Dedicated to America. Fusion of Politics and Entertainment With Respect To: Protecting Self-evident Freedoms Provided by Our Founding Fathers and The Constitution. Devoted to Personal Freedom and Liberty. Supporting Strong National Defense. Encouraging Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government, and Free Market Capitalism. Favoring "Smart" Energy Independence. Exposing Liberal Media Bias.
Showing posts with label freedom of speech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom of speech. Show all posts
I hope Obama is watching what I'm doing on Facebook! I would love to meet one on one to discuss our differences of opinion!
According to the National Legal and Policy Center the White House is planning a twelve month contract to capture information from social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. The 51 page solicitation shows that the NLPC uncovered shows that the White House does not have to notify the people whose information is being retrieved and there is no restriction on what the White House can do with that information.
If you're watching or reading this, you probably have a You Tube, Twitter, Facebook or MySpace account. According to the NLPC, the White House can access your email address. The White House is trying to gather an enemies list like they did with flag@whitehouse.gov -- the so-called "enemies list" solicited for "misinformation" about the health care debate. Both are arguably not only unconstitutional, but fascist.
NLPC has uncovered a plan by the White House New Media operation to hire a technology vendor to conduct a massive, secret effort to harvest personal information on millions of Americans from social networking websites.
The information to be captured includes comments, tag lines, emails, audio, and video. The targeted sites include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and others – any space where the White House “maintains a presence.”
In the course of investigating procurement by the White House New Media office, NLPC discovered a 51-page solicitation of bids that was filed on Friday, August 21, 2009. Filed as Solicitation # WHO-S-09-0003, it is posted at FedBizzOps.com. Click here to download a 51-page pdf of the solicitation.
While the solicitation specifies a 12-month contract, it allows for seven one-year extensions. It specifies no dollar cap. Other troubling issues include:
extremely broad secrecy terms preventing the vendor from disclosing to the public or the media what information is being captured and archived (page 7, “Restriction Against Disclosure”)
wholesale capturing of comments by non-White House staff on publicly accessible sites
capturing of content of any type (text, graphics, audio, or video)
capturing of comments by both Obama critics and supporters, with no restriction as to how the White House would use the information.
This is the third controversy involving the White House internet operations in less than a month. First, Obama’s New Media operation asked supporters to send information about critics of the White House health care effort to a White House email. This provoked a storm of criticism and the White House retreated. Then large number of people complained of getting email spam from the White House supporting the President’s health care position. Again the White House was forced to back down.
Now the same people at the White House are at it again with an ambitious plan to harvest huge amounts of information from the web and specifically social networking sites.
Given the White House’s recent abuse of its New Media operations, this huge, new secretive program is yet another sign that this Administration is at best indifferent to privacy rights and at worst prepared to violate civil liberties for political purposes.
Perhaps anticipating negative reaction to the invasiveness of the plan, a justification is provided in a Q&A. section of the solicitation. Question #9 reads:
The Presidential Records Act does not require the storage or archiving of non-EOP content, as such is there a specific reason as to why the content provided on EOP related websites in the form of comments is included in these archiving procedures?
Answer: The PRA includes in its definition of presidential records content ―received by PRA components and personnel. Out of an abundance of caution, we are treating comments made by non-PRA personnel on sites on which a PRA component has a presence as presidential records, requiring them to be captured or sampled.
Of course, this interpretation of the Presidential Records Act is so expansive that virtually any communication mentioning the president or the Administration could become subject to collection and archiving under the Act. This is not out of an “abundance of caution,” but out of an over-abundance of power. President Obama should make sure that this plan goes no further.
NLPC promotes ethics in public life through research, investigation, education and legal action.
We recognize that the bigger the government, the more opportunities for corruption; and the more intervention in the economy, the more reason for special interests to seek influence. We believe that the best way to promote ethics is to reduce the size of government.
We do not believe that ethics are advanced through more laws or "better guidelines," even as existing ones are ignored. We don't believe the problem is with too few laws, or with too much freedom, but with men and women. We believe the missing ingredients are character, morality and common sense.
I have no words. Nancy Pelosi is the most unpatriotic, disgusting American I know. Are you kidding? She is second in line to the Presidency and does not understand that the most patriotic thing an American can do is to question his/her representatives?
Again...wasn't he supposed to be a uniter and not a divider? He has succussfully polarized this country beyond anything I have seen in my lifetime.
"Shut up"? As in... Silence? As in... The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion" or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Anyone remember anyone being punished for selling those "impeach Bush" bumber stickers and signs?
Free speech loses out again to the politics of Obama.
The Obama Gestapo strikes again! Our liberties continue to be taken away one by one. This is real, folks! Dissent shall be penalized! Bow to Dear Leader or else!
Seriously, this is completely unacceptable. This is Tyranny! Give me Liberty!
