Protesters are up in arms once again as St. Paul police prepare for the 2008 GOP convention. Anti-Republican protesters seem to think the First Amendment guarentee to peaceable assemble does not apply for Republicans, but fortuantely local authorities are working to ensure the Republican Party's right to assemble.

The Pioneer Press reports:

A new St. Paul police policy for investigating protest groups draws praise from police experts for its sensitivity to dissent, but criticism from those who worry that police will spy on activists leading up to the Republican National Convention.

Naturally the ACLU has come to the defense of these peaceful protesters, stating that the new policy is clearly aimed at the 2008 protesters who will be exercizing their First Amendment rights to assemble. The one thing that the ACLU and civil liberties lawyers forget, the police are not looking at those who are going to peaceably assemble, they are no doubt looking at those groups and individuals who have already stated their willingness to disrupt the convention using any means possible.

The interesting thing about the Pioneer Press article is that neither the ACLU or the civil liberties lawyers ever mention that the GOP has a right to assemble without harassment. The other interesting point the article does not point out, the elected officials in the city of St. Paul are as liberal as the come and they oversee the activities police department.