I'm Back!

Thanks to Jeffmon for the "keep-alive" post ... any time you've got somethin', bro.

I was out in Colorado, indeed, as jeffmon said, with my good friend and godchildren.    Saw a couple of things while I was out there that gave me pause... one was this sign up at the Trail Ridge Road Visitor's Center in Rocky Mountain National Park (click to enlarge and read).   First Amendment Expression Area.  Right near the restrooms.  Yeah, they have designated "first amendment" areas on some college campuses, too, so that they can appear to be upholding free speech (on a 40 square foot area) while everywhere else they suppress speech they don't like.

Now this sign in the park ... I know what it's about ... basically, they're saying you can pass out pamphlets here for whatever your cause is, so you don't have people setting up stations all over the park to get you to sign this and read that and listen to this when all you wanted to do was look at pretty mountain scenery.  Fine.  I get that.  But why did they label it "First Amendment Expression Area"?

I think this is a dangerous trend.  It gets people used to thinking that the First Amendment can be strictly curbed in any desired location .... much like the Second Amendment gets curbed in many places making it impractical to carry legally without constantly going back to your car or home (if it's even legal to have one in your parked car in many places ... like, for instance, where you work.).  You have the right to say what you want, but only where we tell you you can. I pointed it out to the kids and told them that this was a bad sign regarding where America is headed.  To further and further restrictions of our liberty.

The other thing I saw was Obama Branding.  I think it was a bumper sticker commemorating the big Democratic Convention and coronation ceremony in Denver.  It was the Big O "O" with a twist... this one with mountains in place of the sun.   Something about the cult of leadership surrounding fascistic leaders. 
Which reminded me of this PJTV video:



But other than that, it was a very nice vacation.

Incidentally, I was happy to practice my second amendment guaranteed right when I stopped to sleep at a rest stop on the way home. I slept soundly.