Free Republic

Recently, a California pastor and his wife were required by San Diego County officials to obtain a permit to hold a Bible study in their home. "What?! Is this a joke?" I wondered as I heard the news for the first time. It was no joke. Rather it's a First Amendment nightmare and possibly a precedent of what's to come. Are you prepared for a future in which you might someday hear the question, "Got your permit to study the Bible?" On April 10 (Good Friday), a county code enforcement officer visited the home of David and Mary Jones after...

A new White House policy on permissible lobbying on economic recovery and stimulus projects has taken a decidedly anti-First Amendment turn. It's a classic illustration of Big Government trying to control every aspect of a particular activity and in the process running up against civil liberty. Check out this passage from a post on the White House blog by Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President on Ethics and Government Reform (emphasis added): "First, we will expand the restriction on oral communications to cover all persons, not just federally registered lobbyists. For the first time, we will reach contacts not...

A federal judge has sent a Kansas man to prison for criticizing federal prosecutors, claiming that the man posed a threat of “continued criminal defamation of government counsel and witnesses.”

Why is the press remaining mostly silent about the so-called "hate crimes law" that passed in the House on April 29? The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed in a 249-175 vote (17 Republicans joined with 231 Democrats). These Democrats should have been tested on their knowledge of the First Amendment, equal protection of the laws (14th Amendment), and the prohibition of double jeopardy (no American can be prosecuted twice for the same crime or offense). If they had been, they would have known that this proposal, now headed for a Senate vote, violates all these constitutional provisions....

From the notification email: "Media Research Center’s Director of Communications Seton Motley is attending and will be reporting from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age” took place today 10 a.m. until 3 p.m Friday, 7 May." "Given the fact that not one free speech-free market organization is involved in this “Diversity” meeting, Seton’s presence and “spin-free” audio updates are critical to all who are interested in protecting our Free Speech Rights."

Javorous Darnell Tims, 20 PASCAGOULA — A woman, awakened by the sound of someone removing the screen from her bedroom window, got out of her bed at 1 a.m. Friday, walked to her son’s room and quietly woke him. “She said, ‘Snigg get up,’” the son said in an interview later Friday morning. “I got up, grabbed my gun and went to the corner there by her room,” he said, standing at the door of the apartment, on the bottom floor of the last in a row of Spanish-style buildings in the Granada Apartments on Chicot Road. It was...

Another Planned "RALLY" for "Immigrants" is scheduled for May 1st.....Are You Ready!!!???

Obama signs huge expansion of youth brigades legislation © 2009 WorldNetDaily President Obama today signed into law the "GIVE Act," H.R. 1388, which massively expands the National Service Corporation and allocates to it billions of dollars, and one executive for the program now says it will allow for the "managing" of up to 8 or 9 million people. WND has reported on plans to create the corps since Obama told a campaign stop in Colorado Springs last year he wants a "Civilian National Security Force" as big and as well-funded as the U.S. military. The bill includes a "National Service...

WEEKNIGHTS at 9 ET on BLOG TALK RADIO PROGRAM SCHEDULE Next Show: Tuesday, April 21 at 9 pm ET. *** TONIGHT... We're talking with Brad O'Leary who has written a book about the real threats to free speech. Brad has discovered a move afoot to eviscerate the First Amendment and smother the free exchange of ideas in America. Though the White House claims it doesn't support the return of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine", Obama and his thugs in Congress are quietly plotting to censor talk radio, this blogsite and others like it through a host of insidious methods.Brad was on...

Intelligent design theory, or ID, is opening new doors of scientific research, particularly in cancer and other disease research, according to its adherents, but a new movie, "Expelled" starring Ben Stein explores how an "elitist scientific establishment" is apparently muzzling and smearing scientists who publicly discuss ID. The First Amendment is under brutal attack in the scientific community, Ben Stein, a former presidential speechwriter-turned-actor and commentator, says in the film, which opens in theaters on Feb. 12. "I always assumed scientists were free to ask any question, pursue any line of inquiry without fear or reprisal," he says. "But recently,...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Perhaps they just don’t want to think through the details. Then again - - maybe some of them don’t have the capacity to think through the details. I’m referring to the apparent plethora of partisan, passionate, “see-no-evil” Obama minions, who become outraged should any of the rest of us ask questions about the forty-fourth President. I continually encounter the minions both as callers on talk radio, and as mailers responding to my various editorial columns. Whereas last year during the election cycle when I would dare to ask questions of the dear leader Obama, the minions’ first line of attack...

