ChrisWeigant.com

Archive of Articles in the "Free Speech" Category

Freedom To Flash Upheld

[ Posted Thursday, February 6th, 2014 – 18:03 UTC ]

Constitutional legal cases are, at times, ponderous and dense with seemingly-arcane hairsplitting to determine what the Constitution really means in the modern word, or when viewed with modern attitudes. Sometimes, however, constitutional cases are pretty easy to understand, because virtually everyone can relate to the circumstances which brought it to court in the first place. An injunction just issued by a federal judge falls into the second category, because it affirms the right to free speech -- specifically, the free speech of an automobilist flashing his headlights at oncoming traffic to warn of an impending speed trap. Obviously, this is something most who have driven cars can relate to on a very personal level.

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A Time To Be Born, A Time To Die

[ Posted Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 – 15:28 UTC ]

We would like to take the time to mark the passing of a great American, Pete Seeger.

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Friday Talking Points [288] -- 2014 The Year Of The Marijuana Voter?

[ Posted Friday, January 24th, 2014 – 18:37 UTC ]

Sooner or later, though, whether it is 2014 or 2016 or beyond, the "Year Of The Marijuana Voter" is coming.

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Packing A Super Bowl

[ Posted Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 – 16:46 UTC ]

For those of you not up on the lingo of the marijuana subculture, that headline is meant to be a pun of sorts, combining the Super Bowl (more on this in a moment) with the phrase "packing a bowl." Barack Obama, back in his "Choom Gang" days, would certainly have known what this is meant to refer to -- cramming marijuana in the bowl of a pipe constructed to smoke the substance.

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Obama Should Announce Ban On National Security Letters

[ Posted Thursday, January 16th, 2014 – 17:38 UTC ]

President Obama is slated to give a momentous speech tomorrow, on the subject of what changes should be made to the National Security Administration and all of the other alphabet-soup agencies which provide intelligence to the federal government. Much attention has been paid to the N.S.A.'s activities, due mostly to the revelations from Edward Snowden. But there's one subject which Obama should address which has been discussed for years -- ending the blatantly unconstitutional practice of issuing "national security letters." Obama should take the opportunity tomorrow to announce he is adopting one of the key recommendations his oversight commission proposed: forcing judicial oversight of national security letters. In plain terms, making them similar to all other search warrants, to comply with the Fourth Amendment.

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My 2013 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 2]

[ Posted Friday, December 27th, 2013 – 17:50 UTC ]

Welcome back to our annual year-end awards column!

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How About A Saturnalia Display?

[ Posted Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 – 17:58 UTC ]

For others, joining in the mirth has now come to mean celebrating the season of Festivus, a made-up holiday from a made-up television show. And even the Flying Spaghetti Monster adherents are getting in on the fun this year.

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Friday Talking Points [275] -- Ted Cruz: Senator Ham-I-Am

[ Posted Friday, September 27th, 2013 – 18:10 UTC ]

No, the big point missed in the midst of Senator Ted Cruz's talkfest was the moral of the story he read. By now, most people have heard that Cruz read, in its entirety, the classic Dr. Seuss children's book Green Eggs And Ham -- tucking his own kids into bed, long-distance, via C-SPAN. Cruz then doubled down on his point-missing by comparing Obamacare to the story's green eggs and ham. Cruz really has no excuse for this monumentally idiotic mistake, since (as mentioned) he read the whole story from the Senate floor.

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Friday Talking Points [271] -- A Weed Screed

[ Posted Friday, August 30th, 2013 – 17:09 UTC ]

This is all by way of introducing you to today's column. We're throwing out our usual format today, because of a monumental shift in federal policy this week. Such a momentous and historic occasion deserves special treatment, we feel, and that special treatment translates to the following unorthodox presentation: first, a few awards; then, some talking points from respected voices; and finally, my own screed at the end.

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Friday Talking Points [269] -- The Debate Debate

[ Posted Friday, August 16th, 2013 – 17:22 UTC ]

We begin today with some awfully short memories, from both the Right and the Left, on the crossover subjects of presidential debates, television, and Hillary Clinton. It all stems from the news that the Republican National Committee has announced it will not sanction 2016 Republican candidate debates on CNN and NBC, because the two stations are both putting together movies about Hillary Clinton. The RNC feels that this will unacceptably prejudice the networks in the 2016 presidential race, in which Clinton is likely to be a Democratic candidate.

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