Who are the Americans who are OK with the president of the United States banning journalists because he doesn’t like what they write about him?
I’m with Thomas Jefferson who said if we had to make a choice between a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, he would choose the latter rather than the former.
What’s happened to Americans that make so many accept this assault on our Constitution and the First Amendment? I hate to admit it, but a lot of Americans have become cowardly, frightened little people.
Do not accept this. Ever! From anyone, least of all a convicted felon President.
From the NYTimes: "...the founders were clear in emphasizing, 'That freedom of the press meant the freedom to say things that the government did not like.' As James Madison wrote, 'To the press alone, chequered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression.' And as the Times reminds, 'The Bill of Rights devotes part of its first item — the First Amendment — to the idea, barring any laws that abridge ‘the freedom of speech or of the press.' "
Jim Wright:
Yesterday, Trump banned specific members of the Free Press from the White House.
Today, the White House Press Pool walked out in solidarity with CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The Press won't be traveling with the President to the UN.
This morning, Vice President JD Vance argued before the Press that a "Republican White House" shouldn't have to give access to reporters who cover the Trump Administration unfavorably.
Trump says he imposed this ban because these reporters only report "fake news." In other words, Trump has declared himself the single authority of truth. HE decides what is true and what is false. It's his reality and you just live in it.
That's their argument.
A President shouldn't have to give access to the Press if the Press doesn't report favorably on that President and his Administration.
Think about that.
No. No. REALLY think about that in terms of the rights enumerated in First Amendment. If Trump is the arbiter of Freedom of the Press, then by implication he also decides the rest of the Bill of Rights. YOUR rights.
So,
- a President shouldn't have to allow a citizen freedom of speech if that speech is unfavorable to the president
- a President shouldn't have to allow citizens to assemble if he thinks they'll be unfavorable to him
- a President shouldn't have to allow freedom of religion if that religion isn't favored by the President
- a President shouldn't have to allow a citizen to petition the government for redress of wrongs if the president doesn't think he himself is ever wrong.
Instead of "President," I should have said "King."
Because that's what Trump now is in all but name.
And we are his subjects.
21 comments:
I hope the press stays the course because I get tired of listening to the pres go on about all the things that are great and the conflict will be over tomorrow because iran wants a deal and they are out of weapons.
Just watch Trump TV!
American MAGA conservatives, fascist to their core, welcome authoritarianism.
Crushing all dissenting views and only allowing their officially approved fascist propaganda is one hallmark of fascist authoritarian governments.
MAGA cultists and their criminal president, aided by the capital class of oligarchs, are destroying American institutions of democracy and our heretofore democratic republic.
They care nothing for our Constitution and likely most of them, like trump, have no idea what is in it.
It's no wonder republican conservatives have been working hard to Dunb down the American public.
btw - I find it ironic that you, who censors conservative bloggers here, has a problem with censorship of progressives. What about the 1st Amendment? Does it only always only apply to others? Doesn't it make your brain hurt?
Does it make YOUR brain hurt because you don't understand the First Amendment?
The First Amendment applies to THE GOVERNMENT censoring public speech, i.e., the media. How do you not understand this?
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution generally prohibits the government from censoring public opinion or punishing individuals for their view points.
The government (Trump) cannot restrict or suppress speech simply because it disagrees with the message or finds it offensive.
I can decide what gets published on my blog because I'm a private individual with opinions that the government cannot censor.
The captain of the Mother Ship censors ALL liberal/progressive posts all the time.
I censor some that do not pertain to my posts or that are, IMO, offensive.
Yet you bring up my censoring and ignore Geeez. She banned Dave Miller, who is NEVER nasty or rude, but gives facts to back up his arguments. Geeez is a coward, IMO, who cannot bear to have anyone disagree with her MAGA mind. She even banned BB-Idaho!
I have the Constitutional right to censor who gets published on my blog; the government DOES NOT!
How could you have lived as long as you have without not understanding this basic American principle?
So, you're okay with state media, like they have in Communist North Korea and China, where NO ONE, under penalty of DEATH, can criticize the ruling regime?
You came to my blog and stated that Bernie Sanders is a "dumb commie?" And you think Mayor Mamdani and candidate El-Sayed are a threat to our country?
Are you sure someone didn't drop you on your head recently?
Hey, JoeCon encourages us to watch state media, just like they have in Communist North Korea! What's not to love????
JC is disturbed that we delete hate-filled lies and nonsense from the MAGA cult. But he's totally good with Trump denying First Amendment protections for the press.
Remember the ONE RULE for MAGA and authoritarian American rulers. "It's OK if you're a Republican."
No wonder the red hats on the Supreme Court had to elevate Trump above the law. It's Dictatorship 101. JC the Right Wing Authoritarian approves, of course.
Funny.
At least Skud can do sarcasm.
I was shocked to see that JoeCon doesn’t know how freedom of the press works. I guess a lot of MAGA cultures don’t know either! That’s why we have Trump as president. Twice.
The MSM isn't Deep State TV? Who knew
btw - Do you remember RCTV? Didn't think so. THAT is anti-1st Amendment, not banning some globalist supporters from the WH.
