Rep. Jim Moran Praises NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis For Defending Occupy DC, First Amendment

WASHINGTON -- National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis did not assuage Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and other GOP members during this week's congressional hearings on how federal authorities have handled the Occupy DC encampment in McPherson Square.

But Jarvis has at least one new fan in Congress coming out of his testimony from Tuesday's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Occupy DC.

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) sent Jarvis a letter complimenting the NPS director for his comments during the hearing:

The hearing "McPherson Square: Who Made the Decision to Allow Indefinite Camping in the Park?" had a decidedly partisan tone and you weathered the barned questions and harangues admirably.

I also commend you and the officers of the U.S. Park Police for their highly professional conduct protecting the public and the rights of protesters in their ongoing Occupy manifestation in McPherson Square, Freedom Plaza and in other areas under your jurisdiction. Our nation's capital should stand out as a focal point for what our Founding Fathers intended by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.

I am grateful for your service and the dedicated men and women of the National Park Service who remain committed to defend and exemplify our most cherished of liberties.

Moran scored 100 percent on the ACLU's 112th congressional scorecard for his support of civil liberties. Were Occupy to issue a scorecard, they'd likely give him high marks as well. In late May -- over four months before the tent city in McPherson Square took root -- he helped rally against the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, where he spoke out against corporations' undue political influence in electoral politics.

At the rally Moran also suggested -- wrongly, as it turned out -- that the Koch brothers were implicated in congressional cafeterias doing away with biodegradable cups, plates and silverware.

RELATED VIDEO: Jim Moran speaking at the May rally against Citizens United.

Comments

[desertdreamer]

02:45 PM on 01/27/2012

The conduct of the Park Police at Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square have been extraordinarily professional! They deserve a lot of praise and credit for maintain order while protecting our rights under the Constitution. Well-done ... very well-done!

[Mover]

06:25 AM on 01/27/2012

Watching National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis' testimony on O'Reilly, along with Megyn Kelly's assessment, I witnessed yet again another abuse of power and the mischaracterization of "rights" vs. "power".

The abuse is the the director's discretion to unevenly enforce the law based on his classification of groups of people or their purpose. If you are merely camping he will give you the boot. But if you are a member of a protest group, then he cannot burden your First Amendment free speech rights. Nonsense!

This is illegal, of course. Under the 14th Amendment, law enforcement does not have the discretion to overlook violations of the law simply because they agree with the law breakers' cause. But this sort of conduct is endemic of the Obama administration (search on New Black Panthers intimidate voters).

The mischaracterization is that he has the right to discriminate. I was surprised that Ms. Kelly, a lawyer, has fallen into the trap of using the word rights when she should use the word power. He is using the afforded him by his job. People have rights. Government has power. People who work for the government exercise power in the performance of their duties. Protected individual rights have nothing to do with it.

[akrazyrunner]

02:35 PM on 01/27/2012

I watched the very same "report" with O'Reilly and Kelly and the NPS director never said he was on the side of the occupiers. If you bothered to watch or read the testimony he didn't want to embolden the cause by taking the out right away. He basically said he used discretion and now there are about 20% of the people there now then were there before, so instead of an Oakland on his hands or the potential for an Oakland the group is more manageable now. He also for the first time received guidance from Congress on what is really a grey area. I guess you're on the O'Reilly side whereas he should have just gone in cleared everyone without a thought. I guess the first amendment only applies to those you like just like O'Reilly

[Mover]

02:52 PM on 01/28/2012

"NPS director never said he was on the side of the occupiers"

Of course. What kind of idiot would admit that he is playing favorites?

You can tell he supports them because he allows them to violate laws that would get you and I evicted from the park.

"instead of an Oakland on his hands"

What's wrong with Oakland? Well, other then it's in the land of fruits and nuts.

"He also for the first time received guidance from Congress on what is really a grey area"

Gray area? You have to be kidding, really. There is no gray area. The signs I see say "No Camping" in black and white. The only gray area is the space between someone's ears (not you). Of course some people like a little law enforcement grayness when they've been misbehaving.

"I guess the first amendment only applies to..."

This is not a free speech issue. That was introduced to confuse the congress and the people by the OWS supporters. They can protest in public areas all they want, but taxpayers are not required to provide accommodations for them.

[GG ALLEN]

06:29 PM on 01/26/2012

OK - that's one let's keep adding up the # of supporters in positions that have the abilities to change policy and create new