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FIRST AMENDMENT? WHAT FIRST AMENDMENT?

President Announces Executive Order ‘Very Soon’ on Conservatives on College Campuses

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Donald Trump with Hayden Williams

President Trump, during his bizarre, often rambling speech in front of the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), lauded a young conservative activist assaulted on the University of California at Berkeley campus last month, vowing to sign an executive order in support of far-right speakers.

Trump urged the man, Hayden Williams, to “sue the college, the university. And maybe sue the state” over the assault, which was spurred on by signage at the Turning Point USA booth Williams was stationed at on the Berkeley Campus.

“He’s going to be a very wealthy young man,” said Trump. “Go get ’em, Hayden.”

Williams is not a student of the university, but was asked to be at the booth that day by members of the UC Berkeley chapter of Turning Point USA to attend. His suspected attacker, Zachary Greenberg, is also not a UC Berkeley student.

According to Williams, a pair of men had initially been angered by a sign referencing Jussie Smollett, and began cursing at the group. One of them, allegedly Greenberg, became physically aggressive.

Cell phone video of the assault shows Williams recording his attacker up close, before the assailant shoved Williams away, then punches Williams.

The school’s Chancellor, Carol Christ, spoke out about the attack in a message sent to the university. 

“Let there be no mistake, we strongly condemn violence and harassment of any sort, for any reason,” read the message from Christ and the Vice Chancellor for student affairs Stephen C. Sutton. “That sort of behavior is intolerable and has no place here. Our commitment to freedom of expression and belief is unwavering.”

The president also announced that he will “very soon” sign an executive order requiring schools to “support free speech” as a requirement to receive research money from the government. 

“If they want our dollars, and we give it to them by the billions, they’ve got to allow people like Hayden to speak,” said Trump.

It is unclear how such a statement would enhance already existing protections under the United States Constitution, nor if such an executive order would be limited to conservative speakers.

View the exchange below:

Image via screen capture from video source.

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FIRST AMENDMENT? WHAT FIRST AMENDMENT?

Justice Clarence Thomas Believes Media Criticism of Decisions ‘Jeopardizes Any Faith’ in the Supreme Court

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3 years ago

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September 16, 2021

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Justice Clarence Thomas complained about the harsh criticism the Supreme Court has received since allowing a controversial anti-abortion law to go into effect in Texas.

Thomas delivered the 2021 Tocqueville Lecture at the University of Notre Dame on Thursday, where he complained about media criticism, The Washington Post reported.

“I think the media makes it sound as though you are just always going right to your personal preference. So if they think you are anti-abortion or something personally, they think that’s the way you always will come out. They think you’re for this or for that. They think you become like a politician,” Thomas said.

“That’s a problem. You’re going to jeopardize any faith in the legal institutions,” he said.

A second Post report on the speech noted Thomas’ remarks on the ongoing mistrust of the court.

“The court was thought to be the least dangerous branch and we may have become the most dangerous,” Thomas said. “And I think that’s problematic.”

The newspaper noted the lecture was interrupted by protesters who yelled, “I still believe Anita Hill.”

 

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FIRST AMENDMENT? WHAT FIRST AMENDMENT?

Four Cops ‘Drag’ Man From McCarthy Press Conference for Asking Question About Jan. 6 Committee

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3 years ago

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August 5, 2021

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Four law enforcement officers reportedly removed a man from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) press conference on Thursday when he tried to ask a question about the Jan. 6 committee.

“I tried to ask @GOPLeader McCarthy a question after he decried Cuban police pickup up people in the streets,” Grant Stern explained in a tweet. “Why does he oppose the bipartisan #January6thCommission?”

“A Congressional staffer had four cops pick me up and drag me from the room,” he explained.

Stern’s bio indicates that he is an editor for the OccupyDemocrats organization.

Watch the video below

 

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FIRST AMENDMENT? WHAT FIRST AMENDMENT?

GOP Launches Witch Hunt Demanding Investigation Into Highly-Respected University Professor’s Tweets

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3 years ago

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July 9, 2021

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Republicans in Virginia are demanding that University of Virginia President James E. Ryan open an investigation into tweets by Center for Politics founder Dr. Larry Sabato.

“A reasonable taxpaying citizen can readily conclude that Dr. Sabato is demonstrating the rankest form of bitter partisanship,” Virginia GOP Chair Rich Anderson wrote in a letter printed on Republican Party of Virginia letterhead.

“In order to have faith in our institutions, it is essential that Virginians hold accountable those public employees and officials who violate institutional values, codes of conduct, and other guidelines of professional behavior.”

A spokesperson for the university said Sabato has done nothing wrong.

“There is nothing in our Code of Conduct that limits University employees from engaging in expression that is protected under the First Amendment,” the spokesman said.

Anderson complained about eight tweets by Sabato. The first noted Donald Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns.

The second tweet concerned Trump’s fact-free approach to presidential debates.

The third tweet was in the context of Trump hoping to bring back executions by firing squad while facing accusations of extreme tax fraud. It was in the comments of a Daily Beast story.

The fourth tweet questioned Trump’s sanity after he released a 46-minute video pushing his “Big Lie” of voter fraud.

The fifth tweet praised a return to normalcy “after 4 years of the bizarre and disturbing.”

The sixth tweet returned to the question of Trump’s mental health in the context of the delusional conspiracy theory that he will be “reinstated” as president in August in violation of the Constitution.

The seventh tweet concerned Glenn Youngkin, who is worth hundreds of millions after working as the co-CEO of the private-equity firm The Carlyle Group. Youngkin is now running for governor of Virginia.

The final tweet the GOP believes should result in an investigation concerned Trump’s choice of music at his campaign-style rallies.

 

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