senior vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which has taken on campus speech codes around the nation.

Van Tuinen, who said he’d read up on the school’s regulations and expected to get chased away from outside the student center, went to FIRE with the video. The foundation penned an email letter to the school’s administration on Van Tuinen’s behalf early Thursday, but Shibley said there had been no response later in the day.

“Watching the video is a combination of depressing and nauseating, to see what rigamarole students have to go through to express."
- Robert Shibley, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

A spokeswoman for the college tells FoxNews.com that students and the general public are permitted to pass out materials in areas on campus that are generally available to the public, as long as they do not disrupt the orderly operations of the college.

"In the case of the YouTube video, it does not appear that the student was disrupting the orderly operations of the college and therefore we are looking into the incident," Modesto Junior College Marketing and Public Relations officer Linda Hoile said.

In the video, Van Tuinen is confronted by an unidentified campus police officer within minutes of passing out the pamphlets. When he protests, he is told “there are rules.”

“But do you know what this is?” he asks. “What are the rules? Why are the rules tied to my free speech?”

Van Tuinen explains that he wants to start an organization called Young Americans for Liberty.

“That’s fine, but if you’re going to start an organization like that you have to go through the rigamarole,” the police officer tells him.

"It was a tense situation," Van Tuinen, who is from Modesto, told FoxNews.com. "To be told I can't do something as basic as handing out the Constitution was frustrating."

Eventually, the police officer escorts Van Tuinen into an administrative office, where an unidentified woman shows him a binder with rules she says govern free speech on campus. She explains that there is a designated place “in front of the student center, in that little cement area,” where free expression is allowed, but then notes that two people are already using it.

“You’d have to wait,” she says. “You could go on (Sept.) 20th, the 27th or you can go into October.”

Eventually he is advised to make an appointment with Brenda Thames, vice president of student services, who can explain the policy.

Shibley said he was angered by the video, but not surprised.

“One of the revealing things about this particular case is what students have to go through just to express themselves on campus,” Shibley said.

He said the very idea of speech codes on campus ought to be troubling to Americans.

“They are imposed in an attempt to sanitize the public space of anything that might offend somebody,” he said. “The fact is, no school specifically needs a speech code. They have the ability keep order on campus . Of people are too loud, harassing people, or blocking traffic they have the means to address that.”

[donnay]

In before the private property apologists start their flaming about how you do not have a right to do this on private property. :rolleyes:

[jkr]

TRY THE COMUNIST MANIFESTO INSTEAD

or a REVOLUTION the manifesto with a COMUNIST MANIFESTO DUST JACKET!

[torchbearer]

In before the private property apologists start their flaming about how you do not have a right to do this on private property. :rolleyes:

The college receives federal funds and is longer considered private.

[JK/SEA]

This guy didn't seem prepared with any good counter arguments, like telling Barney Fife and the Secretary to pound sand.

[Pericles]

Constitution free zone

[Natural Citizen]

In before the private property apologists start their flaming about how you do not have a right to do this on private property. :rolleyes:

Hey, and they must be one of those "truthers" too. Still waiting on taft to splain that language. Won't hold my breath. I know it's convenient to sometimes pretend like we're on the bus and just blend in and say things just because everyone else is if it's the new popular meme or whatever that suites the immediate whim. Problem.Reaction.Solution.

[tsai3904]

The college responded yesterday:


The Yosemite Community College District’s (YCCD) colleges have free speech areas on campus for activities such as distributing materials on campus. In addition, people can distribute material in the areas generally available to students and the community as long as they don't "disrupt the orderly operation of the college." In the case of the YouTube video, it did not appear that the student was disrupting the orderly operation of the college. Therefore, we are looking into the matter. The administration of the YCCD supports the peaceful distribution of the Constitution and other materials on campus, which is why our colleges support Constitution Day with activities each year.

https://www.facebook.com/modestojuniorcollege/posts/10151586930245388

[Acala]

In before the private property apologists start their flaming about how you do not have a right to do this on private property. :rolleyes:

You DON'T have a right to free speech on private property. Your failure to understand that is disturbing.

But in this case it isn't private property. So your post is irrelevant.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

“That’s fine, but if you’re going to start an organization like that you have to go through the rigamarole,” the police officer tells him.


