4 ms·

Disliking data centers, illegal immigration, or taxes is not a crime in the United States, nor is posting inconvenient messages about politicians, nor is gettin

Disliking data centers, illegal immigration, or taxes is not a crime in the United States, nor is posting inconvenient messages about politicians, nor is getting a little too rowdy in a group chat. And none of these things are likely to be made illegal any time soon. I always find this form of argument in favor of privacy (which is valuable in its own right to be clear) so roundabout. If you’re concerned about the government impinging on your freedom of speech, then why not write an essay arguing for expansive freedom of speech protections? That seems like a much more direct solution to the problem presented in this essay.

arkhiver 4mo ago
farmer arrested over datacenter debate: https://www.gadgetreview.com/arrest-him-the-moment-police-handcuffed-a-farmer-for-going-5-seconds-over-his-time-limit-at-data-center-meeting https://www.gadgetreview.com/arrest-him-the-moment-police-ha...
- derektank 4mo ago
  I’m not exactly sure how an abuse of power occurring at a public event relates to the question of privacy or freedom of speech. The law did not allow the officer to arrest the man for the content of his speech so he retaliated by enforcing a different law unjustly. This kind of selective enforcement of the law can be a violation of federal law and the man likely has standing to sue.
  - derektank 4mo ago
    For reference, a similar case of selective enforcement against an outspoken critic of the local government in Texas resulted in the critic receiving a settlement of $500k following an unjust arrest https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/10/15/i-feel-like-i-can-breathe-again-castle-hills-former-councilwoman-agree-on-500000-settlement/ https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/10/15/i-feel-like-i-can...
  - microgpt 4mo ago
    it's an example of the government silencing people for speech
    - charcircuit 4mo ago
      No, it's an example of someone being told to leave, not doing so, and then being arrested for trespassing.
      - microgpt 4mo ago
        [flagged]
      - nephihaha 4mo ago
        For being five seconds over? Not even minutes.
        charcircuit 4mo ago
        He was asked due to his actions he took after he was told to stop. If he had just stopped talking after being told his time was up he would not have been asked to leave.
        microgpt 4mo ago
        [flagged]
        derektank 4mo ago
        The 1st amendment has long been understood to protect the content of your speech, not the time, place, or manner of your speech. It guarantees the communicative act, the viewpoint or message conveyed; it does not give you an unlimited right to convey it however you want. The government has been consistently allowed by the Supreme Court to establish noise ordinances preventing people from yelling into a bullhorn at night or laws against marching a protest down a busy city street without first obtaining a parade permit. As long as there is no viewpoint discrimination in how those laws are enforced, it is perfectly legal to restrict public comment periods to 3 minutes.
deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]

arkhiver 4mo ago

farmer arrested over datacenter debate: https://www.gadgetreview.com/arrest-him-the-moment-police-handcuffed-a-farmer-for-going-5-seconds-over-his-time-limit-at-data-center-meeting https://www.gadgetreview.com/arrest-him-the-moment-police-ha...

derektank 4mo ago
I’m not exactly sure how an abuse of power occurring at a public event relates to the question of privacy or freedom of speech. The law did not allow the officer to arrest the man for the content of his speech so he retaliated by enforcing a different law unjustly. This kind of selective enforcement of the law can be a violation of federal law and the man likely has standing to sue.
- derektank 4mo ago
  For reference, a similar case of selective enforcement against an outspoken critic of the local government in Texas resulted in the critic receiving a settlement of $500k following an unjust arrest https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/10/15/i-feel-like-i-can-breathe-again-castle-hills-former-councilwoman-agree-on-500000-settlement/ https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/10/15/i-feel-like-i-can...
- microgpt 4mo ago
  it's an example of the government silencing people for speech
  - charcircuit 4mo ago
    No, it's an example of someone being told to leave, not doing so, and then being arrested for trespassing.
    - microgpt 4mo ago
      [flagged]
    - nephihaha 4mo ago
      For being five seconds over? Not even minutes.
      - charcircuit 4mo ago
        He was asked due to his actions he took after he was told to stop. If he had just stopped talking after being told his time was up he would not have been asked to leave.
        microgpt 4mo ago
        [flagged]
        derektank 4mo ago
        The 1st amendment has long been understood to protect the content of your speech, not the time, place, or manner of your speech. It guarantees the communicative act, the viewpoint or message conveyed; it does not give you an unlimited right to convey it however you want. The government has been consistently allowed by the Supreme Court to establish noise ordinances preventing people from yelling into a bullhorn at night or laws against marching a protest down a busy city street without first obtaining a parade permit. As long as there is no viewpoint discrimination in how those laws are enforced, it is perfectly legal to restrict public comment periods to 3 minutes.

deleted 4mo ago

[deleted]