Last year Donald Trump snidely suggested that “Second Amendment people” should take Hillary Clinton out. Now that Trump has assured the racist NRA that the imagined war on the Second Amendment is over, perhaps we can turn our attention to Donald Trump’s war on free speech and get “First Amendment people” to save the Constitution from Trump’s tyranny.
Trump campaigned on gutting the First Amendment to stop journalists like me from pointing out his ceaseless, shameless lies. His chief of staff Reince Priebus went on TV yesterday and told Jonathan Karl that Trump still has the First Amendment in his sights:
KARL: First of all, there was what he said about opening up the libel laws, Tweeting, “The failing “New York Times” has disgraced the media world, gotten me wrong for two solid years. Change the libel laws.”
That would require, as I understand it, a constitutional amendment.
Is he really going to pursue that?
Is that something he wants to pursue?
PRIEBUS: I think it’s something that we’ve looked at and how that gets executed or whether that goes anywhere is a different story. But when you have articles out there that have no basis or fact and we’re sitting here on 24-7 cable companies writing stories about constant contacts with Russia and all these other matters that (INAUDIBLE)…
KARL: Do you think the president should be…
PRIEBUS: — no basis at all…
KARL: — to sue “The New York Times.”..
PRIEBUS: I think that…
KARL: — for stories he doesn’t like?
PRIEBUS: Here’s what I think. I think that newspapers and news agencies need to be more responsible with how they report the news. I am so tired…
KARL: I don’t think anybody would disagree with that. It’s about…
PRIEBUS: But everyone…
KARL: — whether or not the president should have a right to sue them.
PRIEBUS: And I already answered the question. I said this is something that is being looked at. But it’s something that as far as how it gets executed, where we go with it, that’s another issue [“This Week” Transcript, ABC News, 2017.04.30].
When a reporter asks if the President intends to seek an amendment weakening the First Amendment, the proper response from the President’s chief of staff is, “Of course not. That’s absurd. The First Amendment is the bedrock of our democracy, the surest protection of all of our freedoms. This Administration has never considered and will never consider weakening the First Amendment, and this Administration will vigorously fight anyone who attacks our First Amendment freedoms.”
Trump’s chief of staff’s answer is, yeah, we’re thinking about it, because all you reporters are liars.
Don’t be fooled by 100 days of incompetence. Trump still has lots of time to tear uip the Constitution and wreak tyranny on our nation. We true patriots, we First Amendment people, must not tire in our resistance to this greedy, dangerous man’s threat to our liberty.
And CBS Morning Dribble had a story broadcast from the White House which almost guarantees fluff and no real news and that what was what viewers got. Some video of the White House structure itself, the paintings, the curtains, the desks, the history, etc. No real news and when a CBS correspondent talked with Trump, Trump lied about Obama tapping his phones and when questioned about that, ended the interview.
Then Press Secretary Spicer more or less said that tough questions from reporters were just “gottcha” games with reporters trying to catch them on some irrelevant fact.
If a story doesn’t fit well with their alternate facts, it is obviously fake news and as Cory’s post suggests, such reporters should get hammered by federal government charging them with libel. Trump’s stupid statement indicated he has no knowledge of the Constitution.
Democrats in Congress trying to work with Trump should remember “Sleep with dogs, wake up with fleas.”
Trump cares and knows nothing about any Amendments. As a natural born 1%er, he has them fully, without having to ask or fight for them, and no Laws can touch his money. i.e. “Rights”.
He will call for some ban on guns before the end of his first year, and the: Us vs. Them, ‘Fer us or agin’ us” type thinking is playing right into their plans. Divide and conquer. The Pinks want us to: say: “I’ll gladly vote against your Rights if you will kindly vote against mine”.
So the use of the First to undermine the Second with lies, vilifying speech and speakers, then calling those who disagree names, only makes the First less attractive, and does nothing to further gun safety.
Democrats got the deals pretty much intact of what they were seeking and trump does not get his wall, nor did he get anything else. trump brings an end to his first 100 days pretty much the same as most of us already knew, bupkis. trumpers in the state all think that they are still winning because trump is rounding up those pesky brown people (to a point). Anyone read what the press has to say about immigrant workers in the South Dakota tourism racket? In the meantime, the press is reporting what is going on and if you take the time to either read or listen to this crack head speak, you really get the idea that he might not say no to powder drugs. In the meantime, trump did vet Mike Flynn and the rest of the crooks and liars on board the gravy train, facts provide that, not fake news. We better hope that the roundup of these felons takes place after the ’18 election so we can get a Democrat in the presidency. Has the local press found out from NOem how she loved her some trumpcare?
I missed this, trump did get this https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/859051316806651905 courtesy of South Dakota taxpayers, oh we are so lucky to contribute to this. Please sir, may we have another?
While trump and company work to gut the 1st Amendment, Democrats across the country are working to control the House. https://www.thenation.com/article/democrats-can-retake-the-house-in-2018-without-converting-a-single-trump-voter/ Alas, you will note that South Dakota is not a player, but lets not let that stop us from contributing to those house seats that actually mean something. Get out your paypal account and check out the districts indicated to make the change you hope for. Sometimes just the thought is all the fun you need!
Prior to the White House Correspondence Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Saturday trump delivered yet another campaign speech in Harrisburg, PA. Since he couldn’t point to any real achievements he had to revert to his usual campaign attacks.
First of note was the recognition of the student newspaper reporters in Kansas that investigated teachers credentials and got her fired.
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, or as most refer to them as WoodStein, delivered some of the most powerful comments about their investigation of Watergate.
First was this observation about how they approached the Watergate scandal, to achieve what they sought they used the slogan “the best obtainable version of the truth”. Which translates in part to keep on digging and to keep going back to their sources.
The next item that stuck out for me was to follow the money and don’t forget to follow the lies, which speak for themselves.
Naturally I thought of the young reporters in Kansas and of Cory.
Not every investigative reporter will have the opportunity to investigate and bring down a president, but each have the burden of reporting what our local, state, and federal governments are doing.
One of the most important aspects of Trump’s attack on the 1st Amendment that is revealed is that he needs to be aggressively and relentlessly investigated and that the money and lies need to be further investigated.
Trump was to frightened of the truth and refused to attend the dinner. The truth and Trump and not compatible, the sad part is that he does know the difference between the truth and alternative facts.
trump wants to gut the 1st Amendment so proof of fake contributions will not be uncovered like they are being done presently. Lee Fang has the report https://theintercept.com/2017/04/20/donald-trumps-inauguration/ Fake donors, no wonder trump calls the reports fake news. South Dakota trumpers cheer their boy on as he needs to money to round up them pesky darkies. It just keeps getting better with the corruption, about time to bring back the EB5 except we don’t have any projects in the state that would even make the muster for the kind of corruption that Rounds, Daugaard, Jackley and Joop brought into fashion. CAFO’s? Nope? Deadwood? Nope, even that dog won’t hunt. Gear Up or something like it? Not even..
The wicked tone&propaganda coming from Ryan rivals Boehner’s worst re:gvt shutdown. Dems Progs&Indies must rally for free true& complete independent press.