Free speech is a crucial right for all Americans

Thank God -- oh, perhaps I shouldn’t say that. Thank goodness we have

Paul Blank of Corona del Mar, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and

Transgender Community Services Center of Orange County -- the fourth

largest such community center in the United States -- and the ACLU to

protect the people’s rights. The city of Costa Mesa imposed 17 -- I

repeat 17 -- burdensome and unreasonable conditions on the permit for

the Dyke March Organizing Committee that are over and above four

similar conditions imposed on other groups in the community.

City bureaucrats, in response to a threatening lawsuit, have

lowered this to 12. Do the math! It is still eight more -- yes, eight

-- than the city imposes on other groups that Blank, the Gay,

Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Services Center of Orange

County -- the fourth largest such community center in the United

States -- and the ACLU are trying to protect. Somebody bless ‘em.

(You fill in the blank.)

Just because the city backed down on some of its unreasonable

restrictions is no reason to withdraw the lawsuit. The city’s

response? Quoting Paul Clinton in Wednesday’s Daily Pilot,

“Councilman Mike Scheafer, an insurance agent himself, said the

restrictions were designed to protect the city from legal risk. He

said the group is still required to present financial responsibility

in the form of insurance coverage.”

Hey, maybe Scheafer could write the policy.

With the help of these freedom-loving citizens, the rights of all

Newport-Mesans and any organization that attempts the freedom to

assemble in the city of Costa Mesa will be upheld. I’m surprised they

needed the ACLU lawsuit. Tony Rackauckas, Bill Lockyer and John

Ashcroft himself should be suing the city.

As Blank says, “we are not asking to be treated any differently

than any other group which applies for a special events permit from

the city of Costa Mesa. We are just asking that all groups be treated

the same and be held to the same conditions - conditions that do not

interfere with any group’s constitutional right to free speech and

peaceful assembly. We believe the city’s permit scheme vests

unbridled discretion in city officials and places unconstitutional

restrictions on First Amendment rights. We are fighting not only on

our own behalf, but on behalf of other groups who may follow.”

You can’t argue with that.

ERIC CHRISTENSEN

Costa Mesa