Police escort Tim Eyman out of Yakima City Council meeting
Surprise, surprise...an obnoxious Tim Eyman showed up at a public meeting. Except this time, elected leaders weren't interested in hearing his rude remarks:
Insofar as public meetings are concerned, there should be a standard... and everyone should be held to it. Those who are abusive lose their right to have the floor. That's protecting free speech, not trampling it.
UPDATE: The Yakima Herald Republic has a thorough article on the backstory to all of this. There's also video.
If you watch you can hear Eyman complain about being attacked on blogs (no doubt he means major fixtures in the local netroots community like NPI, HorsesAss, blatherWatch, and On the Road to 2008):
By the way, Tim, if blogs and online forums are unimportant pests in our media and political landscape, why do you spend so much time on them?
You want to talk about politics being a swampland? You're certainly qualified, Tim, because the swamp is (figuratively) where you and your buddies, including the Fagans and your multimillion dollar financier Michael Dunmire - dwell.
You guys show up at a public hearing and heap all the scorn you can on elected officials. You're divisive, rude, and mean spirited. You dodge tough questions and avoid an honest, legitmate debate. For instance, you refuse to talk about corresponding service cuts when you promote slashing taxes.
And that's why you get so harshly and frequently criticized in the netroots community, which has little to zero tolerance for right wing bullying.
You think you've been libeled? When was that? Go on, Tim...make your case. Show where we defamed you. And while you're at it, please explain why you think it's okay to treat fellow citizens with such malice and contempt in public.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...
Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman got the boot from last night's Yakima City Council meeting.It serves him right. If he expects to be taken seriously and allowed to speak he should be more respectful. It's pretty funny to see so many on the right wing defend obscene behavior when it's one of their clowns making the ruckus. But when somebody on the left is lewd or uses profane language...look out! A sermon on civility ensues.
"This is very unfortunate," Eyman told the city council as he was escorted out by a police officer.
Eyman was trying to read a letter to the editor defending newly elected council member Rick Ensey that he says the Yakima Herald refused to print.
But the mayor cut him off when he started attacking Bonlender and the paper.
The council voted 5-2 to stop him from speaking.
He refused to leave and that's when police got involved.
Insofar as public meetings are concerned, there should be a standard... and everyone should be held to it. Those who are abusive lose their right to have the floor. That's protecting free speech, not trampling it.
UPDATE: The Yakima Herald Republic has a thorough article on the backstory to all of this. There's also video.
If you watch you can hear Eyman complain about being attacked on blogs (no doubt he means major fixtures in the local netroots community like NPI, HorsesAss, blatherWatch, and On the Road to 2008):
...For years I’ve been libeled, denigrated and insulted by anonymous people on blogs, but blogs are little stray comments like you’d hear in any lunchroom, they’re mosquitoes in the alligator infested swamp of politics...Hey, Tim: You do realize that most of us who are actually blogging criticism of you - as opposed to commenting - are not anonymous? I make no secret of who I am. Neither does David Goldstein, Michael Hood, or Dan Kirkdorffer.
By the way, Tim, if blogs and online forums are unimportant pests in our media and political landscape, why do you spend so much time on them?
You want to talk about politics being a swampland? You're certainly qualified, Tim, because the swamp is (figuratively) where you and your buddies, including the Fagans and your multimillion dollar financier Michael Dunmire - dwell.
You guys show up at a public hearing and heap all the scorn you can on elected officials. You're divisive, rude, and mean spirited. You dodge tough questions and avoid an honest, legitmate debate. For instance, you refuse to talk about corresponding service cuts when you promote slashing taxes.
And that's why you get so harshly and frequently criticized in the netroots community, which has little to zero tolerance for right wing bullying.
You think you've been libeled? When was that? Go on, Tim...make your case. Show where we defamed you. And while you're at it, please explain why you think it's okay to treat fellow citizens with such malice and contempt in public.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...
# Posted by Andrew : 12:05 AM
Comments:
I haven't seen the video yet, but from what I understand, Eyman didn't swear. He may have offended someone, but that's part of the price of free speech.
so let me get this straight: because Tim was apparently talking "calmly" and not using "profanity", he was entitled to trash a city council member at a public meeting?
It seems to me that those on the right wing want to have it both ways. When it's one of theirs it's about free speech. When it's not, well, then shut up those lefty lunatics!
Post a Comment