Monday, August 09, 2021
#FREESPEECH in the News August 9, 2020
As the Citadel of Free Speech here in Cleveland, we work to protect and promote the basis of our democracy by sharing related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century. Here's what's making the news – and what you should know about – in the past week.
1.) How A Beloved Giant Rat Won Free Speech Rights
Acy Wartsbaugh, an organizer from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, and a couple of construction workers are protesting on a sidewalk in Chicago in late July. They're flanked by a 12-foot-tall inflatable rat named "Scabby." It has pointy teeth, red eyes and depictions of oozing, pus-filled scabs on its belly.
According to a recent decision from the National Labor Relations Board, this giant rat — and its brethren across the country — now have free speech rights, too. Giant inflatable rats have been used for decades as a widely recognized symbol of a labor dispute, but last year, the board signaled it could be persuaded to outlaw their use in certain situations.
Wartsbaugh's union, the Local 150, claims it invented Scabby to protest labor issues almost three decades ago. The term "scab" is slang used by unions to describe strikebreakers.
2.) US Olympian Gwen Berry raises a fist in protest as IOC relaxes rules on free speech
These Olympic Games are never far from the hint of a gesture or protest, a moment of free speech, an opportunity to make a statement.
So it came as absolutely no surprise that U.S. hammer thrower Gwen Berry entered the Olympic Stadium Tuesday night by raising her right fist not once but twice, several seconds apart, to announce that she of all people would be taking advantage of the International Olympic Committee’s relaxed rules allowing freedom of speech prior to the start of play.
“It was the same thing,” she said of her gesture after finishing well off the podium and out of the medals in 11th place out of 12 competitors, “social injustice, racial injustice, I’m just here to represent. I know a lot of people like me, a lot of athletes like me, a lot of people are scared to succeed, a lot of people scared to speak out. So as long as I can represent those people, I’m fine.”
3.) U.S. judge says Florida can't ban cruise ship's 'vaccine passport' program
A U.S. judge has allowed Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH.N) to demand that passengers show written proof of coronavirus vaccination before they board a ship, dealing a major blow to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's effort to ban "vaccine passports."
In a preliminary ruling issued on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami said Norwegian would likely prevail on its argument that the "vaccine passport" ban, signed into law by DeSantis in May, jeopardizes public health and is an unconstitutional infringement on Norwegian's rights.
The judge blocked DeSantis from enforcing the law against Norwegian, allowing the cruise ship operator to proceed with a plan to resume port activity in Miami on Aug. 15. Violations of the law could have triggered a penalty of $5,000 per passenger, potentially adding up to millions of dollars per cruise.
