The Free Speech Battle Begins: Pro-Freedom Geller Vs. Pro-Sharia MTA

The battle for free speech begins. The very idea that the MTA would censor free speech in defense of the blasphemy laws under the sharia speaks volumes as to the success of the stealth jihad in America. How many New Yorkers find the anti-semitic ads the MTA approved offensive, bigoted and incitement against the Jews? But they ran them anyway. Our ads are not nearly as controversial, but they are pro-Israel, pro-freedom. I hope the MTA is prepared to go to the Supreme Court, because we are.

As long as the PA continues its savage policy to foment violence and promote hatred and teach their children to hate,  the number of young Muslims willing to blow themselves up or to slit Israeli throats will continue to increase. That is savage.  The Palestinian Authority propaganda of "Holocaust denial, racial slurs, anti-Jewish epithets and glorification of terrorists" is savage. Tell me again why the word "savage" is inaccurate. The targeting of civilians is savage. The relentless 60-year campaign of terror against the Jewish people is savage. The torture of hostage Gilad Shalit is savage. The bloody hacking to death of the Fogel family is savage. Munich was savage. The unspeakable torture of Ehud Goldwasser is savage. The tens of thousands of rockets fired from Gaza into Southern Israel (into schools, homes, etc.) are savage. The vicious Jew-hatred behind this genocide is savage. The endless demonization of the Jewish people in the Pali and Arab media is savage. The refusal to recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state is savage. The list is endless.

Here is the latest from legal warrior David Yerushalmi to CBS/MTA:

From: David Yerushalmi
Subject: Ad submission by AFDI/Pam Geller to CBS/MTA
 
Dear Mr. Marcus:
 
My client forwarded to me your email (below) wherein you state the ad copy AFDI submitted violates Section 5.05( C )(2) of the MTA’s Advertising Standards.  Presumably you are referring to the word “savage” in the copy.  My client is not prepared to alter its ad copy, and specifically not this word.  We hereby demand a formal and final determination by close of business on Friday, September 22, 2011.  A non-response by that deadline, given the time MTA-CBS has already had to review this copy, will be understood as a formal and final rejection.
 
Let me be unambiguous.  First, the word savage cannot violate the standard you cite because it is patently not demeaning an individual or group of individuals on account of “race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.” It mentions neither individual nor group and it intends none. Specifically, it is a word in context describing behavior qua behavior.  Certainly you recognize that the ad copy does not mention an individual or group of individuals falling within one of the Standard’s rubrics (i.e., “race, color, etc.”).  Finally, as a word describing behavior, it quite obviously applies not to any one of Israel’s enemies in any one geographical location, but all her enemies who behave savagely. Precisely because it is a noun describing behavior (i.e., savage behavior), it cannot be demeaning because an individual or group who does not behave savagely is not captured by the word; an individual or group that does behave savagely, is similarly not demeaned because we presume men act in the way they intend and a savage intends to act savagely.
 
Finally, a word about the Standard itself and the way MTA/CBS is applying it.  There can be no question that once the MTA opened up this forum for political advocacy, it cannot use the “demeaning” filter to decide which political speech it accepts and which it does not. The application in this context of the Standard, especially here where as noted above, there is absolutely no reference to one of the categories (i.e., race, religion) but rather to behavior (i.e., savage behavior), the MTA’s rejection of the word “savage” is most assuredly a viewpoint-based censorship, in violation of the First Amendment.  If the MTA, as the organ of state authority, now understands itself in the business of toning down and even modifying the viewpoint of the speakers it has invited into this public forum, it has manifestly and egregiously crossed the line clearly drawn by the First Amendment and the jurisprudence promulgated thereunder.
 
