We know that Obama is trying to silence dissent - but the GOP in Arizona too?
Obama has been targeting Fox News since almost his inauguration - they among the MSM are alone in (yech, I hate this Progressive phrase) "speaking truth to power" in denying them interviews, denigrating them; in short, denying them legitimacy. Then, going to the next step in trying to warn the other news outlets against reporting on the same stories that Fox runs (as in "nice news network ya got dere; shame if anyting was ta happen toos it!"). The insurance company, Human, was targeted when they sent out a letter talking about their side of Medicare Advantage. The US Chamber of Commerce is also in the cross-hairs in going against both Obamacare and the Cap N Tax legislation. And Obama taking on Rush, Hannity, and Beck? Calling TEA Party folks a crude sexual innuendo? Just recently, Attorney General Holder told a Washington DC Councilman to yank an ad that was critical of Obama's opposition to D.C.'s version of "let the money follow the child".
Fascism? Marxism? One of the first steps in a totalitarian state (or a Thugocracy) is to silence the opposition (Al Capone, as I remember, was quite effective at this type of activity).
Now, with all of the news that Republicans are going back to their basics, one would think that they'd be making hay with all this right? And leading by example and continue to "polish the product", right?
Common sense? Er, no so much; Our friend Ken from Blue Collar Muse has caught wind of real stupidity - Republicans fighting against the First Amendment? Emphasis mine:
Doug and I ran into this misguided thinking when I was elected / Doug was appointed to our local Budget Committee - the powers that be HATED the fact that we blogged about what was going on, that we spoke about the issues on our radio show, and mentioned them AGAIN via Letters To The Editors and newspaper columns.Usually when I hear stories about a Governmental something-or-other trampling on the 1st amendment rights of Liberty loving Americans I think of national Democrats and their smarmy puling about the beat down they take on Talk Radio.
In what will no doubt be a visual aid for examples of “GOP behaving stupidly”, a group of Arizona Republicans (likely outmaneuvered by the lone Democrat involved), has decided that the 1st Amendment’s guarantees don’t extend to residents of Maricopa County if the people doing the speaking happen to also work for the Government.
Our simple answer? We did not agree to hang up our First Amendment Rights upon entering the discussion room. They even tried a "code of ethics" to duct tape us (until I pointed out that the then Town Administrator and his assistent, who had spent HOURS in crafting it, had cut and pasted it from a CA town - and failed to remove its name at the end. Lying about it and being stupid is not an answer).
Gee, who does this chucklehead sound like (er, start at the top of this post!)....At issue are relationships members of the County Attorney’s office have with the media, including a few bloggers. Not all the media, however, just those beating up on the Maricopa County Supervisors County Manager’s office. Seems the Board of Supervisors has been feuding with other state departments for some time, including messing with Maricopa County’s best known government employee, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Not only that, the same Supes squeezing the County Attorney employees have a really bad track record when it comes to things like character and integrity. The gaggle of liberal GOP Supes and the lone Dem in their midst have been accused of “wasteful spending, power grabs and criminal investigations” and there’s even a Twitter account, CorruptAZSupes.
The dispute with the County Attorney’s office got so bad the County Supervisors fired the County Attorney as their legal representative. And now the County Manager, David Smith, has decided to divert attention from his own side’s misbehaving by brow beating those pesky bloggers and their friends.
Smith sent a letter to the County Attorney’s office demanding to know who had relationships with bloggers - or else! They even specifically demand to know about activity that might have taken place on an employee’s personal time and their personal computers!
I've known others like this - petty tyrants all, no matter their political party. That said, this is when the local Party officials that should be responsible for holding these clowns accountable FAIL the rest of us when they ignore it.
And then they get upset when stuff like NY-23 happens.....clowns....simply stupid.
Specifically named in the letter is Michael Scerbo, the County Attorney PIO, who is SUPPOSED to be in touch with the media! While there are some traditional media outlets mentioned, blogs are specifically targeted. The Sonoran Alliance, The Cactus Alliance and Intellectual Conservative Arizona are all named in the letter as being eeeeeeevil bloggers that bad County Attorney employees shouldn’t have anything to do with.
... I shouldn’t be surprised to find Republicans squelching free speech and trying to use the power of their office - not to serve the people but to intimidate them.
Yeah, this certainly will persuade the regular non-political folks that the GOP has "gone back to its roots". Ammo, foot, gun, hole-in-foot because of hole-in-integrity.
