Response from St. Augustine Beach Mayor Undine George re: "IRON FIST" Remark

The First Amendment deserves "breathing space." 

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called St. Augustine, Florida the "most lawless city in America" in 1964, resulting in the largest mass arrest of rabbis in American history. 

Our First Amendment deserves "breathing space."  NAACP v. Button, 371 U.S. 415, 433 (1963) New York Times. v. Sullivan, 3766 U.S. 254 (1974); Gasparinetti v. Kerr, 568 F.2d 311, 314-17 (3d Cir. 1977)(illegal restrictions on policemen’s First Amendment rights); Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Hepps, 479 767, 772, 777 (1986)(O’Connor, J.)(newspaper entitled to breathing space in defamation case); Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46, 52, 56 (1988) (Rehnquist, J.) (magazine parody of TV preacher entitled to breathing space); Keefe v. Ganeakos, 418 F.2d 359, 362 (1st Cir. 1969)(Aldrich, C.J.)(chilling effect on First Amendment illegal suspension of teacher over Atlantic Monthly article on Vietnam War); Parducci v. Rutland, 316 F.Supp. 352, 355, 357 (M.D. Ala 1970)(Johnson, C.J.)(chilling effect in illegal firing of English teacher over Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey House.

That's how I responded to this e-mail from St. Augustine Beach Mayor Undine George:



-----Original Message-----
From: undine george
To: easlavin ; Comm George
Sent: Thu, Feb 15, 2018 2:58 pm
Subject: "Iron Fist"????

Ed I am extremely disheartened at your accusation that I ever said I intend to rule with an "iron fist". If you heard those two words come out of my mouth, which are not at all something I would say, then I must have either been talking about the Netflix tv series OR was saying that I do not want to have to rule with an iron fist. I don't recall such a statement nor do I quite frankly believe I said the term to you. Had I actually said it, I am quite sure that you would have called me out on it at the time, during our conversation, which you did not.

What I do recall saying to you is that I expressed my disappointment that I have to enforce the two minute rule, which I opposed and voted against, and that it is horrible irony that Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Roland put me in a situation of having to eject them for their disruptive behavior which was designed with the intent of getting themselves removed from the meeting. They were even overheard from the audience making their plan. I have historically been the most vocal member of the commission fighting for their and everyone else's right to free speech. 

Sincerely,

Undine

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Undine Celeste George, Esq.

Anastasia Law, PL
107 A 11th Street
Saint Augustine, FL 32080
office: (904) 236-6243
fax:    (904) 239-5505
cell: (904) 687-1492
email: undine@anastasialaw.net 
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