- cross-posted to:
- law@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- law@lemmy.world
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30989415
Texas lawmakers trying to muzzle campus protests have just passed one of the most ridiculous anti-speech laws in the country. If signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Senate Bill 2972 would ban speech at night — from study groups to newspaper reporting — at public universities in the state.
Ironically, the bill builds on a previous law passed in 2019 meant to enshrine free speech on Texas campuses. But now, lawmakers want to crack down on college students’ pro-Palestinian protests so badly that they literally passed a prohibition on talking.
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SB 2972 would require public universities in Texas to adopt policies prohibiting “engaging in expressive activities on campus between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.” Expressive activity includes “any speech or expressive conduct” protected by the First Amendment or Texas Constitution.
Let’s do the same thing with the second amendment and see how that goes over in Texas. “You have the right to bear arms, but not when you should be in bed…”
This made me curious about what the Texas state constitution had for an equivalent to the 2nd amendment. Some states have their own, and strictly speaking, the federal second amendment wasn’t officially imposed on the states until 2010. (Yes, that does mean that states without their own constitutional restriction could have regulated guns as much as they wanted within their boarders.)
Texas does have one, and its an interesting case.
Sec. 23. RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in the lawful defence [sic] of himself or the State; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime. (Feb. 15, 1876.)
Which is interesting because it has an explicit out for regulating carrying of firearms that the federal constitution does not. Doesn’t really matter now that the 2nd amendment is incorporated to the states, but the fact is that Texas would have expressly allowed certain regulations on firearms.
so a censorship curfew. Anyone who thinks about going to universities in texas, Dont, also the public ones seems to bending over backwards for trump anyways, especially a&M WHICH also hosted musks unsanctioned brain chip research
Shooting someone communicates hatred, fear, or self-defense, so it’ll be banned by default. Sometimes we’ll use gunshots for Morse code here
Wait, expressive activity includes expressive conduct? Who would have guessed?
" a similar policy at Indiana University that required prior approval for protests on campus occurring between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m"
Kinda off topic but I think we need a different word for this kind of “protest”. If you’re gathering at a place chosen by the people you’re protesting against, at a time chosen by the people you’re protesting against, you aren’t protesting. You’re having a protest-roleplaying picnic
It’s the “free speech zones” of the Dubya days all over again 😮💨
oh i am in the middle of writing a song about this. Its called You Are Not Invited To The Jaywalking Parade
Land of the free
Red Tailed Hawk screech
Rock, flag, and eagle, right Charlie?
Gonna rise up, gonna kick a little ass…
*terms and conditions apply.
Okaaaay…we’ll just do it in the daytime, where more people can witness it and more people can join us ✌️😂
GOP Congressmen are weak, ineffectual, inverse virtue signalers. We can’t let them just hang around like the Confederates did after the Civil War, which is a big part of why we’re back here again.
Inverse virtue signalers? Does that mean they’re “vice signalers,” or…?
Y’all are speedrunning that antifreedom thing eh?
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Reminder that while the Texas Revolution may have been a diverse coalition of of Mexicans, Irishmen, and Native Americans the people in charge today are the descendants (both literally or ideologically) of the white settlers who were angry Mexico outlawed slavery.
thats why they had the southern baptist, and they still “segregate” race in the south, additionally golf clubs/country clubs, are notorious for that same thing too. one of my english prof in CC college, said he dated a girl who was part of this “high society” club and they had “servents” from Africa serving the country club members, whom were all very pale skin people.
We would do well to remember that for every democracy that has fallen (and there have been a lot) they had a large segment of the population feverishly supporting the dictators as they burned down the centers of education and the constitutions that ran contrary to the regime’s plans.
They are attempting this kind of overreach because there are people are supporting it. We have to fight these people.
Not with violence or weapons just yet, but with community action and spending our money more wisely. Get involved in your neighborhoods and city management meetings, get social even if you hate people, suck it up and hold some yard sales and bake sales, whatever else gets you talking to people in your immediate area. Start getting to know who your elected officials are and mount organized pressure on them to resist this fascist takeover.
We kick the base out from under this thing and it falls out. Stop fighting stupid, get off the internet, get off Lemmy where you get all your satisfaction looking at memes or fighting with other leftists. Stop buying new games and drugs and alcohol and doordash, hoard your money so the liches don’t get it. Now IS the time.
texas already beat the rest the usa by a decade already. they are a template of russia’s governance.
I’d say that this is such a clear violation of the 1st amendment that it would be struck down quicker than Trump on a PDF File candidate but with all things given…
Take it all the way to the SCOTUS. Make them take a stand.
They stand for nothing.
Yeah, pretty much.
Yeah, they won’t give a shit. As long as Texas can kick a bribe their way, the Constitution is a joke to the Supreme Court.
And in the intervening YEARS, selective enforcement and a culture of fear will bludgeon those kids into conformity.
How do they expect people to get a degree if you cant stay up all night in a lab bashing 3 heads at a problem?
Like many laws, it will be enforced only against speech they don’t like. If you make it so that everyone is breaking laws at all times, you can target anyone you want with impunity while letting your friends run free.
or skin colors they don’t like
or generally, anyone they don’t like
“It’s legal if we like it.” – GOP, probably.
What an absolute madness
" The overnight ban on expressive activities is unfathomably broad. Off the top of our heads, here are just a few examples of what such a policy would prohibit on campus between 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.: Meeting with other students to socialize or study, writing an email, working on a research paper, posting on social media, reporting for the student newspaper, wearing a T-shirt with a slogan, dancing, playing music, painting a picture, or praying at a sunrise service. "
I can hear them hurrying with a text that prevents any sort of protest, they came up with this.
So basically sleeping and silently staring at the walls will be the nightlife options at Texas universities.
What is this, BYU?
Every day is ten steps closer to Gilead
It’s even worse, BYU at least has Soaking^TM happening after dark.
I don’t know both these activities involve involuntary and fast eye movement. Gotta check if that biological reaction is allowed.
Sounds like a good form of protest if done at the right locations and in sufficient numbers.
Sounds like it violates a couple of amendments, there.
so along with a bunch of other things that they’re trying to do, then. business as usual. and nobody stopping them.
Texans should exercise their second amendment in order to protect their first. Kill traitors to the Constitution.
Technically we have more campus carry rights than 1st amendment rights now
Not even developing countries have such bullshit campus “laws”, WTF is this shit?
It’s called a fascist dictatorship. I don’t think people realize that we’re deep in this now. It’s no longer nascent, “Ur-Fascism” as Eco described. This is full-on.
It’s terrifying how many people appear to not be aware that this is even happening.
It’s worse how many people act like they care and then go on to say “nothing ever happens” and “I ain’t readin all that” when it comes time to learn what the problem is and what can be done.
We need a very large EMP blast to disable people’s phones and computers. We are responding to the atomization and destruction of society by atomizing ourselves further and withdrawing even further from community and social action.
texas, combining russia, and the taliban in one state.
Free speech hours, what the actual fuck? Are the GOP alien lizards that need quiet time at night?
the zodiac killer, Reptilian cruz needs to shed his skin somehow, abbot lost his hamanity with his lower half.
Republican Free Speech™*
*terms and conditions apply
If and when you’re allowed to speak, you may speak freely. It’s just that you’re not allowed to speak. Rather than limiting ‘freedom of speech’ it’s limiting ‘speech’. So that’s alright.
/s
10 p.m. to 8 a.m seems like a terrible time to protest
Unless…
