Is Heckling A Felony? 'Irvine 11' Students To Find Out

aolnews.com:

Hecklers take note.

A group of University of California students will learn next week whether they've been charged with criminal offenses for repeatedly interrupting a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren last year.

Read the whole story: aolnews.com

Comments

[shastaman]

01:14 AM on 03/04/2011

In Wisconsin it turns out that a Canadian mining corp wants to access the state forests , and begin scratching around for what ever it is they can scrape away from the resources of the citizens of Wisci!
CORPRATOCRACY REIGNS
Gather together! grow your food! learn a simpler and slavic livlihood cause we're dun

[pattio66]

05:02 PM on 02/07/2011

If the Irvine 11 were part of, say, a Tea Party band of hecklers, would prosecutors even be considering charges?

[elenanatx]

04:07 PM on 02/07/2011

Since when is he more important than the current POTUS? If people can shout out at him and not be charged with a felony, these students should be set free!

[Shannon Cunningham]

11:54 AM on 02/07/2011

expressing your opinion is a felony and offenders should be thrown in prison for life.

[Shannon Cunningham]

11:48 AM on 02/07/2011

how is that a felony?

[jeffrey marc sussman]

11:01 AM on 02/07/2011

the establishment (C.E.) is that right of free speech of:
another body such as a court of law
an n,g,o, or
here
can not take from the establishment the right or not the right of free speech for the peoples
but the government or not the government can attempt to be the government as if petitioned
for a redress of grievances....any charges in this case are unconstitutional because neither
the establishment or the government are willing to entertain the charges in these and most cases.....jms 2011

[Meggie]

10:20 AM on 02/07/2011

probably will be. 
we had a woman who dared to roll her eyes at a city council meeting north/west of Chicago and she was arrested.  for rolling her eyes.

[Militant Leftist]

06:31 AM on 02/07/2011

Deport them.

[J Michael Norris]

07:35 AM on 02/07/2011

Your avatar says "people before profits." Deport them where? Back to Iowa, or Kentucky? Have you got some sort of racist or xenophobic attitude that tells you they're not American? Maybe you're not aware of something deep down in you.

Also, you might want to consider that even if they are from another country, there is no reason to treat them under the law any differently in almost every instance than we would an American citizen. Not only would that be unAmerican, it would be unconstitutional.

[elenanatx]

04:11 PM on 02/07/2011

so you think they are not Americans? even if they are not they have rights!

[Militant Leftist]

04:45 PM on 02/07/2011

So did the speaker to be heard.

[vinny]

12:36 AM on 02/07/2011

I think its amazing that the professor and dean of a law school completely misused the Holmes quote about "shouting fire in theater" which basically established the "clear and present danger" test. Obviously, in this case, heckling did not result in any clear and present danger.

[J Michael Norris]

07:43 AM on 02/07/2011

They are on a university campus with proscribed free speech zones. There are specific limits to free speech on university campuses. You might not like it, I might not like it, but that is the present reality. You might want to look into these restrictions before you think these students were having their rights abridged unconstitutionally. They were not. Not in this specific instance of being in a lecture hall on a university campus that traditionally has and uses free speech zones.
http://books.google.com/books?id=0pjru3veKjMC&pg=PA488&lpg=PA488&dq=auburn+alliance+for+peace+and+justice+versus+martin&source=bl&ots=sRHmBMjt47&sig=y8cgcdE-K67-K9Er_Tyen8H9u28&hl=en&ei=VuFPTde2H8L78Ab8-uSFDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false


If you need an good explanation about this, I found a link when trying to explain it to someone else that might help. Oh, and while they aren't creating a clear and present danger, they are disturbing the peace. That is illegal and not constitutionally protected.

[Alexander Cardosa]

08:18 AM on 02/07/2011

Students have only the right of money and power, if they don't have those because of their family name or what their parents are doing for the school or community they basically have no rights, so your right and we don't need to read much. No different from adults here in the States either. Considering it was 2 and not 20 they are in deap dudu.

[LeLoup]

09:56 AM on 02/07/2011

"Oh, and while they aren't creating a clear and present danger, they are disturbing the peace."

And that should qualifies as a **felony**?

Like Hell, it does!

[BoFo]

07:24 PM on 02/06/2011

At least they didn't get tased like the "Don't tase me, bro" guy did.

[KriTiKiT]

06:22 PM on 02/06/2011

what?  if heckling can land you in cuffs, tea party take note!

[Alexander Cardosa]

08:15 AM on 02/07/2011

Right like they are going to touch that, the issue here is these guys are no one but if they where wealthy we would not be even hearing about it. Laws are for the poor and those politicians don't fear.

[HockeyMom]

09:32 AM on 02/07/2011

But what about the funeral nuts? They heckle, insult and denigrate the burial service, and there is not a thing we can do.

[GodBlessAmerica]

04:23 PM on 02/06/2011

I think they were actually charged with multiple misdemeanors, not felonies.

But that quibble aside, I think the local DA should leave it to the school administration to determine and enforce a proper punishment. What they did was shrill and stupid and antagonistic, and certainly a punishment is reasonable, but not something that stains them for the rest of their natural lives.

[Joye]

02:57 PM on 02/06/2011

I have been following this closely in the Orange County Register. I am thankful they are finally being charged. This is more than just 'heckling.'

[GodBlessAmerica]

04:23 PM on 02/06/2011

I don't understand why the local DA doesn't leave the "charges" to the school administration.

[vinny]

12:37 AM on 02/07/2011

how is it more than heckling? what was it exactly?

[ixington]

06:59 PM on 02/07/2011

It was political protest - hardly heckling.

[TaxpayingVoter]

02:07 PM on 02/06/2011

What they did was wrong, disruptive, and rude, but a felony? I don't think so.

That seems a little harsh.

[GodBlessAmerica]

04:24 PM on 02/06/2011

Not to mention, an excessive use of "Taxpaying voters" money.

[TaxpayingVoter]

06:38 PM on 02/06/2011

Well, there is that, too....lol

[Shannon Cunningham]

12:03 PM on 02/07/2011

they shouldn't have even received a misdemeanor. they should have just been kicked out of the room an that is it.

[Barron]

01:43 PM on 02/06/2011

p.s. where are the Goldman Sachs felony charges??

[GodBlessAmerica]

04:25 PM on 02/06/2011

That's actually a good question for this particular DA, since so many lousy loans were originated in the OC

[Alexander Cardosa]

08:20 AM on 02/07/2011

Money and power has a way of getting a pass. Reminds me of an article where they will not be bringing hit and run charges on some guy because he is some big shot wall street trader.

[LeLoup]

09:59 AM on 02/07/2011

The answer is in the soon to be published book "With Liberty and Justice for Some."

(No! I'm not the author, nor am I affiliated in any way to it)

BTW, make sure you took your blood pressure meds before reading it, because it'll hurt your sense of decency and fairness aplenty.