(Note: The following is a brief account of
this year's conflict between the First Amendment and the Village of
Southampton, New York, by Tony Ernst, a reporter for WPKN/ WKPM, 89.5
in Bridgeport, Connecticut.)
=========================================================
In
Southampton Village, Long Island, a dispute over whether advocacy
groups for the Bill Rights and against the Iraq war can march in the
July 4 Independence Day parade was resolved Monday morning by a Federal
Judge.
The First Amendment rights of the groups were affirmed by Judge Joanna Seybert of the District Court in Islip.
Judge Seybert issued an order directing
that the plaintiffs will be able to march and freely engage in
political speech at the July 4 parade in Southampton Village, without
interference from Village authorities. 
Last month, members of the Peconic Quakers, the South Fork Unitarian-Universalists,the East End Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and the East End Vets were told by organizers of the parade, the Village of Southampton's "Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events," that they could not march with signs of protest as they had done in previous years.
James S. Henry, the attorney for the plaintiffs, remarked on the irony of having to go to court to exercise his constitutional rights on July 4th.
A law suit filed by the plaintiffs is still pending.
Those wanting to join the marchers should meet at 9:30am on Tuesday July 4
at the parking lot of Our Lady of Poland Church on Maple Street south of the Southampton Railroad station.
***
(c) SubmergingMarkets, 2006
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