1 The soil of our nation's battlefields must be held sacred to the memories of those who fought and died there. These are not mere parks -- they are historical sites, monumnet to those whose blood was she.

Huh? Freedom is for everyone, not just you.

There should be no permits issued for any rally, demonstration, or political event.

Well there were a bunch of re-enactors there that day too. Should they be disallowed to demonstrate? Just because their message was informative and reality based do they get a pass? Who decides?

What next? Demonstrations at Gettysburg or Bull Run?

Too late. From AP/ABC news:


The protest was the third by extremist groups at national parks in the past three years. Two years ago, the National Socialist Movement demonstrated at Valley Forge, Pa., and the same group rallied last year at Colonial Park in Williamsburg, Va.

Hell, I was there. Read about my visit in my blog (shameless plug)

2 1) It has to do with any demonstration, not merely this one, so do not accuse me of wanting to allow the First Amendment to be selectively applied. If i may offer an analogy, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is government property, but no group can get a permit for the South Lawn of the White House.

2) Reenactments are not political demonstrations or rallies. They are historical presentations and educational programs, consistent with the mission and the purpose of the preserved battlefields and associated memorials/monumnets/cemetaries.

3 It has to do with any demonstration, not merely this one, so do not accuse me of wanting to allow the First Amendment to be selectively applied. If i may offer an analogy, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is government property, but no group can get a permit for the South Lawn of the White House.

Nor can anyone get a permit to protest on the heads of Mount Rushmore, but they can get a permit to protest near it. Plenty of people protest on the Ellipse. I'd love to allow permits for South Lawn protests, we'd just have to carefully restrict those truck bombs.

Reenactments are not political demonstrations or rallies. They are historical presentations and educational programs, consistent with the mission and the purpose of the preserved battlefields and associated memorials/monumnets/cemetaries.

Are they merely re-enactors, or are they representing a “southern pride” view of the Confederate States? Who gets to decide who is protesting and who is re-enacting? The NAACP? The Park Service?

Somewhere along Skyline Drive, there is a little display that explains to the peoples how the big kindhearted Park Service, when it bought people's land to make up Shenandoah National Park, let a little old lady live out the remainder of her years on her land. Would your restrictions prevent me from informing visitors how the NPS took other people's property and forced them off their land so Roosevelt could have his park? What if I was dressed in period costume to pass on these historical facts? Would I have to prove to the NPS that I was indeed bringing forth a unpopular yet true facts before I had permission? Again who gets to decide whose viewpoints are valid and whose are not? Is it black and white or are there big freaking gray areas?

Isn't it better to protect all forms of expression, as reasonably as possible rather than allow someone to decide what is acceptable and what is not?