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And THIS is why our 1st Ammendment is so important...

Norwegian filmmaker faces up to 3 years in prison for saying men cannot be lesbians

https://www.foxnews.com/media/norwegian-filmmaker-faces-3-years-prison-saying-men-cannot-lesbians

Lock her up.

I have it on good information that over half the world is gay or lesbian. You don’t get any points for that anymore.

She offended a transgender female - that should be punishable by prison time.

Every golf outing, every par 5, I tell my teammates I identify as a lesbian. But they still don't let me hit from the forward tee.

Lock 'em up

Yup, they say you've got to dress the part to be the part.

I can identify as a butch lesbian

I love Freedom of Speech and Free Speech.

That makes two of us!!! Guess I need to cancel my trip to Norway Now!!!

Sooo...Chicks with Dix performing aberrant lewd suggestive acts on stage with the goal of radicalizing and sexualizing children is not sexually explicit?
Good call Judgy.

Even though Drag Queen's will vehemently deny that they are being groomers, they at the same time admit that grooming children is exactly their goal.

Children do not need to be at drag shows.

"Need" = NO.

Parental discretion over their own child and their knowledge of what they are exposing them to that is not pornography = YES.

Look…up in the sky….it’s a virtue signal!

Is that what you see at the drag shows you attend?

That isn't a strawman argument.
It's an "implied/loaded question."
Like: Do you still beat your wife?

State leaders muzzle Floridians who want to speak out


Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board
Floridians, take notice. Your right to a representative government is being stolen away.

Recent headlines document angry eruptions among an audience of people who show up to meetings ready to tell their leaders what they think — only to be muzzled by time limits that shut down some would-be participants before they could utter a single word.

More often, however, the exclusion is happening quietly and secretly, in meetings that never take place. Closed doors that should be open. A row of empty seats on a dais, facing a roomful of chairs that are also empty.

The result, however, is the same: The only people who can register their concerns face-to-face with their elected officials are the elites who can afford the private clubs and campaign contributions that give them direct access to power. The voices of regular Floridians are shut out or told to shut up.Let us speak’

That latter command stirred an outcry November 9-10 when the Board of Governors of Florida’s state university system convened in Orlando. As the Sentinel’s Annie Martin reported, a crowd primed to protest rules that threaten free-expression rights on Florida campuses overspilled the boundaries of the meeting room and a designated overflow room.

In a cruelly related dictate, Board Chairman Brian Lamb denied them the right to speak in favor of free speech, diversity and inclusion — by imposing a 15-minute time limit on all public comment. When he gaveled the discussion to a close, the crowd chanted “Let us speak.” But a majority of board members were unwilling to listen.

Lamb said the limitation was “customary,” Martin reported. That’s categorically false. Across Florida, elected and appointed boards and commissions have taken it as a point of pride: When their constituents show up to a public meeting, they deserve the opportunity to be heard. It’s even enshrined in the state constitution.

A brutal quiet
Even worse, however, are those meetings that never take place. The public is not just shut out of a chance to talk about what their elected officials are doing — they are denied the chance to listen.

That was also on display — or rather, not — over the past week, which was one of the last scheduled committee weeks before the state Legislature starts its regular session in January.

‘These committee meetings are essential parts of Florida’s legislative process, because they are the public’s only opportunity to directly address lawmakers on issues that are important to everyday Floridians. Of 35 House committees, 16 canceled their meetings last week; the ratio was even worse in the Senate, where 17 of 26 committees did not meet. Among them: All 10 of the committees Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, serves on, including Banking and Insurance; Governmental Oversight and Accountability; and Appropriations. Stewart said she didn’t even bother to return to Tallahassee after the November 6-10 special session.

The cost of those cancellations could be devastating for Floridians who hoped to ask lawmakers for statutory changes governing everything from homeowners’ associations to prison conditions — or to register their opposition to policies that take away essential freedoms or reduce oversight. Because legislation must be heard in at least one committee before it goes to the floor, shutting down committee meetings means narrowing the pipeline that allows that information to flow. It also means an increased likelihood that lawmakers will seek to link their unheard bills to other legislation — creating massive “trains” that thunder through the legislative process before anyone can register what’s happening.

We’d like Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner to explain why these meetings were canceled, and pledge that legislation will be given ample public hearing time.

Stewart says she’s worried that many of her bills will die on the vine. That includes tax exemptions for local businesses, and a request from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to preserve evidence that supports victims of sexual assault. Lately, she said, she’s hearing disturbing rumors that an entire week’s worth of committee meetings in December might also be canceled. “We’re already at a breaking point,” she told the Orlando Sentinel Thursday. “I’ve never seen anything like this happen before.”

Closed doors
But it has — with the Florida Cabinet, a governmental construction that is unique to this state. The Cabinet includes the governor along with three independent, statewide leaders — the attorney general, the chief financial officer and the commissioner of agriculture and consumer services. It’s intended to serve as a check over a governor’s executive power by providing independent oversight for executive-branch operations and finances. The same officials make up several independent boards, such as the State Board of Administration, which oversees the state’s multi-billion-dollar investment accounts; the Florida Land and Water Adjudicatory Commission, charged with protecting the state’s environment while hearing appeals of local growth decisions and the State Board of Executive Clemency, which considers civil rights of former felons.

