Accountability

[expatobserver]

As a non US resident and someone whom has lived and worked in countries around the world, I am struck at how the US
allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

Sure, it protects free speech. But when 'free speech' becomes inflammatory speech, I think that there should be some limits imposed. We all agree that someone who recklessly shouts 'fire' in a crowded theater cannot hide behind the second
amendment when he is brought to court. Similarly, someone who recklessly tells lies, such as claiming that 8700 new IRS staff are going to come after you with AR15 guns, in my opinion, is just as bad as the man who shouts 'fire'.

People who make over the top statements such as this should be held accountable. There should be a mechanism where
they are brought into court to prove what they say is true, or suffer the consequences.

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

This goes for cable new network pundits as well. Good onya Dominion, sue the buggers who tell lies and bring them to account for their actions.

 

[OKTexas]

As a non US resident and someone whom has lived and worked in countries around the world, I am struck at how the US
allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

Sure, it protects free speech. But when 'free speech' becomes inflammatory speech, I think that there should be some limits imposed. We all agree that someone who recklessly shouts 'fire' in a crowded theater cannot hide behind the second
amendment when he is brought to court. Similarly, someone who recklessly tells lies, such as claiming that 8700 new IRS staff are going to come after you with AR15 guns, in my opinion, is just as bad as the man who shouts 'fire'.

People who make over the top statements such as this should be held accountable. There should be a mechanism where
they are brought into court to prove what they say is true, or suffer the consequences.

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

This goes for cable new network pundits as well. Good onya Dominion, sue the buggers who tell lies and bring them to account for their actions.

What do you fail to understand about "shall not be infringed"?

Also speech is covered under the 1st Amendment, not the 2nd.

Get your act together and try again.

.

 

[WinterBorn]

Ummmm, I don't know how to tell you this, but the 2nd amendment has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with keeping and bearing arms.

What you are talking about is the 1st amendment.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Ummmm, I don't know how to tell you this, but the 2nd amendment has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with keeping and bearing arms.

What you are talking about is the 1st amendment.

I felt a tinge of pride when I read the OP and thought "that's the First Amendment he is referring to".

10 Years ago I wouldn't have known an Amendment from a hole in the ground, now I am probably more familiar with U.S Constitution than my own Charter. Sadly, I'm not alone, as some Canadians who were arrested last year at the trucker convoy protest erroneously declared that they had free speech due to "Our First Amendment Rights". I wasn't there of course, I saw it reported in the news.

What is interesting about this error on their part isn't only that they were ignorantly quoting another nations Rights, but, it also inadvertently shined a light on how Canadas system operates in comparison. Our own government bestowing LESS rights on it's subjects than the neighbours to the south who they constantly paint as "fascist".

It was a palpable moment.

 

[WinterBorn]

I felt a tinge of pride when I read the OP and thought "that's the First Amendment he is referring to".

10 Years ago I wouldn't have known an Amendment from a hole in the ground, now I am probably more familiar with U.S Constitution than my own Charter. Sadly, I'm not alone, as some Canadians who were arrested last year at the trucker convoy protest erroneously declared that they had free speech due to "Our First Amendment Rights".

What is interesting about this error on their part isn't only that they were ignorantly quoting another nations Rights, but, it also inadvertently shined a light on how Canadas system operates in comparison. Our own government bestowing LESS rights on it's subjects than the neighbours to the south who they constantly paint as "fascist".

It was a palpable moment.

That is interesting. That you know more about our rights than your own shows we make a lot of noise about ours.

 

[shockedcanadian]

That is interesting. That you know more about our rights than your own shows we make a lot of noise about ours.

Well that and a combination of the fact that we are meek about ours. We had our Charter written in 1982 and rest assured the police apparatus makes it their business to ignore these rights, our media and education system work hand in hand to maintain citizens ignorance just in case a few uppity citizens start believing they have any natural freedoms.

It's quite disturbing, tragic even.

 

[Riff Raff]

As a non US resident and someone whom has lived and worked in countries around the world, I am struck at how the US
allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

Sure, it protects free speech. But when 'free speech' becomes inflammatory speech, I think that there should be some limits imposed. We all agree that someone who recklessly shouts 'fire' in a crowded theater cannot hide behind the second
amendment when he is brought to court. Similarly, someone who recklessly tells lies, such as claiming that 8700 new IRS staff are going to come after you with AR15 guns, in my opinion, is just as bad as the man who shouts 'fire'.

People who make over the top statements such as this should be held accountable. There should be a mechanism where
they are brought into court to prove what they say is true, or suffer the consequences.

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

This goes for cable new network pundits as well. Good onya Dominion, sue the buggers who tell lies and bring them to account for their actions.

There are so many possible shades between truth and fiction that require an objective mind to discern its simply not possible for humans to make such judgments without getting some wrong, and then you have come between a man and his conscience, if he believes what he said is true. Humans are not capable of the objectivity. Then you have the tendency of those with those powers to put there thumb on the scale, so to speak, to weigh what's allowed or not in their favor of political perspective.

