21 year old Houston Man Charged Over Obama 'Joker' Posters

[sabra]

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/politics/20952603/d...

Man Charged Over Obama 'Joker' Posters
Poster Depicted President At 'Batman' Villain


HOUSTON -- A Houston man said police were called and citations were issued because of his posters of President Barack Obama, KPRC-TV reported Wednesday.

Mark Fuhre, 21, admits to hanging the controversial signs, which prompted concern for different reasons from neighbors, police and political party leaders.

Fuhre said he was detained by police after posting the signs around his neighborhood. The signs depict the president with his face painted like the Joker from Batman.

As he posted nearly 20 signs near Kingwood and Forest Gardens, he said he got a wide range of reactions from drivers.

"Words of encouragement. We got a few people coming by screaming ridiculous things such as 'Racist.' It has nothing to do with racism," Fuhre said.

Fuhre said one man who saw what he was doing voiced his anger and called the police. Fuhre alleged that once he arrived at his home, he was met by seven officers.

"They slammed me against the hood of my car, cuffed me, threw me in the back of the car. I'm in my own driveway at this point and time," he said.

He was not arrested, but said he and his friend received tickets for criminal mischief and vandalism.

Now, he said he believes his right to free speech was violated.

"It's the constitution of the United States, which is being forgotten," Fuhre said. "Everyone should have their liberties."

video report here: http://www.click2houston.com/video/20950804/index.html - Fuhre says he was posting the posters to win an online contest - now says it's about his "liberties"

[joeybee12]

1. Ever hear of private property, dickweed? n/t

[mdmc]

2. ya can put up signs on your own property

but can't do it on someone else's property..

Everyone should have their liberties!

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. +1

[BlooInBloo]

3. And here we go.

[Mugweed]

4. Vandalism is my Firsteenth Amendment right,

along with creating a public disturbance. Yet somehow I don't mind you wiretapping me without a warrant, since I'm not a terrorist.

[YOY]

5. I yam being persycuted by the gubmit fer vandalism!

It's my rite to destroy ovver peeples shit fer teh cauze.

[madinmaryland]

6. "Mark Fuhrer" How ironic!

[quiet.american]

22. Hello! You just can't make this stuff up! nt

[Emit]

26. lol!

[Fla Dem]

7. Another sob story for Hannity, Beck & O'Reilly. How Obama's government

is stifling free speech.

[sabra]

8. I won't be surprised if it shows up tonight on one if not all of them...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. I don't know. This was an Alex Jones nut not a Glen Beck nut.

I don't think the wackadoodles who follow Beck are very fond of Jones and vise versa.

[KittyWampus]

18. who is Alex Jones? Maybe I don't want to know? Is he like a LaRouche nutter?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

23. He's of the "Obama's turning the US into Nazi Germany" flavor of nuttery

Here's a few of his beliefs directly quoted:

"Obama's handlers are openly announcing the creation of a new Bank of the World that will dominate every nation on earth through carbon taxes and military force.

International bankers purposefully engineered the worldwide financial meltdown to bankrupt the nations of the planet and bring in World Government.

Obama plans to loot the middle class, destroy pensions and federalize the states so that the population is completely dependent on the Central Government.

The Elite are using Obama to pacify the public so they can usher in the North American Union by stealth, launch a new Cold War and continue the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan."

He bills himself as a Libertarian I think, but he's 100% from the wack-a-doodle party.

[Mariana]

34. To be fair, he said the exact same things about Shrub and Clinton.

Alex has been crying wolf for a long time.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Name a town or city in this country that doesn't have an ordinance about posting signs on public

property or on private things like utility poles?

[Jon Boston]

15. Portland, OR

[sinkingfeeling]

25. Portland, Oregon code:

POL Government Elected Officials Auditor Charter, Code & Policies City Code & Charter Online Code & Charter Title 14 Public Order Chapter 14A.50 Conduct Prohibited on Public Property
14A.50.070 Advertising on Streets. - Printable Version



A. It is unlawful for any person to scatter notices or advertisements on any street right-of-way or to post a notice or advertisement anywhere on a street right-of-way or upon the exterior of a public building.

B. It is unlawful for any person whose name appears upon, or who is responsible for posting, any notice or advertisement posted in violation of this Section to permit the notice or advertisement to remain posted after having received a request to remove it.

C. Any notice or advertisement found in violation of this Section may be removed by a peace officer.

[Jon Boston]

29. Well...

A friend of mine who is a state attorney argued this against a cop using a competing statute. And anyone who has traversed six feet of Portland knows that the law isn't enforced. So if it's selective enforcement that's just as bad.

I don't like this shit more than anyone else, but an attack on democratic rights is an attack on democratic rights.

[RoccoR5955]

11. He should be made to go around and take down all the signs!

Free speech my buns!
It's called vandalism!

[Initech]

12. Why so serious?

[jeffbr]

13. About damn time

[lunatica]

14. Waaahhh!

[Jon Boston]

17. I disagree with the speech being practiced here

But having cops slamming people around and pressing charges for speech seems like a bad thing.

[Bluerthanblue]

19. so spray painting a

swastika on your house would be ok with you?

The perp is whining about his lack of free speech, and he is the one who says the "cops slammed him around".

[Jon Boston]

30. Did he spray paint?

If so, I missed that. And there are no swastikas anywhere. Less straw, please.

Also, my intuition is generally to believe people who say they've been mistreated by cops, but that's just me.

[Mariana]

37. Cops shouldn't be slamming anyone around

unless it's necessary to prevent injury or death. That doesn't mean it's OK for him to commit
vandalism. He should be arrested and prosecuted if he did. He still shouldn't be slammed around by the cops.

And I understand that the jackass is the one saying he was slammed around, but let's not pretend it's a ridiculous claim and that cops don't do that. We know they do.

[treestar]

20. criminal mischief and vandalism

Not for the content of what he said.

[treestar]

21. Dupe

[prolesunited]

28. You want one of those showing up on your lawn?

How about spraypainted on the side of your garage?

[Jon Boston]

31. Why the constant talk of spray paint?

If one showed up on my lawn I'd throw it away. Not call the cops.

Where is the spray paint? Did I miss something?

[onestepforward]

24. This guy is on my local message board,

Ironically, it is called "Kingwood Underground." He is "MxMike" and has been writing about it since last night here:

http://www.kingwoodunderground.com/topic.jsp?topicId=11...

Warning: this site is 90% repug!

[Archbishop]

27. Everything I don't like violates the Constitution!

When there is bad traffic, that is violating the 19th Amendment.
When all of the good channels are on commercial, it's violating the 3rd Amendment.

I love how people throw out the Constitution to protect themselves as if the First Amendment covers everything you do as protected. That's vandalism, buddy. Freedom of speech doesn't include posting shit that people do not want on their property.

[calimary]

32. I wonder how quick he'd be to apply free speech considerations - and those of us

who - remember us? Sequestered off in those "first amendment zones" blocks and blocks away from bush appearances?

How quickly would he have come to OUR defense?

[Jon Boston]

35. "Free speech zones" were gross

But I see attacks on democratic rights as attacks on Democratic rights. The precedent used with this will eventually be used to attack speech you support.

[Hepburn]

33. Boo-fucking-hoo...suck it up, you RW idiot. n/t

[ddeclue]

36. What? No TASERS!

Gosh darn it!


They need to go back and do it again!