That pesky 1st Amendment thingie
See, this is why all legislatures should be part time jobs; Illinois state Sen. Ira Silverstein, according to The Daily Caller submitted a bill in his state to allow website administrators to remove anonymous comments on their internet presence;
It states that a “web site administrator upon request shall remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless the anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate.”
I’m guessing that Mister Silverstein has been the target of some less-than-flattering anonymous comments. But, see, this here thing, my blog, is mine. I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years to establish my presence on the internet. I have removed some comments and some posts, but mostly because I wanted to remove them. I don’t need any government to tell me what to remove – and if you want to remain anonymous, I have no problem with that as long as you have something to contribute.
But, when I lived in Vermont, the state legislature was part time and they were paid like $7000/year and they didn’t have time to make up bullshit legislation like they do now and I think all states should adopt that model, because obviously they have too much time on their hands.
Category: Politics
I find it interesting that, as attacks on the 2nd Amendment increase, so too are the attacks increasing on the First Amendment.
Not surprising, mind you — interesting. It was to be expected, of course.
A “normal person” is his position should be more concerned with his state being in financial ruin and over 400 killings last year in Chicago. But I guess his feeling have been hurt.
Obomber is enjoying his highest approval ratings in 3 years. I expect his shenanigans won’t stop any time soon, the same for idiots like Mr. Silverstein. His approval ratings are a sign people in this country are getting dumber.
Great idea and point on legislators having too much time on their hands. Not only should the legislative sessions be limited in the States, but our Congress should be forced to adopt rules that require any bill to stand alone without add-ons. That practice is abused and costs us all a lot of money.
Isn’t that the definition of censorship? The govt ordering a web site to remove comments – what next, a bill to allow police to order you to submit to a warrantless search/seizure.
It just goes to show that some people go into politics because the crave the power to tell others what to do and how to live. Nothing but a bully.
Now I’m torn between leaving an anonymous comment on his website (Ira, you two-bit *@#$!$!!:::!) or just sending it to him in a letter so he can frame it. He’s in politics and can’t take being told he’s a dipstick?
Here’s his page: http://ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?MemberID=1009
Seriously, I’m getting embarrassed to tell people I live in Illinois these days.
^^^ Aren’t almost all comments on the Internet anonymous?
Very few places require someone to verify their identity.
Dear Mr. Illinois State Sen. Ira Silverstein, you buggling idiot of world class proportion … Kiss My Royal Irish Ass!
Ira is an attorney and no stranger to being taken to task. Here’s a link to an open letter penned by a rabbi in response to Ira’s taking gas about a graphic that appeared in the Gun News newsletter. Get this: “The graphic on the cover of the newsletter contains a jarring juxtaposition: On the left, a blue-on-white Star of David (with a rifle in the foreground) overlaid with the caption: ARMED, PEOPLE FLY THEIR COLORS. On the right is a cloth yellow star as forced upon Jews prior to, and during, the Holocaust. This image is overlaid with the caption: DISARMED, VICTIMS WEAR THEM.”
It’s pretty cool. But Ira the Jerk didn’t like it. Here’s the link to see the graphic and read the rabbi’s letter:
http://jpfo.org/rabbi/rabbi-silverstein-letter.htm
@3 Out of curiosity, when’s the last time you were polled about Obama for ANY reason, popularity or otherwise?
Yeah, me neither.
Polls say what the pollsters want them to say.
I read the rabbi’s open letter to Sen. Silverstein. I like him. I like his ‘tude.
Then I clicked on the link to “The Ten Commandmants of Self-Defense” and found this little bit:
“The Torah says: If someone comes to kill you, preemptively strike him first.”
“If the thief is found tunneling into the house and he is hit and killed, there is no blood guilt.”
“One who breaks into a home, whether by day or night, if the homeowner kills him there is no crime.
Sounds like common sense to me.
@3, 11, I’m certain that they don’t poll anywhere other than downtown Chicago, NYC, or LA.
As to this thin-skinned wuss of a politician, he can kiss my a**!! “No matter what you try, YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID, stupid is forever!” – Ron White He must have been thinking about liberals when he wrote that!
Comrades in Arms:
I think that if someone publicly states their opinion on a controversial subject, they should have the integrity to NOT be “anonymous”.
Now, should they be compelled to do so, by law?
I’m not sure about that, for I do recognize that expressing a personal opinion on some subjects would result in jeopardizing employment or even personal safety.
Since I’m retired, with no family, no property, and no money, I have nothing to lose from revealing my true identity and actual location as my circumstances provide me with immunity from any hostile reactions to my personal opinions, since there’s nothing anyone can do to me.
So, in that respect, I reckon I’m pretty lucky.
Still, I have greater respect for folk’s opinions if they don’t conceal their identities.
