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6A Daily News – Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Opinion Free speech is not necessarily free DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. 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How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 This is the first in a series of columns discussing your rights as citizens of these United States as enumerated in the first ten amendments to the constitution, otherwise called the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment to the constitution adopted in 1791 reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." To discover what these words actually mean one must study case law and understand the evolution of thought over the 222 since adoption, particularly how it has bearing on state and local statutes that affect us most directly. With regard to religion there exists a balance between the right to express one's religious principles and the constitutional requirement that government neither establish nor prohibit them. This has morphed into the concept of the separation of church and state, where the practice of any, and therefore all, religion at public facilities is generally restricted. For this reason religious ceremony, prayer and symbols are not allowed in public schools, buildings, parks, and elsewhere in the public domain. The American Civil Liberties Union has become the vanguard of this amendment, and is consequently vilified by conservatives far and wide for presumably impeding their freedom to worship as they choose. However this is not the case, everyone can still practice the religion of their choice so long as it is not imposed upon others in public places and no illegal substances or forms of abuse are used. So much has been written about free speech or of the press that it is difficult to categorically state what is and what is not acceptable speech or expression. Indeed what is considered acceptable varies based upon the persons involved, the place, and other particulars. For instance police and others are free to lie but one must tell the truth when duly sworn or affirmed in court under penalty of perjury. Speakers and witnesses must state that they are expressing an opinion when making derogatory declarations about others, or face civil liability for slander. Similarly writers that make declarative statements that dishonestly denigrate others can be prosecuted for libel, a caution I have from time to time warned those that have printed false statements regarding my character or experience. One prohibition of free speech of particular concern is that considered threatening or that can be characterized as "hate speech" against certain protected classes. Other restrictions such as yelling "fire" in a theatre where none exists or prancing naked down a city street are imposed to protect public safety and decency, necessary to ensure the safety of care providers and although the later is patients in the face of dependent upon local vehement and somecommunity values. For times violent protest. instance nudity is Finally your right to allowed at some public petition the government events in Seattle and San for a redress of grievFrancisco because what ances is subject to the is considered free requirement of having expression or prurient proper standing, by deviancy is both in the being one that is directeye of the beholder and ly impacted by such the censor. A comprogrievance, and having a mise has been reached where such acts can be Richard basis of concern that overrides government restricted but not entirely liability protections. prohibited with prior Such is the case of the restraint except when it Botell family and comes to child predation Lassen Nation Forrest and terrorism, where stemming from the society cannot tolerate death of Tommy Botell the damages that might three years ago when a otherwise ensue. The press faces challenges regarding rock trail wall crumbled on him the protection of the anonymity of and his sister. Just last week this sources, and the privacy of com- action moves forward because a munications, as presently being federal judge found negligent tested by government tracking of maintenance contributed to the Associated Press correspondent injuries. So as you can see, the devil, telephone and other communicaand extent of your rights, is in the tions to ferret out a terrorist plot. When it comes to the rights of detail of how a statute is interpretassembly we are in relatively good ed and applied over time. There stead, so long as proper permits are many people today serving are obtained to preclude disruption time in jails or facing hefty fines of commerce and movement. Here because they did not realize that again good taste is often sacrificed, free speech isn't necessarily free. as in the case of protests against Richard Mazzucchi is a retired homosexuality at funerals or gauntlets of anti-abortion protest- research engineer living in Los ers outside of Planned Parenthood Molinos. He can be reached at clinics. Some accommodations are living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; Email: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 3930707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary The stench of lies, corruption, tyranny Plan to come to tonight's Tea Party Patriots meeting and hear from our new Supervisor, Sandy Bruce, at 6 p.m. at the Westside Grange. I believe the format will allow for questions; it'll be a great way to hear what she has to say and see