David Yerushalmi
Law Offices of David Yerushalmi, P.C.:
Washington, D.C., New York, California & Arizon
==========================================================================

David Yerushalmi was responding to the official rejection of our pro-Israel ad:

Date: September 21, 2011 3:36:26 PM EDT
To: Pamela Geller <pamelageller@gmail.com>
Subject: CBS Outdoor

Dear Pam,

Thank you for your ad submission; in its current version, we do not approve this ad for the reasons set forth below and the MTA’s Director of Real Estate has concurred pursuant to Section 5.05 ( C )(2) of the MTA’s Advertising Standards. (A copy of those Standards is attached.). Regarding issue-oriented advertisements we do not approve or disapprove such advertisements for display of the MTA’s transit system based upon the viewpoint expressed. As you may know, we have recently accepted for display paid advertisements submitted by organizations on the subject of U.S. military aid to Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s relationship with Israel that have expressed strongly competing views.
Your proposed ad, however, contains language that, in our view, does not conform with the MTA’s advertising standards regarding ads that demean an individual or group of individuals as set forth in Section 5.05(B)(11) of the MTA’s Advertising Standards.
 
We invite you – as provided in Section 5.05 ( C )(3) of the Advertising Standards – to discuss with us possible revisions to your ad; should you choose to submit a revised ad, we will review that submission promptly. Alternatively, if you do not want to consider any possible revisions, you may ask us to obtain from the MTA its formal and final determination of whether this ad conforms with its Advertising Standards.
 
Regards,
Howard
 
 
Kenneth S. Pober
CBS Outdoor
Vice President
New York Market Manager
212-297-6415

Previously at Atlas: It's Official: Pro-Jihad MTA Bans Pro-Israel Ads, Runs Anti-Israel Ads

VIDEO: Pamela Geller on WPIX News: MTA Bans Pro-Israel Subway Ads, Approves Anti-Semitic Ads

NY Post: "Blogger battling MTA over ads give agency ultimatum"

NY Daily News: "Blogger Pamela Geller vows to sue MTA if subway ad calling Israel's enemies 'savages' isn't approved"

CBS Outdoor/NYC Transit Delays Approval of AFDI Pro-Israel Campaign Despite Approving Anti-Israel Subway Ads

CBS Outdoor/NYC Transit to Run Antisemitic Ads

UPDATE: Listen to the Sheik.

Comments

[David]

I should've stayed in school; what an excellent reply by the legal team! Thank you for leading us in the Good Fight!

[Jay]

As an attorney, I commend your attorney's clear and convincing refutation of the manipulative and dishonest meaning the MTA applies to the word "savages". The truth is that the ad is calling all of the barbarians who hate Israel savages, not any particular group.

And that is the truth, all of Israel's enemies, from the Iranian Mullahs to Nazi Ron Paul are savages

[Attilashrugs]

I wish we'd elevate the discussion above calling Ron Paul a Nazi savage! Ron Paul has questioned why the USA is in every single nook and cranny of the world involved with other peoples' fights. Worse, he points out that we borrow from China to protect Poland from "Iranian" (read Russian) missiles. To the degree that he would sell arms to Israel without demanding any conformity to American foreign policy, he would be way better than the anti-Israeli Obama. I suspect that he would believe that if we were in the same situation as Israel, viz. Iran, he would attack their nuclear facilities.
In addition, there are those anti-New World Order folks who unfortunately can't get past the long running meme of the Jewish International Bankers. Even though there is no one single enemy of the New World Order that brings together otherwise disparate subunits as does Israel, they still find ways to cast Zionism in the center of Rothschild/Bilderberger/ CFR/Trilateral Commission/ UN/ NAFTA and NAU/ EU/ World bank/ IMF et al.
They apparently are unable to notice that ALL of the Globalist Forces are lined up against Israel. Frustratingly, they are so close to Truth, but err on the meme of anti-Semitism. Ron Paul is their idol. I think he would be the ONLY Candidate to STOP the drift towards the submersion of America's sovereignty or its dilution into The Globalist Carbon Taxing 666 System.
The greater threat to israel is the completion of the Globalist Plans. This worldly creation is at its heart anti-God. It demands the eradication of the evidence of God's Hand on History, i.e. it demands that Israel no longer be a nation.
Whether or not you can see anything to like about Ron Paul, beware that calling him Nazi savage, will only confirm the patently absurd notion that Israel is the catspaw for the NWO! What a laugh. Israel is the Toreador's maddening cape to the Bull, the Baal.

