Posts Tagged First Amendment

freedom of the press written in scrabble letters
By Meg Sri • 8 years ago

Freedom of the Press Faces Grave Threat Under Trump, And You Can Help Now

Trump’s looming presidency grows more and more ominous to all minority communities by the day, with the rise of hate crimes upon his election; his public commentary on overturning Roe vs. Wade; his plans for mass and unprecedented deportation; his appointment of fearful, hatemongering, and unapologetic scumbag racists, white supremacists, misogynists, and homophobes to his cabinet. One (out of the many) alarming features of an America under Trump? The lack of a free press to expose his corruption and wrongdoings, keep the public informed, and hold him accountable.

Trump’s looming presidency grows more and more ominous to all minority communities by the day, with the rise of hate crimes upon his election; his public commentary on overturning Roe vs. Wade; his plans for mass and unprecedented ...

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By Meg Sri • 8 years ago

Against An Authoritarian America: Standing Up For Kaepernick’s Right to Sit Down

“When the Horst Wessel Song was sung, as a democrat of long standing I naturally did not raise my arm. The woman was standing next to me. She sang along with gusto and raised her hand high. She was the one who reported me. I then had to go and explain myself to District Administrator Rothmund. And he said to me, ‘What did you do?’ I said, ‘I didn’t do anything at all.’ Then he said, ‘That’s just it! Times have changed. You have to raise your hand now.’”

–  An eye-witness account (excerpt), after 1945. Topographie des Terrors museum, Berlin.

“When the Horst Wessel Song was sung, as a democrat of long standing I naturally did not raise my arm. The woman was standing next to me. She sang along with gusto and raised her hand high. ...
By Katherine Cross • 10 years ago

Empty Words: The Supreme Court’s unequal view of speech

 

#106909642 / gettyimages.com

Today, another Supreme Court ruling with far-reaching implications for the rights of women in this country in the much-touted Hobby Lobby case will be decided. Last week’s ruling in McCullen v. Coakley striking down the 35 foot buffer zones in front of Massachusetts abortion clinics on First Amendment grounds, however, should continue to trouble us all: it is, in many ways, the triumph of unequal speech in American public life, investing more power and protection in the already-privileged at the expense of those with weaker voices.

It’s the latest in a ...

 

#106909642 / gettyimages.com

Today, another Supreme Court ruling with far-reaching implications for ...