XPost: nyc.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns
XPost: sac.politics, alt.society.liberalism

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nassau-county-new-york-signs-first- face-covering-ban-law-rcna166560

A controversial ban on wearing face coverings in public was signed into
law Wednesday in Nassau County, New York � the first ban of its kind in
the country.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed the bill at a news
conference Wednesday morning. Nassau County covers part of Long Island,
just east of New York City.

The ban, which has exemptions for health and religious reasons, is touted
as a public safety measure meant to target those who commit crimes while wearing face coverings.

Those who violate the law face a misdemeanor charge punishable by up to a
year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Howard Kopel, a member of the Nassau County Legislature, or county
council, said the measure was introduced in response to �antisemitic
incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks,� since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.

Blakeman called the legislation Wednesday a �bill that protects the
public.�

He said that in the protests that at nearby Columbia University in
Manhattan this year, people wearing masks were accused of engaging in antisemitic and violent acts. It was part of a wave of protests at
American college campuses decrying the Israel-Hamas war and expressing solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, the County Legislature's Democratic minority
leader, said in a statement Wednesday the decision to sign the law �is
nothing more than political theater and a blatant waste of taxpayer
money.�

�This law is destined to be struck down in court, further tarnishing
Blakeman�s already losing record of lawsuits,� DeRiggi-Whitton said. �It�s deeply disappointing that Blakeman and his Republican colleagues chose to ignore any opportunity for bipartisan compromise or even consider the Democratic bill � a bill that upholds the rule of law, offers a fairer
approach for residents, and imposes firmer penalties on actual offenders.�

The New York Civil Liberties Union slammed the ban as an infringement on
free speech rights.

�Masks protect people who express political opinions that are
controversial,� Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County regional director of the
NYCLU, said in a statement Wednesday.

�Masks also protect people�s health, especially at a time of rising COVID rates, and make it possible for people with elevated risk to participate
in public life. We should be helping people make the right choice for themselves and their loved ones � not letting the government exile
vulnerable people from society," she added.

�Nassau County�s officials should be safeguarding rights and liberties,
not scoring political points at the expense of New Yorkers,� she said.

Blakeman stressed the legislation is a bipartisan effort.

"Mayor Eric Adams has been very vocal that he�d like the New York City
Council to pass a similar legislation," he said.

"This is not an abridgment of anybody�s rights. Nobody has a
constitutional right to hide their identity in public," Blakeman said.


--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.

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