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Government takes down pro-Trump sign on private property, without permission

They’re coming for you next: California state officials quickly moved to take down a pro-Trump billboard, even though it was on private property and they apparently did not have permission to do so.

This LA Times report on the massive Trump sign on a hill near the 405 says that state authorities went on private property to take it down because they claimed the political speech was a “visual distraction” to drivers.

So, in California your first, fourth, fifth, and sixth amendment rights are now null and void. If government officials don’t approve of your political signage, they now claim the right to enter your property, without permission and without a search warrant, and take down your signage.

The article at the first link notes that for some reason, these same California authorities did not consider it a “visual distraction” for Antifa and Black Lives Matter protests to stand on these same highways and block traffic.

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31 comments

  • Sam

    At what point do we, The Sane, stop trying to shame Californians – who are terminally shameless – by showing that they fail to live up to OUR standards, and instead get to building a Berlin Wall to keep those pinko NIMBY neo-feudalist cluster-B mystics from infecting the rest of our country?

    One year delay to allow the hopeless few to move out of the hellmouth, then close it up for good, ala Escape From LA.

  • Edward

    2012, the IRS took sides in a presidential election.

    2016, the U.S. government joined the IRS and took sides in a presidential election.

    2020, state governments are joining the U.S. government and the IRS, taking sides in a presidential election.

    What kind of government takes sides in elections?

  • Edward asked, “What kind of government takes sides in elections?”

    In the case of the United States today, governments run by Democratic Party politicians, supported by a base that admires fascism, tyranny, and rule by force and violence.

  • eddie willers

    Good Lord, I’m getting angry.

  • John Schneider

    Robert Z,

    “supported by a base that admires fascism, tyranny, and rule by force and violence.” I agree, there is certainly a humanity that needs top-down authority to even functionally operate, it prevailed in the ancient authoritarian societies, e.g. Egypt, Assyria, old China, etc. I call that the mass population of Leftism, while the instigators are also those who simply want power over others, iow, extortion.
    But there is another segment in the US, how large I don’t know, but I do know a few personally; it is those who simply want the government to take care of them. They may even be amiable and passive. For me they are the most frustrating and disturbing. It takes a very articulate argument to show that personal responsibility (and courage) can prevail over authoritarianism, and that possibilities otherwise are available and infinite in a creative, free, world. Joseph Conrad wrote a novel “Victory” on complicity, but hard read. Also HG Wells’ “eloi” are the Karens of today.

    Thanks for the website.
    John S.

  • Gary

    After the U.S. Supreme Court is expanded, it will outgrow the constitution. Once the Senate filibuster is eliminated , borders opened and citizenship given to all, the one party system will be secured and opposition mute and irrelevant.

    California leads the way.

  • Alton

    Gary
    Are you ready for the 50 million new voters to be imported and assigned to a dozen red states to frame the rule of the elite into permanent status; open your wallet wide, we are going to pay for them all, through the new higher taxes!
    Then the days of Constitutional rule will be banished forevermore……

  • stan m

    Barbra Streisand effect?

    Now more people have seen the sign because the Dem state took it down

  • Bud Norton

    Section 1983 lawsuit needs to be filed against the the state officials; prevailing party gets attorney fees. Make them pay.

  • sippin_bourbon

    I think they know that they can stall this is court before the election is over.

    Just like when libs ordered firearms seized in New Orleans after Katrina.

    Two very real world example a of a lib declaring a public safety issue and suppressing your rights. The recent suppression of the the free practice of your faith during lockdowns yet another. Freedom to assemble? Only if it is for the favored reasons.

    As I said on another thread:
    I hope they, whoever put it up the Trump sign, re-erects the sign.
    However, I am almost certain they will face arrest.

  • Cotour

    Sippin:

    The more instructive move would be to put up a Biden sign and see if the local government takes IT down.

  • Doctor Mist

    Sam,

    Please don’t forget that Californians put up the sign in the first place. We are a beleaguered opposition here, but we have not surrendered.

  • Donald Sensing

    To slightly paraphrase Tom Wolfe, Hitlerism is always about to explode from Trump, yet always does explode from Democrats.

  • Spectrum Shift

    How sweet and ironic it will be, if voters give Trump an electoral victory in California, as a way to say “Up Yours”, to Newsom’s iron fisted rule? Sadly, it may only be a passing dream. Yet in 2016……

  • I didn’t know it was on private property, holy [deleted] that’s an insane overreach

  • Anne

    Bring back the spoils system. Democrats never leave government. They’re like termites, they have to be eradicated. Everytime the Republicans get elected they should fire every Dimocrat occupying a government office. Civil service protections protect only Dimocrats. Restore the Spoils system demand term limits and clean house every eight years. America will not survive unless government service stops being a lifetime career.

  • micel: You are new here and probably didn’t see the rules. No obscenities allowed. I have deleted it. This is a warning. Next time it is a week suspension. The third time you are banned.

    Nonetheless, you are welcome here to comment. Just keep your language clean, and civilized, like an adult.

  • Joe the Plumber

    California: 57% of our forest is federal owned, 39% is “PRIVATE PROPERTY”, 4% is controlled by the state.

    Republicans: WhY CaN’T CaLiFoRnIa CoNtRoL tHeIr WiLdFiReS?!?!?

    California: ok, here we’ll enforce laws on priate property like you claim we should do I guess.

    Republicans: TYRANNY!!!!!1!!