where she stands on local issues. We are now witnessing not one, not two, but at least three separate scandals: the Benghazi fiasco— failure to protect our personnel from terrorist attacks, doing nothing to respond in real time to the attacks, and lying to the American people about the attacks; the possibly illegal seizure of reporters' phone records; and political assault on conservative organizations seeking 501 (c) (4) tax-exempt status by using the IRS to delay, harass, hamstring and intimidate citizens exercising their constitutional rights. These have in common the official abuse of power, the crass, political pursuit of keeping that power by any means necessary and at hand—the electoral ends justifying the corrupt means. The truth about the attacks on our consulate by radical Islamic fighters, together with the needless (warnings unheeded, measures not taken, security unimproved) deaths of Ambassador Stevens and three other brave Americans—had to be manipulated and hidden before last November's election. Why? For the morally corrupt reason that President Obama's narrative—AlQaeda was a spent force harmless to America after Osama bin Laden's death—was proven wrong. Also that, after helping remove Gaddafi from power, an America-loving normalcy prevailed. With the seizure of reporters' phone records, we can also ascribe a politically corrupt motive in that another of Obama's cherished phony narratives came undone: that we were no longer threatened by attempted terrorist attacks. Maybe you weren't told but the White House didn't want the public to know how close a Yemeni Al-Qaeda terrorist came to blowing up an airplane bound for America, prevented by a CIA operation. By seizing via subpoena those phone call records in pursuit of the leaker, Obama's people could proceed to intimidate or harass reporters' contacts, chilling the vital process of independent and aggressive news investigation. Eric Holder does not appear to have signed the warrant and his Department of Justice appears to have engaged in bad faith nonnegotiation with the Associated Press. Reporting on Obama might get more hard-hitting, the administrations' cover-ups, lies and hypocrisies get more scrutiny. I gave the short hand version of those because the main event, for me and many other conservatives, is the still-emerging scandal of how high up the IRS/White House food chain goes the trail of those who orchestrated the abuse of IRS regulatory power. Recall that one of the articles of impeachment against President Nixon had to do with his and his subordinates' use of the IRS to attack his political opponents. We've already seen lying to Congress last spring by an official who flat-out denied in writing that conservative groups were targeted when he positively knew that the Inspector General's report, then already circulating in IRS circles, had found just that. We've already seen the story graduating students at Ohio State that the abusive political scrutiny University against "voices that incessantly warn of was limited to low-level government as nothing employees in Cincinnati more than some sepafall apart when some Tea rate, sinister entity Party groups reported that's at the root of all receiving inquiring letour problems (and) do ters from Washington. their best to gum up the We've also come to find works … They'll warn out that the IG report that tyranny always detailing the abusive (sic) lurking just around practices was finalized the corner. You should well before the election reject those voices." but conveniently kept What happened under wraps until just after the shamefully recently in a staged disDon manipulated, popularclosure at a lawyers' gathering with a planted Polson opinion-defying jam down of Obamacare in question. Then we've The way early 2010 was the heard Obama and his massive rise of Tea mouthpieces disingenuI see it Party and other patriotously, and unbelievably, ic, constitution-defendclaim to have had no knowledge of the abuse until the ing groups; they figured out a rest of America found out at that legal way to pool the fruits of their staged disclosure. I was born but labor and pursue their political happiness. They peacefully not, as they say, yesterday. Conservative and Tea Party assembled, organized and began groups have been reporting for petitioning to redress their collecyears that they were being subject- tive grievances, while protecting ed to improper, unjustified and dis- themselves from the retaliation of criminatory written anal exams the vindictive and unhinged left and inquiries on the most irrelevant by donating anonymously. For the topics imaginable; we're to believe "separate, sinister entity," the IRS, none of that ever came to the to attack, intimidate and "gum up" attention of Obama's people and the efforts of these citizens and they never raised an eyebrow in their groups, such that fundraising alarm. No hint of concern that was diminished, donors scared such reprehensible treatment off, potential leaders demoralized might be abusive of citizens' right and their efforts stymied—for all "to peaceably assemble" and that to have been done by "petition the government for Obama's government to help get redress of grievances" (Yeah, him reelected sure smacks of that's in the Constitution). Real- tyranny to me. ly?! Don Polson has called Red Bluff Readers might understandably wonder if cries of "tyranny" over- home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at state things. Obama certainly dis- reached missed such alarms as he warned donplsn@yahoo.com.