Permits for everything

“I just thought this was just to much. I went to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park yesterday(july4th) to stand in the free speech area to hand out my flyers on our 4400 mile hike and was told I needed a permit to do this. Ok .... I go inside to get a permit and they tell me I cant get a permit on the 4th of july..... excuse me.... but I guess we have no freedom of speech on the 4th of july. Im not sure just why this is but isnt this just a little unconstitutional? Im sure it was because the rangers in charge are off that day but still its just the irony of the thing.guess Ill go today. Doesnt the constitution give us a permit already?”

“Apparently not. Maybe a phone call on a non-holiday weekday beforehand might have cleared up any confusion about current regulations and procedures. Hindsight....it's always 20/20, isn't it?”

“ya I could have gotten the permit the day before but I just thought it funny that you could not have your freedom of speech on the 4th, unless you had that permit in hand”

“Article I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Seems pretty clear to me. Tea anyone?”

“MOM - You make an interesting observation.

I am often annoyed when I am confronted with people handing out flyers, asking for petitions to be signed, putting flyers on my car, or answering solicitors on the phone. Then I realize that any restrictions on them is a restriction on my right to free speech also.

While the permit may be a good thing to regulate the activities in the area, I am leary of over-regulating free speech.

I hope you saw the link to your trip page I put on the photo page. There are actually two links on the page.”

“Don't you know the Constitution is void where prohibited by law?”

“Signs, signs everywhere signs. Government is so tiresome.”

“Screw GSMNP!
It's too overcrowded anyway.”

“The Fourth of July is a government holiday.

We're lucky we can get pre-reserved permits.

We're also lucky to still be able to go to the bathroom without asking the Forest Service for permission.

Although in some places, you now have to carry out your sh!t.
Next thing you know, they're going to give you a keg to pee in, and demand you raise your hand to use it.”

“That's why I hike the national forests of the Rocky Mountains. You don't need a permit for anyting. You may not get all your flyers handed out either.”

“guess what your right. I cant hand them out at all. fund raisers dont have free speech. but the guy selling Bibles does. oh well guess ill go somewhere else.”

“I would have let them arrest me! You probably would have been able to hand out more flyers at one of the 250+ Old Tyme Photo Shops in Gatlinburg anyway. Hey, that reminds me, did you try the Happy Hiker, I am sure they put a stck at the counter for you!”

“Whoa! You go mel! The Founding Fathers would be proud.”

“You should not need a permit at all. It's a tax on your freedom of speach. That makes it you feedom of speach, that's not american in my book.”

“Even a free permit is abridgment.”

“I think this thread and the one about the Rainbow people are somewhat related. They won't let MOM hand out pamphlets to help a good cause, but they let a bunch of dirty hippies ruin salmon breeding and make a mess.”

“The dirty hippies have been in and out of court constantly to defend their rights.”

“I actually thought about letting them arrest me. LOL but Bill would have left me in jail. you cant hand out flyers in the streets of Gatlinburg either i found out . unless you get the owner of a stores permission to be on his sidewalk. I went to the happy hiker today it has been sold recently to new owners so ...I dont know the new owners like I did the old ones and its a little different there now.(Im being nice here)I went to the flea market and found a good response there.and outside wal mart is good to. Im finding poor people will give quicker than rich ones. And really want to give you there support. the newspaper will be at our house on Tues and next week our story goes on ruhooked.com the magazine hooked on the outdoors.Im very dissapointed in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and I guess I just have a very bad understanding of the 1st amendment but I neither have time nor money to fight this right now. (and Im not up for a fight right now either.) This trip has taken everything Bill and I have in us to get together. and Im not stopping till i get to Canada. Now Im counting on friends and relitives and non friends and anyone else who wants to help.”