  • Bernard

    Still pretending to run a nice, civilized, clean platform for intelligent discourse, eh Robert?
    This comment is still up:

    CK Bristol
    September 25, 2020 at 3:30 pm
    So it sounds like we the people can start killing the Coup plotters for treason….

    A post suggesting the extrajudicial killings of a former president, current presidential candidate and current and past members of Congress. Not sure how this counts as civilized, but I guess when you are talking about killing liberals you folks think that is just fine.

    Gonna enjoy this place on November 4th. Barring some truly totalitarian behavior by the Orange Menace and his Merry Men the landslide will be a site to see. Get ready for president Biden and control of the House and Senate by Democrats. After the past four years the apoplexy from conservatives will be enjoyable, though little solace in light of the hundreds of thousands of Americans that have died due to Trump’s incompetence, hubris, and corruption.

    Maybe Biden will even step down after a couple of months and give us president Harris. Now that would really get the blood pumping at Fox News. One can only dream.

  • sippin_bourbon

    Bernard.

    Were the comments that you dislike not rebuked? You failed to answer that question previously.

  • Bernard

    bourbon-
    By you yes. Only you. Then subsequently either joked about or ignored by everyone else in the thread and later defended by Zimmerman in a different thread.
    My point is not whether or not a single like-minded other person rebuked the comment. My point is that Mr. Zimmerman’s hypocrisy is on grand display when he chastises someone for using profanity and claims to want an open and civilized discussion while at the same time allowing that kind of a comment to stand.
    You can’t swear, but threatening to assassinate Democratic politicians is all good. I mean…it is his site. He can post whatever he wants and delete whatever posts he wants. That’s what freedom of speech is all about. I certainly don’t have a problem with that. But don’t try and act like some kind of virtuous moderator who only wants free exchange of ideas in a civilized manner when you are fine with death threats against those that you disagree with.

  • wayne

    ” ‘I mean…it is his site.’ ”

    Hans Hermann-Hoppe
    “So To Speak” 161 times
    https://youtu.be/ageItlYh1Mo
    2:10

  • sippin_bourbon

    So the you agree that the post was rebuked.

    There was no push back from others in support of the original comment.

    I think that speaks volumes compared to censorship of the comment.

    I happen to agree the policy on obscenities. A requirement to express opinion using broad or enlightened vocabulary rather than descending to vulgarity elevates the conversation.

  • sippin_bourbon

    I want to add, I agree with the SCOTUS as well, that “hate speech” must be protected. For once we start censoring, we start down a path of deciding who gets to say what.

    Personally I believe that when a bigot wishes to expound on his views, let him. Then we all know who and what he is. He cannot hide it. We can then properly rebuke his backward values.

    If a fool wishes to throw stupid threats while hiding behind anonymity, let them. The next time he posts, you will know how serious, or not, to take his opinion.

  • Bernard

    Yeah, you can’t just just say “So the you agree that the post was rebuked” and conclude that the issue has been resolved.
    You are either not reading what I said or are being intentionally disingenuous.
    Again, my point is not that a single, random user also didn’t like the comment. My point is that the post was allowed to stay up on a site that claims to foster an ‘adult’ and ‘civilized’ environment in which a free exchange of ideas is possible. Threatening to kill public figures is not a feature of civilized, adult political discourse.
    And again, I am not complaining that the user was allowed to threaten to kill public figures and that the threat was left intact by the moderator. Free speech and all…it’s up to Zimmerman what he wants posted on his site. I am complaining that the user was allowed to threaten to kill public figures and the threat was left intact by the moderator who then claims that this is a place for civilized and adult political discourse. It clearly isn’t. This site is a fringe right wing conservative and conspiracy theory sounding board.

  • wayne

    “This site is a fringe right wing conservative and conspiracy theory sounding board.”

    “Cancel culture is an organized movement used to dominate the nation”
    Michael Malice and Lex Fridman
    October 4, 2020
    https://youtu.be/NEJPohE4Abw
    25:27

  • wayne

    Mask-less Woman Tased in Ohio
    10-10-2020
    https://youtu.be/VPUmW6EPWpM
    3:34

    V for Vendetta:
    “The Dominoes Fall”
    https://youtu.be/yrwTDfdck7I?t=188

  • Cotour

    Bernard.

    You will deserve that kind of America, I will not.

    Then what?

  • sippin_bourbon

    Bernard

    You are complaining that the post was allowed, but your post (or someone else’s)with an obscenity was edited.

    That was your point. You clearly stated it earlier.

    I got it. I just choose to not accept your point as valid. The threats comments are irrelevant to the obscenities. You wish to conflate the two, so you can bully someone (the owner of this site) into doing what you desire.

    Your point was made. It was also just not accepted. When someone posts threats like that, they are most likely fishing. Leaving the comment posted, and rebuked, answers it correctly. Hiding it simply invites others to do the same.

    “This site is a fringe right wing conservative and conspiracy theory sounding board.”
    Are you trying to shame us now?

    Anything right of center is considered “fringe” by the left, so that term has no meaning in this context. And there is nothing wrong with being conservative, despite what you may have been told.

    Almost every site that allows comments on the internet has had someone post a conspiracy theory. Does that mean that everyone on these sites accepts, agrees, or supports such a theory? Of course not.

    This thread was about government overreach in the State of CA. You have effectively side tracked it. Do you feel happy about that? You did not contribute to the conversation, and that is sad.

  • Now more people have seen the sign because the Dem state took it down

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