flynn23 wrote:
] ] A widely published investigative journalist was tackled,
] ] punched and arrested Sunday afternoon by a Palm Beach
] ] County sheriff's deputy who tried to confiscate his
] ] camera outside the elections supervisor's headquarters.
]
] ...
]
] ] A sheriff's spokesman and a county attorney later said
] ] the deputy was enforcing a newly enacted rule from
] ] Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore prohibiting reporters
] ] from interviewing or photographing voters lined up
] ] outside the polls.
]
] WTF?

WTF? Hmmmm...flynn23, you really have little understanding of anything consisting of flesh and blood. Our nation has always maintained a policy of protecting voting centers from turning into circuses. The only two things that you are allowed to do there are vote and volunteer to help people vote. You aren't allowed to bring cellphones, children, or cameras into the voting booth. You aren't allowed to campaign or loiter either. It helps establish order. God knows, if Kerry lost by a few votes, and the press were haraunging the voters waiting to vote, then you and your party would cry foul and blame them for distracting your voters. Be glad there isn't anything else to distract democrats into voting for the likes of Buchanan.

Decius wrote:
] ] A widely published investigative journalist was tackled,
] ] punched and arrested Sunday afternoon by a Palm Beach
] ] County sheriff's deputy who tried to confiscate his
] ] camera outside the elections supervisor's headquarters.
]
] ...
]
] ] A sheriff's spokesman and a county attorney later said
] ] the deputy was enforcing a newly enacted rule from
] ] Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore prohibiting reporters
] ] from interviewing or photographing voters lined up
] ] outside the polls.
]
] If I had to guess, this new rule was likely a response to
] requests that people film voter intimidation.

This happened near where I work. I heard it on the radio this morning. According to the local radio report, the photographer was getting right up in peoples faces and taking pictures of them and was repeatedly asked to back off by the people and the police.

I knew this story would take off when I heard it, but it sounds like he was just being an asshole.

StankDawg wrote:
] This happened near where I work. I heard it on the radio this
] morning. According to the local radio report, the
] photographer was getting right up in peoples faces and taking
] pictures of them and was repeatedly asked to back off by the
] people and the police.
]
] I knew this story would take off when I heard it, but it
] sounds like he was just being an asshole.

Yeah, the circumstances seem to be in dispute. If they had simply busted him for harrasing voters it wouldn't be such a big deal, but a blanket rule barring photography is likely to turn this into a national issue.

Decius wrote:
] StankDawg wrote:
] ] This happened near where I work. I heard it on the radio
] this
] ] morning. According to the local radio report, the
] ] photographer was getting right up in peoples faces and
] taking
] ] pictures of them and was repeatedly asked to back off by the
]
] ] people and the police.
] ]
] ] I knew this story would take off when I heard it, but it
] ] sounds like he was just being an asshole.
]
] Yeah, the circumstances seem to be in dispute. If they had
] simply busted him for harrasing voters it wouldn't be such a
] big deal, but a blanket rule barring photography is likely to
] turn this into a national issue.

I think that's the puzzling point. If you're going to defend your authoritarian actions, then let the truth out about how the photographer was harrasing people. But to have it cast into a first amendment issue, and/or battering a journalist makes it much more suspect that you're tinkering around with the polling stations. Again, some truth and mistruth probably applies here. Maybe it was just a situation that presented itself to make this guy be an example. I'm sure there's FAR less coverage in FL of polling stations now.