Thank you.
John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
@11,13; Or they make sure the question will get them what they want like “would you prefer an assault weapons ban or the murder of children”.
“Now, should they be compelled to do so, by law?
I’m not sure about that…”
Say what? You’re “not sure?”
WTF, over?
@15 I’ll take the murder of children for $200 Alex…../sarc
Men like Silverstein think they are smarter and superior to most everyone else because of their education or birth or possessions. Consequently any of you lower beings who dare to question his opinions or authority should be quaking in your boots, he believes the constitution exists to provide him with the authority to rule over you and not to provide you with protections from people like Silverstein….
When I read an article like this it makes me wonder if anyone who cast a vote for this man has any idea what kind of dumb4ss legislation he is promoting. Here’s hoping he never gets another vote.
After they voted back in a man that is up on corruption charges while he was in the hospital for mental issues nothing coming out of Illinois surprises me anymore.
I’m beginning to think that Chicago should become its own state, with the inclusion of Cook and DuPage counties. That way, Rahmbo can be king and have everything his way.
Then the rest of the state can get better representation in the state legislature.
@18, Jesse Jackson, Jr. and wife have both pleaded guilty, I guess to avoid an actual trial. They also wept.
I am not moved.
@20 “One of Jackson’s lawyers, Reid Weingarten, told reporters afterward that the court should take Jackson’s years of public service into account when he is sentenced.”
Does he mean the years that Jackson was committing this campaign fund fraud while serving? $750,000 misused (stolen?) in campaign funds is a pretty steady diet of criminal activities committed in increments between 5k and 40k….perhaps the lawyer would have been wiser to ask they not consider those years…
VOV, the term ‘misused’ does not mean stolen. It means he used his campaign funds for personal purchases without declaring the use as income, which results in tax evasion charges. He also paid his wife to act as a consultant out of that money, again without declaring the use of the campaign funds as income.
It wasn’t that it was stolen. Campaign funds are donations. He just saw no need to pay taxes on any of that money because it was there. If he had declared it as personal income and paid tax on it, he wouldn’t be in trouble the way he is now.
I have tried to keep an open mind about the Jacksons for some time, because Jesse sr. goes back to the days of the civil rights movement and started PUSH.
But this — it’s just plain arrogance and sheer stupidity. And now it means jail time for the two of them.
Interesting mindset there in Illinois. Permission to do something must be explicitly granted. All thoughts, all acts of commission or omission require Law.
Wow.
Beria signals his approval from beyond the mass grave.
What I find more than a tad curious is how much dicussion regarding the Constitution there has been since obamaman took the throne. It is astounding, really. In a few years we’ve had focus on the Interstate Commerce Clause (c/o obamacare), the 2nd Amendment (c/o obamaman’s gun grabbing efforts), the 1st Amendment (c/o obamaman’s Benghazi response), and the 10th Amendment (c/o Federal overreaching). We have also seen a spotlight placed on Executive Orders and regulations to an extent I do not recall seeing previously. It really is amazing and would be wonderful but for the reasons ao many of us are looking at the Constitution: to stop that sonofabitch.
exPH2 -while it’s nice to think of divorcing some of the liberal strongholds from otherwise nice states like Chicago from Illinois, Boulder/Denver from CO, Santa Fe/Alb from NM, etc… note you would also creeate two new (probably Democratic) Senators and rob at least one Rep from each state… you could easily create a 120 member Senate with an un-vetoable and unbreakable 80 vote majority. Be careful what you wish for.
But, when I lived in Vermont, the state legislature was part time and they were paid like $7000/year and they didn’t have time to make up bullshit legislation like they do now
Jonn–here in NH they pay our legislators $100/year plus mileage to/from Concord on days in session they bother to show up.
Doesn’t stop them from saying and proposing really, REALLY stupid shit.
Teh Texas Legislature only meets every other year… so their stupid shit is confined to odd numbered years, appropriately enough.
@25, I did take that into consideration.
#24 AC: is it arguable that the 10th Amendment was undermined by the 17th Amendment.
Back before the 17th, States were directly represented by each state’s 2 senators. The arcane rules of today, eg holds, filibuster, were tactics used to defend the rights of states to govern within their own borders. Once the 17th was passed, the states lost their representation, and Federalism as a practice ended.
@29 DaveO
Yep.
On Jan 1, 2013, California post over 850 new laws and has almost totally re-assigned penal code numbers to all the weapons sections…thus totally confusing law enforcement and DA’s through out the already fuckup state. We need to find our legislators jobs so they stop screwing shit up so bad.
@29. DaveO. That’s some interesting stuff. Quite frankly, I really hadn’t looked at the 10th/17th interplay but I’ll be doing more reading about it now.