Tea Party Stands With Organized Labor On Georgia Anti-Picketing Law

WASHINGTON -- Subscribers to an Atlanta Tea Party email list received an alert Monday morning urging them to take a stand against SB 469, a controversial Georgia bill that would criminalize certain forms of mass picketing.

The email, which went out to 50,000 people, puts the Atlanta Tea Party with some unusual company: organized labor, environmentalists and the Occupy movement. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Don Balfour (R), a Waffle House executive and Georgia Chamber of Commerce board member, would impose $1,000 fines on people who picketed outside the homes of corporate executives or outside some businesses, a tactic commonly used by Occupy groups, environmental protestors and unions in the midst of labor disputes.

Julianne Thompson, Georgia state director for Tea Party Patriots, told The Huffington Post that she and her fellow organizers don't see SB 469 as a political issue so much as a free-speech issue. Thompson spoke out against the bill at the state capitol Monday.

"When we're talking about the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, we're not talking about political right-versus-left. We're talking about right versus wrong," Thompson said. "If it's a violation of free speech we're going to be on the side of the Constitution. I'm happy that we've reached across party lines with regard to this issue."

Huffington Post

Could it be any clearer, that it's past time to recognize what is happening to our Constitutional rights and that it may just be time to stop demonizing each other and defend those rights...together? Ms. Thompson puts it succinctly in my opinion and I'm thankful that she is speaking out and planning to take action. We (left/right) will always view things differently, often very differently but our Constitution should not suffer for our varying ideologies.

You suppress one, you suppress all. You on the Right are in just as much danger as Occupiers/protesters/Unions.

My hat's off to the Georgia Tea Party especially when you consider that unions probably aren't very popular among southern Tea Party members and when you look at the way that the bills supporters were trying to sell it:

Although the bill's supporters have said the legislation would pertain only to labor unions, Thompson pointed out that it could be read more broadly, to include a "person" or "organization" whose picketing interferes with a resident's "right to quiet enjoyment."

www.huffingtonpost.com...

That's an age old tactic isn't it? We're going to start taking away people's rights, but don't worry about it because it's an unpopular minority.

Thankfully people saw through this.

Overall just another example of the broad and disturbing trend in this country to try to legislate away the right to protest.

If a chapter of the Tea Party from Georgia are starting to think that unions are getting a raw deal, you know that there is a genuinely serious problem. I'm starting to think that if he were exhumed, there'd be a real chance of persuading General Lee to join Occupy.

reply to post by petrus4


Well I wouldn't twist it into a Tea Party defense of Unions, lol. What it is, at least to me, is total common sense. This Bill would suppress more than just the what is the perceived Left's issues. Like the woman said in the article...it would be applicable to issues of the perceived Right as well. That is ultimately why I decided to share the article, it is pure common sense.

As an example, I am pro-choice and I do not like pro-life demonstrations one bit, I don't like picket signs that call abortion murder, it pisses me off to my core, but I will never ever say they don't have a right to do it, will never say oh I'm glad the police busted up that demonstration, will never say those righties shouldn't be allowed to say those things and I would stand beside any one of them in a heartbeat to fight for their right to call abortion murder and protest something they perceive as wrong, because I expect and am in fact ENTITLED to say the exact opposite and have a pro-choice demonstration. Any law prohibiting pro-life picket signs would also prohibit pro-choice picket signs.

It really is just common sense and I'm tired of people not realizing just how badly they are shooting themselves in the foot over and over and over.