I just heard on the Seattle police scanner that "Due to the State of Emergency" it is now illegal to own, sell, or purchase a device known as a Gas Mask. Perpitraters will be arrested on sight.

Oh well, civil liberties, who needs them anyway?

Things will get worse before they get better.....

-- Helium (Heliumavid@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999

Answers

Hey, I could bring a truckload to Seattle
and make a real killing. oops

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), December 01, 1999.

what "state of emergency"???

-- lou (lanny1@ix.netcom.com), December 01, 1999.

Correction: Things will get worse before they get worser (yeah I know).

-- squid (Itsdark@down.here), December 01, 1999.

Lou,

Last night a state of emergency was declared in Seattle. Two units of the NG were called in. A 7:30pm to 7:00am curfew has been imposed. Protesters are being arrested on site.

-- Pete (pberry1_98@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

I think that 10,000 people should show up wearing gas masks, and demanding to to arrested and put through the legal system.

Can you say "legal-system meltdown" kiddies...?

-- Dennis (djolson@cherco.net), December 01, 1999.

Webcam in Seattle. Updates every minute. Cops are lining up across the street. You may have trouble getting into the site. Seems pretty popular.

http://www.histo rylink.org/gazette/gazette.htm

-- Pete (pberry1_98@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

Anyone know what the protesters are being charged with?

And what on Earth could they charge you with for owning a gas mask? "Intent to protect your health"? Serious question. What else could be arbitrarily banned? Vaseline? Or, take it closer to Y2K... food stocks?

Sounds like shaky legal ground. Have they stopped caring? That would be scary.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

They've reopen a closed military facility at
Sand Point, where the brig was used to house
arrested demonstrators.

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), December 01, 1999.

My understanding is that during a state of emergency, the authorities can charge anyone with anything they damn well please. Rights are suspended. Scary stuff.

-- Pete (pberry1_908@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

I am NOT surprised! The Police rapidly dispersing the protesters in most of the protests today. And NOW NO Gas Masks. Interesting! Again, I will say if this is all again over the protests of the WTO conference then what will happen when Y2K strikes and the basic essentials are in limited supply.

-- Kayla (kaylam@jetcity.com), December 01, 1999.

The illegal gasmasks was reported on our local channel 7 news. They said it was a 'Federal' law???? There was one retailer interviewed (don't know which one) that said he was doing a land office business in them yesterday, police came in today and said Nyet! Don't know if the remaining supplies were confiscated or not. They also interviewed a First Amendment rights attorney who said the 50 block radius around the WTO for no protests set by police was excessively large, he didn't think the police could uphold what they are doing. He said especially since this is about Political free speech which has the highest order of freedom of expression on public sidewalks and public streets (without violence of course). Lots of blurbs of varying sort, and I have to hand it to the local news folks, no commercials, lots of differing views by professionals and protestors alike to give a more balanced view of things here.

And to think we still have the rest of the week to go!

-- Sammie (sammiex0@hotmail.com), December 01, 1999.

Somebody sic the ACLU on 'em! Let's see them put to good use for once.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 01, 1999.

The day they tell us owning and using TP is against Federal Law is the day we become activists and put our bottoms on the line.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 01, 1999.

--they try that crap here in the south, see whut happens, all i got to say...

zog notgivinup@nuthin.mad.org

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

A & L.......Rotfl

darn it, to bad its so serious.

-- wonderinghowitwillbein30days (karlacalif@aol.com), December 01, 1999.

zoggie (love ya by the way)...the South was tough but still lost the war...

It's time for new tactics...be prepared to lose battles but eventually win the war. Fight smart to fight again another day.

-- Yankeegal (love@doodles.com), December 01, 1999.

Buy a gun.There are more fun times ahead

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

This MUST be unconstitutional. Suddenly declaring an item illegal? Ashton used to be a professional painter and we have masks from those days!

There is legitimate documented concern that chemical facilities are not ready for Y2K and will blow hazardous hazmat clouds into surrounding areas. Think Bhopal. Millions of people. That charming story about 8 Million in Cairo in Death's path except they "just happened" to discover Y2K disaster-in-waiting and fixed it.

Gas masks are a smart thing to have. And now illegal. NOT ACCEPTABLE to common sense or civil rights.

http://www.seattleinsider.com/news/1999/12/01/wtogasmasks.html

News in partnership with KIRO 7 Eyewitness News December 1, 1999 Use of gas masks restricted

The Mayor of Seattle has issued an order restricting the use of gas masks.

Anti-WTO protesters have used gas masks to avoid breathing tear and pepper gas sprayed by police trying to control crowds.

The Mayor's office says the order was made under the declaration of civil emergency, which was declared Tuesday.

The order, effective immediately, makes it illegal to purchase, sell, convey, possess, carry or transport gas masks within the city limits.

Violators are subject to fines of up to 500 dollars and imprisonment of up to 180 days.
--------------------------------------------

There you have it. Hard to believe. How are they gonna enforce that? And why be mad at common-sense measures to protect oneself? What if a WTO delegate had a mask so he could get to his meetings without choking?

Sick. Makes "law" a joke.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 01, 1999.

You DORKS!

See, there is this little thing called legal demonstration, then there is the illegal kind.

The legal demonstraitors had no problems...until the radical fringers started to act up (sound familiar you guys?) The LEADERS of the legal demonstraitors even asked that the crowds go home...that the "goal of the day" was achieved and if they didn't disperse, there would be a cerfew enforced. THEY DIDN'T WANT THAT!

Now, along come the dorks who just HAVE to start trouble. They start trashing things, being loud, etc....so the cops have to be called in. The fringe radicals (sound familiar, guys?) didn't respond to a show of force, so rubber bullets and gas were used to "herd" the fringe radicals (sound familiar, guys?) away from the area.

When you are trying to stop violent fringe radicals (sound familiar guys?) by using gas to harmlessly incapacitate, and the jerks have gas masks, that makes it pretty tough to settle things down.

Maybe the fringe radicals on THIS site would prefer it if they started using lethal force to put down the riot?

Remember, it is not the legal protestors, or their protests that are being put down....it is the fringe radicals.

(sound familiar, guys?)

-- Just (how@stupid.can.people.be?), December 01, 1999.

i would not mind if they made trolls illegal

-- circulate (petition@mayor.NG), December 01, 1999.

Who says we are under the constitution anymore? It is slowly being eliminated and being exchanged with the communist manifesto.

-- cheftrd (cheftrd@cheftrd.com), December 01, 1999.

Fringe radicals = extreme Pollys

-- (OH@IGET.IT), December 02, 1999.