Elizabeth Grattan: Dismantling the First Amendment is a bad idea.

One big change America needs is it needs to be illegal to lie on the news. Every teevee network should have to have a nightly news program. Everything else is opinionated bullshit that one may enjoy but we could all recognize isn't the 'news' I mean damn

It would be government restraint of the press; would you _really_ want the Trump Administration to be able to sue Rachel Maddow broke the law because she said something that offended His Orange Petulence? Or give Matt Gaetz or Jim Jordan a way to bring newscasters before Congress for hearings?

At this stage it's seriously worth thinking about. Because right now our system is: biggest liar wins.

Dismantling the First Amendment is a bad idea.

If the First Amendment protects the right to turn an election by fraud, we're fucked.

Most lies are protected. Fraud isn’t. Not all lies are fraud. The First Amendment protects the press. This isn’t hard.

Yes, I know. Under current American law it's only fraud if you've lied to get money. If you lie to get absolute power over America, it's perfectly legitimate. And I'm saying that's a BAD FUCKING IDEA.

And I’m saying you should read the First Amendment and stop pretending a Government Ministry of Truth over the press is a good idea.

The Ministry of Truth is what Trump already brings to the table- that is, making it IMPOSSIBLE to tell truth from lies, and thus impossible to sustain or defend a democracy. That's where protecting lies gets us.

So your argument is that because Trump lies …we should give the power to the government to determine what is a lie … while Trump is campaigning to sit in the Oval again? And you don’t find your argument stupid AF?

AS POTUS Trump was openly calling any news story he didn't like "fake news" and journalists "enemies of the people". If he'd had the power to criminally sanction CNN, MSNBC, WaPo, etc., you can bet your ass he would have. I am dumbfounded that you want to give govt this power.

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