Yet another Congressional hearing has been scheduled to badger tech platforms into doing the censorship that the First Amendment would prohibit government from doing directly.
This time, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) will play chief speech cop in her role as chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
In a joint statement she issued last week with the chair of another subcommittee, she cited “falsehoods about the COVID-19 vaccine” and “debunked claims of election fraud” as examples of how big tech has “intensified national crises with real-life, grim consequences for public health and safety.”
“We must begin the work of changing incentives driving social media companies to allow and even promote misinformation and disinformation,” she wrote.
So, Schakowsky will be telling Twitter, Facebook and Google what you should know and not know about COVID, election integrity and more.
Worried? You darn well should be, and it ought not matter what party you are in or what party is playing speech cop.
But here, the culprits are obvious: “That Democrats are seeking to use their control of state power to coerce and intimidate private tech companies to censor — and indeed have already succeeded in doing so — is hardly subject to reasonable debate. They are saying explicitly that this is what they are doing.”
It’s not a Republican or right wing partisan who wrote that, but liberal columnist Glenn Greenwald. He adds, “This dynamic has become so common that Democrats now openly pressure Silicon Valley companies to censor content they dislike.”
Read the rest of Greenwald’s recent column for a good analysis of why the First Amendment might directly apply. It’s true that private companies like big tech aren’t directly bound by the First Amendment but, as Greenwald writes, it’s another matter when government tries to coerce them into censorship, as is happening now.
-Mark Glennon
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.
Schakowsky is a corrupt politician and it’s known for decades she embarrasses the office. Her husband is a crook and she is literally an enemy of the American Constitution, of the USA and its people. She must be removed from this position asap. I hope those morons who keep electing the leftists will soon realize that this country is going down through the drain.
Great find Mark !! And the Glenn Greenwald article is terrific, GG is a genius, and his documentary Citizen Four I saw on the big screen in 2014 was fantastic. He exposed Edward Snowden in a good light, and I happen to think Snowden was a patriotic whistle- blower who rightfully showed how the NSA was spying on our citizens unlawfully, unconsti-
tionally, without Snowden actually putting our country in jeopardy. Later of course, in 2016, our NSA, CIA and FBI all conspired to spy on a certain candidate, then destroy him.
Schakowsky should be lifted from her office for her complete disregard of the Constitution. But she is a Leftists and that’s what the Left does!
Gosh, with all that is going on in the world and the challenges getting a F-ing global pandemic and vaccinations completed…she focuses on this. I wonder why…hmmm, because their is money in it. There isn’t any money in spending time to make sure that those that need vaccines get them and in the order they should be distributed…nope, but there is money here from the tech giants and social media companies. They will be able to make “contributions” to campaign funds…or whatever they want to call them. Follow the cash…with these people it is all about the cash.
She is case in point why there should be term limits to congress.
Foot in the door –power.
She cares nothing about her “constiuents”. To her they are just serfs.
Ants.
She is like all Dums wants to walk on all.
Thinks she is an elite.
also don’t forget, you have Rep Brad Schneider sponsoring–Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA) of 2021, HR 350. Rep Kelly’s also a co-signer and Durbin’s giving big time support
was reading today, Biden’s pick– Rohit Chopra (protege of Warren) for Consumer Protection Bureau (CFPB) wants to turn bureau into another political witch hunt arm of progressive/ dems limit of free speech. LOOK OUT!!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-the-mind-of-a-biden-regulator-11613777702?st=e2g1ct1gxji9nxb&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Jan Shakowski…how do people like this continually win elections ? Wasnt there some kind of corruption involving her husband ? These people never do the peoples work. They simply chase their own agenda and could care less about their districts. Oh sure they have meetings and make speeches but in the end they are simply full,of crap and this one here takes the cake. She has stiff competition in any of the other democrats though. She must feel like she needs to up her anti American game now.
Probaly easier said than done with all the differnt voices in conservitive media/ news (and there is a lot of tin foil hat stuff on the internet left & right) but are there any attempts by conservative media to organize into some kind off association to fight this censor onslaught?
This is another who has been in her office TOO long.
Another who believes in Do as I say Not as I do.
Why do we allow a system that favors incumbents so much? Why do we allow them to take money from special interests that directly go against the people’s wishes? I cannot believe there is no one else in this district who could do a better job than Jan. She’s a fraud. She’s beholden to special interests, she “cares” so much and is so “progressive” that she won’t push any progressive policies for fear of angering the corporate donors. She is a real profile in courage, I tell ya, and we are fools for sending these crooked morons from both parties… Read more »
I live in the district and people in the Evanston and city portions absolutely love her. As do many of the affluent suburban women in other suburbs she represents.
I live in her district, too, the “wokeness” factor is huge here…which leads to these Democratic Party nincompoops being voted in again and again… 🙁
Take a look at this map showing the astonishing margins in the last election. Her district is Evanston, parts of Wilmette and other suburbs, and north parts of the city. And note the opposite extremes in places beyond Chicagoland. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html
Jan’s margins (imputed from the Trump/Biden ticket) seem to drop off outside of her Chicago and north shore areas. Sure, there are pockets of higher D margins here and there, but the deep dark blue drops off pretty significantly. There are even, not unsurprisingly, pockets of red on that map. From that same map, what is surprising is the red shift in most places in Chicago and the blue shifts in the suburbs. Kinda crazy to think the City became more conservative which counteracts the narrative that the suburbs became more liberal. My suburb is a mixed bag, with Biden… Read more »
Hey mark,its because the general populace is to freakin stupid to see whats really goin on,defund the police while i live in a safe comfy neighborhood,censor everyone unless its me!!-total f-ing morons in this state!!!-“pritzker and lightfoot are doing a great job”!!!-leftist morons dont have a clue,” im college educated but i dont have one iota of common sense”-complete idiots!!
