Will Dearborn Pay For Its Miscarriage Of Justice

Reverend Terry Jones is changing his tactic from talking about Sharia Law in Dearborn to the First Amendment.  Is this smart or is he an opportunist? On both questions the answer is yes.  He is smart enough to realize that Dearborn grossly over reacted to his visit and he is lucky that the City was so stupid and ham handed in handling him.

In today's Detroit News (reproduced below), reporter Oralandar Brand-Williams, talks about the change in tactic by the Florida cleric.  I do not know this reporter, however, his last paragraph is  chilling. He writes:

"Redford resident Richard Fournier, who attended the first day of Jones' and Sapp's trial, says he doesn't believe their constitutional rights were violated because their protest could have created a disturbance and possibly a riot."

What? Their constitutional rights were not violated because their protest might caused a riot or disturbance?  I don't know where this reporter (and his source) gets his information but in this country we do not charge people with a crime for something that might happen. By ending the story in this way, the reporter (and his editor) are telling us their point of view. So much for balanced journalism!

The really scary part of the story is that Mr. Fournier could sit in a trial and know so little about American government to make such an ill-informed statement. Is Mr. Fournier an example of the education level of our public or is he an outlier? Unfortunately, I think that he is our star pupil and not one on the outside looking in.

What is your opinion?
 
Here is the Detroit News article:



.Jones: Return to Dearborn is 'battle to protect the First Amendment'

Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News

Detroit— Controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones told The Detroit News on Saturday that he plans to file a lawsuit against the Wayne County Prosecutor's office and other government entities in connection with his arrest Friday and the case the prosecutor filed against him in connection with his planned protest outside the Islamic Center of America.

"We were arrested for something we had not done," said Jones today from Detroit Metro Airport as he prepared to go back home to Gainesville, Florida.

"I was totally shocked. I could not believe it," Jones said of his arrest. "Even the police who put the handcuffs on us were shocked."

Jones said he is working with the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center to file the lawsuit for violation of his Free Speech rights. The Thomas More Law Center is nationally known conservative Christian law center noted for its religion-based First Amendment case. The law firm filed a suit against the City of Dearborn last year. That case involved alleged violation of the constitutional rights of Christian missionaries jailed by police at the city's International Arab Festival. The missionaries sought to pass out literature but police said they could only do so in a certain area of the massive event.

Constitution expert Robert Sedler said he is glad to see Jones is challenging the "bizarre" ruling by Dearborn District Court Judge Mark Somers.

"The Supreme Court says you cannot deny a permit because of the message," said Sedler, a Wayne State University Law School professor. "The U.S. Constitutional supersedes everything, which is why this is so bizarre."

Jones is coming back to Dearborn on Friday.

He said he will hold the demonstration at 5 p.m. Friday outside Dearborn City Hall. He says he wants to stay within the confines of the law. Jones said the issue has now shifted from "radical Islam" to a battle to protect the First Amendment.

"We're getting support from all around America," said Jones.

Jones and his associate pastor, Wayne Sapp, were briefly jailed Friday for refusing to post a $1 bond requested by Judge Somers after a six-member jury found that Jones and Sapp would likely create a "breach of the peace" if they were to go along with their demonstration outside the mosque on Good Friday.

Jones and Wyatt bonded themselves out of jail shortly after their arrests. Jones said Friday that he and Sapp "made it very, very clear that we posted this under the greatest protest,"

Jones said the "whole proceedings, were a definite violation of our Constitutional rights."

Legal observers said the judge's actions were unusual but Somers had followed the letter of the law."

The Wayne County Prosecutor's office had no comment on Jones plans to sue.

Redford resident Richard Fournier, who attended the first day of Jones' and Sapp's trial, says he doesn't believe their constitutional rights were violated because their protest could have created a disturbance and possibly a riot.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110424/METRO/104240314/Jones--Return-to-Dearborn-is-‘battle-to-protect-the-First-Amendment’#ixzz1KSTGZ4B0