The bumper stickers and posters sold at "Free Market Warrior" at Concord Mills are meant to be "biting," the kiosk's owner Loren Spivack said.
At least one passerby found them racist and bigoted, and took time to tell the mall in a letter and a letter to the editor of the Charlotte Observer.
Whatever your opinion, the fact is this: At the end of July, Free Market Warrior will not be allowed at Concord Mills Mall. The kiosk chain's owner shared e-mail correspondence with NewsChannel 36 that explains that the mall management has decided that the items sold are not "neutral" enough. The lease will be allowed to expire July 31, 2009 without an option to renew.
Spivack, who first leased the space this spring, says the decision came as a shock to him. He says mall management seemed pleased with the kiosk just a few weeks ago.
"Nobody in that mall is selling anything from a conservative perspective. Plenty of people are selling things with a liberal perspective, with a pro-Obama perspective," he said. "Given that we are in America and not North Korea, we probably should have some stuff on the other side."
Spivack says he is careful not to sell things that personally attack a politician and wants a fair exchange of ideas. "The material that I sell is about politics and ideas," he told Newschannel 36. "It's all legitimate criticism."
Concord Mills, owned by Simon Property Group, would not comment for this story, cited a policy against talking about tenant and landlord situations.
Spivack says the company first contacted him about his lease after a letter to the editor appeared in the Charlotte Observer. The author, recent UNC-Charlotte graduate Jennifer Ibanez, wrote"
"Free Market Warrior, a kiosk located adjacent to Bass Pro Shops, specializes in memorabilia embellished with pro-confederacy statements as well as those opposing both the government and President Obama. In addition, these products support ideas such as racisms, sexism, and even slavery. While freedom of speech is a Constitutional right it's difficult not to believe that something just isn't quite right here.
"I find it appalling that Concord Mills, North Carolina’s #1 visitor attraction, would condone such a message to be portrayed by their vendors and can't imagine how the outside visitors' perceptions of North Carolinians have been skewed by such an establishment.
"It’s hard to stay open-minded when such uncivilized and outdated ideas are endorsed on a daily basis. It's 2009; please, let's at least try to put this type of bigotry to an end."
Ibanez told NewsChannel 36 she was so offended, she wrote the mall as well. She says a friend of hers also wrote in. Both threatened not to return to Concord Mills.
The owner of the mall group, Mel Simon, has been a generous contributor to Democratic causes and politicians, including Barack Obama. Spivack thinks the decision about his lease is political.
"If they have decided to make their malls conservative/libertarian free zones, where those opinions can't be expressed, I do think it's their right to do that, but it's our rights to publicize the fact that they are doing that," he said.
Purpose: The Free Republic forum is intended for Conservative users who wish to have a serious discussion about political events, conservative principles and the elimination of government corruption and abuse. This is a news and information site not a chat room. Please stay on topic. Free Republic is a supporter of free speech on the Internet but we believe that along with the privilege of free speech comes the responsibility to respect the rights of others.
Liars! Hypocrites! Fascists!
"Conservative" forum Free Republic makes the Fairness "Censorship" Doctrine seem like a wonderful idea.
To prove my point; the Gestapo Thought Police (a.k.a. Admin Moderators) have edited and changed the link to my "Opus".
Originally, the link connected viewers to my blog and it was edited and changed by Free Republic Nazis to link to whitehouse.gov.
That is the biggest display of censorship I have ever seen on the Internet. What a bunch of Fascists assholes. The "Free Republic" has indeed violated my freedom of speech.
It is truly astounding to me that they consider me to be a "Democratic Underground" plant and a Liberal in disguise and a "RINO".
Take note of the people who claim that Sean Hannity is not a Conservative! Who are these idiots? Sean Hannity is the greatest Conservative this side of Ronald Reagan!
I'm not implying Sean Hannity is God, but he is, without a doubt, a true Conservative and a Great American. The fact that the "FReeper" hacks don't recognize that says all I need to know about their beliefs. Don't waste your time over there if you truly wish to take back America.
Free Republic is part of the problem, not the solution for advancing Conservatism.
What a freaking joke that "fraternity" has become.
Boycott Free Republic at all costs; they are a bunch of useless cry babies with zero impact on the battle for America.
The only thing "free" about those bastards is their bullshit.
I was suspended from "conservative" site Free Republic for having an opinion. It's amazing that a so called site dedicated to "Free" would ban someone for having an opinion.
I encourage anyone to feel free to post my material on Free Republic or elsewhere as I will no longer be posting on that site. (If anyone knows of other open forums similar to Free Republic please let me know.)
There are many amazing people over there who support true conservatism and value the opinion of others in the name of advancing our cause.
