In every country in the world, everyone is always free to go to a public park, stand on a soapbox and say “I love our government!” I bet you can do that in North Korea as easily as you can it in New York or Texas.
Our First Amendment is supposed to allow us a bit more freedom than just saying the stuff our government wants us to say.
Why does this coming from a Texas Republican surprise anyone? This state is a microcosm of our Federal legislature.
I don’t know that I’m all that upset about making it harder to show someone doing or saying something that they didn’t do or say. Or at least having to disclose that it isn’t real. Like, maybe it would not have been the end of the world after Adam Shiftless stood in front of Congress and read a script purporting to be a conversation between Trump and Zelenskyy, if he had had to say “by the way, I just made every word of that up out of my head—he never said that or anything like it”. Just maybe not such a terrible thing.
I am a strong believer in free speech, but im a bit split on this one. It refers to AI memes where the person in the meme is voice overed to make it look like they said something they never said. You would be surprised how many people over at Occupy Democrats believe every thing they see in a meme. As of today, you can generally spot these if you look at the mouth moving, but they will get better. It really isnt tough to have a video of Trump walk past a Black politician and say “Damn blacks always smell so bad”.
I agree with this legislation.
WTH is wrong with Texas.
A Conservative State Run By RINOS!
I don't see anywhere in there or even a footnote that says ok to abridge what I don't like or what I don't believe or even what is not true.
When a person or group of persons take it upon themselves to do just that, the men that signed the paper called it tyranny.
A few years ago there was a state politician in one of the Carolinas who was advocating for liberal Democrats to pose as conservative Republican candidates in order to steal elections for the left. She proposed calling them something like “super secret” candidates.
In recent memory, is there any Democrat who has broken ranks with the hard core policies of the Demmunist Party USA?
He was installed by the democrats. While the dems are small in the Texas government, they goose step together forcing garbage like this jackass into the most powerful position in Texas politics.
No surprise from the purple state of Texas!
Any chance Abbott signs it into law?
It would appear that Texas has been assimilated.
Suppose CBS published a story saying that President Trump had said that black people should be put back in chains, that women shouldn't be allowed the right to vote, and that Adolf Hitler was a great guy. I think we would all agree that the government should enforce a defamation lawsuit against CBS for deliberately lying about what he had said.
However, if you oppose this law, you are effectively saying it is perfectly okay if rather than reporting the story, CBS used a digitally altered image and voice of Trump to make it appear as if he had said those exact words. In other words, telling people that is what Trump said is illegal, but showing Trump actually saying that isn't.
I'd bet if this reaches the Supreme Court, they would uphold it, or something very close to it. As they should - no person should have their own face and voice altered to make it appear they said something they did not say.
I have a BETTER idea. Pass legislation that campaign ads can ONLY mention what your candidate proposes, that all speeches during a campaign can ONLY speak of what YOU propose. Candidates must be forced to SELL themselves and THEIR ideas to the electorate rather than be allowed to demonize their opponents. The law I propose would make it illegal to mention your opponent. If someone is unable to sell themselves and their own ideas to the public, they don’t deserve being elected.
How do the Republicans come up with rinos like Phelan????
Trying to think of Texas Republicans that I have respected and admired.
My list of one is Tom “the Hammer” Delay who after Gingrich and Livingston were taken down by the FBI files Crooked Hillary had her in possession, he stepped up and almost singlehandedly orchestrated Slick Willie’s impeachment.
The Texas Republican Hall of Shame would be a long list, headed by the Bush Crime Family and Kenneth Starr who gave the REAL Clinton crimes a pass while obsessing on the what happened in the Oral Office.