No, it’s not. What the Obama administration is doing right now is the antithesis of everything upon which this nation was founded. Kudos, champ! In the administration’s despicable attempts to blame a film for violence and deaths at our embassies, all as a way to justify its own failed and deadly policies of appeasement, they are condemning free speech and trying to make it a criminal act.
As Twitchy reported, the Pentagon called a private American citizen to ask him to withdraw his support for the film. Then, the administration asked YouTube to take down the video, all while investigating the filmmaker. Next, in a chilling display, they brought him in for questioning. His crime? CrimeThink. Secretary of State Clinton shamelessly and shamefully again blamed free speech while flanked with the coffins of the four Americans killed in Libya. Americans who exemplified our ideals and principles. Americans who fought for the very freedom she condemned.
This is not America.
Just look at this picture with tons of law enforcement officers surrounding the filmmaker as if he were Richard Speck. http://t.co/k7JSD8El
— David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) September 16, 2012
When an administration can treat American citizens this way to divert attention from itself it's no longer reasonable to mock "alarmists."
— David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) September 16, 2012
No, it’s not. This isn’t alarmism. This is reality under President Obama and if your blood isn’t boiling, you aren’t paying attention. Blogger Ace of Spades, and fellow citizens, spell it out for those who may only get their news from Obama fanboys in the media.
This is not America.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 15, 2012
They told me that if I voted for McCain, agents of the state would hunt down those dissenting with the State Narrative, and they were right!
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 15, 2012
Hey, remember when liberals freaked out over Ari Fleisher suggesting that we have to "watch what we say"? Good times, good times.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 15, 2012
Now we have an actual manhunt, with both media and federal LEOs involved, and the left says, "Git 'im"
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 15, 2012
Obama is NOT Jimmy Carter. When the Ayatollah demanded he turn over the Shah, Carter *refused.*
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 15, 2012
Dude. When you are worse than President Carter …
Using a “probation matter” as a defense does not wash, as Instapundit points out:
And that’s pretty clearly what’s happened here. Though to be fair, they didn’t actually prosecute him. Just took him downtown to answer a few questions. Voluntarily. After midnight. With a lot of TV cameras there, somehow.
And sorry, claims that this was just a routine probation matter don’t pass the laugh test. They’re just pure hackery.
Ace of Spades and GayPatriot give a drubbing to that line of thinking as well.
@mkhammer @GPollowitz The full power of government was sent to investigate him due to his speech.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@mkhammer @GPollowitz They may have found something (but I don't know why that's assumed). But why the investigation in the first place?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
https://twitter.com/GayPatriot/status/247124628340875264
@mkhammer @GPollowitz You seem to be missing the whole "A citizen was targeted for LEO investigation due to his lawful speech" part.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@mkhammer @GPollowitz it's possible there's cause for arrest; was there cause for the investigation?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@mkhammer @GPollowitz do you approve of federal probes being prioritized to how uncomfortable one's speech is to the government?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@mkhammer @GPollowitz At some point, after the MB president of Egypt asked for the blasphemer to be prosecuted, someone started digging.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@mkhammer @GPollowitz Would you say that whoever ordered the Code Red was upholding the Constitution?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
LEO is supposed to investigate crimes as they occur. Not investigate SPEECH to see if there's any unrelated crime to arrest someone for.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
Bingo. They are not meant to be the blasphemy police.
This man became a Person of Interest to the government not because of any crime– they're still looking! — but because of speech.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
If you remember, when Joe the Plumber embarrassed Obama a helpful bureaucrat in Ohio began checking up on his licensing and liens.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
Speech should not make you target of a criminal investigation fishing expedition.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@AceofSpadesHQ I'm scared for America.
— Gingernlw (@Gingernlw) September 16, 2012
Shh RT @OneFineJay This whole "peace through silence" and "responsible speech" memes that have been popping up recently are very disturbing.
