Blog Archives
Thought of the Day: Campaign Finance Reform and Free Speech
Former FEC Commissioner Bradley A. Smith spoke at a Cato Institute event about the Citizens United case that is sitting in the Supreme Court that may reshape campaign finance law in the future. Listen to his speech. He lays out a brilliant argument on campaign finance law and the freedom of speech.
Forget Free Speech!
This security officer in the video below should be reprimanded and removed from his duties after telling a protester at the Moran/Dean town hall meeting that he was not allowed to display a sign featuring the Obama joker image. This protester was only using his right to free speech by displaying this sign on school property while the town hall meeting was taking place inside. The protester told the officer, “This used to be America,” and the officer replied, “It ain’t no more, ok?” The officer, then, threatened the protester with a citation if he refused to put down the sign.
Well, it is not okay, because we still live in the land of the free, where we have the right to speak out in protest against our leaders. Personally, I would have taken the citation and fought it in court.
H/T InfoWars
What's there to fear?
The White House must be feeling like they have a lot to fear, if they want people to turn in those who happen to disagree with the health care proposal. It’s a shame that our President would rather keep track of the truth behind his proposals by monitoring free speech than handling the real issues that affect each and every American in a way that embraces common sense.
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
Is President Obama being paranoid? If so, what does he have to fear? Perhaps, it is the millions of Americans who want the freedom to choose their own health care coverage to meet their needs, not the government’s.
Is Jeanette Rishell's Campaign Infringing Upon Free Speech?
This question has every right to be posed, as Jeanette Rishell and her campaign have disabled two YouTube videos due to copyright infringement. The videos in question criticize Rishell’s selection of her campaign manager, who posted pictures of used condoms on her Facebook page and including pornographic videos in the University of Rochester library, along with Rishell’s claim that she supports family values.
Rishell contacted YouTube and requested that these videos be removed, as two small clips of her campaign video were used. Greg Letiecq of Black Velvet Bruce Li, who produced the videos commented on YouTube’s decision.
“YouTube maintains a policy of disabling video content
after receiving any complaints regarding copyright infringement,
so the videos are currently unavailable on YouTube” said
Letiecq, the blogger who operates the Black Velvet Bruce Li
blog. “It is unprecedented for a political campaign to
allege copyright infringement when someone uses short clips of
their campaign videos, and this is a clear effort to stifle
criticism of her bad judgment by misusing the law.”
Rishell’s campaign is clearly infringing upon free speech, as copyright law allows for the limited use of other’s material under the “fair use doctrine.” This is true, considering that the use of this material was used for criticism. Using short clips from campaign video without authorization is allowed under “fair use” (Title 17, Section 107 of the U.S. Code).
Look at the video in question and make your own decisions on whether this was warranted.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Do you think free speech is under attack? It is, and this video provides a clear cut case of how the Federal Election Commission violates the freedom of speech by fining Citizens United for their film, Hillary: the Movie.
H/T to Cato Institute
Assault on the Freedom of Speech
Imagine, you are driving in your car with a bumper sticker that says “Abort Obama Not the Unborn” down I-95, and you get pulled over by a police officer for no apparent reason (you were doing the speed limit), only to be interrogated for making a death threat to the President. You did not intend to do harm, only to exercise your right as a pro-life supporter with no intentions of any death threats.
Well, this scenario occurred in Oklahoma City, when a man who was the subject of the above scenario was pulled over by a police officer and investigated for threats against the President all due to the “Abort Obama Not the Unborn” sticker. The Secret Service was pulled in, only to find out that the man was not a threat, as he was expressing his First Amendment right of the freedom of speech.
What has the country come to that we threaten the Freedom of Speech over one sticker that had no credible threat attached? It is just another example of persecuting conservatives for their non-support of Barack Obama and his policies. We are granted protection under the First Amendment to speak freely and express our opinions. However, for someone to be placed under scrutiny for one little bumper sticker is absurd. If it were a liberal driving their Subaru or Volvo around with a bumper sticker with a controversial remark about George W. Bush, they would not be prosecuted or placed under any scrutiny. Maybe, it’s time to focus on the issues of importance, rather than the government having an all-out Conservative witch hunt.
