Unbelieveable Censorship of Ron Paul at a Marlins Game

A Ron Paul meetup group went to a Florida Marlins baseball game and were actually told by security that since their signs read "Ron Paul 2008" they could not show them!! I am not kidding. Watch the video!

Comments

[English]

You gents have my full support - here's hoping this 4th of July I find signs of Ron all over town!

[Matt]

Guys - this is not censorship. You should know this if you support Ron Paul and recognize the rights of private companies.

Also, sports games and the WRONG place to do this. Sports and politics do not mix. I would strongly discourage against this in the future.

[Matt]

Guys - this is not censorship. You should know this if you support Ron Paul and recognize the rights of private companies.

Also, sports games and the WRONG place to do this. Sports and politics do not mix. I would strongly discourage against this in the future.

[Ken Hall]

I have to say, that unless there were other political posters allowed in there and the Ron Paul poster was not, then this is not political censorship.

I want Ron Paul to win as much as anyone and have created a support website (as much as I can do from the UK) to help.

http://morethanblogs.blogspot.com/

[Tigers fan]

This is a funny comment, "Guys - this is not censorship. You should know this if you support Ron Paul and recognize the rights of private companies."

I would think that most Ron Paul supporters are against the overly abundant rights given to private corporations. That's a no-brainer right? Talk about misdirection!

I say keep doing free speech actions everywhere. If permission is asked for, it will ALWAYS be denied by private corporations. They are part of the problem not part of the solution.

[Vladimir Putin]

How much you wanna bet that if the sign said "Support Bush" there would have been NO problem.
I would have stood my ground and made security throw me out too. Hey sign people...you got balls, I would like to hang with you folks!
I also agree with your sign...RON PAUL 2008 !!!

[Brett]

Of COURSE this is censorship. There is simply no question about it.

One can argue that the RP signs at a baseball game might not have been "polite" or "appropriate," but banning them was and IS "censorship."

By the way, how many "JOHN 3:!6" signs have they banned at sporting events over the years? If they did, do you think they'd get away with it?

[Jed]

There are strict rules at that stadium, I'm told you can't even carry an umbrella in. One problem is that there's public money involved in building sports stadiums, so it's not a completely private enterprise. If they don't allow political campaigning it should be universally enforced. The stadium management may also expect to charge candidates for stadium advertisements and don't want to allow people to promote a candidate for free. Thus, if any other politican gets free publicity at a game the Ron Paul people should sue for discrimination.

[David Peterson]

I live in So Florida and will urge the boycott of all events at this "private" stadium.

[Joe Smo]

Typical censorship! I really really hope that Ron Paul's popularity keeps growing!

More of this only strengthens the resolve! God Bless America we sure need it.

[John C]

I don't care what anybody says! We cannot protest outside the White House. We cannot show signs to politicians. Now we cannot show signs at a sports event?!

Where the heck can we practice 'freedom of speech!'

What a bunch of bull this 'democracy' has become!

[Bart Phillips]

I am going to the White Sox game tomorrow. I am going to have a sign that says Ron Paul 2008! I am going to see if I have any 1st amendment rights!

[Steven]

George W. was a minor shareholder in the Texas Rangers when the city of Arlington, Texas provided tax payer dollars to finance the owners of the Texas Rangers MLB team, a privately owned for profit entity. In Texas, a sales tax is used to generate revenue on purchases the consumer chooses. The sales tax rate was raised from 7.75 % on every dollar spent to 8.00 %. An increase that meant every dollar spent generated 8 cents for government coffers. GWB and the Texas Rangers agreed with the Arlington, Texas city council to raise the sales tax to finance a portion of the building of the new Ballpark in Arlington, corporate sponsorship later purchased rights to call the baseball stadium Ameriquest Field.

I'll bet Florida Marlins as a private for profit entity takes advantage of government largess.

[Jorgee Boosh]

Thank God we still have two basic rights that our leaders and their corporate owners cannot take away from us...
We have the right to pay taxes, and the right to die.
BTW- I wouldn't mind them taking away the tax thingy...
Just leave the die thingy alone, 'cause I can only take this crap for so long...

[Richard]

UNBELIEVEABLE .. is Paul suportrs whining like children because they couldn't take their signs into a baseball game. WOW

If for no other reason I'll be glad when this election season is over so we can stop hearing these babies whine and whine because they don't get their way.

Ron Paul is at TWO PERCENT and no one gives a damn about him or his groupies who don't have the intelligence to recognize that the only way he'll enter the White Hiuse is as a guest.''JEEZ

[nolocontendere]

"Also, sports games and the WRONG place to do this. Sports and politics do not mix. I would strongly discourage against this in the future."

Haha - what idiocy. What about pols throwing out the first pitch, all the military hoopla and flag waving and flyovers and a certain political persuasion laying claim to all that as they wrap themselves in the flag. Sports and politics don't mix only when the politics don't support the fascists.

[Richard]

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN POLITICAL SIGNS AT A BASEBALL GAME? .. EVER?

Can you babies imagine what it would look like with EVERY candidate for ANY office flooding sports events with political signs and banners?

No wonder Paul stands at TWO PERCENT .. his supporters haven't gotten out of the 8th grade yet.

This has to be the stupidest of the stupid.

