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http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2 ... ree-speech

Another scary attack on the Constitution by the Obama administration.

Wielding subpoenas demanding information on anonymous commenters, the government is harassing a respected journalism site that dissents from its policies. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York claims these comments could constitute violent threats, even though they’re clearly hyperbolic political rhetoric.

Venting anger about injustice is not a crime. Neither is being obnoxious on the Internet. The chances of one of these commenters being convicted of threatening the judge are essentially nil. Conviction isn’t the point. Crying “threats” just makes a handy pretext for harassing Reason and its commenters.

The real threats aren’t coming from the likes of Agammamon and croaker. They’re coming from civil servants in suits. Subpoenaing Reason’s website records, wasting its staff’s time and forcing it to pay legal fees in hopes of imposing even larger legal costs and possibly even a plea bargain (or two on the average Joes who dared to voice their dissident views in angry tones ) sends an intimidating message: It’s dangerous not just to create something like Silk Road. It’s dangerous to defend it, and even more dangerous to attack those who would punish its creator. You may think you have free speech, but we’ll find a way to make you pay.

Sadly, this administration is like Nixon (Nikon = stupid IPad !!!) overdosed on steroids in the use of bureaucrats for political objectives. In light of electing the current occupant of the WH, this nation owes tricky Dick a huge apology.

This government is not very different from other governments known for repressing their peoples. Mexico probably has a more honest government than we do. We've got an administration that is on the same moral level as any banana republic. I am a vocal dissident myself. And I don't scare. What are they going to do to an old man.....threaten him with a shortened life? Ppphhhht!

Like my sig line says, "every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." I am much more than ashamed.

The Annoyed Man wrote:This government is not very different from other governments known for repressing their peoples. Mexico probably has a more honest government than we do. We've got an administration that is on the same moral level as any banana republic. I am a vocal dissident myself. And I don't scare. What are they going to do to an old man.....threaten him with a shortened life? Ppphhhht!

Like my sig line says, "every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." I am much more than ashamed.

More honest...maybe. Having lived near the border and known a few people from Mexico, what I'm pretty sure they do have is a more "open" or "accessible" government. For example, try bribing your way out of a traffic ticket in this country. If you're not politically connected or one of John Corrazine's Wall Street pals you're going to jail. In Mexico, all that matters is if you have the money for the bribe--though the rates are higher if you're wealthy. Of course Mexico is plagued with horrible gang violence but if you've got a little money you can still probably find more actual freedom in Mexico than you can here.

VMI77 wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:This government is not very different from other governments known for repressing their peoples. Mexico probably has a more honest government than we do. We've got an administration that is on the same moral level as any banana republic. I am a vocal dissident myself. And I don't scare. What are they going to do to an old man.....threaten him with a shortened life? Ppphhhht!

Like my sig line says, "every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." I am much more than ashamed.

More honest...maybe. Having lived near the border and known a few people from Mexico, what I'm pretty sure they do have is a more "open" or "accessible" government. For example, try bribing your way out of a traffic ticket in this country. If you're not politically connected or one of John Corrazine's Wall Street pals you're going to jail. In Mexico, all that matters is if you have the money for the bribe--though the rates are higher if you're wealthy. Of course Mexico is plagued with horrible gang violence but if you've got a little money you can still probably find more actual freedom in Mexico than you can here.

Depends on your definition of freedom.

MeMelYup wrote:

VMI77 wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:This government is not very different from other governments known for repressing their peoples. Mexico probably has a more honest government than we do. We've got an administration that is on the same moral level as any banana republic. I am a vocal dissident myself. And I don't scare. What are they going to do to an old man.....threaten him with a shortened life? Ppphhhht!

Like my sig line says, "every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." I am much more than ashamed.

More honest...maybe. Having lived near the border and known a few people from Mexico, what I'm pretty sure they do have is a more "open" or "accessible" government. For example, try bribing your way out of a traffic ticket in this country. If you're not politically connected or one of John Corrazine's Wall Street pals you're going to jail. In Mexico, all that matters is if you have the money for the bribe--though the rates are higher if you're wealthy. Of course Mexico is plagued with horrible gang violence but if you've got a little money you can still probably find more actual freedom in Mexico than you can here.

Depends on your definition of freedom.

My basic definition would be something along the lines of being left alone by the government as long as you're not injuring another person. We live in a surveillance state that is becoming if not already a police state. We cannot escape government interference in any aspect of our lives. Government regulation and interference in my industry has grown exponentially in just the past ten years. Freedom in this country is disappearing so rapidly that even my children have noticed it in their lifetime. Having been around a good while the differences between my youth and the present are in stark contrast. The perception is complicated by the fact that while most things have gotten worse, some things have gotten better, and the fact that some of what is bad now also existed to some degree and was bad in the past.

A further complication is that the concept of freedom tends to be personal for most people and divorced from its abstract principles. Many people think they're free because they don't perceive their own usually very limited lives and activities to be impinged. For example, people who don't think you should own guns don't think laws against owning guns make you any less free. People who have no interest in smoking marijuana don't think laws against using marijuana make them less free. Probably the biggest difference between the US and Mexico in this context is not the actual law, but the enforcement. Many of the same things are illegal and so on paper things may look very similar, but enforcement of the law is vastly different. Here there is little or no latitude in enforcement compared to many other countries, including Mexico.

ShootDontTalk wrote:Sadly, this administration is like Nixon (Nikon = stupid IPad !!!) overdosed on steroids in the use of bureaucrats for political objectives. In light of electing the current occupant of the WH, this nation owes tricky Dick a huge apology.

Youre right. The press also gave the Kennedy & Johnson Admins a bye while targeting Nixon.The bureaucratic muscle their administrations routinely flexed is scary.

While in the senate Johnson was the most powerful man in the US. He controlled all federal departments. (followed closely by Edgar Hoover)

The Kennedys used the CIA, DOJ, and the Mafia in many illegal & over reaching actions. Bobby went so far as to even kidnap Carlos Marcello & deport him without due process. To this day the Kennedys respect no law.