Can't do a fucking thing without the rigamarole, I guess. :rolleyes:

[Occam's Banana]

The college responded yesterday:
[...] our colleges support Constitution Day with activities each year.

Oooh! Activities! I wonder what kind of "activities?"
Maybe a mixer with pot-luck dishes. Or a craft bee!

They obviously don't mean things like exercising one's Constitutional rights ...

[fr33]

Just more proof that the schooling system is more interested in propaganda rather than education.

[ObiRandKenobi]

he should pass out minature jesuses submerged in urine, that always goes over well at college campuses.

[Carson]

Even with the turn of events I can't imagine not getting the Constitutions spread out.

I got busted distributing underground newspapers in school.

The principle called me into his office. In I go and there he is at his desk reading it. After a time he looks up at me and says something like, "Do you believe this crap?". I said something like not all of it but I do find the different viewpoints interesting. I could see in his eyes he did also.

Up till then all of us had been getting the one side of everything. In the sixties we opened up and compared notes with others. I suppose the closest thing we have now that would be near the underground papers is the Russian Today news. The papers contained some communist agenda but gazing upon it didn't seem really hurt but had the effect of reinforcing your own beliefs. There was also lots of other trippy stuff in the papers. I suppose Rolling Stone magazine would be some of they type of stuff in the papers that was able to live on through the years.

One of the papers was The Teaspoon Door.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_San_Diego_Door

Download or read online over on the side; Teaspoon Door Magazine Volume 1 Number 12 (October 25, 1968)

http://archive.org/details/teaspoon_door_v01n12_1968-10-25


I think the important thing that came out of all of us comparing notes was that it broke down the excepted view we had of each other.

Up till then we had been hammered with one side of everything, on the news, in the papers, in our school lessons and everywhere else there was to get in your face. They convinced everyone that everyone believed like they said we believed. They seem to be back in full control of our heads once again. At least they want you to think that. I'm sure if you really got out there and talked to people you would once again discover most thing just like you do. That was what opening up did for us. We went from feeling isolated to feeling we were part of the whole big world of people. We were once again a part of everything.

It needs to happen again. Maybe we are seeing it now? Sometimes I think I do.

Hair helped it happen also. Freaks with long hair were popping up everywhere. Sometimes it was a statement. Some times it was just someone letting there hair grow. You never knew. It made us harder to attack though the jails were full of people with long hair or black. We ended up being the voice for a time there.

Maybe the young have their identifiers of normalcy with each other. Maybe I'm not meant to see it or be a part any longer.?

[Origanalist]

Hey, I'm not here to play with you ok? (from the video)

We all know what you're here for.

[Carson]

Excerpt from the Teaspoon Door newpaper from the sixties;

Bad Vibes at Balboa

By Steve Montijo

Remember the summer of 1967, when the love-ins were
a friendly place with good vibes everywhere, children run-
ning carefree on the lawn, a good band playing, and gener-
ally a very peacful, mellow, Sunday afternoon.

Then came the bust in La Jolla and later in Balboa Park
and recently, October 13, the "love"-in at Balboa Park
turned into a battle. Twenty-six people were arrested, at
least two people were knifed, one person is still in critical
condition at the county hospital.

What caused this to happen? The answers are many
and varied: downer freaks, racial friction, bad vibes.
The days of 1967 look like they are over, but then 1968 has
been called the year of the heroic guerilla, not the year of
love.



Another excerpt ( Pat Paulson was a comedian of the sixties. They were also an important part of exercising freedom back then. Comedians led the charge!);


Pat Paulson


Pat Paulson, popular "candidate" for the presidency,
addressed a crowd of 2500 supporters in San Diego Civic
Theater last Friday. The First Edition, a rock group from
middle field, preceded and introduced Pat with the "Paulson
or Fight" theme song. The straight-faced comedian from
the Smothers Brothers show spoke for about an hour and
fifteen minutes.

