Palin: Press Freedom is a Threat to the First Amendment
Saturday November 1, 2008
Related: The First Amendment
Wait, what?
From a radio interview she gave yesterday morning:
This is not the first time that Palin has taken a creative tack on free speech issues. While serving on the Wasilla city council, she suggested banning a children's book from the town library because it portrayed a gay couple in a positive light.
Wait, what?
From a radio interview she gave yesterday morning:
Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.First Amendment rights, as outlined by the First Amendment itself, are as follows (emphasis mine):
"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.The First Amendment contains no clauses preventing the press from criticizing government officials, whether those criticisms are fair or unfair. It protects the media from the government, not the other way around.
This is not the first time that Palin has taken a creative tack on free speech issues. While serving on the Wasilla city council, she suggested banning a children's book from the town library because it portrayed a gay couple in a positive light.
Comments
Tom, this is a great piece. Thank you for bringing it back to the Constitution and its language. Palin is a master manipulator, and is so convincing on the surface of her arguments. You remind us of what is important and truly protected.
A great piece indeed…of crap. I’m not sure how familiar you are with the English language, but this is going to blow your mind…habeas corpus is in the English language dictionary, so is quid pro quo, so Missouri’s official business can include these words, along with “taco” and “pizza.” I hope the 5 people reading this see through your fearmongering (yep, also in there).
About.com, how did you let this guy put his thoughts on paper. If we are to follow his recommendations we should:
Decriminalize crime
Decriminalize drugs
Decriminalize illegal immigration
While:
Encouraging abortion and assisted suicide
Your credibility=0
In regards to Palin, 1st amendment rights and the media, you’re really stretching it. Somehow you contorted her comment that the press is limiting her rights to that she wants to limit yours.
As Aleksander Solzhenitsyn said, freedom exists for the press, but not for the readership. Maybe this will help you with Palin’s comments, and maybe with some journalistic integrity too, which I’m convinvced doesn’t exist anymore. Certainly not here.
It is interesting that Palin was an idiot a month ago, now she’s a master manipulator. I seriously laughed out loud.
Thanks for a great article. I think it is important to see that Palin was a construct and that the republicans really know how to manipulate public opinion and the law to get what they want. Thankfully it didn’t work this time.
jh
This was a good post I think its hilarious that she would call the fact that others use their freedom of speech to criticize her freedom of speech, an attack on free speech itself.
Also couldn’t the list in this comment have stopped at decriminalize crime? Isn’t that an all inclusive to the rest of his list. I also find it funny that you have “0″ credibility because you aparently have ideas that differ from his own.
You gotta stop leaving MSNBC on while you sleep, your brain can’t filter ou the garbage. That book Palin is accused of trying to ban didn’t come out until after she left the office of the may or in Wasilla. How’s this for a civil liberty, the right of the people to have their votes count and not overturned by a small group of appointed judges? gay marriage fails every time. Let the people have power!