OT: Donald Sterling

[Mulli]

There should be a law making dumb people shut up.

Oh wait...

 

[BigRedRage]

i disagree cheese this one is boring too. we are still arguing 7 pages agos points

 

[Cheesebeef]

i disagree cheese this one is boring too. we are still arguing 7 pages agos points

haha...ridiculous.

 

[PDXChris]

i disagree cheese this one is boring too. we are still arguing 7 pages agos points

As the commissioner on this thread, I am banning you and urging all al owner to force you to sell your stake in it and then give you cancer. If you have a problem with it, please contact your local Congressman.

BTW, this is the first time in history that I am not sad someone got cancer.

EDIT: In case anyone has not heard, Sterling all of a sudden has cancer.

 

[puckhead]

There should be a law making dumb people shut up.

Oh wait...

And Boom goes the dynamite!

But seriously, I think 21 is putting us on here.

 

[AzStevenCal]

As the commissioner on this thread, I am banning you and urging all al owner to force you to sell your stake in it and then give you cancer. If you have a problem with it, please contact your local Congressman.

BTW, this is the first time in history that I am not sad someone got cancer.

EDIT: In case anyone has not heard, Sterling all of a sudden has cancer.

I don't know if I'd say it quite that way although I understand the sentiment. I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone but if I had the ability to wish cancer away from anyone I'd have to work my way through a lot of cancer patients before I got around to Donald.

Steve

 

[SO91]

This thread is a perfect, yet sad example of those who scream loudest of a lack of todays government adhering to and protecting constitutional rights, have little to no understanding of what those rights are and the governments function within them. If these were teenagers making these claims and statements it would be understandable and forgivable, but grown men and women repeatedly shouting the same lack of understanding even after endless examples of explanation is just plain sad and dangerous.

I read through this whole thread and just sat here shaking my head.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone

Me either.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Why do you continue to bring the First Amendment into this conversation? Several people have already pointed out that it has no bearing and they are correct. This is not a First Amendment issue.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Adam Silver is the Commissioner of the NBA, he is not "congress" nor does he represent the United States Government.

The only first amendment issue at stake here is "the right to peacefully assemble" which has been interpreted as "freedom of association." Private citizens can have exclusive groups based upon their own bylaws and on whatever standards they choose. So, if there is an issue, it protects the NBA from government intervention into its own private business.

Chief Justice William Rehnquist's majority opinion relied upon Roberts v. United States Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609, 622 (1984), in which the Supreme Court said: "Consequently, we have long understood as implicit in the right to engage in activities protected by the First Amendment a corresponding right to associate with others in pursuit of a wide variety of political, social, economic, educational, religious, and cultural ends." This right, the Roberts decision continues, is crucial in preventing the majority from imposing its views on groups that would rather express other, perhaps unpopular, ideas. Government actions that may unconstitutionally burden this freedom may take many forms, one of which is "intrusion into the internal structure or affairs of an association" like a "regulation that forces the group to accept members it does not desire." Forcing a group to accept certain members may impair the ability of the group to express those views, and only those views, that it intends to express. Thus, "freedom of association ... plainly presupposes a freedom not to associate."

 

[Southpaw]

If a player now gets recorded going on a homophobic or racist tirade is he also subject to a lifetime ban?

Yes. No. Depends. Call it the Riley Cooper Rule.

 

[Southpaw]

Just a thought. Could there have been some confusion concerning the differences between the First Amendment versus the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment affords Due Process.

If not, carry on.

or Due Process Clause of the 14th?

NBA,NFL,MLB, I believe, all operate with an exemption from the Sherman Anti Trust Act and this may be one of the benefits that allows it to operate with a different set of rules contrary to Constitutional Law. Congress has threatened to investigate this exclusion, in the past, when the exemption has become abusive.

 

[Covert Rain]

How people continue to turn this into a 1st amendment issue is beyond me. The contracts the owners sign is binding set of rules that Sterling agreed to when he became an NBA owner in a private organization.

Nobody is preventing him from being a racist, thinking like a racist, saying anything racist or "grouping" with other racists. At the end of the day he still has the legal rights to do so. In the real world today, if I say something that gets out publicly the governments job isn't to protect me from those repercussions....only that I have a right to say what I want in accordance with laws passed by the government. That's it. It doesn't go beyond that. There is no violation of 1st amendments rights here.