The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias. A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. "It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue,...

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has not released a memory card containing audio interviews conducted by a local radio reporter four days after federal employees and security officers detained the reporter and seized his equipment.

Taking aim at the way news is spread across the Internet, The Associated Press said on Monday that Web sites that used the work of news organizations must obtain permission and share revenue with them, and that it would take legal action against those that did not. A.P. executives said they were concerned about a variety of news forums around the Web, including major search engines like Google and Yahoo and aggregators like the Drudge Report that link to news articles, smaller sites that sometimes reproduce articles whole, and companies that sell packaged news feeds. They said they did not...

Should President Obama have the power to shut down domestic Internet traffic during a state of emergency? Senators John Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) think so. On Wednesday they introduced a bill to establish the Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor—an arm of the executive branch that would have vast power to monitor and control Internet traffic to protect against threats to critical cyber infrastructure. That broad power is rattling some civil libertarians. The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 (PDF) gives the president the ability to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" and shut down or limit Internet traffic in any...

Since the landmark 2008 ruling in DC v. Heller, the courts have recognized what we have always known, namely that the right to keep and bear arms is a specifically enumerated, individual right, on par with freedom of speech and religion. Given this judicial environment, if we allow the government to impose a prior restraint upon the 2nd Amendment, then the 1st is no longer inviolate.

Are European legislators, judges, and prosecutors on militant "Islamic" payrolls?Europe's criminal prosecution of critics of militant "Islam," in conjunction with its inaction on militant "Muslims" who advocate violence and even genocide of Jews, raises a very serious question. Have militant "Muslims" used oil money to bribe, suborn, and corrupt European legislators, prosecutors, and judges?The apparently selective enforcement of Europe's hate speech laws leaves no other possible explanation: Islamic supremacists have bribed currently unidentified legislators to enact these laws, and suborned currently unidentified prosecutors and judges to enforce them only against critics of militant "Islam" while they ignore far more vicious...

Attorneys for a high school valedictorian whose microphone was turned off when she began sharing her Christian faith say they'll appeal her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Rutherford Institute is representing Brittany McComb, whose lawsuit against school officials was dismissed Friday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court stated that "by preventing her from making a proselytizing graduation speech," McComb's free speech and free exercise rights were not violated, nor was her right to equal protection.

The first time she was ever called the most offensive of racial slurs, Tamu Smith was in the Salt Lake LDS temple. An elderly man spied Smith, a new bride, and asked aloud what a [racial epithet] was doing there. Instead of reprimanding him, temple workers defended him, saying he didn't know better. Smith didn't leave the LDS Church over such hurtful language then, and she remains faithful, but frustrated, nearly 15 years later. She will join other Mormons this week to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the June 8, 1978, revelation that opened the church's priesthood to "all worthy...

The Missouri Libertarian Party, the third-largest political party in the state, issued the following statement regarding a “Strategic Report” issued by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) on February 22nd, which became known to the public late last week: An internal document designed for law enforcement education purposes inaccurately and dangerously implies that among the indicators of possible involvement in extremist, militant militia activity is support for the Libertarian Party. This memo and its findings are potentially dangerous to both the people of Missouri and to our system of free political speech. The memo claims that membership in, among other...

The tinpot dictators who dominate the so-called UN Human Rights Council are at it again -- squawking about "defamation of religion" in a seedy attempt to undermine freedom of expression. If this band of political bandits has its way, criticism of religious dogma would be virtually banned as an affront to human dignity. Curiously, only Islam is specifically mentioned in the draft resolution, released by UN Watch last week. Could this have anything to do with the fact that there are so many Muslim countries on the Human Rights Council? Want a laugh? The resolution includes the usual remarks about...

