THE 1ST AMENDMENT UNDER ATTACK
Political Hypocrisy from the Left
“He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.” – John Stuart Mill
Long ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1st Amendment protects nearly ALL speech, including speech that offends people or hurts their feelings. Exemptions come only in the area of protecting people from actual, physical harm, such as not being allowed to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater. Libel and slander laws also carved out some exceptions, but a. only apply if the statement is provably untrue b. hurts someone’s reputation in a way that impacts their ability to earn money or impacts their stature in the community and c. doesn’t apply to people who are famous. In fact, back when the ACLU knew what it was supposed to be protecting, it defended the American Nazi Party, even as the things they said were hateful, impactful to many groups and also, not true.
In 2017, SCOTUS again reminded us of 1st A protections, when they said, “speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability or any other similar ground, is still protected.” Both Harris and Walz hate free speech, which they regard as anything that doesn’t support their world view. They ignore the Constitution and SCOTUS’ ruling, which is no surprise, as they appear to be allergic to our founding documents.
In 2022, Walz infamously said, “There’s no guarantee to free speech or misinformation or hate speech and especially around our democracy.” This amounts to censorship of speech the Left doesn’t like or agree with. How convenient! They label as misinformation anything that upsets their narrative, such as the findings that most kids who have had sexual transitions are just as suicidal as they were before the intervention. They called most of the Covid facts misinformation, pretending they don’t remember claiming that the virus came from first a pangolin, then a bat, that ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine (and others) don’t work, while providing no actual treatment for people already infected. Harris loves to talk about how she wants Big Tech to censor conservatives, claiming that everything they say is mis- or disinformation. Translation: speech they don’t like.
In fact, the 1st A does protect both kinds of “information’ they don’t like. Most allegations against a group may only apply to a few people in the group, and also, often, apply to people in other groups or classifications. There is no governmental protection from having to hear things you don’t like. There IS, however, protection from incitement to riot, physical threat and the like, which is why universities are finally controlling the pro-Hamas protestors. It’s not the speech. Let’s face it – Jews have always heard awful things levied at them. It’s the fact that many students feel physically unsafe on campus.
Harris has a track record of silencing people. As CA Attorney General, she demanded IRS documents only from conservative non-profits to determine who their donors were. She claimed it was to combat fraud, but never found any to charge. She also posted the data online, claiming it was an accident, but exposing donors to serious problems. Harris wanted to intimidate conservatives; she still does. As a senator, she challenged judicial appointments based on applicants’ membership in an organization she didn’t like.
Disconnects
Walz once had the right idea. “In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule, mind your own damn business.” It goes without saying that this is not the Golden Rule. However, he mandated masks in his state and also shelter-in-place, which he enforced by having a snitch line. However, he had no problem with the mobs at the George Floyd “rallies,” otherwise known as riots, vandalism and criminal activity. He actually doesn’t respect personal choice at all.
Elections Have Consequences
Just as Biden found a way around the INS and immigration legislation to bring in vast hordes of unemployables, children and criminals, the Harris-Walz administration would find ways to fight “misinformation.” They would weaponize agencies to go after people who said things they didn’t like, regardless of the truthfulness of them. She’s previously said that people who spoke out against their climate agenda should be punished. That’s not science; science expects challenges and supports them. She’s like the quote from Oscar Wilde’s Lady Bracknell.
“I dislike arguments of any kind. They are always vulgar and often convincing.”
Harris is terrified that the Right can convince people of things she opposes, even when they are true or, at least, worthy of hearing. Universities allow students to snitch on teachers if they say things that they believe are wrong or hurt their little feelings.
Look at the country these beliefs represent. Do they resemble 1984 or even the USSR? If that’s what you want, go ahead and vote D. But remember – even if this is not your big issue, they want to destroy the whole Constitution. What right of yours do they plan to gut?
And the corollary, as most of us have learned in life, is eventually this will come around and go after the proponents as well. I am bewildered at how blatantly the Constitution is being misinterpreted and flatly ignored with no consequences. You ever wonder if it’s still in force at all?