— April Thompson (@oddlysaid) September 16, 2012
Remember, this guy was not investigated on suspicion of a crime. He was investigated on suspicion of a lawful, but unpopular, act of speech.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
The Constitution does not guarantee speech that the government approves of. No guarantee is needed for that.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
That is what is going on here: Speech rights are being implicitly caveated as "so long as they don't discomfit the government."
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
Which is no guarantee at all. For God's sake, the NAZIS permitted speech that they agreed with!
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
No government ever limits speech that advances its agenda, for the love of God. It's precisely the speech it doesn't like that needs defense
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
When the feds began their investigation–when "Sam Bacile" was just a pseudonym with a film they didn't like–what were they investigating?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
What crime were they probing? Why were LE assets being utilized? They were not investigating a crime; they were investigating a legal act.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
If "Sam Bacile" turned out to be citizen with no record, would the investigation and manhunt have been justified?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
People don't seem to understand that: Cops are supposed to investigate *crimes.* They are not supposed to investigate *lawful acts.*
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
@topsecretk9 Right. It's pretty clear the interest here is not law enforcement, but political agenda.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
If you speak and the feds start probing you, even if they find nothing to charge you on– why did they probe you? For your *speech.*
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
For exercising your rights. Hoping that if they dug enough, they could find some reason to put you in jail.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
The Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt immediately suggested– demanded– that we look for a reason to jail this guy. We *DID.*
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
Now when the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt demanded this, some of us said "He doesn't seem to understand how America works."
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
But he DOES understand how it works, now, doesn't he? He knew better than many of us how "America" now works.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
Not hopeandchange ™. Fundamental change of America and its principles on a beyond chilling level.
In his crude, repressive mind, OF COURSE you start investigating troublesome people who compromise your political agenda.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
But then it turned out that that same crude, repressive mentality was shared here, in America, where prior to this day we thought…
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
…we didn't need government permission to speak.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) September 16, 2012
The Daily Caller‘s Jim Treacher asks for caption for the photo of the filmmaker being led away in a police car. And Instapundit says that President Obama should resign. Silly rubes, bitterly clinging to your free speech.
Why @BarackObama should resign. http://t.co/1tU4uZ23
— China is lying (@jtLOL) September 15, 2012
More from Instapundit:
When taking office, the President does not swear to create jobs. He does not swear to “grow the economy.” He does not swear to institute “fairness.” The only oath the President takes is this one:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
By sending — literally — brownshirted enforcers to engage in — literally — a midnight knock at the door of a man for the non-crime of embarrassing the President of the United States and his administration, President Obama violated that oath. You can try to pretty this up (It’s just about possible probation violations! Sure.), or make excuses or draw distinctions, but that’s what’s happened. It is a betrayal of his duties as President, and a disgrace.
Caption this: A man being escorted into a police car after he criticized Islam http://t.co/F6gT21cI
— China is lying (@jtLOL) September 16, 2012
The only possible caption: This is not America.
Why isn't #Hollywood up in arms over a man being questioned for making a MOVIE? #twisters #CA #FreeSpeech #tcot
— Kimberly Morin (@Conservativeind) September 16, 2012
I find the actions of the .@barackobama administration in this #freespeech matter the most dishonorable acts of my government in my lifetime
— Peter Ingemi (@DaTechGuyblog) September 16, 2012
if there was an Everybody Make a Lousy Mohammed Video Day, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs couldn't call us all. #freespeech
— Prudence Paine (@PruPaine) September 16, 2012
https://twitter.com/C0d3Fr0sty/status/247113771233976320
Amen. Free speech doesn’t “trigger” or “incite” violence. Fanatical ideology and the people perpetrating the acts are to blame. The quashing of free speech, however, is deadly and it is not American. The response to hate and violence is not to limit speech; the correct answer is more speech.
Yet, Obama’s government seeks to take away rights from American citizens, in order to appease people who wish to kill us and destroy America. Guess what stomping on the principles upon which this country was founded will do? Heck of a job, Barry.
So much for that pesky, old Constitution.
This is not America. But it will be again, come November.
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