This story on the First Lady taking the kids to a Broadway show in New York has an interesting element: a warning by the Secret Service that anyone taking their picture would have their cameras confiscated. Perhaps the Secret Service General Counsel could point us to where in the Constitution and federal law the Secret Service has the authority to ban photographs by the public and the confiscation of cellphones and pictures to enforce the ban.
Michelle Obama – with Sasha, 8, and Malia, 11, and about a dozen other people in tow – attended the matinee performance of “Memphis” Sunday. After the block was cordoned off, the large group entered the theater. Secret Service members did not like all of the pictures being taken that issued the warning. If the First Family wishes to avoid pictures, they may want to watch the play on video rather than confiscating cellphones and cameras of citizens. I find it outrageous that the Secret Service would consider it within its authority to confiscate phones to avoid annoyance to the First Family. The Secret Service at times seems to view itself as a Praetorian Guard rather than a public law enforcement agency.
For the full story, click here.
I think the SS disability pays about 700 – 800 month. I don’t think you will rent a house maybe a room.
Swarthmore Mom:
what if I already own my home and my car? I think I could live pretty well on other people’s money. It would be nice not to have to work and just relax and read. I could get reduced rent on a house in Florida so I could go there during the winter. I could rent it out during the summer all under the table.
Dam I think this is looking better and better, and to think I have been working all of these years. I must have been stupid. Why work when you can have other people pay your way? Plus with 2 kids in college I can get all kinds of free tuition benefits so that is another 30k per year I don’t have to pay.
Bring this redistribution stuff on, I like it. Plus the added benefit is that all you “rich” progressives will be helping pay my way. The serendipity is too much.
Byron Even if you enroll in all those programs, you would still be poor. Disability won’t even pay your rent.
Buddha:
F. . . ck it, I went out and bought a hammer and sickle flag and a copy of Das Kapital. If you cant beat them, then join them.
I am going to go on social security disability and get as much as I can from the citizens of this country. I wonder how much I can get? Lets see SS disability, food stamps, free transportation, maybe some rent subsidy, free health care, money for a helper. Shit I might do better that way. I think I like socialism on second thought. Plus I can make money up to a certain point.
I love you Barack Obama 🙂
This spread the wealth stuff is really kool!
@Byron QUOTE “And anyway most people in this country don’t care either way so why should you?”
I guess I’m a sucker for punishment. LoL
At this moment I am filing a few FOIA requests, fighting multiple corrupt county agencies, the State Prosecutor’s Office, and the FBI.
I must enjoy beating my head against a wall, because that’s where I have ended up.
Fighting city hall is a cinch compared to fighting all these yahoo’s!!
Anyway I don’t see any good end for us in the future.
And pray tell Byron, with the limited exceptions of industries (like health care) that are critical to national security, where does it say that socialism does not allow for individual property?
No where.
Ask the millions of Swedish home and business owners.
Much like your view of “freedom”, your view of “property rights” are askew. You are thinking like an engineer again – in absolutes. No one’s property rights should EVER come at the cost of human life yet that’s exactly how the insurance industry makes money – by NOT paying claims and tacking on “administrative costs”.
If your property right is interfering in a material way with the survival of others? Surely I don’t have to explain the eventual consequences of that, now should I? Because we both know where Jefferson would fall in that argument. That’s in part why he wrote the Declaration – oppressive Imperial economics which, by the way, were built on the free enterprise/capitalist model.
Also, to everyone saying this action is somehow justified by the very real and legitimate danger the president and his family face, if the Secret Service does not feel they can reasonably protect the First Family in public, then their prerogative is to not let them enter such a venue.
Security theater at the expense of citizens’ civil rights is not good policy and does nothing to ameliorate the threat faced by the Obamas.
“No where, not ONCE, is the word “capitalism” enshrined in the Constitution.”
that is true but the Constitution does protect private property and the DOI makes mention of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. So it is not a far stretch to say they [founders] had private property and the right to keep the fruits of your labor in mind.
