Outlawing dirty looks

[chanel]

Deprived of the opportunity to speak to a City Council committee about its plan to hire a $30,000 state lobbyist, Darlene Heslop apparently could not contain herself. She sighed and rolled her eyes — and was promptly ejected from the June 14 meeting. Surely nobody expects the committee to conduct its business effectively if citizens are free to make facial expressions in public. (Can you hear our eyes rolling?)

"Making faces behind the mayor's back is disruptive, in my opinion," said committee chairman Stephen Hipskind, who told Heslop to leave. (Wait — the mayor didn't even see it? Facepalm.) Other aldermen objected to the eviction, and two of them got up and left, ending the meeting for lack of a quorum. (Silent applause.)

Now the city attorney has been directed to research the legal definitions of disorderly conduct and disruptive behavior (we're shaking our heads here), with an eye to drafting an ordinance to curb non-verbal outbursts. His work should begin and end with state law, which defines disorderly conduct as "an act in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another, or to provoke a breach of the peace."

Elmhurst; eye-rolling ordinance - chicagotribune.com

Comments? (oops)

 

[xotoxi]

an eye to drafting an ordinance to curb non-verbal outbursts.

No clapping.

 

[mudwhistle]

Thinking bad thoughts will be punished.

 

[editec]

Yet amazingly, people still believe that local governments are less likely to abuse power the Federal government.

Never have understood that theory.

Some of the most outrageous abuses of power I have ever seen happen at the local government levels.

 

[daveman]

Deprived of the opportunity to speak to a City Council committee about its plan to hire a $30,000 state lobbyist, Darlene Heslop apparently could not contain herself. She sighed and rolled her eyes — and was promptly ejected from the June 14 meeting. Surely nobody expects the committee to conduct its business effectively if citizens are free to make facial expressions in public. (Can you hear our eyes rolling?)

"Making faces behind the mayor's back is disruptive, in my opinion," said committee chairman Stephen Hipskind, who told Heslop to leave. (Wait — the mayor didn't even see it? Facepalm.) Other aldermen objected to the eviction, and two of them got up and left, ending the meeting for lack of a quorum. (Silent applause.)

Now the city attorney has been directed to research the legal definitions of disorderly conduct and disruptive behavior (we're shaking our heads here), with an eye to drafting an ordinance to curb non-verbal outbursts. His work should begin and end with state law, which defines disorderly conduct as "an act in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another, or to provoke a breach of the peace."

Elmhurst; eye-rolling ordinance - chicagotribune.com

Comments? (oops)

Yeah. Fuck those little tinpot dictator-wannabes. You don't wanna get eyes rolled at you, don't do stupid shit, morons.

 

[Samson]

Yet amazingly, people still believe that local governments are less likely to abuse power the Federal government.

Never have understood that theory.

Some of the most outrageous abuses of power I have ever seen happen at the local government levels.

Is there a theory?

I have a Theory:

Advocates of a Strong Centralised Government use any opportunity they can to inflate faults of local government far out of proportion to the benefits of local government.

 

[George Costanza]

Yet amazingly, people still believe that local governments are less likely to abuse power the Federal government.

Never have understood that theory.

Some of the most outrageous abuses of power I have ever seen happen at the local government levels.

Is there a theory?

I have a Theory:

Advocates of a Strong Centralised Government use any opportunity they can to inflate faults of local government far out of proportion to the benefits of local government.

I have another theory:

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It doesn't matter whether you are a United States Senator, in charge of the local jail, President of the United States, the police chief of Anytown USA or the Mayor of Split Lip, NV. You got the power - you are going to abuse it somewhere along the line.

 

[ConHog]

Yet amazingly, people still believe that local governments are less likely to abuse power the Federal government.

Never have understood that theory.

Some of the most outrageous abuses of power I have ever seen happen at the local government levels.

Is there a theory?

I have a Theory:

Advocates of a Strong Centralised Government use any opportunity they can to inflate faults of local government far out of proportion to the benefits of local government.

I have another theory:

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It doesn't matter whether you are a United States Senator, in charge of the local jail, President of the United States, the police chief of Anytown USA or the Mayor of Split Lip, NV. You got the power - you are going to abuse it somewhere along the line.

Oh come on, not EVERY politician at EVERY level is corrupt. I would guess that just as in every industry there are good people and bad people. It's just that the good ones aren't newsworthy, for the most part.

And a law against eye rolling? LOL, Why don't we just chuck the First Amendment completely.

 

[zzzz]

We pride ourselves on government run by the people so why are these incidents so unbelievable? Most local politicians have no governmental experience so they rule by their guts and how they perceive things out to be. (Not to mention how they were raised as children.)

