U.S. JEWISH LOBBY SETBACK AS STATE ANTI-BDS, LAW STRUCK DOWN AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

U.S. JEWISH LOBBY SETBACK AS STATE ANTI-BDS, LAW STRUCK DOWN AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

(Update-DK) 

THE JEWISH LOBBY in America has suffered an important setback in their attempts to stifle criticism of Israel with the striking down by a US federal judge of the “anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) law in Texas, on the grounds that it violates freedom of speech under the country’s first amendment of the constitution.

The Texas law — which has been copied by twenty-five other equally Jewish lobby controlled states in other parts of the country, is officially known as the Anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions law (Anti-BDS) and was passed and signed into law in May 2017.

The law requiring all government contractors to sign a pledge vowing not to participate in the pro-Palestinian BDS movement. At the time that the law was passed, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that “Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally.”

The blatantly unconstitutional law was challenged by the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which sued the state to get the law overturned after a Muslim speech pathologist, Bahia Amawi, was not allowed to sign a contract extension with Pflugerville independent school district — a public school district near the state’s capital Austin — unless she pledged to not boycott Israel.

In his 56-page opinion, Judge Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas ruled the state’s law violated the First Amendment by threatening to “suppress unpopular ideas” and “manipulate the public debate through coercion.”

The court found that “political boycotts are protected speech,” and “none of the exceptions to that rule urged by the State apply to this case. The Court therefore concludes that Plaintiffs’ BDS boycotts are speech protected by the First Amendment.”

In addition, the court ruled that the state of Texas “has failed to identify a compelling state interest justifying H.B. 89’s burden on protected speech.

“In fact the only interest distinctly served by the content [and viewpoint] limitation is that of displaying [Texas’s] special hostility toward the particular biases thus singled out. That is precisely what the First Amendment forbids.”

For this reason alone, the court said, the law is an “unconstitutional content- and viewpoint-based restriction on speech.”

In a statement released by CAIR after the ruling, that organization said that “every single ‘No Boycott of Israel’ clause in every single state contract in Texas” has “ been stricken as unconstitutional,” and that the “Attorney General of Texas is no longer permitted to include or enforce ‘No Boycott of Israel’ clauses in any state contract.”

CAIR added that they are “gearing up for the fights in the other 26 states where anti-BDS laws have been passed and we are certain that we are on the right side of the constitution and history.”

* It is ironic that increased Muslim immigration into America — which is the primary cause of the spread of the BDS movement in that country — is one of the non-White invasions which is specifically supported and encouraged by the Jewish lobby.

A report in the Times of Israel from December 2015, for example, said that “American Jewish groups,” including the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Interfaith Alliance, and others, all announced their vehement opposition to then presidential candidate Donald Trump’s suggestions that Muslim immigration into the US be halted.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called Trump’s plan “unacceptable and antithetical to American values,” while the American Jewish Committee’s Associate Executive Director for Policy Jason Isaacson condemned “in the strongest terms” what it called the “latest offensive and inflammatory comments from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.”

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said in a statement it also condemned Trump’s remarks, as “our nation, founded by those fleeing religious persecution, is rooted in principles of religious freedom.”

Rabbi Jack Moline, director of the Interfaith Alliance issued a statement saying that “a country that discriminates against individuals on the basis of their faith would be a poor excuse for America.”

https://nationalvanguard.org/2019/05/us-jewish-lobby-setback-as-state-anti-bds-law-struck-down-as-unconstitutional/?fbclid=IwAR3AnPbMz4-EwuLyLAqcRVFLHJHQnx8NGfnjvVawKy4J3u4bWc3zwGoDlEA#comment-23958

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US Jewish Lobby Setback as State “Anti-BDS Law” Struck Down as Unconstitutional

https://nationalvanguard.org/2019/05/us-jewish-lobby-setback-as-state-anti-bds-law-struck-down-as-unconstitutional/?fbclid=IwAR3AnPbMz4-EwuLyLAqcRVFLHJHQnx8NGfnjvVawKy4J3u4bWc3zwGoDlEA#comment-23958

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Texas is doing something about social media censorship of conservatives,   May 7, 2019 Dr. Eowyn   This post first appeared at Fellowship of the Minds

There is a new, unprecedented, and very toxic phenomenon in U.S. politics.  Privately-owned businesses have become blatantly partisan and willing to lose customers and profits by discriminating against and outright banning conservatives. See, for example:


Among those corporations are the information tech giants — social media and WordPress — which have been censoring conservatives, including this blog, Fellowship of the Minds (FOTM), for some time now. See:

The latest social media censorship took place four days ago on May 2, when Facebook and Instagram, with no warning, banned a number of so-called “far-right extremists,” including Alex Jones, InfoWars, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Joseph Watson, and Laura Loomer, ostensibly for “safety” reasons to remove individuals who promote “hate and violence.”

But as Clash Daily points out, neither Facebook nor Instagram cited how or what the “far-right extremists” had posted that violated their “community rules” or “terms of service,” which makes their banning and take-down entirely arbitrary.  As usual, President Trump did some huffing and puffing with this tweet:

I am continuing to monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms. This is the United States of America — and we have what’s known as FREEDOM OF SPEECH! We are monitoring and watching, closely!!

Instead of empty threats, Texas is doing something about the social media censorship.

The Texas Tribune reports that on April 25, 2019, in an 18-12 vote, the Texas State Senate approved SB 2373, a bill that would hold social media platforms accountable for restricting users’ speech based on personal opinions.