In the NBA bylaws it specifically states the NBA "has broad authority under the NBA's constitution and bylaws to suspend and fine an owner for conduct detrimental to the NBA".

"Conduct" is not defined by how that conduct came to light. The last thing any private organization would do is put itself in a position where it is arbitrating how that conduct came to light. That is inconsequential in terms of the NBA because at the end of the day the agreement it to protect the organization from the act of the conduct itself.

IMO, Game set and match once you sign on and agree to the NBA's terms. You don't like it, don't become an owner and agree to the rules.

 

[Cheesebeef]

And Boom goes the dynamite!

But seriously, I think 21 is putting us on here.

Then you've obviously never read anything he's written on the Politics and Religion forum.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Me either.

Me either. I think the guy is COMPLETELY pathetic and can't understand for the life of me his world view, but I pity his ignorance more then hate it. He hasn't murdered, raped or destroyed lives. He's just a very sad, ignorant racist. That doesn't deserve cancer, IMO or make me happy he has it.

 

[PDXChris]

Me either. I think the guy is COMPLETELY pathetic and can't understand for the life of me his world view, but I pity his ignorance more then hate it. He hasn't murdered, raped or destroyed lives. He's just a very sad, ignorant racist. That doesn't deserve cancer, IMO or make me happy he has it.

I never said I was happy or he deserved it, I am just not shedding a tear over it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I never said I was happy or he deserved it, I am just not shedding a tear over it.

Sorry about that. I understood your meaning but my response might have caused some confusion for others.

Steve

 

[Southpaw]

Me either.

Me neither

BIM

Nor am I

 

[Cheesebeef]

I never said I was happy or he deserved it, I am just not shedding a tear over it.

You're right. I read more into your response. My bad.

 

[PDXChris]

Sorry about that. I understood your meaning but my response might have caused some confusion for others.

Steve

You're right. I read more into your response. My bad.

 

[PDXChris]

NBA fines Jason Kidd $25,000

ST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Brooklyn guard Joe Johnson may agree with Jason Kidd that he doesn't get enough calls, but the NBA does not, as it fined the Nets coach $25,000 on Friday for his public criticism of the officiating.

What is the point of the 1st Amendment if a coach can't express his thoughts?


http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10872634/joe-johnson-brooklyn-nets-says-get-enough-calls

 

[Mulli]

I got no problem with people getting fake cancer when they tell everyone about having cancer to take the heat off their racism.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I got no problem with people getting fake cancer when they tell everyone about having cancer to take the heat off their racism.

I would never wish fake cancer on anyone. Personally, I would have gone for the senility angle.

 

[Bert]

What is the point of the 1st Amendment if a coach can't express his thoughts?


http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10872634/joe-johnson-brooklyn-nets-says-get-enough-calls

LOL Exactly. And speaking of that, next time anyone gets a warning from a Mod for violating the forum rules on here I'm calling a lawyer. FIRST AMENDMENT!!!!!! DONT TREAD ON ME! ROBBLE ROBBLE!!!! 'MURICA!!!!

 

[puckhead]

Then you've obviously never read anything he's written on the Politics and Religion forum.

Actually, I have. Although it has been a while since I've seen him tread into that particular sub-forum.

I don't, however, recall him displaying this type of misunderstanding so I was hoping to give him the benefit of the doubt I guess.

 

[KloD]

Me either. I think the guy is COMPLETELY pathetic and can't understand for the life of me his world view, but I pity his ignorance more then hate it. He hasn't murdered, raped or destroyed lives. He's just a very sad, ignorant racist. That doesn't deserve cancer, IMO or make me happy he has it.

As sad and pathetic as Sterlings beliefs are, he has hired more minorities as coaches and front office staff than any other owner. He's an old backwards thinking fool, but compared to very public comments by some folks in sports with regards to gay men and women, some of the same who were itching for their time in front of the cameras to condemn him, I'd say as a whole, this countries hierarchy of what hate is just insensitive and what labels you a leper is rather backwards and foolish.