Jeff Sessions, Just What Side of the Constitution are You on?
TIM BROWN
FREEDOMOUTPOST.COM
NOVEMBER 27, 2017
I’m so sick and tired of wishy-washy politicians who talk a good game and when it comes time for action, they go AWOL. Such is the case with Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Before you blast me, hear me out. Most of you who read what I write know I’m not a liberal. So, if anyone wants to bash me as such, you are doing so knowing you are misrepresenting me.
Has Jeff Sessions done some good things? Of course! He’s taken a verbal stand for the Constitution when it comes to authorization for war. Of course, he failed to actually bring any resolve in the matter. He’s also overseen a lot of enforcement of both immigration law and child pornography and human trafficking arrests.
However, let me lay out a specific case in which Jeff Sessions, a proponent of unconstitutional asset forfeiture, speaks regarding free speech.
First, consider a recent speech by Sessions in which he warned about the Supreme Court’s ruling concerning unconstitutional “free speech zones,” whatever those are. Following the speech, I’ll demonstrate the hypocrisy that is going one.
Here’s the speech.
Thank you for that kind introduction. I am so pleased to be here at Georgetown Law and to be speaking at the Georgetown Center for the Constitution where the exchange of ideas is both welcomed and encouraged. Thank you, Professor Barnett for that introduction and for hosting me here with your students. And thank you students for letting me take part in this important conversation with you.
As you embark on another school year, you and hundreds of your peers across this campus will, we hope, continue the intellectual journey that is higher education. You will discover new areas of knowledge; you will engage in debates great and small; many of your views will be challenged and some changed. You will—if your institutions follow our nation’s historic cultural and education traditions—pursue truth while growing in mind and spirit. In short, we hope you will take part in the right of every American: the free, robust, and sometimes contentious exchange of ideas.
As you exercise these rights, realize how precious, how rare, and how fragile they are. In most societies throughout history and in so many that I have had the opportunity to visit, such rights do not exist. In these places, openly criticizing the government or expressing unorthodox opinions could land you in jail or worse.
Let me tell you about one such example. It occurred one autumn when a few idealistic university students came together as a group to advocate for a deeply felt political creed. Wanting to recruit others to their cause, they staked out some ground on a campus walkway popular with students and approached them as they passed.
They said things like: “Do you like freedom? Do you like liberty?” and then they offered to these passersby a document they revered and believed stood for these ideals: the U.S. Constitution. These young proselytizers for liberty did not block the walkway, did not disrupt surrounding activities, and did not use intimidation or violence to press their cause.
Nevertheless, a local government official labeled this behavior “provocative” and in violation of government policy. When the young people bravely refused to stop, citing their right to free speech, the local official had them arrested, handcuffed, and jailed.
The Rest…HERE