SB 2373 was introduced by state Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), who said the bill applies to social media platforms that advertise themselves as unbiased but still censor users. In the Senate State Affairs Committee hearing, Hughes said:

“Senate Bill 2373 tries to prevent those companies that control these new public spaces, this new public square, from picking winners and losers based on content. Basically if the company represents, ‘We’re an open forum and we don’t discriminate based on content,’ then they shouldn’t be able to discriminate based on content.”

CJ Grisham, the founder of Open Carry Texas, spoke at the hearing in support of the bill. He said Facebook has shut down 16 of the organization’s local groups and did not explain why. Grisham said Open Carry Texas is a conservative gun rights platform and is “routinely targeted” for pushing gun rights on Facebook.

Opponents to the bill maintain SB 2373 violates a federal law that protects social media platforms under a “good Samaritan” policy that allows them to moderate content on the platform however they want.

Harvard Law School lecturer Kendra Albert, who specializes in technology law, said the federal law would likely preempt SB 2373 because “The federal law contains what we would call a ‘subjective standard. It’s based on whether the provider thinks that this causes problems, whereas the Texas bill attempts to move it to an objective standard.” Albert said it would be difficult to determine what is “objectively” offensive, which is why the federal law leaves it up to social media platforms and their users to determine what is offensive. Sometimes there’s not a particular reason why content is removed; it’s flagged by an algorithm.

ANTI-ISRAEL POLICIES ARE ANTI-TEXAS POLICIES

Texas Law Lays the Groundwork for Persecuting Those Who Criticize Israel (I didn’t want to believe it)

ANTI-ISRAEL POLICIES ARE ANTI-TEXAS POLICIES

https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/anti-israel-policies-are-anti-texas-policies

TEXAS GROUPS COMING AFTER PEOPLE (BUSINESSES) WHO SUPPORT BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) ACTIVITYhttps://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Texas-Jewish-groups-take-aim-at-banks-BDS-activity-485230

“Chuck Lindell from the American-Statesman paper reported that the Texas Senate passed the bill opposing BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) by a 25-4 vote and that it was sent to the Texas House of Representatives for a vote. “No senators spoke in opposition to [bill] SB 29 before the vote,” the paper reported, adding that the bill’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, said Texas should not do business with companies that participate in the BDS movement. … Charles Kaufman, who chairs B’nai B’rith’s International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy, delivered testimony in the Austin legislature in support of the anti-BDS bill. Kaufman, who lives in Texas, said, “In another time, in another place in history, people who wanted to rid the earth of the Jewish people boycotted their businesses. Filled with fear, these good citizens, stripped of their possessions, separated from their families, would subsequently fill boxcars… and you the know rest.”  (As he trots out the holohoax when it’s financially convenient.)  NOW THEY ARE BOYCOTTING OUR BUSINESSES.

LT GOV DAN PATRICK (Traitor to the Bill of Rights)
https://www.ltgov.state.tx.us/2017-priorities/sb29/

Patrick:  “This legislation codifies our commitment to protect Texas trade and oppose discrimination against entities and individuals on the basis of their national origin, ethnicity, or religion.”It won’t play out that way ‘to oppose discrimination’ – it will be a tool to target, criminalize and penalize businesses AND individuals who criticize Israel.  Texas will NOT be a safe place. (Diane)

As of January 2018, 24 states have enacted anti-BDS laws (precursor to antisemitic laws).

http://righttoboycott.org/

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My Letter to Lt Gov Patrick and Governor Abbott:

SB 29, the alleged ‘anti-discrimination’ support for Israel – giving the jews in our government the tool to target, criminalize, penalize and ultimately suppress ANY AND ALL criticism, now corporations, colleges but soon, individual expression!!!  Not even our president has that right – nor our Texas governing body.   Do you in Austin realize what you have done!  You have laid the groundwork for stripping us of our right to freedom of expression with the #1 psychopaths on the planet.  And THAT statement alone that I just made could get me in trouble, right? My opinion?  The bill of rights doesn’t count anymore? You know, freedom of expression?  I’m appalled to tears that my state should be one of the 5 who would be the first to bail, buckle and forfeit such protections.
Texas has caved – I’m ashamed to be a Texan. Now ALL states will buckle to the jewish oppressors, but I didn’t think Texas would be in the Top 5. “The bill, authored by Representative Phil King, prohibits the state of Texas from conducting business with companies involved in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. After the bill becomes law, it ensures that certain public funds are not invested in any entities participating in this movement. Additionally, state contracts will only be given to verified businesses to guarantee that Texas maintains a strong and supportive relationship with Israel.” https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/anti-israel-policies-are-anti-texas-policies
How could you do this?! You signed away our freedom of expression in your state. The law not only prohibits criticism of the BDS movement but it also lays the groundwork for penalizing us for criticizing the psychopathic practices and government of Israel that also includes numerous activities in our country as well. I can’t believe how appalled I feel right now about you and your government. I thought Texas would stand against Free Speech encroachment but instead you’ve welcomed it with open arms. It saddens me to say I will no longer be supporting you. Nor is Texas a place to go to exercise your Bill of Rights freedoms. You have betrayed and slayed us.
Voltaire was noted to have said:  “To learn who rules over you, simply find out whom you are not allowed to criticize”  Israel is NOT our friend. — Diane King