New Indiana bill would force Colts to provide fans a refund if any of its players kneel for anthem

[turbinetree]

A bill authored by an Indiana lawmaker would reportedly force the Indianapolis Colts to offer refunds to any ticket purchasers who are offended because a member of the team kneels during the national anthem.

Such legislation, which effectively imposes a fine if private citizens express a political viewpoint the state disapproves of, violates the Constitution’s promise of free speech. As the Supreme Court explained in Boos v. Barry, laws prohibiting individuals “from engaging in classically political speech” strike “at the core of the First Amendment.”

Led by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, many NFL players began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest systemic racism in the United States. Such acts of protest are a form of “classically political speech.”

https://thinkprogress.org/lawmaker-fine-nfl-team-protest-7ec5c64d2ba9/



Just imagine if 6 more states gain republican control to re-write the Constitution and have a convention, what would happen...............firing squads, loyalty oaths------------------these right wing fascists are truly dangerous

[elleng]

1. TRULY dangerous.

[TheDebbieDee]

2. The state of Indiana has gone straight-up stoopid!

[PJMcK]

35. Well, Indiana did elect Pence as governor (n/t)

[sakabatou]

3. WTF?

[msongs]

4. indiana used to be the high mark of the kkk. maybe the klan never died out there nt

[radical noodle]

7. Let's just say the stupid never died out there

I'm from Indiana. Some nice people but a lot of loons.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

13. I believe Kurt Vonnegut said words to this effect

The only way a Republican would lose an election in Indiana was to be caught in bed with a live man or a dead woman.

He was from Indiana, in case you didn't know...

[radical noodle]

40. I did know

and that's a pretty true statement. There are small pockets of Dems, but they tend to be in areas of POC or universities like IU.

[phylny]

24. Indiana is the only state I ever lived in where someone thought it was ok to use the "n" word

when talking to me.

[Angry Dragon]

5. The Fourth Reich

[Takket]

6. Why do rethugs hate the Constitution so much?

[radical noodle]

8. Giving Pence a refund

on his season tickets? Mostly the wealthy have season tickets so I imagine there's been pressure to do this.

[GReedDiamond]

9. More fascism from Repukes...nt

[Bear Creek]

10. GOP

I thought they were against government interference and onerous regulations put on business.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

12. The GOP needs to be reminded of that

[Algernon Moncrieff]

11. If the state helped finance Lucas Oil Stadium, then they might have a point

Last edited Sun Dec 31, 2017, 02:07 AM - Edit history (1)

Which is another reason I'm against taxpayer funded stadiums for pro sports teams. Let the billionaires figure it out for themselves.

I have to be honest: I really don't give a damn if a bunch of white billionaires are forced to give refunds to a bunch of whiny white businessmen. What I do hope is that the NCAA would consider relocating tournaments and championships outside of Indiana (currently a popular destination for such events).

Anthem-kneeling is the new flag burning - something that a certain segment of the American population has come to equate with, for example, dropping trou and taking a dump right on the grounds Arlington National Cemetery. They have no interest in learning why a generation of young black men -- young men who, by the way, are the backbone of the NFL -- feel compelled to protest. White season ticket holder doesn't see a problem with Michael Brown or Eric Garner or Trayvon or a host of others. White season ticket holder is still bitter and angry about having black history month rammed down his throat in high school; still bitter about there being a holiday for MLK and not one for some more worthy white person; and is flaming mad about the two women he heard speaking Spanish in the grocery store when he went to pick up brats for the tailgate -- it is America for crisssake, they can speak effing English!

Seriously: ridicule them. At.every.opportunity. This can't be the worst problem facing Indiana, or we'd all move there. Remind every legislator that there are about a million and six more important problems to tackle.

Someone with money and a sense of mischief should offer to buy the tickets and give them to BLM members.

[MyOwnPeace]

27. I LIKE.........

the way you think!

[TeamPooka]

14. Illegal and unconstitutional.

[Duppers]

15. The Colts should leave the state!

What the shit?!!

[MyOwnPeace]

31. Don't say that!

Them, along with the Browns/Ravens, have already fleeced their cities (Cleveland & Baltimore) - they don't need any more encouragement! (speaking of government sponsored stadiums/corporate greed )

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

16. St. Louis or San Diego will take the Colts if Indiana don't want them

Just saying

[Initech]

17. The Fox Reich

[Skittles]

18. LOL

I would LOVE hear a repuke's definition of FREEDOM

[dalton99a]

19. It's the freedom for them to enslave others

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. The freedom of entitlement. nm

[JohnnyRingo]

20. OK if they leave the game immediately upon refund.

If some idiot wants to counter protest by driving through downtown traffic, paying $40 to park, then spends an hour hiking into the stadium to a seat, give them their refund as long as they walk out the gate. After all, the premise here is that the act totally ruined the game for them, so there's no reason to stay.

Sure, Pence did it, but he doesn't go through the hassle everyone else suffers to attend a concert or sporting event.

[Ohiogal]

38. Make them leave

I agree totally, Johnny. Notice there was nothing in the bill's language to that effect. If they want a refund, then they must be escorted out the gate, too. Let's see how many idiots think twice about demanding a refund when they find out they have to leave the game.

Seriously, (and I am a sports fan) this would upset you so much you couldn't sit and watch the rest of the game??? Like someone said up above, what snowflakes!

[lostnfound]

21. Omg what snowflakes. Nt

[democratisphere]

22. If this is what Indiana lawmakers do with their time in office,

they need to be removed from office ASAP.

[Delphinus]

29. Absolutely!

They need to go - stupid runs so strong in this state.

[democratisphere]

37. What would we expect from the State that gave US Pence?!

[rurallib]

23. Shows what can happen when the GOP puts its brain power to a problem

[crazycatlady]

25. Well in 2017 2 states went from split control to D trifecta

[chelsea0011]

26. Can you also get a refund if they are not selling Freedom Fries at concessions?

[mountain grammy]

28. Because they have nothing else to do???

[heaven05]

30. these idiot fascists

won't learn, you cannot stop dissent. And hate in the streets just keeps growing and growing and growing......if white folks had to face total systemic and institutional racism that fear of AA created in this racist culture, another civil war would have ensued by now. Weapons of mass destruction would have been used by now by ameriKKKans against americans...fuck this idiot lawmaker.

[Ferrets are Cool]

32. Farking idiots.

[NCTraveler]

34. Republicans are as big government as big government can get. Period. nt.

[Volaris]

36. Lol so much for the argument that govt shouldn't regulate private business I guess...

The snowflakes clearly need to be protected from all that offensive black speech; if they melt, who will vote for us???

Like the team owners are gonna give that money back without a fight in the Courts. This is tantamount to blackmail...

'get those people to stop doing that so we don't have to talk about it for election season, or its gonna start costing u money.'

'nice pro sportsteam cashflow you got there. Be a real shame if something happened to it...'

[RKP5637]

39. Before the internet and more widespread coverage, I had no idea how dangerous many states

are. Like I had an idea, but with the communications we have now it's instantaneous and well covered. Which in fact makes me wonder how far the GOP will go to try to censor all communications in the US in the future. A dictatorship does not want people openly talking to each other. One of my friend's told me years ago what a hellhole Indiana was.