The White House says former Vice President Dick Cheney is the second most popular member of the "Republican cabal," behind only talk-show host Rush Limbaugh. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Monday brushed off Cheney's criticism of President Barack Obama's new administration. Cheney said Sunday that Obama's decisions are threatening the nation's safety. Obama reversed many of his predecessor's executive orders, including how the country treats suspected terrorists.

Comic legend Jackie Mason is railing against accusations of racism following a performance in New York Thursday, where he referred to President Barack Obama as a "schwartza." Celebrity gossip site TMZ.com confronted Mason with a camera on Friday over the flap. The celebrity gossip site reported that that the literal translation of "schwartza" in Yiddish is "black," but added that some say "it's a disparaging reference to African Americans, akin to the N-word." Mason told a TMZ cameraman, "(I'm not going to answer) these stupid questions because you're trying to multiply me into a racist. I've called (people) a lot...

At first, it was a painting of game fish on an exterior wall of a Florida bait and tackle shop that drew adverse attention from sign code enforcement officials of the city of Clearwater, who said it violates a ban on a business displaying a depiction of the product it sells. But, when by the city ordered the Complete Angler to paint over it, the shop instead covered it with a banner providing the text of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—and was cited over the banner, too, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Already facing $700 in fines, owner...

A former chaplain with the Virginia State Police says he had no choice but to step down after a new policy took effect requiring generic prayers at department events. Last summer, Rex Carter and five others resigned from the volunteer chaplain program. The move came after a new rule was instituted that restricted prayers by the volunteer chaplains. Carter, who is still a State Police officer, said he had no other choice once he was told he could not pray in the name of Jesus. ~~snip~~ Recently, a State Senate panel killed a bill that would have prohibited State Police...

The Treasury Department oversees the Internal Revenue Service. But if the Secretary of the Treasury - or any other political appointee being considered for the Treasury Department - didn't pay his income payroll taxes, it doesn't matter. That's the message from House Banking Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and he blamed the fourth estate for acting like it does matter. On MSNBC's March 11 broadcast of "Andrea Mitchell Reports," host Andrea Mitchell asked Frank to respond to criticism in a March 11 piece from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that too many appointees were being held up for...

Connecticut Catholics, be prepared in Hartford Wednesday: 1. Catholic “experts� will back the anti-Church bill. 2. The defense of the bill will sound reassuring and reasonable. 3. A big crowd will be there early on — but the Church needs Catholics to come later on, too.4. We can win this, if we fight. Let me explain: 1. One objective of the new Connecticut anti-Church structure bill, I’m told, is for the Voice of the Faithful to get its message out about democratizing the Church. Today’s Connecticut Post lists “Some details of the proposed ‘Act Modifying Corporate Laws Relating to Certain...

An Outline History of Religion in American Schools "The Philosophy of the school room in one generation . . . will be the Philosophy of Government in the next."  Abraham Lincoln 1620 Mayflower Compact signed "Having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith . . .  furtherance of the ends aforesaid."   The Pilgrims taught their children the Bible and the Christian  faith. 1624 Virginia General Assembly rules that Indian children be rounded up and educated in religion and civilization. 1636 Harvard College is founded by John Harvard a Presbyterian minister primarily as a religious...

The ultimate stakes could not be higher in a Supreme Court case argued today Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., which will be argued before the Supreme Court today, is one of the most important cases this term. Unfortunately, much of the press coverage of this dispute is superficial and misleading -- and as a result, the public is unaware of the momentous First Amendment issues at stake. The case has its roots in a complicated tale of political and corporate intrigue between two coal companies, leading eventually to a jury verdict of $50 million in favor of Hugh Caperton,...

The Senate passed a Broadcaster Freedom Amendment to a D.C. voting rights bill on Thursday by a vote of 87-11. But Democrats countered with an amendment that seeks to promote “diversity” in media ownership.The Broadcaster Freedom Amendment prevents the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, which would requires equal time for the expression of different political viewpoints on the public airwaves. Radio stations that run conservative talks shows, for example, would be required to allot equal time for liberal talk shows – or, more likely, stop airing the conservative shows altogether. Critics of the Fairness Doctrine call it...

