Don't Tread on Russ

I'm at the Campaign for America's Future "Take Back America" conference, diligently searching for more placards with the word "America" on them. At an event in a main hall they're screening the trailer for "An Inconvenient Truth," which has been out for a few weeks, but the phrase "I'm Al Gore" is still enough to drum up deafening applause with the liberal crowd.

The exhibition hall was somnalent as the conference kicked off, but I noticed only one table set up for a possible presidential candidate: Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) and his PAC, the Progressive Patriots Fund. Feingold's merchandise and iconography was framed around the issues he's pissed off establishment Democrats with - his sole vote against the PATRIOT Act and his proposed censure of President Bush. Two of the items evoked themes I've seen libertarian merchandisers use before. One's a take-off on the "Don't Tread on Me" flag, a phone cable coiled like a snake with the slogan "Don't Spy on Me." The other's a coffee mug decorated with a redacted Bill of Rights, with blacked-out chunks that become clear when hot liquid is poured in. (The First Amendment isn't blacked out at all; curious if you know Feingold's legislative history.)

Comments

[Dave]

How about the second amendment? Blacked out as well?

[Warren]

a coffee mug decorated with a redacted Bill of Rights, with blacked-out chunks that become clear when hot liquid is poured in. (The First Amendment isn't blacked out at all; curious if you know Feingold's legislative history.)

All campaign swag should be so apt. It gets you pissed off at the powers that be, but before you're ready to play Sancho to this Don, it reminds you that he's the biggest asshat of them all.

[the other Mark]

Dude, the Gadsden flag is way too cool for a goddamn politician to use in a campaign.

[Morat20]

Why would the second amendment be blacked out? It seems to be the one amendment that isn't being infringed. Didn't Ashcroft jump HARD on even a hint of gun registration data leaking to the FBI's actual crime units?

[Grummun]

Why would the second amendment be blacked out? It seems to be the one amendment that isn't being infringed.

Ask that question to a resident of Chicago, D.C., or anywhere in California.

[Flyover Country]

Or Russ's home state, Wisconsin.

[Captain Holly]

Why would the second amendment be blacked out? It seems to be the one amendment that isn't being infringed. Didn't Ashcroft jump HARD on even a hint of gun registration data leaking to the FBI's actual crime units?

If the Second Amendment is still in force (and there are plenty of gun owners who would convincingly argue otherwise) then it's no thanks to Sen. Feingold and his "progressive" allies, who as a whole have never met a gun control law they didn't like.

The last I checked Ashcroft was one of those Eeevvil Rethuglicans.

[Ben]

If that cup was truly accurate he would have blacked out just about all of the Amendments.

[joe]

Security agencies spying on Americans without warrants, politicians having to take credit for the attacks ads they run before elections - great priorities you've got here.

Yeah, Damn that Feingold, the worst one of them all!

[LoganFerree]

Yet again we have the knee-jerk libertarians like Captain Holly responding quickly with a "guilty by association" charge against Senator Russ Feingold. They'll rant and rave about how Republicans and Democrats don't know what they are talking about when it comes to the Constitution and our liberties, but they'll never miss a chance to make a gross generalization with no base in reality. I mean, it's not like Russ Feingold spoke out against renewing the assault weapons ban, said that there was no evidence that it was effective, and apologized for his earlier support for the ban when it was first passed. Or that he supported the right of airline pilots to be armed in order to defend themselves on the planes from terrorists. Or that he's voted against proposals from other liberal Democrats that would have created a registration list of gun owners. No, we're not going to let reality get in the way of painting him as just another Rosie O'Donnell.

[Warren]

politicians having to take credit for the attacks ads they run before elections

Repeating this canard doesn't make it any truer. BICRA is a flat out violation of the first amendment. It is a tool of the establishment to keep themselves in power and silence those that threaten it. It has already had a substantial impact on political discourse.

The NSA bullshit by contrast, is just the administration acting in a scummy manner, but without any meaningful consequence.

You're the one that need to get his priorities straight, you totalitarian, partisan fuck.

[Ayn_Randian]

Uh oh joe, I wouldn't screw around with Warren when he's not only right but clearly been hitting the sauce early.

[zeiner]

If that cup was truly accurate he would have blacked out just about all of the Amendments.

Like this?

http://www.sunshineweek.org/files/john_sherffius_1.pdf

Note: The image is in pdf format.

[MainstreamMan]

Question for Warren...

NSA "is just the administration acting in a scummy manner" , but violates which amendment?
Separation of powers is the foundation of what document?
Checks and balances are revered as cornerstones of which country's system of government?

Don't even pretend to be a defender of liberty you ingnorant twit.

You are just an apologist for the police-state-- partisan fuck.

[MainstreamMan]

Sorry,
Just couldn't pass that up.
;~)

I don't think we should fight over which parts of the constitution should be defended.

[Warren]

I don't think we should fight over which parts of the constitution should be defended.

I agree. In no way am I defending this clearly unconstitutional scumbag move. What I am saying is that it's a slap on the wrist misdemeanor when compared to the RICO multi-murder felony that is M-F when it comes to the loss of liberty.

[bigbigslacker]

In what way is the Bush administration, in comparison with R.F., anti-2nd amendment?

[Dave W.]

This exchange about Feingold made me curious as to what his position on the Second Amendment really was. It is this:

Gun issues

Feingold has a mixed record on gun rights and gun control issues, sometimes voting in favor of gun control legislation, while at other times voting to expand gun rights. In 2004, he was one of six Democrats in the Senate to vote against reauthorizing the federal assault weapons ban. In 2002, he voted for allowing airline pilots to carry firearms in cockpits. He has spoken in support of the interpretation that the Second Amendment pertains to an individual right to own firearms, and in opposition to proposals for handgun bans and mandatory firearms registration.

On the other hand, he has consistently voted in favor of bills to require background checks for firearms purchases at gun shows, and to require that handguns be sold with trigger locks.

In March 2004, he explained his position in a speech on the Senate floor:
"I have never accepted the proposition that the gun debate is a black and white issue, a matter of 'you're with us, or you're against us.' Instead, I have followed what I believe is a moderate course, faithful to the Constitution and to the realities of modern society. I believe that the Second Amendment was not an afterthought, that it has meaning today and must be respected. I support the right to bear arms for lawful purposes - for hunting and sport and for self-protection. Millions of Americans own firearms legally and we should not take action that tells them that they are second-class citizens or that their constitutional rights are under attack. At the same time, there are actions we can and should take to protect public safety that do not infringe on constitutional rights."