Inae Oh at Mother Jones writes—Republicans All Over the Country Are Pushing These Anti-Protest Bills to Silence Peaceful Dissent:
As citizens unhappy about the Trump administration look to build on the momentum of the historic Women's March with additional public expressions of outrage, Republicans across the country are quietly introducing legislation aimed at limiting and even criminalizing peaceful demonstrations.
According to a recent count from the American Civil Liberties Union, at least 17 states have proposed such anti-protest bills, many of which include language ostensibly aimed at improving measures such as public safety. But upon closer analysis, these bills all appear to share the intended goal of suppressing First Amendment rights by making peaceful dissent a crime with the threat of jail time and hefty fines.
Look no further than Minnesota for a prime example. Republican lawmakers there are advancing legislation to punish protesters who block highways and airport access. While the bill's proponents insist it will protect highway safety, critics argue that the measure instead overwhelmingly targets people participating in demonstrations by saddling them with steep fines, all while having hardly any effect on furthering roadway safety.
[A larger, interaction version of the map above—which gives details on what’s happening in each of those states—can be accessed here.]
QUOTATION OF THE DAY
”The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting for its cargo. These filled me with astonishment, which was soon connected with terror, when I was carried on board. I was immediately handled and tossed up to see if I were sound, by some of the crew; and I was now persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits, and that they were going to kill me.”
~Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—US and Pakistan on Bin Laden's trail. Maybe:
Using intelligence gathered from recently captured Al Qaeda bigwig Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, US and Pakistani forces are sweeping border areas suspected of harboring Osama Bin Laden himself.
I've heard rumors that Bush would announce OBL's capture tonight at his prime time press conference. (The Guardian story alludes to rumors of OBL's capture as well.) I don't buy it. Not only has the rumor been denied by the US and Pakistan, but if true, the info would've been leaked a million times by now.
More likely perhaps will be an "update" on the nation's war on terror. Bush may be hoping to dispel the notion that the US can't fight Iraq and AQ at the same time. Or, perhaps he's looking to shore up support for his war of aggression.
In any case, I wonder why the US and Pakistan are so sure of the intel they're getting from Mohammed. If I were the guy, I'd be making shit up just to watch everyone scramble around and waste their time and resources on garbage intel.
HIGH IMPACT STORIES • TOP COMMENTS
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show, Greg Dworkin is back on Monday Trump clean-up duty. Trump goes on a Fox News Grandpa rage bender over “wiretapping.” Now even TradMed types are contemplating how much of our world falls apart if Trump literally can not ever be taken at his word.
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