How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack • Hacker News Board

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#171

Post by ojbyrne » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:35 AM UTC

zamalek wrote: post #8

If Trump wins the next election, take that as the signal of the point of no return. It happened to Rome, it can happen to America.

We’re a long way from that:

1. He’ll have to change some rules to run again. There will be a lot of resistance.

2. Midterm elections (November of 2026) could take away majorities in the house and the senate, and hopefully bring impeachment back into the picture.

3. There are special elections next Tuesday - 2 house seats in Florida and a Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin. It’s encouraging that Republicans are worried about these, the apartheid billionaire is spraying money all over Wisconsin.

Yes it’s dark and depressing, but things can be changed long before the next Presidential election.

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#172

Post by 762236 » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:35 AM UTC

sega_sai wrote: post #78

As a person who lived in the States for a bit, and listened to a lot of news, I remember always this almost fawning over the Founding Fathers, checks and balances and great American constitution. It is remarkable, how easy it all goes, and most people don't do anything (i.e. out of 100 top law firms, only a handful joined the lawsuit against the government, etc.)

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Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#173

Post by outer_web » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:35 AM UTC

lynndotpy wrote: post #47

solomonb wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He can't run again.

Trump that he's serious about running for a third term and that there are methods to do it. That was just earlier today. https://apnews.com/article/trump-third-term-constitution-22n... We've had ten years of "Trump can't do X."

Yes but we've also had ten years of flooding the zone. I am inclined to believe this is the latter. He will get everything he needs from this term - primarily an escape from his Jan 6 and classified documents charges.

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#174

Post by p1necone » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:36 AM UTC

twright wrote: post #122

This is a really good compilation that should make any "free-speech absolutist" reconsider their support for the current administration. In my understanding, the commonplace interpretation of the first amendment is largely due to a series of landmark cases through the early to mid-20th century. A lot of expansions were provided to the amendment that have been taken for granted since then and we are now going to see c…

I'm not really convinced more than a vanishingly small percentage of people who self identify as "free speech absolutists" are using that term in good faith. Freedom of speech is just the easiest way to have plausible deniability when directly or indirectly defending otherwise indefensible positions.

Anecdotally I've noticed these sorts of people much less often, at least on here as of late. Methinks their deniability isn't so plausible any more.

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#175

Post by linktraveler » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:37 AM UTC

Nothing in this article actually makes a case for infringing upon the first amendment.

"...But barely two months into his second term, the president has waged an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment rights of journalists, students, universities, government workers, lawyers and judges."

Should journalists who make a career destroying lives with false narratives not have consequences?

Should students who hate America be allowed to study here?

Should employees who don't work be fired?

Should we hinder innovation and progress with frivolous lawsuits?

If it is within the legal framework to impeach a judge, why can't the president call for it, but other elected officials can call for his impeachment?

You can't deny this has been the most effective first 100 days in decades. That upsets you. This is what we voted for.

The winning will continue.

-2008: Obama -2012: Obama -2016: Hillary -2020: Biden -2024: Trump

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#176

Post by Volundr » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

quotemstr wrote: post #84

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Let's accept everything you just said as true on its face. Your now presenting masked thugs shoving people in the back of unmarked vans for their Facebook posts as an acceptable response to getting banned from Facebook.

One of these things is not like the other.

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#177

Post by justanotheratom » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

"Trump claims they selectively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris prior to the 2024 election"

Wasn't the full video released and it established that they did edit the video? The article is making it sound like they are being forced to settle a false allegation?

edit: the response was edited, not just the video. details: https://x.com/i/grok/share/KODjBWCrzF8oPmKyPCFuVj1c7

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#178

Post by fundad » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

nine_zeros wrote: post #46

I find it remarkable that Americans are ok with rule by executive order instead of rule by congressional law. I also find it fascinating that no federal judge has held any Trump administration officers in contempt or imposed sanctions/bans on officers who are continuously hurting constitutional rights. I assume that Americans have been sleeping at the wheel, unaware of the threat of slide into fascism. But is the vot…

Yes I think many Americans don’t our government is what makes us special and would rather put their religious interests ahead of congressional law.

Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#179

Post by pmarreck » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

smallmancontrov wrote: post #140

mptest wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/03/donald-trump-new... Everyone should at least watch this video. Taken in America. "Land of the free." That this is only one of many such videos is terrifying if you know the history of fascist regimes. I hope everyone here is familiar with the "first they came for the communists..." poem.

It has started. The Posobiec book (foreword by Steve Bannon) makes the case that anyone to the left of Mussolini is a "secret communist revolutionary" and rationalizes doing anything to "crush" us. https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unhumans This is a popular book. I found my own mother reading it. I took the title at face value at first and found the skull disturbing but not threatening what with not being a communist…

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Re: How each pillar of the First Amendment is under attack

#180

Post by JumpCrisscross » Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

slowhadoken wrote: post #149

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Aren’t most news agencies, directly or indirectly, owned by BlackRock, State Street, or the Vanguard Group? That’s a real question It’s a stupid question easily dismissed with a modicum of research. (Most papers aren’t public.)

Example (using “a modicum of research): MSNBC -> NBCUniversal News Group -> Comcast Corp (and Vivendi) -> The Vanguard Group (largest shareholder).

Good job, you found one. Here’s a hint: you’ll find the same not only for heather other publicly-traded media companies, but almost every publicly-traded company. (If you want to go full lunatic, look up Cede & Co.)

The problem with the original assertion is that most media outlets, including an overwhelming majority of newspapers, are privately owned. Notoriously, among the biggest ones, by billionaires.