Silencing Dissent

Freeway blogging in Davis, October 09

What happens when citizens exercising their right of free speech come up against overzealous CHP officers who have decided to put an end to the display regardless of the Constitution and the law?

Watch our exciting video and find out.

www.freewayblogging.com

To make a long story short we were within our rights to be doing what we were doing, yet a couple of CHP guys who admittedly “don’t care what the law says” came along. We tried so many times to talk with them, to reason with them, but they were not open to it. They just repeated their assertions and ordered us to leave. Threatened with arrest and jail, we took down our banner and left. But we caught almost all of it on camera.

Why Conspiracy Theory Rhetoric Is Hurting Our Democracy

Source: ljworld.com

By Tim Hjersted
September 5, 2009

Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, President Bush asked the American public to “never entertain outrageous conspiracy theories.” The irony of his statement is easily lost. Most people consider themselves reasonable, thoughtful individuals that don’t believe in crazy conspiracy theories, but the Official story of 9/11 – that 19 radical terrorists conspired for several years to hijack airplanes and fly them into buildings – is, in fact, a conspiracy theory. It just happens that this theory has the official endorsement of the U.S. government. So, believe our conspiracy theory, not theirs, Mr. Bush asks us. Don’t look at the facts. Don’t investigate for yourself. Just believe what you’re told.

This is, in effect, what the government and the mainstream media is asking us when it labels any idea a “conspiracy theory,” and we can see how incredibly effective this tool has been in stunting rational debate.

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