Bill (HR 1966) could make blogging a crime with up to 2 years in prison
Posted by Scott @ 8:08 amJun 29
Under a recently-introduced bill, H.R. 1966, bloggers would face up to two years in prison if they “harass” public figures by criticizing them in a “severe, repeated, and hostile” manner, and thereby cause them “substantial emotional distress.”
U.C.L.A. Law Professor Eugene Volokh, the author of a First Amendment treatise, has concluded that the bill is unconstitutional. I agree, as I explain here. As a federal appeals court noted in DeJohn v. Temple University (2008), “there is no harassment exception to the First Amendment’s free speech clause.” Speech that causes emotional distress can be protected,as the Supreme Court made clear in barring a lawsuit by Jerry Falwell over an offensive parody. link Bill (HR 1966)
Fascism is coming faster than you think.
Don’t you love the way the bill begins with notion of “Protecting the children”?
Does anyone really believe this bill won’t be used to silence free speech.
This bill’s main sponsor is the radical liberal fascist Congress Woman “Linda Sanchez” (hope my “opinion” doesn’t cause her any “emotional distress”). Here are the names of others who support and cosponsored this horrendous and unacceptable assault on free speech.
- Democrat Marcy Kaptur
- Democrat Raúl Grijalva
- Democrat Phil Hare
- Democrat John Yarmuth
- Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard
- Democrat Lois Capps
- Democrat Timothy H. Bishop
- Democrat Bruce Braley
- Democrat Brian Higgins
- Democrat William Lacy Clay
- Democrat John Sarbanes
- Democrat Danny Davis
- Democrat Joe Courtney
- Democrat Mark Kirk
Anyone see a pattern here?
Liberal fascism at it’s best!!
Shutting down free speech has some really serious implications that even my limited intellect can recognize.
Forcing ‘Change’ down our throats, without debate, discussion or even reading the legislation is bad enough, but to demonize and make criminals out of any who oppose this it dangerous.
Gun sales have gone through the roof. Ammo was going for a premium. Folk WILL resist, at some point.
Much better to have national debates and come to some sort of consensus and put things up to a vote than drive the people to rebellion!
[...] I was startled with the proposal to fine and imprison bloggers who intimidate, coerce, etc.. , see Scott’s blog from The Liberty Journal. It’s absolutely a restriction on the freedom of speech. Then I [...]