All in all, it's safer to let each person to say their truth as they know it. It's up to the listener to accept it or not. Governments cannot be trusted with the power of silencing the citizenry. Abuse is inevitable.

And while the idea of free speech is still held by most Americans, it is slipping away as we speak into something less than fully free and more akin to what you're describing.

Today's Democrats don't believe in free speech in the traditional sense at all. President Biden and his political cabinet are already scheming to decide themselves what is "misinformation" and "disinformation." It's a horror story that will unfold before our eyes if we allow it.

 

[expatobserver]

Yes, I should have said FIRST amendment rights.

I doubt that Biden is against free speech.. just look at the stuff the US has put up with since 2016.. Biden ignores the bs that goes on. I am shocked to see how the media talks and talks about it but no one seems to do anything. All these far right extremists spouting absolute rubbish and somehow I feel they should be brought to account for it. Perhaps like Dominion, you take them to court and get an apology, or more. Maybe someone should fund a group of lawyers to fight lies...like as in Alex Jones.

 

[Votto]

As a non US resident and someone whom has lived and worked in countries around the world, I am struck at how the US
allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

Sure, it protects free speech. But when 'free speech' becomes inflammatory speech, I think that there should be some limits imposed. We all agree that someone who recklessly shouts 'fire' in a crowded theater cannot hide behind the second
amendment when he is brought to court. Similarly, someone who recklessly tells lies, such as claiming that 8700 new IRS staff are going to come after you with AR15 guns, in my opinion, is just as bad as the man who shouts 'fire'.

People who make over the top statements such as this should be held accountable. There should be a mechanism where
they are brought into court to prove what they say is true, or suffer the consequences.

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

This goes for cable new network pundits as well. Good onya Dominion, sue the buggers who tell lies and bring them to account for their actions.

Yes and no.

If you are Trump, then you will be blamed for anything you say regarding January 6th, even though you told protestors to be peaceful and then have to undergo never ending investigations for it.

But you can be Chuck Schumer or Maxine Waters calling for violence, and when it happens, be 100% unaccountable.

It's all about being special people with special rights

It's about being part of the master race.

 

[Mac1958]

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

All fair points. As a lifelong passionate advocate of freedom of expression, I can certainly admit that it can get ugly.

Right now, though, freedom of expression in American is being tested like it never has been before. I have to admit that. While intellectually dishonest speech from both ends of our political spectrum have always been a toxic pollutant -- and I've squabbled with both ends here over the years over this -- we're now in a period that this country has never seen before: Two parallel, competing realities, two sets of facts, based on political ideology and a cult of personality.

There is the American Left, there is the American Right, and then there is this... orange... thing. It is so detached from reality that it has made me, at times, question my commitment to freedom of expression. That commitment hasn't broken, but I'll always resent the Republican Party for doing that.

 

[Canon Shooter]

As a non US resident and someone whom has lived and worked in countries around the world, I am struck at how the US
allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

Sure, it protects free speech. But when 'free speech' becomes inflammatory speech, I think that there should be some limits imposed. We all agree that someone who recklessly shouts 'fire' in a crowded theater cannot hide behind the second
amendment when he is brought to court. Similarly, someone who recklessly tells lies, such as claiming that 8700 new IRS staff are going to come after you with AR15 guns, in my opinion, is just as bad as the man who shouts 'fire'.

People who make over the top statements such as this should be held accountable. There should be a mechanism where
they are brought into court to prove what they say is true, or suffer the consequences.

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

This goes for cable new network pundits as well. Good onya Dominion, sue the buggers who tell lies and bring them to account for their actions.

Um, you need to get a bit more educated.

The 2nd Amendment protects a person's right to bear arms. It does not protect a person's right to free speech...

 

[BluesLegend]

I am struck at how the US allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

That's the first amendment you genius.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Interesting point of view, but what will happen when the near entirety of our mainstream media is in jail?

 

[Independent thinker]

As a non US resident and someone whom has lived and worked in countries around the world, I am struck at how the US
allows people to stretch the boundaries of the second amendment.

Sure, it protects free speech. But when 'free speech' becomes inflammatory speech, I think that there should be some limits imposed. We all agree that someone who recklessly shouts 'fire' in a crowded theater cannot hide behind the second
amendment when he is brought to court. Similarly, someone who recklessly tells lies, such as claiming that 8700 new IRS staff are going to come after you with AR15 guns, in my opinion, is just as bad as the man who shouts 'fire'.

People who make over the top statements such as this should be held accountable. There should be a mechanism where
they are brought into court to prove what they say is true, or suffer the consequences.

I am astounded when I see how politicians and media people can get away with speaking absolute rubbish and cannot
be held accountable. Telling lies is not free speech. It can inflame and have dire effects.

This goes for cable new network pundits as well. Good onya Dominion, sue the buggers who tell lies and bring them to account for their actions.

Well, the left and the lefty media have been lying for many decades, saying that Republicans are fighting a war against women, a war against seniors, a war against the poor, a war against minorities, a war against immigrants, and a war against everyone else. So, I agree with you. This needs to stop. There need to be repercussions for those who lie and the media who lie in the name of a political agenda.