Fletch wrote:Maddog wrote:Fletch wrote:The US Senate Just Quietly Advanced A Free Speech Busting Anti-BDS Bill
Under the guise of preventing “anti-Semitism,” this anti-BDS bill represents a fraught, Orwellian overreach by Congress into the private lives of all Americans and their right to make politically-motivated decisions.
WASHINGTON — In an evening vote that garnered essentially no national media coverage, the U.S. Senate voted last night to advance the “Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019” – sometimes called the “anti-BDS bill” for its component that would allow state and local governments to punish companies or individuals who support the non-violent Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement aimed at promoting Palestinian rights and ending Israeli apartheid and military occupation of the West Bank. The bill was, notably, numbered S.1 — the Senate’s first legislative act of its 2019-20 session.
Numerous rights groups, politicians and civil rights advocates have accused this measure of violating freedom of speech and setting a dangerous precedent for the private political activism of American citizens, all on behalf of a foreign country.
The bill was adopted by the Senate in a vote of 74 in favor to 19 against, with seven abstentions. The bill had previously been blocked by Senate Democrats by a 56-44 vote as part of their objection to acting on legislation during the government shutdown. However, many of those Democratic senators who had previously blocked the bill ultimately voted in support of the measure. In order to become law, the measure would still need to pass the Democrat-run House of Representatives. However, given the amount of support for the measure among Democrats and the power of the Israel lobby, the bill stands a considerable chance of passing the House.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/the-senat ... ll/254408/
Land of the free...
What does this have to do with this story?
Government infringing the rights of individuals...or ignoring their rights completely. Take your pick.
Americans dont have a right to contract with government.
Local government makes people jump through all sorts of hoops to be a contractor for them.
I can assure you that if the Westboro Baptist church wanted to provide daycare services for the Westboro school district, they would be denied that contract based on there stances.
I think most people would be ok with that.