[Attilashrugs]

I do not agree that Ron Paul is an enemy of Israel. You are only adding credence to the claim that any questioning of America's policy toward Israel is cast as "Anti-Semitism". There are American reasons for pulling back from being the policeman of the world. Is it not plain that we are going broke?
Ron Paul would NOT be interested in solving the "issues of the intractable and 'hard' Israel/Palestinian question". He would probably not force Bibi to come begging. I suspect Paul would sell Israel weapons and replacements. He would stop all foreign aid. Whose economy is more dependent upon that aid, Israel or Egypt?
The false sense of security that America has encouraged Israel to take, that the US would always be there for them is DANGEROUS! America now is like a weak reed, it will splinter in the hand of Israel and cause her to trip. Better to have an honest president who will not leave Israel either guessing or begging than Obama. Obama is locked in his father's mindset of white colonial powers lording it over brown people. He believes Israelis are in the white category.
Whatever your thoughts on Paul are, be less than candid about them. There are large numbers of Tea Party People who like him. They are vulnerable to being swayed by the Alex Jones types into seeing a Zionist-Rothschild Globalist Conspiracy against Ron Paul.

[Attilashrugs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCW2hxux3Ro&feature=player_embedded
Not knowing where to put this for Pam's attention, I put it here. I think she and her readers will like it.

[Carey]

You are a truly pathetic monster. You are tainting both what is good about America and the Jewish faith. I love Jewish culture, but Israel is a total disaster and not because of some liberal conspiracy against your vague and inarticulate notions of "freedom".

[Jamadagnii]

I'm wondering if the Atlas graphic artist switched the font size and made the Rand quote larger and the "Support Israel Defeat Jihad" smaller, would that satisfy the delicate sensibilities of the MTA?

Not saying that should be done but wondering if. Superb lawyer for Atlas. I'm sure he would advise keeping the ad as is.

Frankly I prefer speech which is direct and the Atlas message, while open to interpretation is honest.

Regarding the deceptiveness of the ad from the virulent anti-Israel peace group with the smiling faces, etc., the sages recommended directness and honesty. Maimonides advised, 'One is forbidden to make a habit of using smooth and deceptive language. ... It's forbidden to delude one's fellow creatures.' " Edward Hoffman, The Kabbalah Deck pp.80-81.

[Frank]

All of this is going to become moot soon, Pamela. These clowns are not going to abridge free political speech (ideas and opinions) in America. Economics is going to expose the hollowness of Islam and other fascist model systems. This a comment I just made on WND.....

Financial Chernobal
Posted by Frank on Sep 22, 2011 16:39

Global Meltdown: Investors Are Dumping Nearly Everything
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44626413

I think we are now moving into a period in history that will look very much like the 1930s when the world descended into economic depression and political chaos. The 1930s depression produced political chaos as financial systems (world-wide) melted down. Japan launched a war in China (for resourses) that eventually caused Japan to attack at Pearl Harbor because the US embargoed Japan and demand Japanese withdrawal from China, and Germany became spastic with unemployment and Hitler salutes, and then very aggressive in Europe. This history will repeat itself as tragedy.

The kind of political instability the world presently sees in the Mideast and North Africa will manifest itself (in different forms-depending on the culture) in Asia and Europe as China's economy becomes cold and the people there no longer tolerate a police state because it once brought economic growth. (The government in China may seize US companies (GM e.g.) to appease the public there.)

The Mideast (particularly Egypt)will face famine. Hungry and desperate people are not the basis for stable politics anywhere-but that is particularly true for the Muslim Mideast. The Muslim Brotherhood, similar to the Nazis, will be out in full force, with big funny shoes, big red noses, clerical hats, Muslim robes, blaming Jews, preaching Jew-hatred.

