Saturday, November 28, 2015

PP and freedom of the press


Abortion rights groups say threats against abortion providers rose sharply this summer in the wake of the undercover “sting” operation that produced the controversial videos. 
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/28/1454918/-Vigils-to-be-held-for-victims-of-Planned-Parenthood-shooting-authorities-search-for-motive

A predictable response from the liberal establishment. To begin with, it's too soon to know what motivated Robert Lewis Dear. 

However, the logic of this objection is that we should suspend freedom of the press if news stories that expose wrongdoing might ever be linked to violence against the target of the news stories. We should outlaw undercover reportage, outlaw investigative reportage, outlaw sting operations, that might create a public backlash against the perpetrators. 

We should outlaw criticism of politicians, because that might create a public backlash, thereby putting them at risk. 

We should outlaw undercover reportage that shows a business dumping toxic waste into a river, because that might create a public backlash, thereby putting the CEO at risk.  

We should outlaw undercover reportage that exposes unsanitary practices in the meat packing industry, because that might create a publish backlash, thereby putting the CEO at risk. 

We should repeal the Freedom of Information Act, because that might create a publish backlash, thereby putting gov't officials at risk. 

Gov't agencies should never warn the public of a probable terrorist attack, because that might create a backlash, thereby putting the associated group at risk. 

Fact is, the PP videos simply documented, in their own words and actions, what PP does behind closed doors. Keep in mind that PP is massively subsidized by taxpayers. So we have every right to know what is done with our tax dollars. 

Don't blame the facts. We have nothing to apologize for when it comes to finding out what a business does with our tax dollars. It is not entitled to operate in secrecy. 

1 comment:

  1. I read a puff piece in "The Gray Lady" about Dear today that looked like had been written for months, and just needed the name and personal details and anecdotes filled in.

    Dear sounded about as Christian as Hitler, which of course is enough for screeching libs looking for a smoking-gun connection between abortuary violence and Christians, no matter how creaky or tepid the link.

    The Dear incident was *definitely* driven by religious fundamentalism. ISIS? Not so much.

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