Thursday, April 13, 2023

What Are Republicans In Favor Of? What Are Democrats Afraid Of?


Rep. Laura Budd


House Bill 40, "Prevent Rioting and Civil Disorder," passed both House and Senate in Raleigh in February and became law in March without the governor's signature. Gov. Cooper did not veto it because Tim Moore had established the first of what will be many veto-proof super majorities with the ineffable help of several Democrats, most of them Black, who voted for the law and who ought to know better or at least show some recognition of who stands to get hurt the worst. 

The Democrats who voted for H40: Cecil Brockman, Laura Budd (why?), Abe Jones, Garland Pierce, Shelley Willingham, and Michael Wray. Budd and Wray are white. Everyone else is Black. Note that Tricia Cotham's not on the list.

I searched all these six House members in social media, going back to February, to see if any of them opted to explain their votes on H40, their siding with the Republicans over something that sounds very like the racial politics of the Nixon era -- "Prevent Civil Disorder," and what exactly in your mind reaches the level of "disorder"? The bill is so transparently aimed at the folks who have for generations pushed for their civil rights, the concession of so many Black legislators is, well, noticeable.

But not one of those six issued any public rationale that I can find, or even a scrap of discussion that might shed some blessed light on their odd fellow-travelling -- quite literally helping to demonize Black Lives Matter and other mass movements to come. Who else didn't explain themselves most noticeably and notably? Mecklenburg Democrat freshman Laura Budd, who is a very liberal attorney and who is quite voluble discussing all sorts of other legislation on her own Facebook group, but sez nary a word about her surprising defection on H40.

So it's not surprising that today the American Civil Liberties Union announced their legal remedy:

WLOS — The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit, challenging a North Carolina law just passed this year that imposes stricter penalties for protesting and rioting.

House Bill 40 increases penalties for protesting and makes protestors liable for civil damages to individuals harmed by a protest, even where a protestor only verbally encouraged activities defined as “rioting” and did not take any individual actions to cause injury or damage.

...the lawsuit contends that “multiple provisions of the law, including provisions that could apply to protestors whose own conduct is entirely peaceful, are overbroad and vague and will function to dissuade people from engaging in lawful protest activities.”

“HB40 represents a culmination of the legislature’s repeated efforts to crack down in response to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. It is a flagrant attempt to vilify and criminalize a social justice movement. This bill forces North Carolinians to risk the immediate and long-term loss of their freedom when exercising their right to protest. This suit is an effort to protect the right to protest and advances our continued support and defense of the Black Lives Matter movement and activists,” stated Sam Davis, Attorney from the ACLU of NC Legal Foundation.

14 comments:

  1. Wolf's Head10:08 AM

    SO, you don't want protesters liable for civil damages when they harm individuals or their property?

    You have a right to protest, not to injure or destroy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are already penalties for that. The intent of this bill is simply to chill dissent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wolf's Head5:23 PM

    What penalties?

    2 Billion in property damages and this is what we get?

    From USA Today:
    A June 22, 2020, article from The Washington Post tallied over 14,000 arrests made since May 27. The Hill reported over 17,000 arrests had been made in the first two weeks of protests.

    Despite the large number of arrests, The Hill reported most of those protesters were booked not for violent crimes, but for low-level offenses such as violating curfews. Obstructing roadways and carrying open containers were other reasons for the arrests, as well as “failure to disperse.”

    "Some more serious charges were filed as well, however. The Associated Press reported hundreds were charged with burglary and looting as of June 4, 2020."

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/22/fact-check-thousands-black-lives-matter-protesters-arrested-2020/6816074001/

    Doesn't matter what the laws are if you don't arrest and try people for violating them.

    As for chilling dissent, censorship in media and big tech should be of greater concern.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8:58 AM

    "censorship in media and big tech should be of greater concern"

    Private companies can censor at will. They can also lie with abandon. See FOX news:
    https://www.npr.org/2023/02/28/1159819849/fox-news-dominion-voting-rupert-murdoch-2020-election-fraud

    ReplyDelete
  5. What is Wolf's Head's position on the January 6th rioters?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wolf's Head5:11 PM

    They were idiots for entering the Capitol.

    Stupidity is its own punishment.

    The rest is just to make you feel better.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wolf's Head6:28 PM

    "Private companies can censor at will. They can also lie with abandon. See FOX news"

    They are not alone. You should stop watching them, FOX, that is. Watch the others though, because reality would blow your mind.

    Other examples of lying media:

    RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!
    Trump is a Russian agent.
    "pee" dossier is real
    Hunter's laptop is fake
    Hunter's laptop is Russia propaganda
    Covid didn't come from a lab
    Fauci is honest
    Man made climate change
    Gun control works to reduce crime
    Covid vaccines work

    And many, many more.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:10 AM

    Jewish space lasers
    Italian vote changing satellites
    More guns equals more safety
    Voting machines changed votes
    Election was stolen
    Majority of Americans favor abortion
    Majority of Americans oppose any gun restrictions
    Fauci is dishonest
    COVID came from a lab
    COVID vaccines do not reduce symptoms and save lives
    Insurrection was a tourist visit

    And many, many, more.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wolf's Head10:56 AM

    Jews have space lasers?

    Really anonymous, Fox and alt news has already been discredited, you're just belaboring the point.

    Fact is the left swallows every whopper the mainstream and public media spouts without question or skepticism.

    Everyone should question the validity of what is being put out there as news.




    ReplyDelete
  10. Wolf's Head6:35 PM

    The party of lies.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bombshell-ex-cia-chief-confessed-he-got-50-colleagues-to-co-sign-false-hunter-biden-laptop-letter-in-bed-to-help-biden/ar-AA1a9XdN?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5f6767e84fd14d0e889ea08a653e13fb&ei=71

    This was an intentional disinformation campaign to influence the election.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The party of lies:

    https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/trumps-big-lie-led-insurrection

    This is an intentional campaign to destroy democracy in service to white authoritarianism.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:58 AM

    The republican congress has found diddly to prosecute Hunter Biden. If so, what are they waiting for? Apparently, Drag shows appeals more to their prurient interests.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wolf's Head2:42 PM

    The Congress CANNOT prosecute HB. They are not the Judicial branch.

    They may make referrals to the DOJ, who will, of course, ignore them.

    All this dog and pony show is, is an attempt to embarrass and discredit Biden and the dems for what they did to Trump in a lead up to the election.

    And if they do find anything real, set up for prosecutions under the new Trump Regime in 2025

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wolf's Head9:21 PM

    "The party of lies:" Q

    Oh really?

    How about the President of Lies?

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Cm2qyqWEpXo

    Biden knew from the star the laptop was authentic. He lied and you lapped it up.

    ReplyDelete