Archive for the Free Speech Category

Vice President Vance’s Valentine’s Day Greetings.  Oh, And Happy Valentine’s Day! (February 17, 2025)

Posted in Europe, Foreign Policy, Free Speech, Russia, Security State, Ukraine on February 17, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “Vice President Vance’s Valentine’s day speech to the Munich Security Counsel is a much needed and sobering analysis . . . and thus a seismic shock.  The text will appear in future foreign policy texts and treatises.” 

J          “Another Trump blunder delivered by his bumbling sidekick.”

. . .

K          “The war is between the United States and Russia.  Zelenskyy is not even legitimately elected and with his band of banderites and brigands have exploited and abused their fellow Ukrainians.  Those who occupy the positions of power in Europe and the European Union have allowed themselves to be exploited and rendered themselves impotent and irrelevant.  Why should they be involved?”

J          “The Russians must be stopped.  The Ukrainians must be involved.  The Europeans must be engaged.  The U.S. must be leading.”

. . .

[See Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech to the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2025 and “Munich Bloodbath Ruptures Western Order Wide Open” by Simplicius in “Simplicius76” dated February 14, 2025.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

J.D. Vance:  “Europe must respect and tolerate free speech.”

Europe:        “J.D. Vance is not free to speak freely in Europe.”

“The issue that has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks.”  Lord Acton

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“Supreme Court backs Biden administration in social media dispute with red states”  Biden 1; People 0.  Oh, And Happy Canada Day! (July 1, 2024)

Posted in First Amendment, Free Speech, Supreme Court on July 1, 2024 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “The headline above an Associated Press article astutely sums up the score.  Law in America is a game and a sport with winners and losers.  The decisions should be printed and debated on the Sports Page.  However, there is no justice.”

J          “Not allowing them to make their argument was callow.” 

. . .

K          “The idea that even an ordinary person off the street does not have standing to defend the most fundamental Constitutional right is obscene.  They were advocating for free speech and were not even allowed to speak.  I know obscenity when I see it.”

J          “Time to appoint non-lawyers to the courts.  Lawyers are not capable of handling the task.  A new team is our only salvation.”

. . .

K          “I suspect they were discreetly reminded that they should not forget who they are dealing with.  Any one of the more than half dozen vaunted persuasion vectors alone could have been persuasive.” 

. . .

[See the e-commentary at Murthy v. Missouri:  AMA v. AAPS; Flaccid Amendment v. First Amendment.  The Speakers’ Corner And The Public Square. (March 18, 2024).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

“[O]ne of the most important free speech cases to reach this Court in years.”

There was “more than sufficient” evidence that Jill Hines, one of the plaintiffs, had standing to sue “and consequently, we are obligated to tackle the free speech issue that the case presents.” 

“The Court, however, shirks that duty and thus permits the successful campaign of coercion in this case to stand as an attractive model for future officials who want to control what the people say, hear, and think.” 

“The Government’s pressure tactics, which included threats of adverse regulatory action, cannot be dismissed as mere persuasion.”

“This ruling effectively grants the government a free pass to continue its campaign of suppression, threatening the foundational principles of free expression.”

Justice Samuel Alito

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Assange.  Free. (June 24, 2024)

Posted in First Amendment, Free Speech, Journalism on June 24, 2024 by e-commentary.org

. . .

[See the article “JULIAN ASSANGE IS FINALLY FREE” by Joe Lauria in Consortium News dated June 24, 2024.]

[See the e-commentary at Hero or Traitor? (June 10, 2013), November 23, 1963; Three Score Years Later (November 27, 2023) and The Persecution Of Assange And The Feckless MSM (September 21, 2020) and also type “Assange” in the search box.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

Free.  Assange.  Free.

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United States of America V. Thomas Jefferson: The Transcript (September 18, 2023)

Posted in First Amendment, Free Speech, Revolution on September 18, 2023 by e-commentary.org

. . .

G         “Mr. Jefferson, would you look at Exhibit 1?  Would you identify that document?”

J          “Yes.  Exhibit 1 is a true and correct copy of the Declaration of Independence.”

G         “Did you write the document?”

J          “Yes.  Most of it.”

G         “Does it reflect your thoughts?”

J          “Yes.  The provisions I wrote reflect my thoughts and beliefs and convictions.”

G         “You realize in this proceeding that you may be convicted for your convictions?”

J          “Yes.”

G         “Would you look at the section highlighted in the middle of the page and read it?”

J          “Yes.  ‘But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.’  That sentence?” 

G         “Did you write that statement?”

J          “Yes.  I did.  My friends John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and I discussed some of the phrases and the cadence and the placement of provisions in the document.”

G         “Your Co-Defendants?”

J          “I would say co-authors.  They deserve credit.  They have not gotten enough credit for their suggestions and editing.”

G         “Did you say:  ‘it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government’?” 

J          “Yes.  I did.  Under those stated circumstances, it is the right and the duty of the citizen to take that action.  A right is something that usually protects against an action of or statement by a person.  A duty is something that a citizen must do.  Under those stated circumstances, the citizen has both a right to act and a duty to act.”

G         “‘to throw off such Government’ is how you say it?”

J          “Yes.  That is how I say it.  ‘After a long train of abuses and usurpations.’  Yes.  Absolutely.  Those sentiments are part of the core assumptions and foundation of the United States of America.  Someone in the future will discover something likely to be described as ‘DNA’; these sentiments are part of our ‘DNA’.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at On Revolution (March 15, 2010).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”  Thomas Jefferson

“Every generation needs a new revolution.”  Thomas Jefferson ???

“I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing.”  Thomas Jefferson

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”  Thomas Jefferson

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