Althouse: "[T]he Constitution’s term 'freedom of the press' means 'freedom to publish,' not 'freedom for the institutional Press.'"

July 3, 2013

"[T]he Constitution’s term 'freedom of the press' means 'freedom to publish,' not 'freedom for the institutional Press.'"

"But Durbin’s a partisan ignoramus, so he can’t be expected to know this sort of thing. I mean, he’s only a Senator, and there’s no IQ test for that job."

It shouldn't take much intelligence to understand the term "freedom of the press," but intelligence has been applied to suppressing this simple truth.

24 comments:

Rusty said...: It's the Dick Durban Show!
Don't be a dick, Durban.
Illinois answer to Jerry Brown.; 7/3/13, 9:28 AM
SomeoneHasToSayIt said...: Confucius rightly observed that if you would rule a nation, first get in control of defining what words mean.; 7/3/13, 9:28 AM
Rialby said...: Who is going to stop them from doing whatever they want? There's no pressure from the traditional media. Right-leaning bloggers and news organizations cannot cut through the pablum offered up by People Magazine and Extra!. It be over.; 7/3/13, 9:29 AM
rhhardin said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/3/13, 9:34 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Oh, how I long for the heady days of my youth, when it was the moderate Left who were the constitutional absolutists!

Now, you even have members of congress who introduce bills to strip corporate entities of their rights of free speech. Saddest of all, after they do crap like this, their constituents don't react by promptly shipping said Congressman & his family by cattle car to a Constitutional re-education camp in northern Saskatchewan.; 7/3/13, 9:37 AM
rhhardin said...: Compelled testimony about confidential sources is in a penumbra, giving absurd consequences and leading to the question who is a journalist.

Which the supreme court could have used to argue that there's therefore no such protection from compelled testimony, or there's freedom from compelled testimony for everybody about everything.

Which would not be a bad result. Don't talk to the government officials.; 7/3/13, 9:38 AM
edutcher said...: He's been the Dick from IL ever since he compared US troops to Nazis so the Democrats could have a political advantage.

Apparently, IL is full of them.

Ann Althouse said...

It shouldn't take much intelligence to understand the term "freedom of the press," but intelligence has been applied to suppressing this simple truth.

Not intelligence, the totalitarian mindset.; 7/3/13, 9:41 AM
SteveR said...: I'm not sure what number out of the hundred meet the broad description of "partisan ignoramus" but very very few come close to Durban as far as being near the maximum for both terms.; 7/3/13, 9:42 AM
test said...: Durbin's plan is to restrict rights under the guise of guaranteeing them, which has a long history of success in America.

Consider the so called "right to privacy". The government converted a broad freedom to a limitation specific to a handful of issues focused primarily on your own body. And those who cheer the loss of 95% of their freedom actually believe they are the ones defending liberty.; 7/3/13, 9:52 AM
traditionalguy said...: Durbin's message is very clear. The law protects the right stenographers to publish the Government line of BS, but any rogue investigation of and presentation of facts not whispered to them in the Government dictation is treason.; 7/3/13, 9:59 AM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: Illinois?

So where are we with that Texas succession proposal now?; 7/3/13, 10:05 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Durbin is just another Illinois mob-fascist. They churn the Illinois mob-fascists out by the dozen.; 7/3/13, 10:10 AM
Brennan said...: Slight correction. Senator Durbin is from ILL-inois. Recommended treatment is to move. The viral infection of stupidity is too strong to contain.; 7/3/13, 10:12 AM
Anonymous said...: His next campaign theme: low intelligence senator for low intelligence voters.

The reason why so many politicians are returned to office: they corner the low intelligence market which is big and getting bigger.; 7/3/13, 10:30 AM
Anonymous said...: Given the current regime and their political sensibilities, I think the journalism schools will line right up with a professional licensing scheme. What better way to implement a barrier to entry and extract rent-seeking monies?

I'm sure Durbin will NEVER suggest a litmus test that a journalistic enterprise be a viable, profit making enterprise. That will certainly disqualify most mainstream media.; 7/3/13, 10:33 AM
Larry J said...: YoungHegelian said...
Oh, how I long for the heady days of my youth, when it was the moderate Left who were the constitutional absolutists!

Now, you even have members of congress who introduce bills to strip corporate entities of their rights of free speech.

Well, for the sake of accuracy, they don't want to silence all corporate entities, just the ones that disagree with them. There is no effort to strip the United Auto Workers Incorporated, Planned Parenthood Incorporated, or any of the other incorporated unions, NGOs and "charities" that support the Left.; 7/3/13, 10:38 AM
Anonymous said...: “But when it comes to freedom of the press, I believe we must define a journalist and the constitutional and statutory protections those journalists should receive.”

Only jounolistas will pass the defined journalist test. Drudge will certainly fail, so will all those news readers from that Fox Not-News.; 7/3/13, 10:38 AM
Anonymous said...: bpm4532 said...
"a litmus test that a journalistic enterprise be a viable, profit making enterprise. That will certainly disqualify most mainstream media."

That fits them to a T. When was the last time the MSM profitable? How about some "stimulus" money to stimulate the MSM's jounolista instincts?; 7/3/13, 10:47 AM
Drago said...: Direct control by the government over who can say what/when/how is always, always, a goal of the left.

The lefties aren't always so blatant about it.

On college campuses this has been the case for several decades now.

Going "national" with this exposes a stunning level of confidence on the part of Durbin and his pals.; 7/3/13, 11:30 AM
Malesch Morocco said...: As my brother Issob Morocco is fond of saying, "Dick Durban, before he dicks you".; 7/3/13, 11:48 AM
RichardS said...: We have a living constitution. There is no fixed meaning to the words.; 7/3/13, 12:23 PM
Joseph Blieu said...: Dick Turban is from East St. Louis, and I kind of admire someone who has a poor background and works his way up to elite levels of coruption. the mayor of E. StL a Demo was quoted as pronouncing that Libraries were to important to waste the money on books.; 7/3/13, 1:41 PM
Calypso Facto said...: the Constitution’s term “freedom of the press” means “freedom to publish,” not “freedom for the institutional Press.” But Durbin’s a partisan ignoramus, so he can’t be expected to know this sort of thing.

Anyone who rails against the Citizen's United ruling can insert their own name in place of Durbin's in that sentence.; 7/3/13, 2:11 PM
Gospace said...: No one else has said it yet.

Dick Durbin- Democrat

Dick Durbin- DEMOCRAT!

Any surprise?; 7/3/13, 4:57 PM