How will the US fare in this period of international chaos? We can no longer play Globocop and will probably return to a more traditional non-interventionist foreign policy (what some critics have called "isolationism") as the people here will realize that our democratic system (where public opinion matters) cannot be exported. This will be the most stable country on earth and it will be a good time to be an American. We will stoically deal with this crisis-as we did in the 1930s. As President Reagan noted, "the best days are ahead for America."

The rest of the world will be another matter.

[Frank]

BTW-I'm not saying history will repeat itself exactly as in the 1930s with Japan and Germany-but that history will be repeated in a similar manner in some places on earth. My hunch is that there will be some kind of ideologically-authoritarian alliance that could comprise Iran, China, Russia, that that will be directed at the US. in any case, I think there will be some kind of funky fascist style alliance system that will unfold against the US as the world moves to financial Chernobyl and then political chaos. (My hunch is that this time Germany and Japan will line up with the US.) The form of history will be repeating itself, the substance will be different.

[Frank]

"People are finding it really isn't gold. It isn't precious metals. It's not currencies. U.S. Treasurys are where people are flocking to at a time of extreme concern about risk, and we continue to see Treasurys continue to get bid up," said Zane Brown, fixed income strategist at Lord Abbett."-from the article linked above

It's ironic. We in America run our economy like Professor Irwin Corey is in charge, but this flight of capital (noted above) is because of the stability of our political system which is largely based on free political speech (the free expression of ideas and opinions) and the fact that contracts mean something in America. These winds of freedom are going to fill our sails in the years ahead. What (to the sneering fascists) appears as weakness (free political speech, secular contract-law, the rule of law-not the rule of men with ideological beliefs etc.) is our strength.

[Frank]

The American approach to to a political system is very different than our economic approach. and that's why we will survive and then thrive...Prof Corey sums it up re our economics...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MaJbJgZEp8

[philipzhao]

China will not first-attack, but will surely respond when attaked !

[lilredbird]

Yikes, Pam, no wonder you beat these people on legal grounds every time. Yerushalmi's truly masterful dissection of the MTA's spurious excuses should be impossible to refute. They will no doubt resort to yet more doublespeak, which Yerushalmi will take apart in like manner until they are reduced to stamping their feet and yelling, "Because we said so, that's why!"

Frank, I don't know if you're right but waking up some morning and seeing the entire Islamic Caliphate-obsessed Madness Brigade wholely occupied Elsewhere is one of my fondest dreams. However, I find it hard to believe that we will be able to sail above the fray on the wings of isolationism. (Btw, John Bachelor has been saying the same thing as you about China back up by some well-informed arguments for quite some time now and it will be interesting to see if you are both correct.)

Attila, NWO conspiracy theorists are the toenail fungus of the anti-leftard movement and Ron Paul is their king. It's not that they are always wrong. They do get some things right. It's just that they have too much fun playing with their semi-occultist computer game-like fantasies to even think of backing off, looking at facts instead of mythologies, giving up the x-files reptilian alien delusional crap, and digging into the boring, disgusting, depressing background work on that abomination of the centuries known as Islam to really understand what is going on that corner of the world chaos.

[dan]

Savage? How can you use a word like that? Not the word I would have used.

http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnBarnhardt?feature=mhum#p/u/20/vRTLT8MKz5w

A little stronger word is in order. Be warned, this will make you upchuck your cookies,
but it is accurate.

[alyn21]

I have stated it before that there is a good case to be made for America not being the policeman of the world.
The problem with supporting politicians like Ron Paul or writers like Pat Buchanan who advocate this is that they use anti-semitic smears to advocate their positions.
If they just stuck to facts and logic and put away the Jew bashing for a moment they might just get a bigger audience.
Israel could survive without financial support from the U.S. since all of it is just for weapons that Israel is forced to buy from America. However to be fair will Ron Paul and his crowd also advocate removing financial aid to the Arab states as well?
I suspect the answer is NO, which is why I would never support the isolationist crowd in America.