Being “woke” = Being a sheep!
She has made no secret as to where her sympathy lies. She has been working in the public eye as a lefty activist for over 50 years and has always been outspoken when doing so. She has apparently convinced her voters that her heart is in the right place. That and party affiliation are all that matter in Chicagoland. In her last election she won her Northside and north-northwest suburban district 73.5-26.5%, almost 3:1. It has helped her that she has always had unusually favorable press coverage for all of those 52 years and probably works hard to keep her… Read more »
https://www.zipdatamaps.com/politics/national/district/map-of-illinois-9th-congressional-district Look at her district. It was drawn as a ‘safe’ leftist district to dilute other Republican areas. What does leaning Republican Des Plaines have in common with the leftist Uptown Chicago neighborhood? Absolutely nothing! Except that there are more D votes in densely populated Uptown than suburban Des Plaines! The district could have been drawn to pair Republican leaning northwest side suburbs like Lincolnwood, Park Ridge, Niles and Des Plaines with other further west and north west Republican suburbs, but that would be bad bad bad! Because it would give Republicans a chance at a seat! Better to dilute… Read more »
A 3:1 margin does not suggest a gerrymandered district to me. Possibly I misunderstand the purpose and techniques of gerrymandering, but my understanding is that you maximize party strength in the legislature by creating narrow but safe margins for your own side in as many districts as possible while concentrating the votes of your opponents in comparatively few districts. If Jan’s margins were narrow, say 54:46 maybe her district could gerrymandered, but her large margins rather suggest a very safe Democratic district heavily populated by her supporters with little opposition.
Jan’s “large margins rather suggest a very safe Democratic district heavily populated by her supporters with little opposition” is the definition of gerrymandering, which is to give an unfair political advantage to a candidate through districting. Jan and Mike Quigley split the heavily Republican NW side diluting their votes. There are lots of Republicans in the NW side of the city, Harwood Heights and Norridge voted trump 60:40 IIRC, Park Ridge narrowly voted Biden, and in any other non-Trump year, Republicans often win the northwest side handily. But the gerrymandered map split these R strongholds so MIke takes the City… Read more »
What has happened to our eroding bill of rights…censorship just silences everyone eventually…who do you trust? your government officials? They are supposed to be there to protect our rights,but today they are taking them away. Is this not fascism at it’s worst?
Another democrat afraid of the truth that they stole to 2020 election from President Trymp. Your day will come, Jan.
Never discuss Schakowsky without noting her husband’s conviction and background story. It’s dismaying to see her get reelected, given her ethical lapses. She’s a wanna-be mini-Pelosi, ethically-speaking. And to note, there’s no visible positive net results of her long-term representation within her district itself, just that constant self-promoting jabber while ignoring the ethical-mess within her own household.
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, Jan.
Wonder how much cash these politicians stand to make in big pharma?
She is a communist, in the closet, but a communist. She understands that if they regulate Big Tech, Big Tech will line her coffers with money and do all they can to capture and control the regulatory state eliminating competition. She will take credit for eliminating racism, meanwhile in the back room expanding it
Why do Jews love Communism ?
Rusty Nutz, I am leaving your comment up because your an example of the kind of person I despise — as stupid as you are bigoted. Get the fuck out of here and never come back.
The difference between leftist sites and conservative sites is that leftist tolerate, and encourage, anti-semitism. They call it “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” and slander Israel and jews in every way. Nearly all conservative sites, with the exception of a small fringe – to the right of the alt-right – have zero tolerance for anti-semitism.
Kudos Mark. That’s the right way to respond to those kinds of people!
Wow, there is nothing sensible or civil about your Comment, and I agree with Mark that your Comment should remain, so people can see how evil and racist you are (I know, Jewish folks aren’t technically a race). In case you don’t know, Jewish folks have been 70%-75% Democrat for a LONG time, and they’re not the only subgroup loyal to the Dem Party — you are particularly heinous in characterizing a group, any group. Some of my favorite thinkers are Mark Levin and David Horowitz, and in general, Jewish doctors have made SO many scientific advancements that have saved… Read more »
Robert Creamer, a top Democratic consultant and the husband of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), was sentenced Wednesday to 5 months in prison for using bad checks to prop up his struggling consumer group and for a tax charge.
Current husband
2006, march
She’s worked on some local committees with me. So sweat and caring, shaking hands. Never, ever trusted her and never will. She’s a user and abuser. All she needs is a Adolph stash and swastika flag in her official photos.
Another power grabbing left wing democrat! Danger to the country and state.
What was her husband convicted of again? I’ll have to look it up
It’s been removed due to the new censorship regulations so nobody can check on her or her dirt bag husband
Robert Creamer’s Strategic Consulting Group used to be a big time consultant for AFSCME. Now I think it’s just SEIU and the teacher unions who use his services.
Jan and her husband are subversive dirtbags. She’s just another traitor.