this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2023
737 points (95.3% liked)

politics

19089 readers
3860 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 136 points 1 year ago (8 children)

STOP GIVING THE RIGHT AMMO YOU FUCKING DUMBASS!

In any case, isn't this basically the whole "yelling fire in a crowded theater" example of speech that isn't protected and is explicitly criminal? Charge his ass.

[–] evatronic@lemm.ee 95 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The story I'm hearing elsewhere is he pulled the alarm to delay the vote, as Republicans are violating their "72 hours to read the bill" rule they agreed to at the start of this Congressional term.

While I don't condone the actions, the result was a delay, long enough for representatives to read a bill they are voting on, which is something that should always be allowed.

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just find it hilarious that it's a former school principal that pulled this shit. He's probably expelled kids for doing the same.

[–] SSX@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

At the same time, he finally gets to experience the hilarity of it.

[–] scottywh@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

That certainly adds interesting context.

I previously read that the 72 page bill was given to House members initially with only about an hour before the vote to read and review it so that helps me make more sense of it than my own face value first conclusion.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If only people got this riled up whenever the other side broke the rules...

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 16 points 1 year ago

The fucking rage of people doing minor dumbshit stuff for kind of good reasons. Won't someone think of the precious norms.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'll own it: I over reacted.

The older I get, the more critical I realize politics is - when we fuck up, people lose their rights and push our planet closer and closer to non-life-supporting, so seeing dumb shit from the left is especially aggravating cuz that's where our hope is. Dig through my recent posts and you'll find several chewing out Feinstein, and it's for the same reason. We cannot afford that shit in today's political environment - the stakes are just too high.

[–] spark947@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Yeah, but in this case it seems like the dude was rushing back to fund the government and made a genuine mistake because he was in a hurry.

[–] Reptorian@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Reading a bill is part of a normal procedure and the outcome is more important. So, while I don't condone the action, at the end of the day, if the outcome benefits people other than himself, then I can understand his action. The thing is they weren't given enough time to read as Republicans violated their own 72 hours to read the bill rule.

[–] treefrog@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Unless it's a felony they're immune to prosecution while im session.

[–] ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, shit. Now they're all going to do it. Lol

[–] TechyDad@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I think McCarthy just found out the only way to stay in power. Every time Gaetz tries to file a motion to vacate the speakership, McCarthy will just pull the fire alarm.

[–] Nahvi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Are they in session while walking the halls?

[–] Im14abeer@midwest.social 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In session is all time not in recess. They are also protected traveling to D.C. from their home district.

[–] Nahvi@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Thank you for clarifying. Could not remember for the life of me.

[–] treefrog@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

There's only two sessions a year. The reason the shutdown extension has to happen now is the session is about to adjourn.

[–] thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yelling fire in a crowded theater has been protected speech for decades now.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

...when there's an actual fire, right? Otherwise your just endangering people by causing a crowd to panic.

Edit - looked it up, goes back to Schenck v. United States, which basically states that the context of otherwise protected speech can render it criminal. The case wasn't about shouting fire in a theater, but it produced that example to illustrate their reasoning.

[–] thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)
[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Huh. I wonder if any injuries that occured would fall under that. Like if someone yelled fire and you got trampled by a panicked crowd and broke a few bones... would yelling fire in that case be assault?

Initial post stands - charge his ass! ...but now more from curiosity to see what the courts would do with it than anything else.

[–] randon31415@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

... or yelled "Stop the steal, storm the captial" and someone got trampled to death.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

And someone else was shot by law enforcement because they tried to follow those orders. (The fact she wasn't innocent doesn't excuse the instigator of her death)

No, because the words aren't intended to incite lawless acts.

But, falsely pulling a fire alarm and saying words are two different things, and he can and should be charged for it.

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world -4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is not at all correct. The issue in Schenk wasn't whether you could or could not falsely shout fire in a crowded theater.

You may not falsely yell fire in a crowded theater. Doing so is a criminal breach of peace.

Schenk and Brandenberg are incitement cases. Not being able to falsely yell fire in a crowded theater is axiomatic proof that the framer's intent wasn't to ban limits on speech that obviously serves no valid free speech purpose, such as falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater.

You absolutely have the right to truly yell fire in a crowded theater, though no duty to do so!

[–] thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Did you not read the quote and source I provided that shows that I am correct?

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You read it wrong. You may not falsely shout fire in a crowded theater. You obviously don't have a lot of experience reading legal cases. It's okay.

[–] thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I did not read it wrong. It clearly states that the 69 case narrowed the scope so shouting fire in a crowded theater is no longer unprotected.

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It doesn't say that and that isn't true. The first case didn't involve a defendant who falsely shouted fire in a crowded theater.

[–] BuckyVanBuren@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, the case was about protesting war.

So, whenever you use this trope, you continue to support the idea that protesting war is criminal and protesters should be imprisoned.

[–] ViciousTangerine@lemmings.world -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think most people who hear the "fire in a crowded theater" line are going to think it's about protesting war. It's an example when speech can have an immediate harmful effect that seems to have a lot more relevance to the discussion of limitations on expression.

[–] BuckyVanBuren@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

No, it is about people fundamentally misunderstanding the case and continuing to misuse a paraphrasing of a dictum, or non-binding statement, from Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Incorrectly, acting as if it was a an actually point if law.

If used correctly, then it would be about protesting war. But people rarely understand what was said under Schenck v. United States, nor do they understand that it was overturned.

Brandenburg v. Ohio changed the standard to which speecg speech could be prosecuted only when it posed a danger of "imminent lawless action," a formulation which is sometimes said to reflect Holmes reasoning as more fully explicated in his Abrams dissent, rather than the common law of attempts explained in Schenck.

Fire in a theater is meaningless and useless.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 year ago

"Free speech is yelling theater in a crowded fire."

You would have to prove intent, which is almost impossible. I accidentally set off a fire alarm once. The relevant signage was totally ambiguous and not even remotely clear.

[–] justabigemptyhole@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

That actually is protected speech. Brandenburg v. Ohio