Newsday, the only large Long Island newspaper, picked up the story thanks to all the attention Daily Kos brought to my initial posting! It made it to the front page of digg last night. The video has received nearly 7,000 views.
Newsday.com article, and links to part 1 and 2 of the story after the jump.
An Iraq war veteran who now opposes the conflict said his First Amendment rights were violated when he was removed from last weekend's Bellmore Street Festival, where he had set up a last-minute display.
The Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores, which organized the annual festival, denies the removal constituted a free-speech violation, contending it was justified because he was there without permission.
Kristofer Goldsmith, 23, of Bellmore, who served with the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2005, initially had applied for, and received, a spot to represent the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. The festival, originally scheduled for September, was postponed and, when it was rescheduled, Chamber of Commerce staff told him they no longer had enough space to accommodate his table.
Goldsmith attended Sunday's fair and shared space with a local Democratic club before moving to a vacant table nearby, where he placed voter guides and photos of soldiers killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
About two hours later, he said, Chamber of Commerce staff insisted he leave. Goldsmith said he believes his anti-war sentiments were the cause.
http://www.newsday.com/...
Lets get this to digg's homepage: http://digg.com/...
Part 1: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Part 2: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Digg for part 2: http://digg.com/...