Forum Post: Freedom of Speech?

I just sent this to South Carolina's Gov. Haley, as she order protective forces to evict OccupyColumbiaSC and placed a 6pm curfew on the Statehouse grounds, after they were there for 33 days - without incident. I just sent the following to Governor Haley via her website

Freedom of Speech?

"I do not need you to encourage me to exercise my freedom of speech, freedom to peaceably assembly; nor my right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. THAT RIGHT IS GUARANTEED IN THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION! I have been exercising those rights for a number of my 67 years.

I ask you to respect my right as a SC resident and voter and a senior citizen and a former civilian employee of the Department of the Navy (Ret after 27 years) to be able to exercise that right, respectfully, in a sanitary fashion, nonviolently, safely, on the property I pay the taxes to pay the lights, power, water, maintenance and protective services for, your salary and those of the House and Senate, and for the building which you and the legislative body use part time.

I would like an apology from you for implying that Occupy Columbia is backed by unions; when it is a local grass roots program which supports other Occupy groups worldwide who would like to get big money out of politics and OUR government and restore the health of our Democracy.

I would like an apology for implying, by asking others to check our driver's licenses, that we are not residents of SC. As though there aren't countless numbers of SC residents who have the intelligence, education to keep themselves informed about what is going on in our state, across the country and the world - to "small government" us into uneducated, uninformed, under-protected low paid employees of large corporations who could care less whether we can feed our children, much less care about our safety, health and the health of our environment.

All you had to do was come out on the Statehouse grounds and talk to us, listen to us, see what we were doing; and you would have known how much we respect ourselves, each other, and the property around the Statehouse - which belongs to us, the people. We were not a danger to ourselves or others.

I might have respected you, had you said you worked for us, and offered to ensure that we had everything we needed for us to succeed in our peaceful struggle to see Justice and Freedom restored and preserved for future generations - similar to the things you recently said to the CEO of a Florida drug company which you bribed to come to our state. But you didn't; and I am ashamed of you. If you truly stood for Freedom - you would be on the streets with us.

Everyone around the world knows where you stand, and that you are willing to lie to do it. I feel sorry for you. You may owe your soul to the "company store", but a lot of SC residents don't.

I trust that you will enjoy the rest of you term. Wishing you a clean conscience, peace and liberty. Alice L. Sullivan, OccupyColumbiaSC, OccupyAikenSC."