During his campaign speech he made references to
"Herbert" Humphrey, President Johnston, and Richard Nick-
son. Although still undecided in a definite choice for a run-
ning mate, he is considering Raquel Welch because she will
"pu:t her best front forward. "

Sex education was the subject of one of the editorials
given. Paulson pointed out that children of school age are
already receiving sex education but only 2% of them receiv-
ing it in the schools. Also "who teaches the animals. " The
draft was also the subject of an editorial. "Some people
think that the draft laws are unjust, these people are called,
soldiers. " Paulson suggested a lottery in which names
would go into a hat according to head size. Tiny heads
would go into the military and fat heads into the government.
Paulson has not served in the military because he "accident-
ally shot his toe off while duck hunting in his living room."

In a few rare moments of seriousness Paulson expres-
sed the need for a national primary and lowering the voting
age to 18 (but locking them up until they're 25.)

Paulson concluded his campaign stop in San Diego stat-
ing "underneath this conservation suit are hickies, self-
inflicted", and then displayed the red, white, and blue inner
lining of his suit.

Although much of the material was familiar to those
who frequently watch Paulson on the boob tube, the manner
in which he presented the material was still refreshing and
humorous. Paulson has a unique type of dry satire that is
so convincingly put forth that one wonders if he's for real.

Paulson has been the "candidate" who has done the most
in showing what the political scene of '68 really is, a big
joke! Paulson would make a good president, in a sense,
that is, if elected he has said he would leave the country.
Imagine how great a president Johnson would have been had
he done the same thing. It will be interesting to see how
many votes Paulson pulls in next month's election!

--Roger Stovold--Barbara Martin

I was at the show.

Another thing that is big in the papers is Wallace. I was more a Paulson man so I don't remember him being so huge. I do remember him being shot.


Excerpt:

TEASPOON DOOR
BACKS WALLACE



See Story Inside



Wallace Speaks
Amid Uproar



ORDER

UMMER



More Pictures
Page 12




The Wallace speech at the
Sports Arena, Monday night,
Oct. 14, was a rare mixture
of political rally and circus,
chaotically colored with hil-
arious reverse heckling, con-
fusion, disruption, fist fights,
chants, and cheers incredibly
cast against a police-state
backdrop.

A solid rear section of 270
college and university leftists
and hippies stole the show
from Wallace, from his tri-
umphant step up to the micro-
phone to his final frustrated
farewell. These kids with as
many more scattered about,
waiving pro-Wallace signs,
wildly cheering every major



point in Wallace's speech,
chanting, and parading the
aisles, drew most of the news
paper reporters, camermen,
floodlight, and TV men away
from the speaker's platform
and onto themselves. The
Wallace people, from the
young girls to the sour old
geriatrics, were put in -a
state of confusion and incom-
prehension. Of course, that
was the purpose.

The hippies and college
kids, wearing Wallace hats,
carried such signs as "Wal-
lace Our Hero", Wallace is
Our Guru", "Freaks for Wal-
lace", and "Support Your


Above is from the type version of the archives;

http://archive.org/stream/teaspoon_door_v01n12_1968-10-25/teaspoon_door_v01n12_1968-10-25_djvu.txt


Link to the "Read Online" version;

http://archive.org/stream/teaspoon_door_v01n12_1968-10-25#page/n0/mode/2up

[Pericles]

OTOH, the whole incident does provide an education for those who can learn, which is the point of having a college, isn't it?

[ronpaulhawaii]

California College Learns $50,000 Lesson in Fight With Student Over First Amendment

Last year, Modesto Junior College in Modesto, Calif., ordered a student not to pass out copies of the Constitution. On Monday, the school agreed to a $50,000 settlement and vowed to revise its policies to encourage free speech on campus, a decision officials reached as a result of the student’s First Amendment lawsuit.

Robert Van Tuinen, 26, applauded the decision, telling FoxNews.com that the college was enforcing an “unconstitutional speech code.” He said he is happy that his fellow students can all now “go out and exercise their right to free speech.”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/25/california-college-learns-50000-lesson-in-fight-with-student-over-the-constitution/

[tod evans]

the school agreed to a $50,000 settlement

Didn't I read that the Ron Paul Vette was for sale a while back?

That'd make a nice "free speech" billboard courtesy of the college.

[Origanalist]

Can't do a fucking thing without the rigamarole, I guess. :rolleyes:

Gotta have that rigamarole. because...anarchy....

[jbauer]

In before the private property apologists start their flaming about how you do not have a right to do this on private property. :rolleyes:

Is this a private university?