Saturday, February 13, 2010

Whoa! "Blog Control Acts" floating around the South Dakota legislature?

Madville Times: Hamiel-Turbak Berry Blog Control Act Chills Free Speech

While I was ranting about the Wisconsin mess about two posts back, Progressive blogger Cory Heidelberger had been on the trail of South Dakota legislative antics for several weeks.

Be warned, he plays with some metaphors some of ya might find crude, but he's sounding a warning that is all about the protection of:

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.

Yes, I know that the South Dakota Legislature is not the U.S. Congress. It is called the "equal protection clause" of our Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1,

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

1 comment:

caheidelberger said...

Hi, Tim! Sorry about those metaphors. I welcome your cleaner translations for your readers... and urge all of you who enjoy the good Father's blog and all open public discourse online to call your legislators and tell them to kill HB 1277 and HB 1278!