http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/10/31/palin/index.html

Sarah Palin speaks on the First Amendment

Somehow, in Sarah Palin's brain, it's a threat to the First Amendment when newspapers criticize her negative attacks on Barack Obama. This is actually so dumb that it hurts:

In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by "attacks" from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama.

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

Maureen Dowd recently made an equally stupid comment when she complained that her First Amendment rights were being violated by the McCain campaign's refusal to allow her on their campaign plane.

The First Amendment is actually not that complicated. It can be read from start to finish in about 10 seconds. It bars the Government from abridging free speech rights. It doesn't have anything to do with whether you're free to say things without being criticized, or whether you can comment on blogs without being edited, or whether people can bar you from their private planes because they don't like what you've said.

If anything, Palin has this exactly backwards, since one thing that the First Amendment does actually guarantee is a free press. Thus, when the press criticizes a political candidate and a Governor such as Palin, that is a classic example of First Amendment rights being exercised, not abridged.

This isn't only about profound ignorance regarding our basic liberties, though it is obviously that. Palin here is also giving voice to the standard right-wing grievance instinct: that it's inherently unfair when they're criticized. And now, apparently, it's even unconstitutional.

According to Palin, what the Founders intended with the First Amendment was that political candidates for the most powerful offices in the country and Governors of states would be free to say whatever they want without being criticized in the newspapers. In the Palin worldview, the First Amendment was meant to ensure that powerful political officials such as herself would not be "attacked" in the papers. Is it even possible to imagine more breathtaking ignorance from someone holding high office and running for even higher office?

UPDATE: The Constitution also guarantees freedom of association. Thus, by Palin's "reasoning," when newspapers -- or Palin herself -- criticize Obama for his associations, they're threatening his constitutional rights.

UPDATE II: Brian Beutler says that Palin has a "third grader's understanding of Constitutional rights" and asks:

If the conservative media convinces enough voters that Barack Obama is a Muslim, does that violate his right to freedom of religion?

And: isn't Palin violating the First Amendment right to a free press by criticizing the media and convincing her followers that newspapers are biased and corrupt? For the last eight years, we've had an administration that has had pure contempt for the Constitution. Would it be worse to replace them with people who seem never to have read it?

UPDATE III: Jonathan Schwarz has the audio of Palin, issuing her constitutional warning, here. It's actually more painful to hear it than read it, because you can hear her thinking about the analysis she's making as it leaves her mouth, and she clearly believes she's actually making an important and profound point about First Amendment rights.

Luck with that one.

Wassup, Bro - Things that will delay a check:  Two party (three including your girl); international accounts; NSF from the payer; IRS BS, or something weird that makes them refuse it. 

Once I deposited thru the ATM b-day check from my mom made out to my son.  We all have the same last name, but they refused it.  I did not get the check returned to me or any notification at all for almost 6 weeks.

Something similar happened to a buddy of mine when he was moving and had deposited an out of state check from an ebay deal.  It was for almost four grand and was endorsed.  They sent it to his old address.

I'd call them and ask WTF.  Who is it - local or national?  Was it endorsed?  Can your girl call the payer or their bank and see if it has been cashed? I'd get on that one, man.

Normally it only takes 3 days for a check to clear one of the  check to clear the nearest Federal Reserve Bank.

This picture advocate violance angainst the disabled, or medically ill, and it should be removed immidiately!

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/who-owns-and-controls-the-federal-reserve/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/are-these-the-forging-fires-of-the-nwo-we-feel/ 

 http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/did-jpmorgan-almost-fail-jekyll-island-investment-still-paying-dividend/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/who-really-owns-your-money-part-one-the-depository-trust-clearing-corporation/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/who-really-owns-your-money-part-two-inherent-national-bankruptcy/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/liars-and-the-lying-lies-they-are-telling-you/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/gse-failures-are-actually-a-massive-regional-bank-bailout-in-disguise-how-the-fed-is-planning-to-get-the-lipstick-on-this-pig/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/11666666-home-owners-could-be-rescued-from-foreclosure/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/paulson-bush-and-the-grifters-the-manufacturing-of-a-crisis

Related:

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/who-owns-and-controls-the-federal-reserve/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/are-these-the-forging-fires-of-the-nwo-we-feel/ 

 http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/did-jpmorgan-almost-fail-jekyll-island-investment-still-paying-dividend/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/who-really-owns-your-money-part-one-the-depository-trust-clearing-corporation/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/who-really-owns-your-money-part-two-inherent-national-bankruptcy/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/liars-and-the-lying-lies-they-are-telling-you/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/gse-failures-are-actually-a-massive-regional-bank-bailout-in-disguise-how-the-fed-is-planning-to-get-the-lipstick-on-this-pig/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/11666666-home-owners-could-be-rescued-from-foreclosure/  

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/paulson-bush-and-the-grifters-the-manufacturing-of-a-crisis

Hmm.  What are they making this crap for?

