Via California Tree of Liberty
The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of a 73-year-old Virginia resident who was allegedly ordered by a park ranger to remove his car from a national military park in South Carolina because of political messages attached to his vehicle. Jack Faw, whose ancestors fought in the historic battle memorialized at Kings Mountain National Military Park, contacted The Rutherford Institute after being told by a park ranger that the decal promoting a political organization associated with Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), which was displayed on the back window of Faw's car, was not allowed in the park. In a legal letter to Park officials, constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead warned that the ranger's directive, which resulted in Faw being forced to leave the park, violated Faw's First Amendment rights, as well as National Park Service regulations. Whitehead also demanded assurances that Park employees will be properly instructed in how to respect the constitutional rights of visitors to the Park so that Faw and others will not face similar restrictions in the future.
Who was the park ranger? My Civil War group has a display there next weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou could try asking Rutherford, but I doubt they would tell you and I was not successful in a search. You might be able to find out when you go there next weekend and if you do, please let me know so I can circulate it.
ReplyDeleteThe ranger's name is Eugene Rife. He is named in Rutherford's letter to King's Mountain park, which you can read here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rutherford.org/pdf/2011/05-20-2011_Letter_Kings-Mountain-Park.pdf
Heh!:
ReplyDelete========
hefferman1, L&P
You would think they would be smart enough not to do something this dumb at a place like King's Mtn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kings_Mountain
Did anyone else notice how the militia's called on each other and worked together to defend themselves?
"Prelude to battle Major Ferguson was appointed Inspector of Militia on May 22, 1780. His tasking was to march to Tryon County, North Carolina, raise and organize Loyalist units from the Tory population of the Carolina Backcountry, and protect the left flank of Lord Cornwallis' main body at Charlotte, North Carolina.[3][4] On September 2 he and what militia he had already recruited marched west, heading for the Appalachian Mountains hill country along what is now the Tennessee/North Carolina border.[5] By September 10 he had established a base camp at Gilbert Town, North Carolina and issued a challenge to the Patriot leaders to lay down their arms or he would "lay waste to their country with fire and sword."[6]
North Carolina Patriot militia leaders Isaac Shelby and John Sevier (both from the present day Northeast Tennessee region) met after receiving Ferguson's "fire and sword" message and agreed to lead their militia against him. They sent a message to Virginia militia leader William Campbell to join them.[7] William Campbell, in turn, called on Benjamin Cleveland to bring his South Carolina militia to join the rendezvous.[8] The detachments of Shelby, Sevier and Campbell were joined by 160 North Carolina militiamen led by Charles McDowell and his brother Joseph.[8] William Campbell's cousin Arthur brought 200 more Virginians.[9] Some 1,100 volunteers from southwest Virginia and present-day northeast Tennessee, known as the "Overmountain Men" (so named because they had settled into the wilderness west of the Appalachian Mountains ridgeline), mustered at the rendezvous at Sycamore Shoals near present day Elizabethton, Tennessee on September 25, 1780. Their movement had been permitted by easing tensions with the Cherokee Nation, thanks to diplomacy by Benjamin Cleveland's brother-in-law, Indian agent Joseph Martin.[10][11][12] The Overmountain Men crossed over Roan Mountain the next day, and proceeded in a southernly direction for about thirteen days in anticipation of encountering the British Loyalist force. By Sept. 30 they had reached Quaker Meadows, the Burke County, North Carolina home of the McDowell brothers, where they were joined by Benjamin Cleveland and 350 men.[13] Now 1400 strong, they marched south to South Mountain, North Carolina,[14] The five colonels leading the Patriot force (Shelby, Sevier, William Campbell, Joseph McDowell and Cleveland) then named Campbell the nominal commander but agreed that all five would act in council to command their pickup army.[15]"
Hmm. Makes you think a little, doesn't it?
Kings Mountain's Officer Eugene Rife's story about Campaign 4 Liberty and Jack Faw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeh4tHOEH1k
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian and it's good to hear both sides of the story, but I must assume his story was made up since the superintendent apologized.
ReplyDeletehttp://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/search?q=park+ranger
Responding to The Rutherford Institute's demand that the First Amendment rights of visitors to the national parks be respected, the Superintendent of Kings Mountain National Military Park has promised to ensure that there will be no repeat of the incident involving Jack Faw, who was ordered by a park ranger to leave the park because of a decal on his car promoting a political organization associated with Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). "I want to assure you and Mr. Faw that we take his constitutional right of freedom of expression seriously, and have taken steps to ensure this experience is not repeated," wrote Superintendent Erin Broadbent. Broadbent also shared that she planned a refresher training session for park personnel on the proper implementation of park policies and regulations affecting individual rights of expression.