It also doesn’t say “from each according to his ability to each according to his need”. But it is pretty clear that Mr. Jefferson would not have gone along with that based on his writings.
“To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, ‘the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, and the fruits acquired by it.'”
— Thomas Jefferson
The Secret Service are apparently unfamiliar with the findings of Near v. Minnesota and how that case has subsequently been applied.
Hate.
Such a lovely family value. Is that WWJD?
And seriously, don’t use words you don’t understand. Like socialist or commie. A commie would have nationalized Exxon and Halliburton. A socialist would make sure that the Health Care Reform is ACTUAL single payer health care. You know – like insurance becomes cheaper when the risk pool is as large as possible. Let’s look at that. What is the largest possible risk pool that the Federal government could select? Why that’d be THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES AND IT’S TERRITORIES. Instead he’s propped up a plan ripe for abuse by the same people who have been running death panels, pardon, “denying coverage” all along.
See that? Insults work better when you know what the words actually mean instead of regurgitating propaganda.
No where, not ONCE, is the word “capitalism” enshrined in the Constitution. So by all means, assert that the broken systems that led us to this half-assed solution are some how “more American” than ACTUAL socialized medicine.
It’s funny when the semi-educated sound foolish.
“It doesn’t help that he’s smarter, thinner, better looking, harder working, has a better family and is more successful than them.”
Oh really? You are quite the bigot. We are all jealous of Obambi because he is black.
No, we hate him because he is a socialist/commie pig.
John 1, March 22, 2010 at 10:19 am
LoL
Quote “death threats must be staggering given the mood of the country”
Then WHY would you bother to pass a bill that you say is so hated??
And if ya think people hate it now, just wait till they find out how its really going to work!!
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Sorry to be off topic, but – I couldn’t resist:
When you actually explain what’s in the bill (not much), the majority of Americans support it, as demonstrated by a Wall Street Journal poll. A recent Kaiser poll found that almost all of the bill’s components were favored by a majority of Americans. Major exceptions included the individual mandate and the total cost. (As far as I know, the survey didn’t compare the bill’s direct cost to the alternative costs of not passing the bill, so, yeah, none of us like things with roughly $100bn/yr pricetags.) (Oh, and yes, I have read through some versions of the bill. 2,000 pages isn’t as bad as it sounds when it’s double spaced and only has about 5 words per line, and large parts are technical language to clarify that some part of this bill supersedes some part of some other bill.)
Of course, if you see the world through Beck-o-Vision, it’s quite different from us in the “reality based community.”
But that isn’t really the point when it comes to the threats to the life/health/safety of the Obama family. The simple fact is that a minority slice of the American public simply hates anything that Obama does. He will always be a “foreign, , mother- ” and they will hate anything he does. (It doesn’t help that he’s smarter, thinner, better looking, harder working, has a better family and is more successful than them.)
Hey! Maybe I should make some money by publishing Teabagger Mad-Libs!
There was an overwhelming feeling of anger last night the policy of the theater has nothing to do with the protection of the first family. I’m sure there was a spike in threats last night be it at the president or the first lady.
FBI officials are investigating a self-proclaimed conservative blogger after he used his Twitter account to call for the assassination of President Obama on Sunday night.
Solomon “Solly” Forell tweeted: “ASSASSINATION! America, we survived the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy. We’ll surely get over a bullet 2 Barack Obama’s head.”
Another post said, “The next American with a clear shot should drop Obama like a habit.”
A Washington man also used Twitter to incite violence against the President as Congress passed a historic health care bill Sunday night.
Jay Martin, a college grad who calls himself a hip-hop aficionado, tweeted: “If I lived in DC, I’d shoot him myself. Point blank. Dead f—ing serious.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/03/22/2010-03-22_angry_over_health_reform_vote_conservative_blogger_posts_twitter_call_for_obama_.html#ixzz0iwFOn1W2
Sorry All, for the redundant post of policy; I did not see that *avid theater goer* had it (snarkly) covered.