Nice nabs - you fucking rock!

Check out the video I attached to your Boeing story...

Here are a couple more to blow your socks off.  No conspiracies, just Government produced docs and mainstream news:

http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/rptcongress/annual96/annual.pdfhttp://www.jfcom.mil/about/about1.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects-Based_Operationshttp://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-5122http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/national/04halliburton.html?http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title50a/50a_79_1_.html_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1223093503-4qSpcrWkY5DdzP6M8Eg7Tw&oref=sloginhttp://www.defenselink.mil/news/2008%20national%20defense%20strategy.pdfhttp://www.northcom.mil/News/2007/Vision%202020%2007-10-01.pdfhttp://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2005/d20050630homeland.pdfhttp://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/302501p.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_Other_Than_Warhttp://www.disastercenter.com/laworder/12919.htm

Check this out - Billy boy signed an executive order that consolidates a series of orders from the early 1950' on, and allows for confiscation of private  and public funds, conscription of labor and a bunch of other repressive measures for the NWO:

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12919.pdf

Clinton is a closet neo-con (really neo-liberal) and so is Hillary.  Notice how chummy he is with b-41?  Bildenberg (sp?)? And the Rhodes Scholarshi, as you pointed out?

John Kerry is a plant to - Heinz in deep in it all.  They are running people on voth sides  - it's a mono party system:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,583454,00.html

You want more scary shit?  Read about the DTCC:

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/who-really-owns-your-money-part-one-the-depository-trust-clearing-corporation/

What's funny is he doesn't defend it at all.  He simply states that is the system as a matter of fact - no judgment as to right or wrong - it just is.  Systemic change would be chaos for the industrialized world, the main beneficiaries of the system, so it will be hard to change of course.

You are bright, what is a better system - assuming revealing the workings of the current one would undermine it?

Wonderful! - Well put, friend.  I tend to think along the same lines as you do, I believe.  I posted that somewhat weak argument sent to me by a friend who holds an interesting position, so I took it up for a time to get some reactions, a good thread of which are here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/13/17048/725/26/629507

My buddy says this, in a nut shell:  Yes, money is not value as when tied to gold.  Yes, it is really debt created out of thin air with a signature on a loan doc.  yes there is inflation and the need for constant growth, it is impossible to pay a loan and interest back with a Fiat currency that constantly devaluates - and not at the 3% or so flat line constant - it is the same process as compound interest in that it is exponential.

But, he says, that is the system.  No conspiracies, it all runs on air - hence the mystery and opaqueness of the system:  If everyone knew, they would panic and lose faith in the Fiat currency, rushing back to medals, and the house of cards falls.

No conspiracy, just a handful of people who really understand the system and therefore best benefit from it.  His advice. "Get into banking..."

what of this?

Junkie,

Lame story.  You need to have more compassion for your fellow human. 

I have removed you from my favorites because you lack understanding of that which you condemn.

Please do more research before you take a position that will adversely affect the quality of life of other people.

This is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of life and death for some.

Good day.

Your arguements are weak and you are terribly uneducated on this issue.  I live in Oregon where we have had a Medical Marijuana program serving thousands of patients, and there has been no problems outside of theft of some plants.

You are doing a great disservice to people who are suffering.  If you had one of the designated ailments and were suffering, you would want the option of Medical Marijuana too.

Have some compassion.

It has been used medically and recreationally for thousands of years and has not brought down civilized society yet.  Don't fall for the rhetoric.

I mean come on, they advertise medicines on TV to cure a toenail fungus that also damages your liver - you have to have periodic blood tests - all this to take care of a non life threatening yellowing of the toenail?

Let Doctors and patients decide what is the best treatment, and keep your laws to yourself!