Posted on 10/21/2008 6:27:02 AM PDT by vietvet67
After Joe the Plumber voiced concern that Barack Obama’s tax policies would stifle the economy, he learned what Kathleen Willey learned during Bill Clinton’s reign in the 1990s: If you accuse a Democrat of wrongdoing or question their policies, you can count on your character being attacked in the mainstream media. You may even face legal charges.
The Left is sponsoring a war on truth, and casualties in this war continue to be those brave enough to stand up against corruption and exercise the increasingly “fringe” right of freedom of speech.
The right to free speech protected by the First Amendment is now under assault by the Department of Justice, specifically its Civil Rights Division, which is prosecuting certain members of the GOP in California for speaking their minds in writing -- and apparently saying nothing that is false, or even incorrect.
On October 1, former Republican congressional candidate Tan Nguyen was indicted over his involvement in a letter that the California Coalition for Immigration Reform mailed to Latinos, warning them that they should not vote if they were illegal immigrants because “‘voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time’ and for which they could be deported.”
The Civil Rights Division of the DOJ looked upon this letter as an example of voter “suppression.” Yet because the Civil Rights Division could not prosecute Nguyen over the exercise of free speech alone, they sent FBI agents to his door and intimidated him until he denied involvement with the letter. Then they were able to use his denial against him and indict him for obstruction of justice.
Former ACLU attorney Mark Kappelhoff taught his underlings in the Civil Rights Division how to carry out such jack-boot measures in speeches he gave in various conferences, like a recent one where he spoke in a panel titled: “Standing up Against Hate Speech.” In this conference Kappelhoff’s panel went beyond the tactics used against Nguyen and dealt instead with how the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ will have to defend legislation like the “fairness doctrine,” should Obama win the election. The panel focused on the way an “increasing number of radio and television stations and networks have allowed DJs, talk show hosts and their favorite organized hate groups to spew hatred of immigrants, gays, lesbians, and people of color over the public airwaves.”
If you didn’t read that slowly, you might want to read it again, because you need to be sure you see that Kappelhoff’s agenda implies that any of Rush Limbaugh’s 20 million listeners, who happen to be members of a group like the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, are members of one of talk radio’s “favorite organized hate groups.” Is it any wonder Kappelhoff’s minions viewed Nguyen’s letter as voter suppression?
In case someone thinks I’m reading too much into this, consider the following: After linking talk radio to spewing “hatred,” Kappelhoff’s panel stressed “there is now verifiable data that links hate speech to hate crimes, which are proliferating, especially against Latinos.” The panel then posed three questions for the attorneys who attended the conference: “What actions can be taken to challenge broadcasters that produce and promote hate speech? Does media consolidation exacerbate the problem? What’s the correct balance between free speech and human rights in discussing these issues?”
Did you read that last question carefully? By now we should all know that when the Left talks about finding a balance between constitutional rights and human rights, constitutional rights are diminished or disappear altogether. What we cannot overlook here is the fact that free speech is the balance. Take away free speech and humans have no rights, much less “human rights.”
In a piece that aired just prior to one of Obama’s most recent visits to St. Louis, , that city’s News Channel 4 reported that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce was part of a “Barack Obama Truth Squad,” and wanted to remind people that “Obama is Christian and wants to cut taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year.” The tone in the reminder was clear -- people were not to question Obama’s religious convictions or his policies. For those who still intended to do so, Joyce added that city attorney’s would “respond immediately to any ads and statements that violate Missouri ethic laws.”
Let’s face it. The Left hates Nguyen, Limbaugh, Joe the Plumber, and others like them, because they speak truth in a climate which the Left is crafting to deny the truth. By doing this, such men enter into the arena of ideas and challenge the worldview and mental constructs of the Left. In response, the Left denounces them for spewing hatred, or even worse, working in the plumbing trade without joining a union. And when these tactics don’t work, they resort to the gavel.
Taken in total, these various assaults on the First Amendment remind us that we are up against people who want power at any price. And if the election of Obama allows individuals like Joyce and Kappelhoff to attain a level of power greater than they already possess, the exercise of rights such as those protected in the First Amendment will be integral to our defense of truth and of this nation.
The lesson for now is simple: If ever we plan to speak our minds, we’d better turn out and vote on November 4.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HUMAN EVENTS columnist AWR Hawkins has been published on topics including the U.S. Navy, Civil War battles, Vietnam War ideology, the Reagan Presidency, and the Rebirth of Conservatism, 1968-1988. More of his articles can be found at www.awrhawkins.com.
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Papa Doc Obama’s thugs saying “1st Amendment for us, Fairness Doctrine for you.”
BTTT
A giant jelly donut??
I am at Ground Zero for the mushroom cloud on the right.
:(
Lets all keep up the pressure to have Obama publicly state and prove he is a US citizen! If he can't sing the tune, get off the stage!
....And our response is that “Papa Doc Obama thugs”, attempt to do so, and it will ALL blow up in your faces.
Very true. It's this "gradual drift" that's killing us, and lets people walk around in a fog, not knowing which way is up. Let him or anyone start doing something big and overwhelming, and they will see Americans roar!
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