Conservatives ask: Is Durbin going after Limbaugh? By Alexander Bolton Posted: 02/26/09 04:58 PM [ET] Conservatives fear that Democrats are pursuing a “back door” approach to cracking down on Clear Channel Communications, the media conglomerate that airs "The Rush Limbaugh Show," a favorite among conservatives. The Senate voted along party lines Thursday to adopt an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the second-ranking Democrat in the chamber, that directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to “promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest.” The measure passed 57-41 without...

The White House announced last week that the President "does not believe the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated." The Fairness Doctrine, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- acting under Ronald Reagan -- repealed in 1987, would dictate that broadcasters cover issues of public importance and devote equal time to both sides of controversial issues. On its face, the administration's recent comments seem to deflate hopes of the expanding roster of groups and politicians calling for revival of the Doctrine. The American Spectator reported recently that Henry Waxman (D-CA) already met with the FCC staff to discuss ways to...

A simple apology would have sufficed. Instead, Sen. Russ Feingold has decided to follow his McCain-Feingold evisceration of the First Amendment with Feingold-McCain, more vandalism against the Constitution. The Wisconsin Democrat, who is steeped in his state's progressive tradition, says, as would-be amenders of the Constitution often do, that he is reluctant to tamper with the document but tamper he must because the threat to the public weal is immense: Some governors have recently behaved badly in appointing people to fill U.S. Senate vacancies. Feingold's solution, of which John McCain is a co-sponsor, is to amend the 17th Amendment. It...

There is much confusion among the public about efforts in Washington to muzzle talk radio. I get e-mails daily from people who ask me what the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" would actually do – how it would actually work. The answer to that question is simple: No one knows. Legislation targeting talk radio for extinction has not yet been introduced in Congress. In fact, it may never be introduced. And, if it is, it is unlikely to be called the "Fairness Doctrine" because the name has outlived its usefulness to those who seek to stifle free speech and freedom of the...

Last summer the Michael Bane Blog was host to a remarkably bizarre encounter of the Orwellian (or, if you prefer, Kafakaesque) variety between an anonymous (RETIRED!!!!) Detective and a message board moderator. On February 12th of this year in Oklahoma City there was similar incident, only this time the dispute was over the interpretation of a sign on the back of a car and the cops were clearly visible and operated in broad daylight. While the Police Chief backpedaled as fast as he could, the hapless motorist was subjected to an (informal?) visit from the Secret Service which included a...

A pastor at a Berkeley church was sentenced Thursday to three years' probation and fined $1,000 after becoming the first person convicted under an Oakland ordinance barring protesters from coming within 8 feet of anyone entering an abortion clinic. Walter Hoye could have faced up to two years in jail after a jury convicted him last month of two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully approaching patients at the Family Planning Specialists Medical Group at Second and Webster streets. The case was an emotional one, and pro-choice and anti-abortion advocates jammed the Oakland courtroom for the sentencing hearing. Dozens of people unable...

The American Spectator's Prowler column published today has a disturbing report on the plans by the Democratic Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Henry Waxman to regulate political speech on the Internet.In addition to details of methods Waxman is considering to rein in conservative talk radio, The Prowler reports on Waxman's desire to use the power of the federal government to investigate amd control political content on the Internet.The article quotes an unnamed committee staffer as saying of Waxman's power grab:"Does one heavily trafficked Internet site present one side of an issue and not link to sites that...

Dem. Russ Feingold's speech below telegraphs his proposed methodology in how he intends to sell the entertainment industry and concert promoters on the merits and value of the Fairness Doctrine. Feingold says, "My legislation prohibits those who own radio stations and concert promotion services or venues from leveraging their cross-ownership to hinder competition in the industry. For example, if an owner of a radio station and a promotion service hinders access to the airwaves of a rival promoter or artist, then the owner would be subject to penalties. My legislation will also help to curb the concentration that leads to...

With the mega-pork, er, stimulus bill done, Democrats will now turn to regulating political speech they don't like. That is, they're revving up to resurrect the so-called Fairness Doctrine. Created in 1949, the doctrine required broadcast radio and TV outlets (then relatively few in number) to present balanced viewpoints on issues. The FCC repealed it in 1987, noting the dramatically expanded media landscape of the intervening four decades allowed sufficient competition of ideas.