However the site is too often dominated by a select few radical Right Wing nutjob bullies who are completely intolerant and hypocritical. They are no better than the Liberals they speak out against. Many simply nitpick and chastise others just to make themselves feel better.
The hypocrisy is astounding and intolerable at times.
My account was "Zotted" according to their lingo for being a "troll".
Many "FReepers" complained that I was "pimping my blog".
For all of you who have blogs or personal web sites that you would like to discuss or promote on Free Republic, here's the place to do it.
Our Bloggers & Personal forum is for:
Posting from your blog.
Posting from other peoples blogs.
Posting from your personal web site.
Posting from other peoples personal web sites.
Promoting your blog.
Promoting other peoples blogs.
Promoting your personal web site.
Promoting your favorite web sites.
Posting from your favorite outside forums.
Free Republic is the premier online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America. And we always have fun doing it. Hoo-yah!
Zot - verb, to get kicked off FR in an undignified manner That's what most people think "Zot" means, but it's not correct.
The history of "Zot".
There are one or two individuals who, for whatever reason, enjoy signing up new accounts here every single day to post leftist drivel. Sometimes they are vanities from DemocraticUnderground. Sometimes they are articles from other far-left sources. Sometimes they are nothing but vile doctored images or profanity laced tirades. Sometimes they are from legitimate sources but happen to strike the eye of the poster as being something that would infuriate conservatives.
The posters in question always post the articles, and then don't reply. They then post other articles, again not replying. This was going on for months. Jim would confirm by looking at the IP addresses and other aspects of the user's 'footprint' that it was the returning troll, and we would nuke the accounts. This went on for months.
Then some of the opportunists who wanted to harm the forum started a whispering campaign, complaining about articles being deleted. They would play off of the fact that the trolls' articles were being pulled to complain that there was some sort of agenda of squelching legitimate conservative postings going on by the moderators.
One day I decided to try something new. I decided, instead of letting the trolls get what they want and have their posts up as flame bait, and instead of pulling the threads outright, I would move their post aside and replace it with something that hopefully others would find humorous. I would do this out in the forum for all to see. The original piece would be available through the history link for the curious, who could see if there was some sort of censorship campaign going on. And the freepers could have fun mocking the troll if they so liked.
It so happens that the way I did it the first time was using a screen shot from Caddyshack, where the pastor gets hit by a lightning bolt. Being a bit of a fan of the comic strip "B.C." I captioned the photo with the lightning bolt sound that Johnny Hart used in his strip- ZOT! That is where the term Zot originated.
Now, sometimes we "zot", and sometimes we simply pull it. It depends on a number of factors, including how busy we are at the time. But whenever you see a Zot, you can be sure that the user was a 'newbie' who was doing their hit-and-run posting, and that if you as a well-established freeper thought the article would have made an interesting discussion, then you could probably post the same piece yourself without incident (although the most vile of the stuff probably would get pulled, and Jim reserves the right to remove anyone who he feels is constantly trying to push leftist propaganda on the forum). Anyway, that is the history and background behind zotting.
***
I will continue to do my part to advance Conservative ideas and bring down the radical Left.
Smith has done more harm to the British democratic system than any other person in history, the only thing that still shocks me about this awful woman is not her total disregard for democracy and her absolute arrogance but her lack of respect for the British people. This government is doing more to help the BNP get to power than any amount of canvassing done by the BNP. By the way Savage is a patriot who speaks the blatant truth, but even if you don't like him, you should fight for his right to speak openly and freely.
"For this lunatic Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary of England, to link me up with skinheads who are killing people in Russia, to put me in (the same) league with mass murderers who kill Jews on buses is defamation. "I thought this was a joke or a mistake." He has a point. Jacqui Smith said the people who were banned were those whose views the country 'would not tolerate'. But who is she to make that decision? While it is the job of the Home Secretary to ensure the security and safety of the nation, it is not for her to decree what we should hear and to whom we should listen.
Talk radio host Michael Savage is considering legal action against Britain's top homeland security official after she released today a list grouping him with terrorists and neo-Nazi murderers banned from entry because the government believes their views might provoke violence.
In a telephone interview with WND, Savage said he is still waiting to hear back from attorneys, but he noted Britain has very strict anti-defamation laws.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she decided to publicize the list of 16 people banned since October to show the type of behavior Britain will not tolerate, according to U.K. news reports.
Savage's immediate reaction upon hearing the news was typically wry.
"Darn! And I was just planning a trip to England for their superior dental work and cuisine," he recalled thinking.
"Then it sank in," he told WND, "and I said, 'She said this is the kind of behavior we won't tolerate? She's linking me with mass murderers who are in prison for killing Jewish children on buses? For my speech? The country where the Magna Carta was created?'"
Smith explained to Britain's GMTV that she believed it was "important that people understand the sorts of values and sorts of standards that we have here, the fact that it's a privilege to come and the sort of things that mean you won't be welcome in this country."
