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News :: Civil & Human Rights |
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Jack Ryan Campaign Stalking Barack Obama |
Current rating: 0 |
by josh marshall
(No verified email address) |
21 May 2004
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A campaign staffer for Jack Ryan has been stalking Barack Obama with a video camera, taping him in public, in restrooms, in his car, wherever... |
Reprinted from TalkingPointsMemo.com
by Joshua Micah Marshall
(May 21, 2004 -- 12:40 PM EDT )
Politics is certainly a rough business. And it's common, and understandable, that candidates will often send staffers to videotape or record their opponents' speeches.
But we seem to have an embarrassing new low in the Illinois senate race -- one that might even amount to stalking.
Barack Obama is the Democratic candidate for the open seat and his opponent is Republican Jack Ryan. For the last ten days, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Ryan has had a campaign staffer, Justin Warfel, follow Obama with a video camera all day.
And I mean, all day.
Not only does he record Obama's public appearances, he tails Obama in his car; he follows him into restrooms; he stays a couple feet behind him when he's walking in public; he waits outside his office and pesters his secretary. And he heckles Obama at public appearances.
The Chicago Sun-Times asked Ryan's campaign manager if this was appropriate ...
But Jason Miller, Ryan's campaign manager, insisted Obama's public movements are fair game and the point is to make sure Obama doesn't contradict himself with his public statements.
"If he's having a phone conversation, then Justin is not trying to tap into the conversation or record what he is saying or something like that," Miller said. "He's monitoring because you never know when ... a reporter comes up and starts asking questions."
The State's Republican Senate Minority Leader disagreed. "I don't care if you're in public life or who you are," Frank Watson (R-Greenville) told the Sun-Times. "You deserve your space, your privacy. I don't think it's appropriate."
If you'd like to register your opinion here's Obama's website and here's Ryan's.
-- Josh Marshall |
See also:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_05_16.php#002983
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Copyright by the author. All rights reserved. |
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Obama's personal troll |
by 5
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 May 2004
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Whole article at:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-sen21.html
After checking IL statues, I *believe* "stalking" is when someone:
"on at least 2 separate occasions follows another person or places the person under surveillance or any combination thereof"
and
threatens "immediate or future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement or restraint" or fear of the same in the future.
So, apparently, if you don't threaten someone, you can shadow someone and say "I'm not touching you...." all the live-long day. |
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Re: Jack Ryan Campaign Stalking Barack Obama |
by ben grosser
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 May 2004
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I would feel "confined" or "restrained" if someone followed me everywhere, everyday, every hour, although I suppose the IL statute might not agree.
Its certainly stalking in spirit, if not in statute. |
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The Inside Scoop |
by Dose of Reality
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 May 2004
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Ahhh, but maybe one important detail about why no stalking charges have been pressed ---
Republican state's attorneys...
Think John Piland, fer instance...
That's why Mark Sheldon only finds the law to be an optional fetaure of public office. See:
http://www.ucimc.org/feature/display/17811/index.php
Mark Sheldon: "my gut reaction is not to obey the courts."
Mark is taking a chance that Champaign County, which is no longer a safe Republican sinecure EXCEPT for the criminal "justice" system, will let him slide whenever he wants to exercise his personal discretion. |
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Re: Jack Ryan Campaign Stalking Barack Obama |
by chuck
chuck (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
22 May 2004
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Or maybe no charges have been pressed because you would also have to arrest Andy Shaw, Dick Kay, and the rest of the media that probably follows him on a daily basis too. It's not like the guy is filming through his bedroom window too. |
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Re: Jack Ryan Campaign Stalking Barack Obama |
by Anna Epelbaum
aepelbaum (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
30 May 2004
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Politics is dirty business, every one knows it. So, what else is new? I think that Obama is, probably, no angel in his campaign technique, and in the technique of rivals elimination. Once more, what else is new? |