From John Dickerson this morning: "After President Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, members of his administration rushed to explain that he hadn’t really banned them from covering him. The restriction concerned physical access to the White House.
Vice President JD Vance was explicit: “He’s not banning media outlets.” Trump had merely decided, Vance said, “we’re not going to give you special access inside the White House.”
U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz made the same distinction. Freedom of the press did not confer “an inherent right to any government facility that you want, whether it’s Langley or the White House.”
The White House itself reduced the argument to a slogan: “White House access is a privilege — not a right.”
Then the president— the same one those aides had been taking about— arrived at the United Nations.
He spotted CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and said: “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn’t be here. You should not be here covering me.” Collins pointed out that the United Nations had allowed CNN in. Trump repeated: “You should not be here covering me.”
Should. Three times. That word gives away the game. His aides had argued about where CNN had a right to go. Trump was talking about what CNN ought to be allowed to do. Even after Collins reminded him that the United Nations had granted CNN access, he didn’t retreat to the geography defense. He repeated it: “You should not be here covering me.”
The United Nations, of course, is not the White House. Nor is it a U.S. government facility."
Funny, you all cheered for government Covid censorship. You all cheered for Hunter Biden Laptop censorship. You all cheered for online media censorship directed by the Stanford Internet Observatory, EIP, and Virality Projects and implemented by various government bodies as part of the Twitter Files investigation. Does your brain not hurt because it doesn't believe that these things happened? Did the MSM NOT report it to you?
Mainstream media (MSM) is not run by a "deep state." Political scientists and media experts widely view the idea that traditional news outlets are controlled by a shadowy, unelected government cabal as a conspiracy theory. In reality, the structure, ownership, and operational dynamics of mainstream media contradict the idea of a centralized, clandestine controller.
-FJ is a conspiracist. I remember when he swore the mother and daughter in Georgia hauled in bags of votes to skew the election results, and then that conspiracy blew up in all the conspiracists' faces, especially Rudi's!
Banning journalists because Trump doesn't like negative things written about him is anti-First Amendment. Period. Your defense of this is shocking.
Sit back and watch who'll win this fight.
Most of those incidents were temporary and in response to a worldwide pandemic. People were erring on the side of caution. To save lives. Yes, I knew of these things, but none of them come close to what Trump just did. And you know it.
Besides, just because the government shouldn't have done what it did, that does not mean Trump should do what he's doing. Your argument seems to be that the government misbehaved during COVID and at other times, so LET TRUMP BREAK THE LAW AND CENSOR THE MEDIA and set up a state-run propaganda TV because, in the past, others did wrong.
Is that any way to run a country? Apparently, you think so, so long as YOUR tribe is doing wrong.
BTW, I saw that you posted at the Geeez blog today. You, or your other persona, JoeCon, chided me, again, for censoring some of your comments, and yet you have no problem commenting on a blog that completely bans opposing points of view.
People call that a double standard/ rank hypocrisy.
It's difficult to take you seriously when you complain about not letting some of your comments through.
-FJ is hilarious for someone who cheered Trump's Big Lie. He cheered Trump for sending a violent mob of thugs to terrorize Congress and beat cops bloody to overturn a fair election he LOST. (-FJ can't admit this, of course.) He cheered Trump praising his thugs with, "We love you. You're special". He cheered Trump for pardoning his violent thugs, and for wanting to REWARD them for the violence.
"But Hunter's laptop!!" Yeah the one that said Joe the "big guy" refused to be part of his business deals.
How are those deals going for the vastly corrupt Trump Syndicate? No problem, amirite? $2 Billion in "benefits" for his being in the Oval Office.
"-FJ the Dangerous and Extreme MAGA Jew commented on "STATE-RUN TRUMP TV -- JUST LIKE AUTHORITARIAN AND COMMUNIST COUNTRIES."
2 hours ago
Do you not understand Soros Realism?
-FJ the Dangerous and Extreme MAGA Jew commented on "STATE-RUN TRUMP TV -- JUST LIKE AUTHORITARIAN AND COMMUNIST COUNTRIES."
2 hours ago
btw _ What do you think about the free speech limitations imposed by the Stop Nick Shirley Act in CA? You good with them (no doxxing corrupt NGOs)? Any 1st Amendment issues?"
WHATABOUTISM:
Whataboutism is a rhetorical tactic where someone responds to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising an entirely different issue. Instead of directly addressing the criticism, the person shifts the focus to their opponent's behavior, usually starting with a phrase like, "But what about...?
"In philosophy and logic, whataboutism is considered an informal logical fallacy. It is a variant of the tu quoque (Latin for "you also") fallacy, which attempts to discredit an opponent's position by exposing their hypocrisy rather than disproving the actual truth of their argument."
Instead of defending Trump's banning CNN, MSNOW, and Politico and starting up a state-run TV, -FJ resorts to "WHATABOUTISMS."
Why should I defend an issue that you never defended?
^^Ignorance^^
Shaw... -FJ couldn't define the "MSM" with examples if he tried. He's just parroting words, anger and phrases he's heard and read elsewhere.
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