[Jay]

Interesting tht you advocate surrendering free speech in order to placate the Neo-Nazis that support the Muslim stooge Ron Paul. I will never stop criticizing this monster, you has insulted America, Israel, and the free world countless times while advancing lies in favor of the Muslim savages who want to impose their backwards system on the world.

Ron Paul is a savage, because you can't stand for Islam and liberty at the same time. They are totally incompatible

[Fitna]

Pamela if this was on the only issue you ever took on, I'd still think it's amazing work that you're doing because you're forcing people to think and choose sides-which is necessary in a war. Plus of course you're standing up for freedom of speech. But of course this is just one of the many projects you're involved in, it's truly impressive what you do on a daily basis for the cause of freedom.

Nothing in your ad suggests attacking Palestinians, the point is that we oppose the savages/jihadists who want to destroy Israel-which is completely sensible since America is already in a war with such people in Afpak, Iraq and other places. This is why the MTA is showing its cowardice or at least antisemitism by running our opponents ads.

Give'em hell, we're with you!

[Mark]

A few days ago I e-mailed to MTA my message with my protest over their allowance to run anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic and citizen divisive racist's Ads at their subway system stations. And this is the response I received from them:

"DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE.

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
Anti-Israeli ads compaign

Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Antonio Ligonde) - 09/22/2011 12:33 PM
Thank you for your recent message commenting on a paid advertisement appearing in certain New York subway stations.

Paid advertisements submitted for display in the transportation system are a source of revenue that support MTA’s mission of providing transportation in the metropolitan area. Of course, the viewpoints expressed in such ads are solely those of the ad’s sponsor, and their display in the transit system should not be understood to imply or declare an endorsement by the MTA of any service, product, or viewpoint. MTA Real Estate and its outside advertising administrator do review proposed advertisements for compliance with MTA’s advertising standards. The advertisement in question does not violate those standards and neither the First Amendment nor those standards permit MTA to accept or reject ads for display in the transit system based upon the viewpoint expressed in an
advertisement.

Thank you again for your communication.

La Wanda C. Green
Associate Transit Customer Service Specialist II "

[Mark]

This is a shame your existence on this Earth as a Jew, miserable creature spewing hate toward your own people who finally got their own very small piece of land to live in peace. Reptiles like you and your ilk are directly and indirectly responsible for many Jewish deaths all over the World and in the first place in Israel. Damn you, you bastard.

[loseweight]

Pretty very good. Just book marked it on digg, wished to say thanks to you with regard to this wonderful post...

[john jay]

pamela:

sue the bastards!

wonderful letter by yerushalmi. he has a very logical mind, does he not?

john jay
milton freewater, oregon usa

[Alana]

rock/stone throwers are labelled savages....... Would David be considered a Savage for throwing rocks at Goliath or is that some how different????? If your happy for our Govt to be spending our tax dollars on wars and sending our money abroad then I question your patriotism. We the American people cant provide a decent education, or health care system to our citizens many are hungry and homeless they arent interested in wars, slogans or a battle for hearts and minds, we tell the middle east that they have a right to democracy and to protest yet we're macing our own protestors on wall street, protesting banned in 5 boroughs in London........ We've become the laughing stock and no doubt Syria, Iran will demand that human rights organisations, the UN intervene to allow the basic human right of demonstrating.

Instead whipping up a storm and rallying red necks and those afraid of the unknown, obviously the lessons of ww2 havent been learnt when we promised never again.

Those that kill, maime and terrorise in the name of religion have no religion they are scum and deserve to be rounded up. We cannot tarnish all followers of a faith or country with the same brush..... are all catholic men child abusers??? are all americans red necks and KKK supporters???? are all black people muggers and rapists?????

[Patriot Sara]

Alana,
Your world is upside down: right is wrong, and wrong is right. I pray you wake up before your slaughter, for our country's sake! Please look to David Horowitz, Andrew Breitbart, et al-- those who were raised by liberals, progressives, communists (by whatever name)-- for guidance on coming back to reality.