A House committee held an important hearing Thursday morning on the issue of "libel tourism." That's the practice of bringing libel suits against American authors in other nations, particularly the United Kingdom, where First Amendment protections do not apply and where the burden of proof is placed on the defendant rather than on the plaintiff. Saudi Arabian businessman Khalid bin Mahfouz has brought several such lawsuits, winning a default judgment against American researcher Rachel Ehrenfeld for her book Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It, and forcing a Cambridge University Press to destroy copies of the...

Not this again. With Democrats in control of Washington, the possibility of the reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine is getting stronger and the rhetoric is getting bolder. But this time, it's getting attention on the state level - the biggest state. Former Democratic California governor and current Attorney General Jerry Brown appeared on conservative talk host Michael Savage's radio show on Feb. 13. One of the issues the two debated was the possibility of the renewal of the Fairness Doctrine. During the interview, Savage noted that Brown sounded as if he wanted state control over the media. "Well, a little...

A travesty of justice has occurred in Oakland, Calif. But realities surrounding this local issue point to how the economic crisis in our nation is symptomatic of and flows from a deeper fundamental moral crisis. A black pastor awaits sentencing, which could amount to two years in prison and $4,000 in fines, for standing outside an inner-city abortion clinic holding a sign saying "Jesus Loves You & Your Baby, Let Us Help You," and offering pro-life literature. Walter Hoye, founder and chairman of the Issues4Life Foundation, was found guilty of "unlawful approach" under the "Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities...

A family in New York is fighting for the rights of parents to opt their children out of vaccines. Ron and Rita Palma of Bayport, New York, have been fighting for the right to opt their children out of the vaccines that public schools require children have before attending school. Parents are allowed to opt out of the medical requirement if they cite objections on religious grounds. The Palmas did so, citing their Catholic faith as a reason, but they were met with resistance from the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District. Rita Palma explains. "I handed in my letter,...

When you’re listening to someone from Washington, DC, what they don’t say is often more important than what they do say. For example, Democrat Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow says she wants to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. What she doesn’t say is that her husband, Thomas Athans, is the Executive VP of floundering Air America. “Whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else,” she told Bill Press, “I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves.” When asked if she would push for hearings in the Senate this year, Stabenow said, ... (Note: I've...

Democratic plans to revive government censorship of the radio and TV airways will strike hardest at religious broadcasters who stand in the way of a liberal social revolution. Christian broadcasters tell HUMAN EVENTS they will be targeted once President Obama's appointees gain control of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this year. "The Left Wing, I think, will immediately start filing complaints, and it will in short order shut Christian broadcasting down," says Warren Kelley, president of "Point of View," the first Christian talk show to go on the air via satellite 37 years ago. "I think it will so limit...

Get ready for an unprecedented government assault upon the First Amendment. President Obama will be at the heart of it. using his version of the “Fairness Doctrine”. In 1949, the Federal Communications Commission created the “Fairness Doctrine,” which mandated that federally-licensed radio and television stations “provide a reasonable opportunity for the presentation of contrasting viewpoints” on “vitally important controversial issues.” Rather than be deluged with demands for air time by aggrieved listeners, the broadcasters generally opted not to cover controversial issues, thereby leaving the public less informed. In 1987, President Reagan’s FCC jettisoned the Fairness Doctrine, and conservative talk radio...

“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” said Barack Obama to Republican leaders Friday. The new president seems to want to make sure that as few people listen to Rush Limbaugh as possible. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) warned Thursday that “legislation is brewing on Capitol Hill that would take away free speech from broadcasters by reinstating a law” -- the infamous “Fairness Doctrine” -- “that would require talk shows to provide equal time coverage of opposing viewpoints on any issues they discuss.” This would wipe out conservative talk shows like Limbaugh’s by mandating that programming reflecting...

Last week, President Obama had a meeting with GOP leaders in which he warned them against listening to Rush Limbaugh -- “you can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.” Don’t let them make conservative talk leaders like Rush Limbaugh “public enemy number one”. As Brent Bozell said, “There is something eerie, Big Brother-like in Obama’s actions. He will deny it, of course, but this is an attack on Limbaugh’s and all conservatives’ right to free speech. He wants to set the stage for the Fairness Doctrine. And he’s doing it through character assassination with the goal of...