Sunday, January 2, 2011

A Little Successful "Civil Disobedience"...!


Proving a point the old fashioned way, without violence, may not be as flashy as others...but it could prove to be just as effective!

To beat the establishment without having to open a big ol' can of "whup-ass" on 'em has got to be very satisfying indeed! Not that the first option wouldn't be fun, but the second option isn't as likely to get you arrested.

Public comment ban is lifted in Gilmer
Associated Press
Dec. 31, 2010, 11:26AM


GILMER — Officials in an East Texas county have lifted a three-month-old ban on public comment that led to a protest in which some residents covered their mouths with duct tape.

The Upshur County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 Thursday to overturn their September decision to stop hearing public comment. At least five people with tape on their mouths removed it after the vote was taken, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

The vote came a day after a grand jury indicted sheriff Anthony Betterton and two members of the commissioners court on misdemeanor charges of official oppression, the newspaper reported. The charges stemmed from the removal of a man from a meeting last month after he placed duct tape over his mouth.

Betterton declined comment to the newspaper.

Know what the best part of this whole story is? The fact that the sheriff and some of his cohorts were actually indicted of "official oppression" says a lot about the focus of the law being directed toward the right target!

Sort of gives you faith in the system! Well, maybe not the WHOLE system...! You have to admit it's a step in the right direction, though!

Let's get some coffee, sit in the kitchen, and think about what a development this could turn out to be! OK?

14 comments:

HossBoss said...

Country folk have long known the versatility and value of a roll of duct tape. Now perhaps the rest of the world will begin to understand.

Go, Gilmer!

: )

Bill Nye said...

Jim,

What a great story!! Thanks for posting it.

chinasyndrome said...

Yeah one for the people! Hey Jim think we could get that grad jury to go Washington we could keep em busy for several years with Official oppression charges! Great story!

China
III

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special Friend,
Another great use for duct tape and it did get its point across.
Cozy kitchen and nice hot coffee with friends sounds wonderful to me.
Have a wonderful warm day and think of me here freezing still.My friend said it is warmer in Virginia

Kellie said...

Another reason to love duct tape! (I personally have at least three rolls at all times, one is even purple!) I think I am going to post this great story on my own blog! thank you so much for this and ALL the great posts! take care! kellie

Dizzy-Dick said...

Just wondering if that would work in a big city, like Houston? It is about time that we take our country and our rights back!!! And that is a start, hope the ball keeps rolling.

HermitJim said...

Hey WWRWH...
If nothing else, the ol' duct tape is great for symbolism, wouldn't you say?

I think it's pretty cool!

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey Bill...
Certainly my pleasure!

I enjoy spreading a little good news once in a while...Lord knows we could all use it!

I thank you for coming by today!


Hey China...
Sure couldn't hurt to try it, I'm thinking!

It shows me that, at least somewhere, the PTB are paying attention to the reactions to their moves!

Guess that's the secret...getting their attention first!

I appreciate you coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
Duct tape shows again that it's an important tool for the "poor folks" and is a good symbol!

You just gotta love it!

Stay warm, sweetie, and know that I appreciate you coming by in the cold!


Hey Kellie...
What a way to start off the new year, huh? Any time the little guys can get their point across to where folks get the message...we win!

Hope this is a sign of things to come!

I thank you for coming by today!


Hey Dizzy...
I'm thinking this is a great start! Whether or not it would work elsewhere...who knows?

Couldn't hurt to try, that's for sure!

I certainly appreciate you coming by today!

Mechanic in Illinois said...

I'm with China, lets take this to Washington, only we'll take a rope and Mayberry with us. Thanks for the great info and have a safe and happy sunday.

vlad said...

Great stuff!! Thoreau would love it.
BTW I'd love to see public protests
against the ban on growing industrial hemp. (Hemp aint pot.)

http://unusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com/2010/12/while-searching-for-earth-friendly.html

HermitJim said...

Hey Mechanic...
I'm thinking that it will take a whole lot more than an example from East Texas to get the attention of the folks in D.C.!

Maybe we could test the strength of the tape by using it in lieu of a rope, ya think?

Thanks for coming by today!

HermitJim said...

Hey Vlad...
Last year I did a post on the growing of hemp and it's many uses!

The government used to pay farmer's to grow it!

Thanks for coming by today!

Scott R said...

That's a great story and a good start. Starting local and working your way up.

HermitJim said...

Hey Scott...
The main thing is to just wake folks up, make them believe, and get them started!

Local is as good a starting place as any! Better than some...!

Hey, thanks for coming by today!

Baby Sis said...

Bubba -

We once had some car trouble in Gilmer, coming back home from OK. Had to get the car towed, on a Sunday, to a garage. They towing guy did not charge us a penny, and the mechanic did not charge for labor, just parts - go figure! Only a spot in the road, you'll miss Gilmer if you blink, but some really nice folks there. Sounds like they know how to be effective in several ways, especially by example.

Thanks, Gilmer!

Big Hugs -