"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." -- JP Curran, 1790

Saturday, April 11, 2009

You want free speech or press? Sign this form first!

From time to time I like to point out to you that seeminginly innocuous stories actually pose more of a threat than is reported by the mainstream press. Here's a prime example.

A journalist was stopped by Department of Veterans Affairs security guards when their public affairs person complained that he was trying to interview a patient. He was strong-armed and had his memory stick (with the recording of the interview) 'detained' by the officials because the VA wanted to "protect" the patient. The patient was not a minor child, and was willingly giving the interview. So just what was the VA's problem? A form wasn't signed.

Taken at face value this seems like a non-issue. Well why didn't he just sign the form, then, you might ask. What's the harm in that? I'll tell you. By even daring to have the form in the first place, the VA is presuming to have some say in the Constitutional matters of free speech and the free press. It's as if they're saying, "Well, we agree in your freedoms, but before we grant them, you must sign here." That completely defeats the purpose of the Constitution, just in case you weren't aware. Our founders granted us no rights. They never gave us free speech, the right to bear arms, or anything of the sort. What the founders did was put their necks out, take a stand against an empire, and say that we have inherent rights from God b/c we exist. Those rights apply whether or not the VA chooses to accept it.

This is the kind of thing you need to watch, ladies and gentlemen. Don't let any government agency presume to tell you that your rights only apply if they say so. Sphere: Related Content

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I believe in the 1st Amendment. Say whatever you want. If you're a moron, I may point that out...if I have time. :P

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