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Posts Tagged ‘u.s. constitution’

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Speechless Freedom

In Local News, News Media, Opinion, Uncategorized on September 27, 2025 at 3:37 pm

Deer In Headlines II

By Gery Deer

(Listen to the accompanying Deer In Headlines Podcast episode.)

I have been a freelance journalist since 1988, and the level at which we are losing our right to speak fact to power is deeply concerning. I don’t care what side of politics you happen to be on, but if you can’t see that free speech is under attack in our country right now, you must be living under a rock or so brainwashed by the status quo that you don’t care. Well, you should care. Our founding fathers put our guarantee, free speech, a free press, and freedom of, and from, religion – all right there in the First Amendment of our Constitution.

The current political machine grinds out endless column inches, social media posts, and lawless proclamations to spew freedom at every possible moment. And yet, the first things they did when they took over was restrict the freedoms of anyone “he” didn’t like – and now it’s extending to those who speak out against their “cause.” Supposedly, that cause was freedom at all costs, with the caveat that you must go along with everything they say or do.

We’ve heard all of this before, in other countries, from communists, fascists, dictatorships, you name it. So here we are, in arguably the most powerful country on the planet, now controlled by people who have simply decided that free speech is fine, so long as it’s state-approved. Don’t get me wrong, our country is not perfect; we’ve got blemishes on our history all the way back to day one. However, I’d like to think we’ve improved some things since then.

Now I’m not so sure. The people in power want to eliminate any shred of evidence that the United States of America is not as star-spangled awesome as they’d like you to believe. They are all hard at work scrubbing books, museum exhibitions, and historical data of any references to the horrors of slavery, government corruption, and anything else that doesn’t serve their crazy idea of democracy. Let’s be clear, it’s not democracy they want, but totalitarianism.

Every move they make implies a state-sanctioned religion, a theocracy, and brainwashed ideology that is not only bigoted and corrupt, but downright criminal. This administration has violated the Constitution so many times that even the press has begun to normalize its behavior. Are you kidding me? That’s what we’re supposed to do now?

Why else would massive corporations like CBS Paramount, or ABC, which Disney owns, suddenly drop some of the most influential and award-winning television hosts? Sure, companies have regulations within their business, and they’re allowed to set the tone by which employees are expected to behave. However, when the government threatens a broadcaster with revocation of their broadcast license over a freedom of speech issue, rather than a regulation or violation of the airways, we’ve reached a point of ridiculousness and danger.

Can you imagine if the other side of the aisle had done any of this? The same people who are doing it now would have literally lost their minds. They would have been breaking their arms to wave flags and scream about trampling on the Constitution. But now, so long as you say what they like, you’re good to go.

Book bans, an attempt to force the “free press” to report only what the administration approves, and a laundry list of other incomprehensible and subjugating tactics are all part of their method of operation. The country’s second in command recently issued warnings to the public not to say anything against the recently assassinated vocalist of this right-wing banana factory – or else.

No government official in the United States of America has the right to restrict the free speech or opinions of any citizen – or any non-citizen, for that matter. If our laws don’t apply to everyone, if our freedoms and civil liberties don’t extend to all, then they’re complete nonsense. Americans on both sides of the aisle are feeling the strangle hold on their rights, but virtually no one on the right will speak out for fear of “his” wrath.

I say this again – free speech is under attack. But the more we all speak up, the less they will be able to suppress our voices.

 

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27th Amendment: Congress gets paid no matter what.

In Economy, history, National News, Opinion, Politics, Uncategorized on October 1, 2013 at 9:57 pm

DEER IN HEADLINES

By Gery L. Deer

Did you know that the 27th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibits Congress from changing its own pay? The exact wording is, “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.”

congress 1Although the amendment was submitted to the states for ratification way back in 1789, it was not adopted until 1992, more than 200 years later. It was conceived to prevent the legislative branch from giving itself unwarranted and outrageous increases in pay, but it also works in the reverse. So, according to the constitution, congress gets paid, no matter what happens.

Amid a government shutdown unnecessarily created by a congress that simply refuses to compromise (on either side), it is thoroughly reprehensible that they are not also deprived a paycheck. Compensation certainly outshines performance, particularly by congressional leaders.

According to an article published in 2011 by the Center for Public Integrity, “No legislator – living or dead – has been paid a higher salary by the taxpayer than Speaker Boehner.”

The article notes that the Speaker earns the highest annual salary of all his peers, at $223,500. On the other side of the dome, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other congressional leaders are paid much less; just $193,400 per year.

Poor folks; It’s hard not to feel bad for them. Really, it must be terrible to have to struggle by on a measly couple-hundred-thousand a year. Yes, that was sarcasm.

There should be some way to cut Congress’s pay in midterm when they’re not living up to expectations and actually doing more harm than good. If they had to work a normal job, the current level of unsatisfactory performance would have gotten them all fired a couple of years ago.

con1Apparently, the only way to do have any financial impact on these people is to amend the 27th Amendment, allowing for congressional pay reductions at the will of the people. Administering such a procedure would be something of a logistical and legal challenge, but working it out would pay off in the end.

Direct and immediate job performance accountability, like everyone else endures at work, might actually motivate congressional leaders to the action of the people. At the moment, the only action they are taking is that which gives them the most spots on the Sunday morning news shows.

While hard-working government employees and their families go without pay, some struggling to put food on the table due to recent sequestrations, congressional big wigs luxuriate in the perks of the office, content in their jobs and in the foolhardiness and shockingly short memories of their constituencies. While there may be a few normal people on Capitol Hill, they are greatly outnumbered and hopelessly meek-voiced. A whisper from the back of the hall is nothing to the roar from the leadership seats.

Congress is currently enjoying its lowest approval rating ever, 87 percent of Americans disapprove of Congress’s performance according to an October 1st CNN poll. But until the American people say, “enough is enough,” this pointless bickering over the country’s finances will never cease. It’s as if the House and Senate are like an old married couple arguing over the checkbook register and who spent too much on the new blender they both needed.

Ridiculous filibusters and other Washington-style temper tantrums accomplish nothing, except to secure free press by presidential hopefuls no one has ever heard of now clambering for the spotlight. But, if members of Congress suddenly knew their pay would be cut and their jobs were in danger – now, not two years from now – they might make some effort to straighten all this out.

Until the 27th Amendment is amended, however, every single ineffectual member of congress will continue to collect their overstuffed paycheck. It’s time to show these people how the rest of America has to live because they clearly have no idea.

 CLICK HERE TO SIGN A PETITION TO AMEND THE 27th AMENDMENT …