The NYT is doing what they always do, they legitimize the MAGA nutters because they want the broadest audience. Any serious person knows Trump didn’t just yell and pout and Tweet and scream about imaginary fraud. He used the vast power of the presidency to ignore the outcome of an American election to force people like Pence and Congress to stage a coup. Simply because you lie and claim you have a good reason to overthrow the government doesn’t make the act any less illegal. Even if fraud was indeed rampant, he needed to prove it through all legal avenues and patiently await his reinstatement. But he was never going to prove anything. He simply refused to leave the Oval when his term was up. THAT is what’s unprecedented. And the fact that his coup failed doesn’t make the attempt less a crime. He went all-in to hold onto power and undermine our democracy and people died. It’s baffling that the GOP failed to unite behind voices like Liz Cheney and condemn Trump. Had they voted to impeach the second time, they would be free of him. Now they must continue to defend his actions, instead of standing up for democracy and justice and our constitutional rights. Trump has truly destroyed himself and the Republican Party, and not through his “free speech.”
I'm glad to know that the New York Times now recognizes the absolute First Amendment Write to repost the full text of all NYT articles to your personal website for free.
It’s so cool how if you do anything that be construed as ‘speech’ in the course of doing whatever, that thing is now legal because free speech. Like I can say to Bugsy here ‘Bugsy, shoot that guy and throw the body in the reservoir’, and now it’s legal, sorry dead guy. Because see how I said a thing? It’s awesome.
... also, I can send out eleventy billion spam emails to vulnerable seniors saying send me $100 because your gas bill is overdue and that’s legal, too! Damn, what a country.
... and I can walk into a bank and say ‘I have a gun in my pocket so empty the till into this bag’, and look, it’s just gonna be a messy clash of lies versus free speech if you go and prosecute me. I didn’t have a gun in my pocket. I’m such a liar...
(... but lies are allowed, see? So we’re good, right?)
I would like to perform an analogy and charge TFG with "Failure to Perform the Duties of a President", similar to hit-and-run, with respect to the '22 election and sequelae. Sadly not an actual statute or tort.
If you're conservative, you don't have first amendment rights. See how easy that is. Problem solved.
"...when you’ve lost Jowly Roy Cohn …"
At this point, I think he would have lost ACTUAL Roy Cohn.
The NYT is doing what they always do, they legitimize the MAGA nutters because they want the broadest audience. Any serious person knows Trump didn’t just yell and pout and Tweet and scream about imaginary fraud. He used the vast power of the presidency to ignore the outcome of an American election to force people like Pence and Congress to stage a coup. Simply because you lie and claim you have a good reason to overthrow the government doesn’t make the act any less illegal. Even if fraud was indeed rampant, he needed to prove it through all legal avenues and patiently await his reinstatement. But he was never going to prove anything. He simply refused to leave the Oval when his term was up. THAT is what’s unprecedented. And the fact that his coup failed doesn’t make the attempt less a crime. He went all-in to hold onto power and undermine our democracy and people died. It’s baffling that the GOP failed to unite behind voices like Liz Cheney and condemn Trump. Had they voted to impeach the second time, they would be free of him. Now they must continue to defend his actions, instead of standing up for democracy and justice and our constitutional rights. Trump has truly destroyed himself and the Republican Party, and not through his “free speech.”
I'm glad to know that the New York Times now recognizes the absolute First Amendment Write to repost the full text of all NYT articles to your personal website for free.
It’s so cool how if you do anything that be construed as ‘speech’ in the course of doing whatever, that thing is now legal because free speech. Like I can say to Bugsy here ‘Bugsy, shoot that guy and throw the body in the reservoir’, and now it’s legal, sorry dead guy. Because see how I said a thing? It’s awesome.
... also, I can send out eleventy billion spam emails to vulnerable seniors saying send me $100 because your gas bill is overdue and that’s legal, too! Damn, what a country.
... and I can walk into a bank and say ‘I have a gun in my pocket so empty the till into this bag’, and look, it’s just gonna be a messy clash of lies versus free speech if you go and prosecute me. I didn’t have a gun in my pocket. I’m such a liar...
(... but lies are allowed, see? So we’re good, right?)
People can talk about doing those things and probably claim that as Freedom of Speech. Actually doing those things is a crime.
Sort of like talking about committing a bank robbery is FoS, but committing one is not. In fact, it's not speech at all--it's action.
Don't forget NYT's sister in propaganda, the Washington Post. They're also running with the "it's true if you believe it" bullshit.
Fabulous, Liz!
Who owns the times again?
What if I really thought that the theater was on fire? What if I just wanted to conduct a fire drill, like we had in school?
Trump's campaign slogan: I have the first amendment right to lie to you and will continue to do so no matter what the libs say!
"Yeah, like why did Charles Manson go to jail, he only told his followers to kill all those innocent people, free speech man!"
I really want to read this post but after only 4 paragraphs my blood pressure spiked and I had to stop.
Also a good legal rundown: https://www.emptywheel.net/2023/08/03/the-elements-of-offense-in-the-trump-january-6-indictment/
I would like to perform an analogy and charge TFG with "Failure to Perform the Duties of a President", similar to hit-and-run, with respect to the '22 election and sequelae. Sadly not an actual statute or tort.
1 miinutes to R-Hour when Rachel comes in on MSNBC and hopefully someone dropkicks Mrs. Greenspan out of the room.