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Georgia Cops Impound Anti-Abortion Billboard Truck, Jail Driver

November 26th, 2007

Police action an egregious abuse of power

Atlanta, Georgia - Bob Roethlisberger was arrested and jailed over Thanksgiving weekend in a northern suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, on the charge of "Disorderly Conduct" for driving Operation Rescue's Truth Truck bearing signs with photos of aborted babies. The Truth Truck was impounded.

Gwinnett County Police Department officers arrested Roethlisberger Saturday after telling him that signage on the Truth Truck was "vulgar and obscene." Officers ransacked the back of the Truth Truck without a warrant and ordered Roethlisberger to change or remove the signs. When he refused, he was arrested and incarcerated for three days before being released on $1,000 bond.

The Truth Truck was released from impound late Monday, however the both the signs and the mounting hardware on the truck were damaged when police forcibly ripped the signs off the sides of the truck. Monetary damage to the property is estimated to be in the thousands of dollars.

"It is obvious that these police officers, under the direction of Major Thomas Bardugon, engaged in a serious incident of unconstitutional content-based discrimination and illegal distruction of property," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Bob fully cooperated with officers, but refused to compromise on his message, which is unequivocally protected by the First Amendment. The officers misused their authority to punish Bob for expressing a viewpoint that ran counter to theirs. The arrest was nothing less than an egregious abuse of power."

Newman discussed the matter with Major Bardugon who refused to drop the charges and threatened to arrest Newman if he drove the Truth Truck through Bardugon's jurisdiction.

The Truth Truck was in Georgia because a recently introduced Human Life Amendment that is scheduled to be considered by the State Legislature in January. The Truth Truck's mission was to help draw the attention of Georgians to the reality that abortion brutally takes an innocent human life, and emphasize the need to ban the grisly procedure.

Operation Rescue manages a fleet of Truth Trucks that have traveled tens of thousands of miles from coast to coast over the past seven years. The right to display those images has been upheld in courts across the nation, which have also ruled that obscenity laws do not apply to aborted baby images.

"We intend to vigorously fight these unjust charges and will seek a remedy for our property loss," said Newman. "We cannot allow the illegal use of police authority to bully us into silence, when such silence could cost innocent human lives."

Please contact the Gwinnett County Police Chief and ask for:

The immediate dismissal of charges against Roethlisberger The immediate reimbursement for damages to the Truth Truck An apology

Chief of Police Charles M. Walters

770-513-5000

Charles.Walters@gwinnettcounty.com

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About Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation.  Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America.  Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates. Click here to support Operation Rescue

________________________________

Web site: www.operationrescue.org

NOTE: New e-mail address

E-mail: info.operationrescue@yahoo.com

Operation Rescue

Troy Newman

President

316-841-1700

Operation Rescue

Cheryl Sullenger

Senior Policy Advisor

316-516-3034

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Check out AOL Money & Finance's list of the hottest products and top money wasters of 2007.

20 Nov., 2007 Anno Domini

        Michael and Jayne were in Columbus on 29 October for a hearing from 10:30 until 6:00 p.m. at the federal court house before Judge Terence Kemp regarding the seizure of their home and personal property during a surprise raid on 1 October.  This action followed the $1 million judgment from the PP v ACLA case (1995).
 
        On 16 November Judge Kemp issued an 11-page order in which he granted: 1) that the Brays may remain in their home until the new owner takes possession, and 2) that the items seized, with the exception of Michael’s computer, were exempt from seizure on various grounds (the items belonged to other members of the family, belonged to the whole family, or had insufficient value to justify seizure). 
 
       The computer will be disputed as it contains all kinds of data outside the province of Planned Parenthood’s (and its co-belligerent abortionists’) “rightful claim” (private and privileged correspondence and addresses).
 
          At issue also is the value of the many writings which PP has seized.  Just how many millions are those excellent essays worth?
 
          It looks like Christmas on High Street!

         
Mike's initial report:
        On 1 October our home was  invaded by at least four federal marshals, one ATF agent,  two packers, and two Planned Parenthood representatives while two or three county policeman stood around outside. We were given 30 days to vacate the house.  I was the only one home and made to sit on a couch under the guard of two marshals while the other marshals and two Planned Parenthood agents ransacked the house (my office in particular) for four hours, removing first my computer and then books and other items in boxes without my examination.  The local paper reported as follows:
http://wnewsj.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=158900&SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&S=1

Good news, friends!
        Here is a Church doing what needs to be done!  (Read about the origin of Emmaus). They wish to help anti-abortion Christians who are being persecuted for their prolife stand.
        Send support to the address below.
        Make checks out to Emmaus Anglican Church.  On the "memo" write Life Fund.  Do not write anyone's name on the check.
        If you live in the Baltimore area, you have a Church!


Emmaus Anglican Church
Life Fund
500 Edmondson Ave., 2nd Floor
Catonsville, MD 21228

Pray that those with minds think, those with words speak, those with money give, and those with nothing pray.

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Jayne in the Journal (Wilmington) on 7 November, 2007.
http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=159942&SectionID=42&SubSectionID=131&S=1

Full story on the Planned Parenthood v. ACLA case at www.Michaelbray.org

www.Uncleraisin.com for exposing local breaches of the public trust