"Coming to this country is a privilege," she said. "If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded."
Savage said he wants top First Amendment attorneys to represent him "in a major international case."
"I want to sue the British home secretary for defamation," he said, "for linking me up with murderers because of my opinions, my writings, my speaking – none of which have advocated any violence, ever."
Savage said the last time he was in Britain was about 20 years ago, and he had no immediate plans to return.
Sixteen people banned from entering the UK were "named and shamed" by the Home Office today.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she decided to make public the names of 16 people banned since October so others could better understand what sort of behaviour Britain was not prepared to tolerate.
The list includes hate preachers, anti-gay protesters and a far- right US talk show host.
"I think it's important that people understand the sorts of values and sorts of standards that we have here, the fact that it's a privilege to come and the sort of things that mean you won't be welcome in this country," Ms Smith told GMTV.
"Coming to this country is a privilege. If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded.
"We are publishing the names of 16 of those that we have excluded since October. We are telling people who they are and why it is we don't want them in this country."
"For this lunatic Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary of England, to link me up with skinheads who are killing people in Russia, to put me in (the same) league with mass murderers who kill Jews on buses is defamation.
"I thought this was a joke or a mistake." He has a point. Jacqui Smith said the people who were banned were those whose views the country 'would not tolerate'.
But who is she to make that decision? While it is the job of the Home Secretary to ensure the security and safety of the nation, it is not for her to decree what we should hear and to whom we should listen.
Talk radio host Michael Savage is considering legal action against Britain's top homeland security official after she released today a list grouping him with terrorists and neo-Nazi murderers banned from entry because the government believes their views might provoke violence.
In a telephone interview with WND, Savage said he is still waiting to hear back from attorneys, but he noted Britain has very strict anti-defamation laws.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she decided to publicize the list of 16 people banned since October to show the type of behavior Britain will not tolerate, according to U.K. news reports.
Savage's immediate reaction upon hearing the news was typically wry.
"Darn! And I was just planning a trip to England for their superior dental work and cuisine," he recalled thinking.
"Then it sank in," he told WND, "and I said, 'She said this is the kind of behavior we won't tolerate? She's linking me with mass murderers who are in prison for killing Jewish children on buses? For my speech? The country where the Magna Carta was created?'"
Smith explained to Britain's GMTV that she believed it was "important that people understand the sorts of values and sorts of standards that we have here, the fact that it's a privilege to come and the sort of things that mean you won't be welcome in this country."
"Coming to this country is a privilege," she said. "If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded."
Savage said he wants top First Amendment attorneys to represent him "in a major international case."
"I want to sue the British home secretary for defamation," he said, "for linking me up with murderers because of my opinions, my writings, my speaking – none of which have advocated any violence, ever."
Savage said the last time he was in Britain was about 20 years ago, and he had no immediate plans to return.
Sixteen people banned from entering the UK were "named and shamed" by the Home Office today.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she decided to make public the names of 16 people banned since October so others could better understand what sort of behaviour Britain was not prepared to tolerate.
The list includes hate preachers, anti-gay protesters and a far- right US talk show host.
"I think it's important that people understand the sorts of values and sorts of standards that we have here, the fact that it's a privilege to come and the sort of things that mean you won't be welcome in this country," Ms Smith told GMTV.
"Coming to this country is a privilege. If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded.
"We are publishing the names of 16 of those that we have excluded since October. We are telling people who they are and why it is we don't want them in this country."
Seriously, SHUT....UP...ABOUT THE DAMN CHIMP CARTOON!
This is a woman who once referred to Donald Rumsfeld as "Hitler", said Catholic priests were always drunk during Communion, and said a Democratic Senator's health problems were the result of a Republican conspiracy to take back the Senate.
I do not use this word freely, but Joy Bahar: You are a bitch!
Oh, boy. What the hell is wrong with these women? This goes back to the NY Post editorial cartoon with a dead chimp (you know, like the one who went wild and nearly killed that woman in CT), lying on the sidewalk with two shots to the chest - obviously dead. The two cops standing over the chimp say “Looks like we’re going to have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bil,” alluding to the crazy loons in Congress who DID write it.
On the Passing of Our Host and Friend Jeff Dunetz
-
Jeff Dunetz, the creator and operator of LidBlog, passed away on Thursday,
July 24. Dunetz passed after a series of medical issues that have struck
him ove...
Moving Day
-
This is the day when we're moving to our new server! I've been working hard
to get everything updated to work with the latest versions of all the
softwar...
1*Sherrie (TS CG)'s blog post was featured
-
1*Sherrie (TS CG)'s blog post was featured
Sarah Palin CPAC Texas August 2022
The former Governor of Alaska and US Congressional candidate is interviewed
at...
