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Florida bill to require bloggers writing about governor to register with state
- LinuxBender 4y agoI'm not a constitutional lawyer but I don't believe that a reasonable person would have to be one to see the problem here.
- steve_mcdougall 4y agoYes but these are lawmakers in Florida we're talking about.
- AnimalMuppet 4y agoWhat happens in Florida doesn't completely stay in Florida. Eventually the Supreme Court gets a vote.
- jfengel 4y agoIndeed it does. And I have no idea which way it will vote on this.
- AnimalMuppet 4y agoWell, it may depend on the exact wording. If it's what we've all assumed it is, then it's dead. Even with a 6-3 conservative majority, there's no way that will fly. Some of those conservatives have principles, and even the rest can think, and can look ahead to the day when the Democrats run Florida. But some people are claiming that the bill isn't the way we've been taking it. Some claim that it's like this: If you're a blogger, and political party X is paying you to blog, and you're covering Florida politics, then you have to disclose the source of your funding. If it's that, and it's just that, it likely will pass SC review. It would be just like the radio ads saying "this message paid for by the committee to re-elect Senator Blow." Either that's never been tested at the SC, or it passed. And I personally don't have a problem with a paid-for blog being given the same treatment. So: Which is it? It's going to depend on the exact wording, because those two versions of the bill are not very many words apart.
- dragonwriter 4y agoFlorida has basically thrown out any respect for the 14th Amendment application of certain rights (particularly free speech and free press) to the States in favor of state imposed ideological codes and is daring people to try to challenge it, knowing that is costly, time consuming, and uncertain given the current ideological balance of the US Supreme Court.
- virgil_disgr4ce 4y agoThe party of freedom of speech
- PeterisP 4y agoThe small government party
- RandomTisk 4y agoI'll take one idiotic state senator's public bill that'll never pass over hundreds of government employees colluding with big tech in the shadows to ban speech.
- wmeredith 4y agoYou got any extraordinary evidence to go with those extraordinary claims?
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- nickpeterson 4y agoWhere did that happen? Some state government?
- tenebrisalietum 4y ago> In the bill, Brodeur wrote that those who write “an article, a story, or a series of stories,” about “the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature,” and receives or will receive payment for doing so, must register with state offices within five days after the publication of an article that mentions an elected state official. So, only if done for money. > Explicitly, the blogger rule would not apply to newspapers or similar publications, under Brodeur’s proposed legislation. A pity the Internet was never recognized as equivalent to press, as that has a specific constitutional protection that sending data to an Internet-accessible system does not.
- AnimalMuppet 4y agoOr a member of the legislature? Meaning himself as well? OK, challenge accepted. Brodeur, you're a constitutionally-illiterate blowhard with way too much of an authoritarian streak. In any reasonable world, your voters would decide on your total unfitness for office based on this one issue alone, and you would be gone in 2024 (if not impeached before then). There, I said it. Knock yourself out. See if you can make it fly in court. > So, only if done for money. Oh. Rats.
- tonmoy 4y agoWhat if I donate you $1 for your comment?
- igetspam 4y agoHappy to send you a nickel, if this passes. And then I'm sure there are plenty of orgs with deep pockets and good lawyers who would be happy to take up the case. Florida truly is the worst of us (but not by much... TX... AL... TN... etc)
- mcphage 4y ago> So, only if done for money. So, a blog with ads.
- AnimalMuppet 4y agoOK, one individual introduced a bill. To use the national example, Marjory Taylor Greene can introduce a bill, and so can AOC. And the press can notice that they did so, and publicize it. That's... not much. Wake me up when the bill makes it out of committee. Until then I can't be bothered to care.
- tomrod 4y agoI consider it newsworthy when anyone wants to promote a bill that is antithetical to the US Bill of Rights, broadly applied, and other declarations and acknowledgements of freedom.
- scarface74 4y agoYou realize this is the same state that passed a law just to punish Disney for speaking out against the “Don’t say Gay” law? I’m repeatedly amazed how ass backwards Desantis and the entire state legislation is in Florida (my current state) compared to Brian Kemp and the Georgia legislation is (my former state until last year). And just in case people don’t know, they are both Republicans.
- zmgsabst 4y agoThe bill which prohibits discussing sexuality with children under nine? Shock. Gasp. Horror. I think we do real damage to LGBT causes when we allow their sexuality to be a pretense for inappropriate conduct with children — such as misrepresenting a bill saying you can’t discuss sexuality with young children as “Don’t Say Gay”. You’re portraying LGBT people as pedophiles to score cheap political points — and Disney fell for the same trap, as their punishment is for sexualizing children… and nothing to do with LGBT rights.
- scarface74 4y agoSo Desantis “punished” Disney for “sexualizing children” and not for publicly condemning the law? But the law as it is actually used would never punish a man for saying he went on vacation with his wife. But would definitely punish a man for saying he went on vacation with his husband to children. By the way, I live in Orlando, so I’m not a tight jean wearing hipster living in California who only knows what I hear from the National news. https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/florida-teacher-allegedly-fired-discussing-sexuality-students-rcna27656 https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/florida-teacher-all... https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/-cannot-teach-florida-lgbtq-educators-fear-fallout-new-school-law-rcna22106 https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/-can...
- tomrod 4y agoThis is extremely authoritarian.
- jjtheblunt 4y agoIt's also irrelevant, per the US Constitution, but it could be annoying for some period of time.
- tomrod 4y agoShort-term existence still has real harm, despite long-term irrelevance. I don't consider that a reasonable stance.
- nathanaldensr 4y agoIt's certainly not; see New York passing law after law restricting gun rights after clear Supreme Court rulings. The new trend with state legislatures seems to be to zerg the federal courts with lawsuits while these laws remain in force.
- locopati 4y ago"well regulated"... that means it can, is even mandated, to be regulated. many people don't wish to live in a world of open carry, and minimal requirements to own and carry a gun. just because the current SCOTUS is an activist court willing to undermine legislatures doesn't make them right. Florida on the other hand is blatantly violating the 1st Amendment repeatedly.
- mcphage 4y agoIt’s also a waste of time and money, to be spent defending an obviously indefensible law.
- johnklos 4y agoI can imagine registering every person on the planet with the state.
- MrMan 4y agoThis fascism is much better then the terrible woke liberal poison I am glad Citadel moved to Miami
- gmuslera 4y agoPeople gets cancelled/fired/sued/whatever, for expressing opinions, even misunderstood /out of context ones, and legislators throw this kind of things to try to become laws without any consequence?
- drivingmenuts 4y agoPerhaps lawmakers who pass laws that don’t pass constitutional muster should face criminal penalties. Might force them to think about their stupidity a bit more beforehand. Or maybe not. Win-win, either way.
- DueDilligence 4y ago[dead]