Arizona Criminalizes On-Line Flame Wars

Filed in National by on March 31, 2012

You read that right. Arizona H.B. 2549 would make it a crime to be lewd or annoying on the Internets. This bill is on the Governor’s desk for signature. And isn’t interesting that these wingnuts have found one more bit of the Constitution that they want to undermine?

A group called the Media Coalition, which defends first amendment rights in the media, notes in a letter to the Governor various issues with this bill:

“H.B. 2549 would make it a crime to use any electronic or digital device to communicate using obscene, lewd or profane language or to suggest a lewd or lascivious act if done with intent to ‘annoy,’ ‘offend,’ ‘harass’ or ‘terrify,’” the letter notes. … ‘Lewd’ and ‘profane’ are not defined in the statute or by reference. ‘Lewd’ is generally understood to mean lusty or sexual in nature and ‘profane’ is generally defined as disrespectful or irreverent about religion or religious practices.”

So let’s start counting the problems here:

  1. Teajadis, winguts and general conservatives trying to rewrite the First Amendment.
  2. They think they’ll be policing this across the entire Internets.  All of it.  Can we say Overreach?
  3. And who will be doing this policing?  Can we say Big Government?
  4. Will they target Sheriff Joe first?  Seriously, all that crap he posts up to You Tube is pretty annoying to me.
  5. This is English-only annoyance, harassment or lewdness, right?  I mean, we already know that the consider other languages to be un-American.

This is one more thing that Republicans are working on that is completely not useful except to themselves.  It is more evidence that handing over government to Republicans is a seriously bad idea.  They only give lip service to the Constitution and work overtime to make sure that there is a ton of government pointed at controlling the speech and behavior of the people who pay their salaries.    And — with the help of some Democrats — are also working overtime to make sure that businesses feed at the trough of taxpayer money pretty freely and can run roughshod over the citizens who work for them,

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"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas." -Shirley Chisholm

Comments (35)

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  1. sb says:

    as if this law will EVER be applied to a conservative.
    AZ is a joke of a state.

  2. Miscreant says:

    Well, fuck that.

  3. Dana Garrett says:

    There have been far too many uppity liberals complaining about the legal mandates to rape women with medical instruments and arguing that a woman should have control of her own body. We can’t have that kind of talk going on.

  4. crazy marine says:

    The time to undermine the constitution is now, SCOTUS will approve burning the document by a 5 to 4 vote.

  5. Geezer says:

    Is the Institute for Racist Assholes aware someone has escaped?

  6. socialistic ben says:

    i think the thing to do is bombard arizona politicians and websites with hundreds of thousands of “annoying” comments… as well as reporting anything said online by and GOPer in Arizona as offensive…. i bet we could bankrupt that state in 6 months.

  7. Aoine says:

    well seeing that THE SHERIFF is the ultimate law-enforcement officer in the county

    that would mean that SHERIFF JOE and his POSSEE can have supreme, ultimate control of the world – police the internet, arrest the president (and Jeff Christpher, by adoption)

    where else did you all think this was going?? silly wabbits

  8. Que Pasa says:

    This sure is rich…particularly for a blog that routinely censors non-profane posts. I really do hate the smell of hypocrisy in the afternoon.

  9. Socialistic ben says:

    and you dont see the difference between disallowing a-holes to comment on a private blog, and trying to press charges against people for exercising free speech do ya? no surprise.

  10. Liberal Elite says:

    @QP “…hypocrisy in the afternoon.”

    Yea.. but we’re not out there trying to make your stupidity a crime.

  11. Que Pasa says:

    Free speech is free speech where ever it occurs. Walk the talk…or is that against your psuedo-religion?

  12. Que Pasa says:

    Socialism, progressivism and other ‘Big State-isms’, which most of you seemingly adhere to, have committed more crimes against humanity in the past 120 years than any other organizational paradigm, bar none.

  13. nemski says:

    QP, Free speech is not free speech. The consitution mentions that only the government will not make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Geez.

  14. nemski says:

    By the way, ask Ozzie Gullen about the definition of free speech.

  15. Que Pasa says:

    ” The consitution mentions that only the government will not make no law abridging the freedom of speech.”

    …and thus free speech is a principle that should be adhered to in our daily discourse.

    Unfortunately, when speech you find disagreeble, even when not profane, hits the cue, there seems to be progresso-philic bent to the moderator’s filter, in addition to heaping doses of double-standardization.

    Try and live to a higher standard, if you can, Npln-sk.

  16. cassandra_m says:

    No one here is discussing socialism or whatever big-state BS you keep trying to hijack the conversation with. You are completely free to be here discussing the topics at hand. Name-calling, stupid deflections, wingnut talking points are always off-topic and not welcome. Because you are not here to engage anyone in conversation, you just want to tag the threads with your verbal graffiti.

    So you don’t get to be here under your terms. If you don’t like it, then go.

  17. socialistic ben says:

    duh cass. free speech means we have to be subject to listen to every stupid thing ever bigot is able to come up with in their tiny neanderthal brain.

  18. Liberal Elite says:

    @QP “..more crimes against humanity in the past 120 years than any other organizational paradigm, bar none.”

    Uhh too easy. You forgot religion…

  19. Liberal Elite says:

    How ignorant you are. Far more people are killed by the blade than killed by the bullet… and so often done in the name of religion.

    (Edit: This was in response to a post QP deleted.)

  20. nemski says:

    Not deleted. Just moved aside. 🙂

  21. Que Pasa says:

    Past 120 years, LE. That’s the time frame.

  22. Liberal Elite says:

    Oh… And I though he read my post and realized just how silly he looked. I shudda known.

  23. Liberal Elite says:

    @QP “Past 120 years, LE. That’s the time frame.”

    LOL!! 10 years, 120 years, 2000 years. Makes no difference.

  24. Que Pasa says:

    Now you’re the one who looks silly.

  25. Que Pasa says:

    You can’t compare 2000+ years to an ideology and movement that only metastisized approx. 120 years ago!

    So, I’ll say it again, within the past 120 years, nothing comes close to big government-isms’ responsibility for so much human suffering.

  26. Liberal Elite says:

    Your view of history is severely biased.

  27. Que Pasa says:

    Real funny, Nemski. What are you afraid of?

  28. Socialistic ben says:

    QP is trying to call liberals Nazis without calling liberals Nazis. Just come out with it and stop being such a coward.

  29. Que Pasa says:

    Your view of history must be extremly incorrect or you’re a denier of some sort.

  30. Que Pasa says:

    Big, all encomapasing government, whether right or left, was the problem. Today’s modern liberals/progressives are cousins to this ilk.

  31. Liberal Elite says:

    Here’s a clue for you QP. What has been the #1 means of population control in Africa for the last 120 years? (hint: It’s not birth control).

  32. nemski says:

    For the love of God, will you all stop feeding the troll. QP does not care what you think. Not now. Not ever. His/her goal is just to disrupt. So please stop poking QP with a stick. It just doesn’t matter.

  33. nemski says:

    BTW, I know it’s tough and you think your logic will cure stupid. It won’t, it just won’t. Off topic comments will be moderated, both from the left and the right. That is them rules.

  34. Socialistic ben says:

    nemski is right.

    boycott QP2012!!!!! (to moderators…. all it’s comments should be replaced with quotes from Audacity of Hope)