In a normal year, the Cabinet (and the associated commissions) would have met at least 11 times, usually over a two-day span. This year, the Cabinet met five times. Three of those meetings were by phone. One, on March 13, was only seven minutes long.

This is how Floridians lose their chance to be heard. The business of state government grinds on — but it does so in secret, with no oversight, no chance to voice protest or encouragement to those entrusted with vast power.

Floridians must confront their elected and appointed leaders and demand change. It will be hard, since they can’t even see, right now, what opportunities are being taken away. It may require more amendments to the state constitution — but even that is no guarantee, since many provisions meant to hold Florida’s leaders accountable are being trampled. In the end, all Floridians can do is register our outrage directly to elected officials and in the voting booth.

Our birthright is sunshine. But darkness is taking hold.

Good Read Robert and Factual as well... I am hitting the same roadblocks with Our State Here with my situation that has lasted 25 months now... I finally wrote this following email to two Attorney General office workers where one of them suggested I take my complaints to the States Attorney's office and with that she could have sent my documents up channel because they share the same damn building, but with COVID-19 as their reasons for lack luster Job performance where most workers only have to be in office once or twice a week.. the norm has turned to clock in clock out and draw a paycheck and fugg the little guys with factual complaints!!! the only AG employee who's been working solutions to our situation is in Chicago, and I honestly feel the worker in the Springfield office has been persuaded per 'say? 7th Judicial Court System runs two counties Sangamon and Morgan.. and I've produced evidence stemming back to 2007 where a lawyer for a legal firm who handles city business won a case on Falsified information and the Party along with myself as seeking Justice supposedly afforded under States Laws whereas the party any myself would be States Witness to the crimes committed... but cutting through the Red Tape is like fighting for your rights with the VA as a Veteran.. so i'll post my letter written to both these office workers as one has been dragging their feet on the issues...

and to think... Florida is considered a Conservative Red State..
this gives a broad insite to this entire Nation going to the Dogs!!!

Watched those three vids, some first class turds there Russ.

^I've seen the writing on the wall since O'bummer was in office.

Flag at Whitehouse.gov

Far before 20 years ago, suppression of and punishments for engaging in civil liberties like free speech, all subject to arbitrary government scrutiny occurred many times in U.S history...the Federalists with Alien and Sedition Acts, Stinkin' Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus and jailing thousands of critics of his administration and political opponents without charges or trial, Woodrow Wilson's massive suppression of free speech during World War I, FDR's internment of 120,000 of Japanese-Americans without charges or trial. Probably some more.

Armed government agents firing on peaceful protesters. Shameful!

Florida university leaders bash plan to downgrade sociology


Tampa Bay Times
The subject has been “an integral part of higher education for nearly two centuries,” they said in a statement.
A campus walkway at the University of South Florida, where about 1,700 students take an introductory sociology course every year. State officials have proposed removing sociology as one of the options for core courses students must take as part of their studies.

Department leaders at 10 of Florida’s public universities say they “strongly object” to a plan that would remove sociology as an option for courses students must take as part of their college studies.

The plan was proposed Nov. 9 by state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and advanced by the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s university system. It will take a final vote in January.

Introductory sociology courses have been “an integral part of higher education for nearly two centuries,” and thousands of Florida students take them each year, the department heads wrote in a follow-up letter to the Board of Governors.

The subject “is a field of science that seeks to understand the social causes and consequences of human behavior,” they wrote. “It seeks to identify patterns of organization and change in social life.”

A wide range of professions — including law, medicine and public health — have relied on principles of sociology, the letter said. Entrance exams for medical school and law school recommend coursework in the subject, the department leaders wrote, also noting that companies like Apple and Google have said they want recruits with backgrounds in sociology.

The letter was signed by sociology department heads from the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, the University of North Florida, the University of West Florida, Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University and Florida Gulf Coast University.

All students entering the state’s colleges and universities are required to take core courses in each of five subject areas: communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. These are known as “general education” courses, which provide a foundation for further studies.

Diaz proposed striking out “Principles of Sociology” as a social science option with little explanation. He said a panel of faculty members had introduced a seventh course as a social sciences option — a history class titled Introductory Survey to 1877. By striking sociology as an option, he said, the number of available courses for social sciences would come back down to six, and half of them would satisfy a new requirement for civics education.

The change is due to a new state law, Senate Bill 266, that calls for a review of general education courses every four years. It requires that courses should “provide broad foundational knowledge” and not include “curriculum based on unproven, speculative, or exploratory content.”

It also says the courses should, “whenever applicable, provide instruction on the historical background and philosophical foundation of Western civilization and this nation’s historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments, and the Federalist Papers.”

Diaz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite concerns raised by students and faculty at the Board of Governors’ Nov. 9 meeting, board members voted for a new list of general education course options that excluded sociology, noting that another vote is set for January.

