How to spell insanity – oh simple: D e S a n t i s.
That is based on this astonishing AP story from Florida, the state I now re-label as: “The
Insane Shine State” with this headline:
“Florida
bill would force bloggers to register with state”
TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP)
— A Republican lawmaker in Florida wants bloggers who write about elected
officials to register with the state, raising concern among First Amendment
groups who are calling the proposal unconstitutional.
Key Provision of the Draft Bill filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Lake
Mary) would require bloggers to file periodic reports with the state: If they are paid for posts about the state's governor,
lieutenant governor, cabinet members, or legislative officials.
Bloggers would have to disclose who paid them and how much,
along with other information such as where the post is located online. They
would be fined $25 per each day the report is late, up to a maximum of $2,500
for each report.
The legislation would not apply to content on “the website
of a newspaper or other similar publication.” The proposal, filed last week,
has already begun to draw criticism from First Amendment groups who argue it
violates press freedoms.
Bobby Block,
executive director of the First Amendment Foundation said: “The only thing
that I can see is that it's an attempt to limit and control free speech. It's
an attempt to bring critics to heel and it's an attempt to make sure that
people who want to talk about you think real hard before they do so.”
In a Twitter post, Sen. Brodeur wrote that the bill is aimed at bringing transparency to blogs that advocate or lobby for specific causes. The text of his bill states that it would apply to any blogger who is paid to write about elected officials in Florida, he concluded: “Do you want to know the truth about the so-called “blogger” bill? It brings the current pay-to-play scheme to light and gives voters clarity as to who is influencing their elected officials, JUST LIKE how we treat lobbyists. It’s an electioneering issue, not a free speech issue.”
Brodeur is also sponsoring
a separate bill that would make it easier to sue media for defamation, a
proposal also pushed by Gov. DeSantis who had made criticizing the media a
major facet of his national profile as he gears up for an expected 2024
presidential run, thus employing a
tactic popular with Republicans who view news outlets as biased against
conservatives.
The ACLU of Florida has slammed the proposal as “un-American
to its core” they said in a statement, adding: “This is a clear violation of
the First Amendment because it strongly discourages bloggers from speaking on
politics – one of the most critical types of speech for maintaining a
democracy.”
My 2 Cents: As I said
right up front this is insanity clearly defined.
I also believe now that it has passed and ready to become law and is challenged (which it surely will be) and possibly all the way the U.S. Supreme Court that DeSantis and his henchmen would lose 9-0 (or possibly 7-0 with Alito and Thomas dissenting). Hard to tell at this point if it will become law or not.
We will have to wait and see but this is without a doubt a major attack on the First Amendment Freedom of Speech.
Thanks for stopping by.
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