Blouise,
Kudos on your past career; and I agree with you on the class and money comment.
That has been my experience too, that ushers will on occasion look the other way and not always enforce the policy; but as this is at their discretion I usually ask for permission first. This is what happened at Sunday’s performance initially, it was not until it seemed to be getting out of hand that they reiterated the policy with a second reminder of camera confiscation.
Technically, I believe the full policy states that cameras and video recording devices are not to be brought into the theater at all; although that would be difficult to enforce. It would also deter many patrons. There is barely enough space (or peace of mind) to accommodate checking your coat, let alone your camera, cell phone, etc.
“gang of partyers” Why so hostile Blouise? Are you saying a president’s family should never leave the White House, especially for anything a frivolous as the theatre, because the Secret Service has to protect them? Really?
I dont think you can assume that the no pictures order came from Michelle Obama. That’s highly unlikely IMHO. She does not direct the Secret Service.
“If any of you had the class or the money to attend a Broadway show, you would know you are not allowed to take pictures in the Theatre”
True, and we plebs bow to you for pointing this out, Miss Antionette. Certainly none of us has ever been to Broadway. Golly, the price of a ticket would mean we could not buy Snicker Doodles for at least 6 months. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am off to a party at Chucky Cheese.
“And if you are gay, well hell, do what you usually do”
Dance, of course.
George,
Thank-you for your post. This seems “odd” to me too.
This story seems to be going viral. There does not seem to be any fact checking or on the record named sources given; typical sham journalism.
The Shubert Organization, like all Broadway theaters, has as a long standing policy that no cameras or recording devices my be used at any time inside the theater. This policy applies to all areas of the house and not just during the performance.
This policy is posted and very visible at the entrance and lobby of the theater; in addition it is printed on the back of each ticket. It is also printed inside each Playbill. If that is not enough, just to be sure that there is no mistake, and everyone in the theater has gotten the message, an announcement of the policy is usually made over the loudspeaker and prior to the start of each performance.
The ushers and security do not hesitate to enforce this rule for noncompliance; and will often “confiscate equipment” for safe keeping and return it when the theater goer departs, or when necessary will eject the patron, ban the patron, or involve the police at security’s discretion.
From what information I have gathered the management made an atypical and usually unnecessary secondary announcement at intermission because so many patrons were violating the policy and taking pictures, no cameras were actually confiscated during this performance.
This story is so blown out of proportion. This is routine Broadway policy, cameras are taken away from “snap-happy” tourists all the time, often when the camera has not even been used but is only in sight, patrons are required to put the camera or other video device away, but it is common for it to be taken away.
So, this was not a case of special enforcement or a violation of rights because a V.I.P. was in attendance. Nor did this group’s presence hinder the production or anyone’s enjoy of it; to the contrary both performers and patrons were thrilled.
avid theatre goer
If any of you had the class or the money to attend a Broadway show, you would know you are not allowed to take pictures in the Theatre. An Usher or House Manager can confiscate your camera. The camera policy is printed on every ticket and at the door. The presence of a celebrity or politician is irrelevant.
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Back in the day I used to perform there …
At any stage production from Broadway to Chickadee Village cameras are forbidden during the performance … lots of attendees take pictures of each other by the posters, as they’re getting seated, backstage, in the lobby … we were there last fall and took a ton of pictures both inside and outside the theaters … reliving the Glory Days.
Sorry Charlie … class and money are only mentioned by those who don’t have it!
If any of you had the class or the money to attend a Broadway show, you would know you are not allowed to take pictures in the Theatre. An Usher or House Manager can confiscate your camera. The camera policy is printed on every ticket and at the door. The presence of a celebrity or politician is irrelevant.
You are to Bow if you are male and curtsy if you are female. And if you are gay, well hell, do what you usually do.
Blouise:
“If taking pictures is now forbidden will the next proclamation be that we lowly citizens must avert our eyes when the Obama court passes by?”
But of course.