Via Dan Rather, a thread: 1/…
If I may, there’s something I need to get off my chest.
As democracy remains under siege, it has been frustrating to watch how the press covers politics these days.
I am reminded by lessons that came to me during the Nixon years as a CBS News corresp:
1. Enough with Both-sides-ism
When 1 side lies intentionally & repeatedly, they are no longer entitled to benefit of doubt. They should be held to account, right away. Do not simply repeat the narratives they spew
"In all 7 states where abortion has been on the ballot since #RoeVWade fell, voters have... supported protecting #abortion rights...
That has led some #Republicans... to target the ballot initiative process, a form of direct #democracy...
“Thank goodness that most of the states in this country don’t allow you to put everything on the ballot because pure democracies are not the way to run a country,” said Rick Santorum"
https://apnews.com/article/abortion-democracy-threats-republicans-ballot-initiatives-ohio-3d6e2f0d0f5993ddd75522b662d2eb34
The statewide battles over abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion have exposed another fault line across the country. And that's the commitment to democracy. Opponents of abortion rights are being accused of ignoring the will of voters by acting with defiance toward democratic processes and institutions they perceive as aligned against their cause. Some Republican elected officials and anti-abortion activists have responded to ballot box losses by challenging election results or refusing to bring state laws into line with voter-backed changes. There have been effort to strips state courts of their power over all abortion-related laws and to challenge the citizen-led initiative process.
Russia, North Korea, Israel, and now Argentina are being led by gangsters.
Another gangster is running for president in the United States.
Asking you to support the imperfect man who opposes him is the absolute least of my requests.
DePape, who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer last year, testified on the third day of his federal trial in San Francisco, occasionally breaking into tears as he detailed an outlandish plan to kidnap the former House speaker and other 'evil' targets.
Earlier today, in Manhattan, Trump’s lawyers filed a petition in the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, claiming the gag orders from Judge Arthur Engoron barring the former president from making public comments about the judge's staff were unconstitutional in nature.
The latest: The appellate court temporarily lifted the gag orders.
Here is what that means: The First Amendment issues are not as easy as others in these cases.
https://www.courthousenews.com/ny-judge-temporarily-lifts-gag-orders-in-trump-org-civil-fraud-case/
1/
I've written about the First Amendment issues raised here and why the questions are not easy.
See, for example:
https://terikanefield.com/trump-gag-orders-and-the-first-amendment-its-complicated/
3/
First, some business As I announced in my last blog post, I have signed a contract to write a new book, so my blogging schedule has shifted from weekly to whenever. Meanwhile, I often post commentary and answer questions in the following places: Mastodon (I prefer Mastodon: There are no algorithms so less of a … Trump, Gag Orders, and the First Amendment Read More »
Former President Donald Trump should toe the line and avoid attacking court staff in the New York civil fraud trial, even though the gag order imposed on him — which he was already fined twice for violating — has temporarily been suspended by a state appellate judge.That's the view of former federal...
Laffy
Zhi Zhu 🕸️
Ω 🌍 Gus Posey
Aaron Rupar
Steve Silberman
I moved to Mastodon.social
Matthew Chapman