August 23, 2005

Sanity: 1, Bloomberg/Vallone: 0




Miraculous. Common sense has prevailed over lunacy thanks to Judge Jed Rakoff, whose ruling captures perfectly the absurdity of Bloomberg and Vallone's, err, "reasoning":

He even poked fun at Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's argument that the party would incite the defacement of real subway cars. "By the same token, presumably, a street performance of 'Hamlet' would be tantamount to encouraging revenge murder," the judge wrote. "As for a street performance of 'Oedipus Rex,' " he added, "don't even think about it."

"The First Amendment would be a weak reed indeed if the utterance of such expressions could be banned from the city's streets because, in the mayor's view, 'It's trying to encourage people to do something that's not in anybody's interest,' " the judge wrote, citing Mr. Bloomberg's public musings last week... "Such heavy-handed censorship would, moreover, fall particularly hard on artists, who frequently revel in breaking conventions or tweaking the powers that be"

Thank you. How did it come to pass that our city, supposedly the most sophisticated city in America, is being run by people who lack a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights? These people make me want to vandalize something.

See y'all tomorrow at 22nd st. and 10th Ave, where our very own DJs 3d and Avee will be pitching in on the turntables (along with others such as RJD2, I'm told?).

(thanks to gothamist for staying on top of it)

Posted by jsmooth995 at August 23, 2005 12:54 PM
Comments

see? democracy works.

Posted by: Hashim at August 23, 2005 1:41 PM

i don't know that democracy works - but at least the right thing was done.

Posted by: 30th Street Black at August 23, 2005 2:28 PM

I mean, the issue was taken to the courts and they overuled the mayor and coucil. Checks and balances.

Posted by: Hashim at August 23, 2005 2:48 PM

painting on "mock" subway cars??
and it gets banned?!?!

NYC = Disneyland

Posted by: i'm the skwidawd at August 24, 2005 12:49 PM

THANK GOD!!...I was beginning to believe that NONE of the powers that be have ANY sense. I, like them, have had a tainted view. Thank goodness I don't have all the power, & thank goodness Mike B. doesn't either. Now to take some of that power back from Dubya!

Posted by: Nixx at August 24, 2005 4:42 PM

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