[Peace-discuss] 'Israeli War Crimes' signs to go on Metro buses

Wed Dec 22 11:21:46 CST 2010

How annoying. It's particularly galling that their policy of excluding
"issue advocacy" makes an exception for ads on behalf of "specific
political candidates." Since CUMTD is a governmental body, this is
arguably an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech, to make
a space for one type of political advocacy while excluding others.

It might be amusing to test this policy by running a candidate for
some local office that would otherwise be uncontested, just to see if
that person can place an ad saying whatever he or she wants, so long
as it is followed by the text,

“Paid Political Advertisement. No CUMTD endorsement implied.”

On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 12:01 PM, Stuart Levy <slevy at ncsa.illinois.edu> wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 11:20:37AM -0500, Robert Naiman wrote:
>> Yes, it would not cost so much in C-U. How much would it cost? I think
>> some folks on this list have looked into this in the past...I bet the
>> folks in Seattle would be only too happy to share their design, so if
>> folks were happy with their sign, that would skip a step.
>
> Grr.  I'm just now looking at the CUMTD advertising guidelines.  One clause:
>
>   Advertisements containing issue advocacy or political advocacy
>   are not permitted, except for advertisements by or on behalf of
>   specific political candidates, which must contain the following statement:
>   “Paid Political Advertisement. No CUMTD endorsement implied.”
>
> Fie on the MTD.  I'm sure this is new.
> We've certainly advocated for issues in the past.
>
> If they could be talked into accepting it anyway,
> here were the rates from about 4 years ago:
>
>   $200/month for one interior (11x17") sign on every bus in the fleet
>
>   ~$100/month per bus for one exterior (rear or side-panel)
>        sign on up to 20 buses.  Sign sizes varied from
>        66x21" (rear) to 88"x30" or 144"x30" (sides).
>
> In any case we have to provide the signs.  And the ad rates have
> probably risen at least a little bit.  So $1800 to put a large sign on
> a dozen buses for a month might not be far off for C-U.
>
> Or we could spend ~$400 and put an interior postboard sign on
> every bus for two months...
>
>> On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 10:49 AM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu> wrote:
>> > It wouldn't cost so much in C-U, and it would be no problem to get the money
>> > together....
>> >
>> > On 12/22/10 8:51 AM, Robert Naiman wrote:
>> >>
>> >> This seems to me like $1,794 well spent...
>> >>
>> >> Israeli War Crimes' signs to go on Metro buses
>> >>
>> >> http://www.king5.com/news/local/Israeli-War-Crimes-signs-to-go-on-Metro-buses-112108154.html
>> >> [Picture of the sign on a bus at link]
>> >>
>> >> Related:
>> >> King County councilman calls for review of proposed bus signs
>> >>
>> >> http://www.king5.com/news/local/King-Co-calls-for-review-of-Israeli-War-Crimes-bus-signs-112200884.html
>> >>
>> >> Metro considers changing policy over anti-Israeli bus ads
>> >>
>> >> http://www.king5.com/home/Metro-bus-ad-policy-possibe-change--112288674.html
>> >>
>> >> by ALLEN SCHAUFFLER / KING 5 News
>> >> Posted on December 17, 2010 at 6:19 PM
>> >> Updated yesterday at 7:25 PM
>> >>
>> >> Related:
>> >> King County councilman calls for review of proposed bus signs
>> >> Metro considers changing policy over anti-Israeli bus ads
>> >> SEATTLE – "Israeli War Crimes," the enormous advertisement reads.
>> >> "Your tax dollars at work."
>> >>
>> >> To the right of the image is a group of children -- one little boy
>> >> stares out at the viewer, the others gawk at a demolished building,
>> >> all rebar and crumbled concrete.
>> >>
>> >> It's an ad you'll be seeing soon on a handful of Metro buses in
>> >> downtown Seattle.
>> >>
>> >> A group calling itself the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign has paid
>> >> King County $1,794 so that 12 buses will carry that message around
>> >> town, starting two days after Christmas. That's December 27: the
>> >> two-year anniversary of Israeli attacks on Gaza, aimed at stopping
>> >> rocket attacks and weapons smuggling.
>> >>
>> >> Ed Mast, a Seattle man who is a spokesperson for the group, says it’s
>> >> not meant to be an anti-Israel message, but a message designed to
>> >> generate discussion and awareness.
>> >>
>> >> "I wouldn't say it's an anti-Israel message any more than any
>> >> complaint about a country is anti-that country. We would like Israel
>> >> to stop violating human rights. We would like Israel to give equal
>> >> rights to its Palestinian citizens and its Palestinian subjects who
>> >> live under occupation," said Mast.
>> >>
>> >> At the Pacific Northwest office of the Anti-Defamation League, the ad
>> >> campaign is seen quite a bit differently.
>> >>
>> >> "We're dismayed," says Community Director Hilary Bernstein, who calls
>> >> the bus-born advertisement grotesquely one-sided. "Citizens young and
>> >> old will be seeing this sort of propaganda, this very one-sided
>> >> distortion. It's unfortunate."
>> >>
>> >> So, is the side of a public bus the right place for this kind of
>> >> attack? Are the issues that regularly inflame one of the most
>> >> flammable hot-spots in the world appropriate fare for people strolling
>> >> the sidewalks of Seattle?
>> >>
>> >> As far as King County is concerned, it's not really up to them what
>> >> appears on the side of their buses, as long as it fits specific
>> >> guidelines regarding:
>> >> Pornography
>> >> Alcohol
>> >> Tobacco, and
>> >> As long as the images and material used don't interfere with public
>> >> safety or insult specific groups to the point that a riot could be
>> >> incited, vandalism could occur or public safety could be threatened.
>> >> King County Metro Transit spokesperson Linda Thielke acknowledges some
>> >> people will be offended by the campaign, but that is not enough to
>> >> prevent the rolling billboards from hitting the streets.
>> >>
>> >> "As a government, we are mindful of the provisions in state and
>> >> federal constitutions to protect freedom of speech. So, we can't
>> >> object these campaigns simply because they offend some people," said
>> >> Thielke.
>> >>
>> >> The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign has targeted their advertising
>> >> so that the buses carrying their message will run mostly on Seattle
>> >> routes.
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Robert Naiman
>> Policy Director
>> Just Foreign Policy
>> www.justforeignpolicy.org
>> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
>>
>> Urge Congress to Support a Timetable for Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan
>> http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/feingold-mcgovern
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>

-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

Urge Congress to Support a Timetable for Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/feingold-mcgovern