Annual enrollment in the introductory sociology course averages about 2,000 at the University of Central Florida, 1,700 at the University of South Florida, 1,600 at the University of Florida, 1,200 at Florida State University, 1,000 at Florida Atlantic University, and 850 at Florida International University, the department heads wrote.

While schools still would offer the course, they said, removing it as an option for a requirement could cut their resources and hurt their ability to recruit faculty who bring in research dollars. They said it would also lead to an “impoverishment of the general education curriculum overall.”

“Students have long gravitated to introductory sociology courses because they understand that they will gain a broad perspective on the social forces that influence their lives and life chances,” the letter said. “This is the intrinsic benefit that introductory sociology brings to the core of general education, and it is also what makes it an important component of the civic literacy that we have defined as a goal of higher education.”

What to know about Donald Trump’s gag orders in D.C. and New York


WSJ
Two judges — in Donald Trump’s federal election-obstruction case in D.C. and in the New York civil fraud case against him and his business — have issued narrow gag orders limiting what the former president can publicly say about the cases. Trump has appealed both rulings, arguing that the orders infringe on his First Amendment rights while he is once again running for president.

Gag imposed: Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued the limited gag order from her courtroom on Oct. 16.

Reason for gag: Chutkan said Trump’s public attacks on people who are “involved in the judicial process” made a gag order necessary. She wrote in her order: “To safeguard the integrity of these proceedings, it is necessary to impose certain restrictions on public statements by interested parties.”

How it limits Trump’s speech: The order prohibits the former president from disparaging prosecutors, witnesses and court personnel involved in his trial, which is scheduled for March 4 and includes four charges related to trying to block Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory.

Appeals process: The federal appeals court in D.C. heard arguments about the gag order on Nov. 20 and could rule at any time on whether to uphold, narrow or overturn it. In the meantime, the appeals court paused the order.

Once the appeals court rules, the decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Gag imposed: The New York gag order was issued on Oct. 3 by New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron. He is overseeing the trial, in which Trump and his business are accused of falsely inflating their property values. Engoron also imposed limited speech prohibitions on Trump’s attorneys later in the month.

Reason for gag: Trump’s fixation with Engoron’s law clerk and his claims that she was biased and overly influential in the case led Trump to post identifying information about her on social media. Millions of Trump followers were able to see the item, and the clerk began receiving a flood of threats. Engoron said he feared for her safety.

How it limits Trump’s speech: Trump cannot discuss any member of the judge’s staff, including the law clerk. He is free to make comments about the judge and about New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who brought the lawsuit, and he continues to do so.

Appeals process: An appellate panel reinstated the gag order on Nov. 30, two weeks after a single appeals judge issued a pause on the order. The general legality of the orders will be debated by the appeals court at a later date. But with the lengthy trial winding down, Trump is again barred — for now — from commenting on court employees in public.

#45

That's a great post. Looks like you're the wrong guy to F with. Lol!

No Menorahs, Please
Is allowing a Hanukkah celebration really an endorsement of killing?


WSJ Editorial Board

The Christmas season is a busy time for our secular scolds. Usually they are taking offense at nativity displays. But this year they have decided to be more ecumenical by going after a proposed menorah lighting in Williamsburg, Va.

The lighting was proposed for Dec. 10 at the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival. But plans were cancelled. In messages to Rabbi Mendy Heber, festival organizer Shirley Vermillion said the organization decided that it couldn’t approve the lighting because it didn’t “want to make it seem we’re choosing a side—supporting the killing/bombing of thousands of men, women and children.”

When the news broke, Gov. Glenn Youngkin tweeted that the decision was “absurd and antisemitic.” Ms. Vermillion claims the festival wasn’t cancelled because it had never officially been approved. She has also told various media outlets that 2nd Sundays doesn’t feature religious events and has turned down many Christian organizations in the past.

But at one point Ms. Vermillion suggested the menorah lighting might be okay if an Islamic group were to participate at the same time, or if the lighting took place under a banner calling for a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israel conflict. So who’s really taking sides here?

The lighting of the menorah is part of Hanukkah, when Jews celebrate the Maccabees victory over Syrian-Greek rulers who demanded that they give up their Jewish identity and practices. After the Jews liberated the Temple in Jerusalem, they discovered a jug that had enough oil for one day but lasted for eight days. Today the holiday is known as the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah has been celebrated for millennia, long before the present conflict in Gaza. To those who say that allowing a menorah lighting is to approve the killing of men, women and children, we’d say that’s a good argument for more light in the midst of such darkness.




This is a good example of a "content based" government suppression of speech rarely coupled with the Freedom of Religion claust of the First Amendment. If the city gets sued, it will lose very fast.

Had to clean up my posts (delete) Yesterday our Finest, camped outside our house for a good 30 minutes or more, parked in the ditch beside the driveway sitting in his squad car. but the school is 2 blocks away, so he could say he was watching the kids coming out of school and it was between 3pm til ten ta 4... his end of shift is 4pm and usually he skips out around ten ta 4 for home.. We'll see what today brings us??