What is free speech? According to the Supreme Court, money that corporations spend to influence elections is free speech, and cannot be limited. But it seems a lot of our officials think it's perfectly OK to place limits on free speech when it comes to the 99 percent.
Which is particularly ironic considering that opposition to unhealthy, democracy-stifling corporate influence on elections and government is at the very heart of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations.
In New York today, Mayor Bloomberg told the assembled media that because tents used by Occupy Wall Street shouldn't be considered as part of their demonstration, those tents are not protected by the constitutional guarantee of free speech and peaceful assembly.
This has been an issue across the country - Boston, Seattle, Denver, San Diego. Local officials have used local park regulations as the deciding factor in placing limits on the right of citizens to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed rights.