Standing Up for Free Speech Is Not a Threat to Free Speech

[Jefferson23]

March 12, 2016

Of all the many disturbing things about Donald Trump, his glorification of political violence may be the worst. Again and again, he has encouraged his followers to respond to peaceful protests with brutal force. The Intercept (3/11/16) had a good compilation of Trump’s encouragement of attacks against those who dare to speak out against him:

“See, in the good old days this doesn’t happen, because they used to treat them very, very rough. And when they protested once, you know, they would not do it again so easily…. They get away with murder because we’ve become weak.”
“I love the old days — you know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks.”
“You see, in the good old days, law enforcement acted a lot quicker than this, a lot quicker. In the good old days, they’d rip him out of that seat so fast. But today, everybody’s politically correct. Our country’s going to hell with being politically correct.”

Rachel Maddow on MSNBC (3/11/16) presented a video compilation of Trump’s routine incitement to violence:

And Trump’s followers are clearly listening to their leader’s exhortations. Slate publishes a running list of violent events at Trump rallies—including attacks on journalists as well as protesters. After one protester was punched, kicked and reportedly choked at a November 2015 rally in Birmingham, Alabama, Trump’s response was, “Maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing.” One Trump supporter who viciously elbowed a African-American protester in the face—and was later indicted for the assault—boasted to Inside Edition (3/10/16), “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.”

The idea that a political movement should respond to criticism with violent attacks is not compatible with a democratic society. There’s no incongruity in Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke’s endorsement of Trump; what Trump is celebrating is the Klan’s strategy of suppressing dissent through terror.

When peaceful protests are met with violence, as they have been again and again at Trump’s mass meetings, protesters have a choice between giving in to intimidation and staying away, or showing up in numbers large enough so that they cannot be suppressed. Last night, in Chicago, activists made the latter choice. It was the right thing to do for democracy.

http://fair.org/home/standing-up-for-free-speech-is-not-a-threat-to-free-speech/

[Kalidurga]

1. When we fight we win.

And by fight I mean stand up to bullies. This is what they did. The fact that Trump people got violent over that is no reflection on their actions. In fact it highlights the very reason they had to be there.

[Jefferson23]

2. I believe it is necessary to do, the coverage of Trump is all over msm..who covers the

protestors unless they're en masse at the rallies? I have to agree with Rubio on this one point he made yesterday,
the media had no interest in covering his events until he went full throttle on Trump using
unsavory language. Then they showed the loop over and over again.

[Kalidurga]

3. It's really bad when Rubio is the adult in the room.

[Jefferson23]

4. Yes, and it is not my pleasure to point it out. n/t

[Kalidurga]

5. It's okay

In fact I think it's great that not all Republicans are racist gas bags. We do need to find some common ground. Maybe we could start on this issue, move on to swapping recipes, then start a conversation on how businesses all to often exploit labor resources to extract wealth from the economy.

[Jefferson23]

6. I am skeptical about that due to the history of the Reagan era...a racist based approach

to politics. One thing that galls me is how the GOP establishment is responding
on one hand appropriately to call out Trump. Yet they are disavowing any
responsibility for having culled this shit for decades and when paired with
their trade deals/corporate welfare, they have left themselves ripe for a
snake oil salesman who has figured out exactly what these people want to
hear.

I don't know what happens next, their party is in ruins and hopefully a
healthy split is coming...but that will entail a moderate centrist party
of conservatives. Their establishment is so entrenched in special interests,
I don't know who much less when they'll have a candidate they can trust
who is not a danger to democracy.

[Kalidurga]

7. Right now both parties are bleeding members.

Republicans are losing members faster. I suggest Democrats reach out to Republicans and tell them the ones who leave over race issues they have a new home. And our party needs to stop crapping on liberals.

[Jefferson23]

8. We are defintely having our own wars..no doubt about it...corporate rulers.

In many ways I am very excited and hopeful for the future even though the unknown can
certainly be anxiety provoking.

[Kalidurga]

9. Yep Bill Maher called it wrong.

He said we are fighting amongst ourselves. No we are not. Liberals are not fighting Liberals and Third Way Democrats or Corporatists are not fighting Corporatists, sure it looks like we are fighting. But, I have yet to run into an actual Liberal fighting Liberals. The most I have seen are minor disagreements that are cleared up rather quickly.

[Jefferson23]

10. Completely agree. n/t