- Mar 14, 2023
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'Totally illegal': Trump escalates rhetoric on outlawing political dissent and criticism
“This is out of the autocratic playbook. As autocrats consolidate their power once they’re in office, anything that threatens their power ... becomes illegal,” historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat said.
www.nbcnews.com
Donald Trump does not like it, when his political opponents speak assertions
that HE does not like. He wishes to limit what his opponents can say, publicly,
This is hypocritical, as Trump does not want HIS freedom of speech, limited
in any way. He wants a special privilege to say whatever he wants, while he
limits his opponents from saying whatever they want.
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In the fair rule of law in America, there are 2 interesting dynamics:
1. All citizens may speak what they want, publicly.
2. All citizens may be held responsible for what they publicly speak.
Donald Trump denies (1), and certainly denies that HE is subject
to possible prosecution (2) for some of what he says.
On both of these points, Trump is not talking about "freedom of speech" in America.
He is making up his own definition of freedom of speech, which is NOT compatible
with the Constitution and Bill of Rights in American law.
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There are other associated topics that Donald Trump does not understand.
--- There is no necessary "immunity" from prosecution, for what we
individually choose to say. For example, what we say (such as the
emails of Donald Trump) may be used as evidence in a court of law, to
establiish both the intentions of Donald Trump, and evidence of
certain types of crime.
For example, the RICO laws in Aemrica allow prosecutors to gather
conversations that a specific person has made, to establish their
relationships with known criminals, or criminal enterprises. It is a
crude misunderstanding of American "freedom of speech" to
assert that we are all immune from prosecution, for what we have
spoken or written.
--- Although the gathering of conversations under the RICO laws may
seem to violate personal privacy, gathering private conversations
requires special legal permission, which is based on serious evidence
of suspected criminal organized behavior (such as the organized perversion
of an American election, or the organized spreading of lies by a social
media platform). Note that witnesses to private conversations, have
ALWAYS been able to be admitted into American court cases, IF their
testimony can be properly verified.
--- The criteria for Christians, under the Christian moral-ethical code,
is MUCH stricter than under the fair rule of law in America.
At the final judgment, Christ may choose to judge us on
35 A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. 36 t I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. 37 By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mt 12:35–37.
Note that both GOSSIP (spreading of true, or false stories about someone) is
forbidden for Christians, as is "bearing false witness" to our shared reality
("lying"). And these crimes are serious, in the Jewish-Christian moral-ethical
code.
29 They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips 30 and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. 31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Ro 1:29–32.
Although some politicians do not claim to be Christians, some, like Donald
Trump, make a show of being "Christian" in order to gain votes. He should
subject himself to the requirements of the Christian moral-ethical code.
