3 Comments

The First Amendment protects our rights to say, PUBLICLY, what we believe. It does not prohibit anyone, including the government, from listening to what we say PUBLICLY.

The Fourth Amendment protects what we say PRIVATELY, such as in our private papers and communications etc, from being seized and examined by government. Social media posts are not private. They are public, and there is no violation of individual rights if government examines them. Even email implies no expectation of privacy unless it is encrypted. An unencrypted email is analogous to a postcard.

Claims that revealing such intelligence to local authorities might be a violation of First Amendment rights is simply "gas lighting" the real reason the intelligence was not shared. The Deep State WANTED protesters to invade the Capitol so it could be used like a "Reichstag fire" to stampede lawmakers and the public into supporting various "enabling acts" restricting First and Fourth Amendment rights.

Caitlin and others have written about this fresh attack on the Bill of Rights, but often make the mistake of labeling ALL Trump supporters as right wing extremists. That faction does exist within the ranks of Trump supporters, but the vast majority of Trump supporters and likely even a majority of those who entered the Capitol are not violent "right wingers" or "fascists." They are simply angry but naive people who have been manipulated into a self-defeating action. We will not get out of this mess until both "socialist" and "libertarian" pundits reach out to one another to find common ground on which they can unite and fight the REAL fascists, the corporate, technocratic globalists.

BTW Caitlin, I love your cartoon and have downloaded it for future use on fora that allow the upload of images. I see you signed it, and I will also attribute it to you in text.

Expand full comment

That domestic terror quote comes directly from the Patriot Act. Why does Schiff even need to codify it into law twice?

Expand full comment

You can keep your stupid check. Reopen businesses without restrictions and rehire workers. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't live on $1,400 a year unless they plan to lower the U.S. living standard below that of Venezuela or Haiti. We need jobs, not handouts. Save the bribes for the politicians.

Expand full comment