Democrat Senators Criminalizing Dissent
Beware of Democrat Senators bearing amendments to bills that threaten free speech.
Or in this case: that don’t protect the very foot soldiers of citizen-journalists.
FROM Democrats: Criminalizing Dissent:
Democrats Diane Feinstein and Dick “Turban” Durbin – who have long been the Dems’ official trial-balloon-floaters for assaults on free speech like the “Fairness Doctrine” – are proposing an amendment to a Senate bill (S.448) clarifying the press shield law.
And it’s aimed squarely at citizen journalists like you and I. Via RWN, here’s the amendment text, with some emphases added:
The amendment to the press “shield law” is then presented. It seems to cover anyone explicitly working for a news business–but not citizen-journalists.
Here’s the lawyerspeak of the amendment:
In section 10(2)(A), strike clause (iii) and insert the following:
[a "journalist" is shielded if he/she] (iii) obtains the information sought while working as a salaried employee of, or independent contractor for, an entity—
(I) that disseminates information by print, broadcast, cable, satellite, mechanical, photographic, electronic, 1or other means; and
(II) that—
(aa) publishes a newspaper, book, magazine, or other periodical;
(bb) operates a radio or television broadcast station, network, cable system, or satellite carrier, or a channel or programming service for any such station, network, system, or carrier;
(cc) operates a programming service; or
(dd) operates a news agency or wire service;
It doesn’t seem like it would have covered those two crazy kids so beloved by ACORN for their child prostitute stings, Jame O’Keefe and Hannah Giles.
Why does it matter that, in order to fall under the amendment’s protection, you have to be employed by a news business?
The left, on the other hand, has built up a network of “business” entities and non-profits, from the pseudo-newspaper-y “MNPost” to the not-very-covert propagandists at the “Center for Independent Media” (parent of the Minnesoros “Independent”), at exquisite cost; one might now presume that this money was spent to get ahead of the legislative curve that the Feinstein/Durbin proposal represents, as a further attempt to shut down independent, non-government-vetted thought in this country.
This is Obama’s America.
Indeed.
And to Feinstein and Durbin goes the coveted “Progressive Tool” award.
NOTE: Maybe I’ve got this all wrong. Am I missing anything? It’s tough to listen to the many “proposals” and “conferences” being held lately to regulate and “keep the Internet” safe and not see this as part of it all.
After some thought, the original verdict stands: Feinstein and Durbin are Tools of the Oppressor. Never thought I’d be using that phrase without my tongue in my cheek.
The Internet is one place that politicians currently do not control. As such, it represents a threat to their power. Therefore, the push over the last several months to regulate it and those who use the Internet to disseminate their writing.
[To see entire piece, Democrats: Criminalizing Dissent]
People, time to arm yourselves….whenever you dissent! They are getting away with Murder! They will never….every believe you will stand up for your rights, only cheap talk! When do we prove them wrong???
These are the type of domestic enemies our Founding Fathers were speaking about! They only know one way and it is certainly not the True American Way, so therefore where does that place them? Domestic Enemy! How and what do we do about it? Thats my very question to all you so called Patriots or Americans?
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