Tag Archives: First Amendment

LAMAR HANKINS | POLICE AUDITORS | How police deny us our rights:  A view from YouTube

By Lamar Hankins | The Rag Blog | March 20, 2023 In 40 years as an attorney, I have encountered the police in many contexts.  I have received three warnings and two tickets for speeding or car malfunctions; I have … Continue reading

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Marilyn Katz :
Read the small print…

Nearly 200 members of Congress could’ve signed on to a bill criminalizing free speech and legitimizing Israel’s occupation of Palestine. By Marilyn Katz | The Rag Blog | July 27, 2017 Democratic legislators have been busy lately fighting efforts by … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : Alcoholics Anonymous, Nonbelievers, and the Constitution

Alcoholics Anonymous “praying hands” medallion. Image from Alternatives in Treatment. Alcoholics Anonymous, nonbelievers, and the Constitution AA proponents argue that the ‘higher power’ found in its steps can be whatever one wants it to be. Yet plainly religious practices go on … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : Texas Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott’s ‘Demagoduery’

Kountze cheerleaders. Screen grab from ABC News. Image from Austinist.com. Gimme a ‘G’: Texas Atty. Gen. Abbott’s ‘demagoduery’ It is beyond conjecture or opinion: the Kountze cheerleader banners expressing religious views are government speech. By Lamar W. Hankins | The … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : Ted Cruz Vs. Personal Liberty

Tea Party darling Ted Cruz. Photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr.Ted Cruz:Opponent of personal liberty Like many right-wingers, Cruz has a limited understanding of our First Amendment rights. By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | October 9, 2012 … Continue reading

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Jonah Raskin : The First Amendment Sucks

Cartoon by Ramiro Zardoya / Cartoon Movement. And it’s not written in stone: The First Amendment sucks Once upon a time, I never would have said this. But I am saying it now: we have to watch what we say … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : The Urgent Business of Promoting Religion

Writ in stone. Image from Addicting Info.‘Substantive and meaningful’:Congressional Republicans attend tothe urgent business of promoting religion By Lamar W. Hankins / The Rag Blog / November 8, 2011 Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia recently declared that … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : San Marcos, Texas, and the Separation of Church and State

Thomas Jefferson and the separation of church and state. Sculpture outside the Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, Vermont. Image from Artsology.Thomas Jefferson,the San Marcos City Council,and the municipal promotion of prayer It is a feeble and flaccid religion that needs the imprimatur … Continue reading

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ACLU on Campaign Finance : Standing With the Corporate Hacks

Et tu, ACLU?It’s not the same as defending the Klan This decision has transformed the ACLU into a conservative political organization, working to arm the ultimate enemies of democracy with unlimited monetary and political power. By Bob Fitrakis and Harvey … Continue reading

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UofM Students: It’s About the First Amendment

Porn Flick Screening at U-Md. Still On, as Is Funding ThreatBy Maria Glod / April 5, 2009 Neither side is prepared to lay down its sword. University of Maryland students — protesting what they see as an intrusion by Big … Continue reading

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FBI Still Trying to Hide Its Fearful Incompetence

Judges consider whether FBI violated free speechAugust 27, 2008 NEW YORK — A panel of federal appeals court judges pushed a U.S. government lawyer on Wednesday to answer why FBI letters sent out to Internet service providers seeking information should … Continue reading

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Another Government Challenge to First Amendment

U.S. Government Sought Customer Book Purchasing Records from Amazon.comBy David Gutierrez / June 7, 2008 Recently unsealed court records shed more light on the federal government’s attempts to secure the online book purchase records of 24,000 Amazon.com customers. In 2006, … Continue reading

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