[PEACE TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM EXTINCTION]

THIS IS THE IMMEDIATE CASE TO END ALL WAR. THERE IS NO CHOICE. THE ILLEGAL RADIATION EXPENDITURES FROM THE WARS HAVE BEGUN A CASCADE EXTINCTION EFFECT ON ALL LIFE ON PLANET EARTH. THE BIOSPHERE IS DYING. WE NEED IMMEDIATE PEACE OR WE ARE ALL DEAD. THIS WEBSITE IS SUPPORTED BY HARD SCIENCE AND THE TESTIMONIAL REPORTS OF THOUSANDS ACROSS THE GLOBE. WE URGE YOU TO SPREAD OUR ENTIRE MESSAGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, OR WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT AS A LIFEFORM, MUCH LESS A SPECIES. ALL MUST FIX THE PROBLEMS OF THIS WORLD RIGHT NOW WITHOUT DELAY! OR WE ARE ALL TOAST! IT'S JUST A FACT NOW! WE SUGGEST VERY STRONGLY THAT YOU BEGIN TO DEAL WITH YOUR LIFE CHOICES IMMEDIATELY AND BEGIN TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE TO SUIT THIS NEW MODE OF THINKING: WHICH NOW ENTAILS: SURVIVAL OF ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET.

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BOOM STICK!

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HAVE A NICE DAY!

HQ
PEACE TO SAVE THE WORLD
FROM EXTINCTION

[Bob]

This is all about the First Amendment. Let's not follow the gov't down the path of censorship. After all, censorship is becoming America's favorite past-time. The US gov't (and their corporate friends), already detain protesters, ban books like "America Deceived" from Amazon and Wikipedia, shut down Imus and fire 21-year tenured, BYU physics professor Steven Jones because he proved explosives, thermite in particular, took down the WTC buildings. Free Speech forever, Ron Paul for President.
Last link (before Stark County District Library caves to pressure and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

[Donnie]

Hey Richard,
Typical American, talking smack on other Americans because they have a different point of view. It's people like you that have allowed this corrupt government total control when they work for you, talk about STUPID!!!

[Tigers Fan]

Who are the real whiners?

People that take action and responsibility on their own?

Or people that say there are rules and you shouldn't do anything?

Another no-brainer!

btw, good points nolocontendere ;-)

[Amith]

If there is no rule that signs like those are not permitted (until they suddenly say so), and these people paid for their tickets, how can it not be construed as censorship or breach of contract or something.

If you pay to get into a baseball game, you shouldn't be harassed. They were at least owed a refund.

Either way that's really ass of the security. People hold up John 3:16 signs all the time.

And no, Ron Paul supporters are not against what you call "rights for corporations," they are against federal assistance, welfare, & subsidies for corporations. Otherwise, corporations are just groups of people and they ahve the right to limit what goes on their premises provided their not stealing, which, considering they're stripping the consumer of something they paid for (the ability to hold a sign at a baseball game), they are doing. Unless they got a refund or were told not to hold signs prior or something.

[Derrick]

These guys are couragous!! ESPN is totally "republican" and would have had no problem with a neo-con type sign (or a "Support Israel" type sign).

Remember when they got caught using canned applause for Bush Sr. and edited out the boos at the Superdome? Well it happened.

Because Ron Paul is in no one's pocket and talks about more topics than "is allowed" in our hijacked political system, he is viewed as a radical which they transalate into "offensive." And someone high up freaked enough to sick security on them when a McCain, Guilanli, or Clinton sign would have been left alone. (They might have refused a "Go Obama" sign, simply because they might have misread read it and thought it said "Go Osama")

[captkirk999]

RON PAUL CAN'T WIN!!!!!
THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY IS NOT DESIGNED FOR HIM TO WIN. THE OWNERS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ARE ONLY LETTING HIM RUN TO HELP SPOIL THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY AND HELP HILLARY WIN THE NOMINATION. LESS VOTES AGAINST HILLARY IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY HELP HER. tHE ONLY WA TO STOP HILLARY IS IN THE DEMPOCRATIC PRIMARY. THE REPUBLICANS ALREADY FIXED THEIR PRIMARY. VOTE FOR KUNINNICH OR RICHARDSON (IF YOU THINK HIS RACE MAY NOT COST HIM THE ELECTION) IF YOU HATE THE TOP THREE.

[Craigbob]

Well, I'm an avid RP supporter and I have to say that I fully agree with Matt's original post. There are certain expectations when you go to a public ballgame in a huge arena filled with thousands of people. One of those expectations is that you not incite arguments or anything of the sort. Can you imagine an entire stadium starting to bicker about politics in the middle of a game? Don't get me wrong, the idea was good-hearted and noble. I think it just should've been thought through a little more, and I think the security guards had every right to make them get rid of the sign. No matter what that particular security guard's political leanings may be, it wasn't a matter of politics it was a matter of keeping the peace at a huge public gathering. I can easily imagine how an innocent political sign could incite political bickering which could lead to disruption of the sporting event. And nobody goes to a game to argue politics, they go to a game to ESCAPE all the crazy politics in the world for a few hours and enjoy themselves.

So, to echo Matt's sentiment that a sporting event is simply not the right place or time for political grandstanding. I do not dispute that the government USES sports for political photo-ops and propaganda (especially military), but I don't think they should be allowed to do so and that's a different story altogether.

Do the right thing. Wait outside and hold a sign by the road as the fans leave and that's wonderful, but don't disrupt a game. Be respectful or the message you're presenting will be misrepresented and misunderstood.

Craig