Hate Speech

A man in Oklahoma made a sign for the back of his pick-up truck. Police pulled him over and confiscated the sign. Later, the Secret Service visited the man’s home and searched it for “hate group” material. The sign was later returned to the man with something of an apology.

The police officers who stopped Oklahoma City motorist Chip Harrison and confiscated a sign from his car told him he has a right to his beliefs, but the U.S. Secret Service “could construe this as a threat against President Obama,” according to the incident report released this morning.

Feb 19 OCPD Capt. Steve McCool addresses an incident in which an officer confiscated an anti-Obama sign from a man’s vehicle.
 
The sign, which read “Abort Obama Not the Unborn,” was returned to Harrison later that day, the report said.

Police spokesman Steve McCool said this morning that the sign was taken in error, and Oklahoma City residents should not be worried that their First Amendment rights will be violated. He said a supervisor “intervened and quickly returned the sign” after Harrison called the police department.

“Obviously, it was not a good decision to confiscate the sign,” McCool said.

What concerns me is that the Secret Service raided the man’s home simply for exercising his 1st Amendment rights. Have I gone to sleep and awakened in Nazi Germany? Is this a terrible nightmare that will not end for at least four more years?

Well, in honor of Mr. Harrison, I’ve thrown together a new “official” BCR bumper sticker and added it to the sidebar. What is happening to my country?

[h/t] Hot Air

P.S. Sorry Mr. Holder, you Yankees may be “a nation of cowards”, but obviously you don’t know Dixie.