Tag Archives: free speech

Crime & Punishment, Downtown, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Mr. Jefferson Frowns on your Shenanigans!

Photo courtesy of
‘Thomas from Across the River’
courtesy of ‘marc.benton’

Fox 5 reports that the US District Court has dismissed the lawsuit of a woman who was arrested for dancing in the Jefferson Memorial.  Mary Oberwetter, the dancer in question, was arrested two years ago when she failed to stop dancing at a Park Police officer’s request.  The Park Police dictate that an air of tranquility and reverence should be maintained by visitors when in national monuments.  Ms. Oberwetter’s impromptu dance party was deemed a violation of this, and like an idiot, she decided not to obey the man with the gun and was arrested. Charges were  eventually dropped, but Oberwetter sued the Park Police for violating her first amendment rights. The District Court, however, felt differently and ruled in favor of the police.  So, if you’re a dancer, keep out of the monuments.

The Daily Feed
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Not helping your cause

Photo courtesy of
‘Dr. Schreiber of San Augustine giving a typhoid innoculation at a rural school, San Augustine County, Texas (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

Today’s WaPo has an article on some area doctors who are asking patients to sign agreements prohibiting them from making any statements in any media outlet without prior authorization.  I find the idea comic myself – I’d be out the door looking for another physician before I was done laughing at their chutzpah – but the real gold in the article comes from a DC-area doctor who didn’t necessarily take the side of the agreements.

“The people least capable of judging quality of care are patients,” said District internist Nancy Falk, whose mostly positive ratings are offset by those calling her curt and intolerant of questions, descriptions she denies. “They don’t know what we know.” Falk regards doctor rating sites as just as dubious as “Best Doctors” compilations. In her view, both amount to popularity contests.

then at the conclusion of the article…

Although many doctors are unenthused about online ratings, Falk, the District internist, said she would support a different kind of site.

“I’d love to have a Web site where I could complain about patients,” she said. “All doctors would.”

Hard to imagine this is a person who was called curt and intolerant of questions.