Reno City Council Unsure Regarding Protected First Amendment Rights

We Don't Need Their Permission To Exercise What U.S. Constitution Guarantees

by Johnny Gunn

If you wish to exercise your first amendment rights on the streets of downtown Reno, the city council is trying to tell us we need a "Certificate" from them in order to do so. I'm terribly sorry to inform you, dear ladies and gentlemen, but if I wish to speak or in some other way make myself known on any subject, whether political, artistic, or give a deliberation on junk bonds, I don't need your permission.

First amendment artisans are defined in the new ordinance as "those who engage in free speech protected activities by displaying and eliciting or accepting contributions for selling, offering for sale, exposing for sale, or soliciting offers to purchase handcrafted arts and crafts on public sidewalks. " Then it goes on to say, "a sidewalk speaker is one who engages in free speech protected activities on public sidewalks including public oratory and distribution of literature. " Wait just a minute now. Are we defining at the Reno level what exactly free speech is? That seems to have been answered by the Federal Supreme Court several times in the last few hundred years.

No matter how many times I read the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America I simply can't find a single thought that says I should have some political body's permission to engage in such an activity. That's what the First Amendment is; permission to speak freely, sir. If I'm reading the ordinance correctly, it seems to say that someone wishing to engage in a free speech activity can only do so between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. I wonder what time it was when the immortal words, "Give me liberty or give me death," were spoken?

It seems the Reno City Council is attempting to put street vendors in the same category as those participating in street art, or as participants in civics activities such as speech making. Or maybe Vice Versa. Granted now, our wonderful Nevada Observer cartoonist Woodrow Barlettani, while dispensing some of Reno's finest hot dogs from his vendor cart involves himself in mighty strong political dialog, but is what he says to his clients, deep philosophical thoughts on hundreds of subjects, any business of the Reno City Council?

Sometimes it's amazing to think about where local political bodies get their ideas. This one did not come by way of Thomas Paine.

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Cleaning Up The Desk And Finding Interesting Tidbits Of This And That

During recent "topping off" festivities at the new courthouse complex in downtown Reno, one of the caterers was overheard to exclaim, "The sandwiches are for the workers, not the politicians." Amen, brother.

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One of Nevada's rising young political stars is Congressman Jon Porter (R) from Las Vegas. Chairing the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, Porter has been holding hearings to try to get to the bottom of the Yucca Mountain/DOE/USGS e-mails that seem to indicate there has been widespread lying by the feds regarding the safety of the project.

Porter has made quite a name for himself around the Silver State because of his bulldog like tactics in committee. He just named a new staff member whose only job will be to investigate the alleged falsification of documents by the DOE and the Interior Department.

Porter says the investigators "primary focus will be on discovering the depth and magnitude of falsified documents." He looks to uncover "the truth surrounding poor management and bad science."

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There seems to be no forward movement in the investigation of the DMV office break-in in southern Nevada. North Las Vegas Police, Federal Secret Service, FBI, and DMV investigations are supposedly taking place. During an almost secret hearing in the legislature, DMV director Ginny Lewis promised a full and open investigation. Of course, she also promised to hold sacred the personal information that was so easily stolen.

The Secret Service indicated at that hearing they might just come forward with some suspects. FYI, that hearing was held in March. Click here for a full transcript of what took place.

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Overheard during cocktail hour at The Satellite in Reno: "They should call it Yucky Mountain."

From the Nevada Taxpayer Association news brief recently: "Lobbyist: The person you hire to protect you from the people you elect."

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April 27 was Democracy Day in Nevada, by resolution of the current session of the Legislature. They wanted it in order to address the role of civics education. According to most polls, those coming out of high school today don't have the foggiest idea how our system of government works, why it works, or what it is that has kept it going for well over 200 years.

We would be better off to take the effort that was expended in the legislative halls and create honest and sincere civics education in our middle and high schools. As we learned in the last election cycle, registering to vote is only the first step. Actually voting should follow.

That being said, a democracy-in-action award was given out in the name of Jean Ford. Ford served in the Nevada Assembly and Senate. The Jean Ford Democracy Award will be given during each upcoming biennial legislative session.