 

[George Costanza]

You know, there are some places where a roll of the eyes or other facial expression of disagreement with what's going on, can land you in jail so fast it will make your head swim. I refer, of course, to the courtroom. It's called contempt of court.

 

[ConHog]

You know, there are some places where a roll of the eyes or other facial expression of disagreement with what's going on, can land you in jail so fast it will make your head swim. I refer, of course, to the courtroom. It's called contempt of court.

Very true, and I would argue that SOME judges letThat particular power go to their heads as well, not to mention a court room setting is entirely different than a city council meeting.

 

[Madeline]

I just wanna applaud chanel for snagging the funniest dumb shit move by an elected official today.

Well done, miss!

*Laughs*

 

[chanel]

Maddie - I'd be in jail so fast... My husband says I am the worst actress in the world. He can tell what I'm thinking just by looking at me. Note to self; gotta work on that lol

 

[Madeline]

Such a law would effectively bar participation in public life by teen aged girls, LOL. Unfortunately for my kidlet, "talk to the hand" was explained (or shall I say "performed") for me for the first time by her. Poor thing landed on her ass, he he he.

What would be next? No one in snotty sloganed tee shirts can attend?

 

[bodecea]

Yet amazingly, people still believe that local governments are less likely to abuse power the Federal government.

Never have understood that theory.

Some of the most outrageous abuses of power I have ever seen happen at the local government levels.

Exactly....just try being on an HOA board.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Yet amazingly, people still believe that local governments are less likely to abuse power the Federal government.

Never have understood that theory.

Some of the most outrageous abuses of power I have ever seen happen at the local government levels.

No we don't. What we BELIEVE is if a Local Government enacts odious laws we have a direct input to change it. Local elections. We the people of the local community control all the positions of a city or County Government. At the Federal level my control is ONE Representative out of 438 and a single community vote on 2 Senators out of 100.

See the difference?

Even at the State level we have more input then Federal.

 

[Samson]

I have another theory:

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It doesn't matter whether you are a United States Senator, in charge of the local jail, President of the United States, the police chief of Anytown USA or the Mayor of Split Lip, NV. You got the power - you are going to abuse it somewhere along the line.

What an absurd sense of scale you must have.

When was the last time Mayor of Split Lip declared a War?

When was the last time Anytown's Police Chief sent 20 million to the Gulag?

Sure there's always a few bad apples, but when they're part of a powerful centralized government, the effects are a tad more dramatic than declaring rolling eyes illegal.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Deprived of the opportunity to speak to a City Council committee about its plan to hire a $30,000 state lobbyist, Darlene Heslop apparently could not contain herself. She sighed and rolled her eyes — and was promptly ejected from the June 14 meeting. Surely nobody expects the committee to conduct its business effectively if citizens are free to make facial expressions in public. (Can you hear our eyes rolling?)

"Making faces behind the mayor's back is disruptive, in my opinion," said committee chairman Stephen Hipskind, who told Heslop to leave. (Wait — the mayor didn't even see it? Facepalm.) Other aldermen objected to the eviction, and two of them got up and left, ending the meeting for lack of a quorum. (Silent applause.)

Now the city attorney has been directed to research the legal definitions of disorderly conduct and disruptive behavior (we're shaking our heads here), with an eye to drafting an ordinance to curb non-verbal outbursts. His work should begin and end with state law, which defines disorderly conduct as "an act in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another, or to provoke a breach of the peace."

Elmhurst; eye-rolling ordinance - chicagotribune.com

Comments? (oops)

I can't wait for rdean to blame this one on Republicans.

 

[The Infidel]

 

[Samson]

Deprived of the opportunity to speak to a City Council committee about its plan to hire a $30,000 state lobbyist, Darlene Heslop apparently could not contain herself. She sighed and rolled her eyes — and was promptly ejected from the June 14 meeting. Surely nobody expects the committee to conduct its business effectively if citizens are free to make facial expressions in public. (Can you hear our eyes rolling?)

"Making faces behind the mayor's back is disruptive, in my opinion," said committee chairman Stephen Hipskind, who told Heslop to leave. (Wait — the mayor didn't even see it? Facepalm.) Other aldermen objected to the eviction, and two of them got up and left, ending the meeting for lack of a quorum. (Silent applause.)

Now the city attorney has been directed to research the legal definitions of disorderly conduct and disruptive behavior (we're shaking our heads here), with an eye to drafting an ordinance to curb non-verbal outbursts. His work should begin and end with state law, which defines disorderly conduct as "an act in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another, or to provoke a breach of the peace."

Elmhurst; eye-rolling ordinance - chicagotribune.com

Comments? (oops)

I can't wait for rdean to blame this one on Republicans.

Wait until it's posted on some Berkeley High School Junior's Blog, so he can cite it as his "source."