when Facebook Censors

Too 'Racey' for Facebook?

There are a lot of reasonable things in the world to censor. I did review what my children were reading when they were young, but they did a good job of picking out what interested them. However, I do get concerned when entities — like Facebook — apparently, accidentally and ‘in error’ censor a political message. Mark Z. can love our President and that is his right, but allowing everyone to speak their mind makes for a good exchange of ideas, and ultimately, a better world. Facebook eventually apologized… but here is what the gutsy Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona wrote on her Facebook site about the issue:

“After I posted the following statement and photo yesterday, Facebook censored the post and removed it because the photo apparently violated their “Facebook Community Standards.” Before it was removed, it had received over 10,000 likes and comments.Regardless, I’m reposting the photo and statement. I think many of you will agree with me – – Obama’s backdoor amnesty plan violates American standards of following the rule of law and the US Constitution.

Please click “like” and share with your friends.

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The Obama administration cannot get its amnesty schemes through Congress, so now it has resorted to implementing its plans via executive fiat. There’s simply no other description for today’s announcement that the federal government will not pursue the deportation of individuals who are in the country illegally but meet certain criteria.

This plan amounts to backdoor amnesty for hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of illegal aliens. Especially disturbing is that it comes in the wake of the Obama administration sanctioning the sale of weapons to Mexican drug cartels – even as border states such as Arizona come under threat from those same illicit organizations. With this announcement, the President is encouraging more illegal immigration at the exact moment we need federal focus on border security.

Just last month in speaking to the National Council of La Raza, President Obama rejected the idea of bypassing Congress and imposing immigration reform. He said, “Now, I know some people want me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own. And believe me, right now dealing with Congress, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting … But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.”

President Obama got it right last month and got it really wrong today.

Over the next 15 months, I’m certain we’ll hear a lot of talk from the Obama administration about its concern for border security. Those of us who truly care about the rule of law will remember the President’s actions of today. We need to remind President Obama that we elected a president that serves beneath the law and did not anoint a king that is above the law.

 

May the fourth be with you!

What's on your grill???

Well, we always enjoy the fourth of July and all of the celebrations associated with it! Of course, most ‘celebrations’ in our family center around what we are baking, grilling , stewing, smoking, sauteing or cooking!

Nothing says the fourth to me like: hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and salsa, baked beans… and cake!

Enjoy the day!

 

Roger

terrorists or terrorists? … what one symbol does to a meaning

A retraction buried deep within the bowels of the local paper, but a retraction none-the-less CLICK on the picture to read the original article.

Let’s not dwell too much on the nuances of newspaper misquotes, but as I am cleaning up some of the issues surrounding a  free speech lawsuit in which I prevailed, I thought it important enough to ensure that the record was made clear.

Search  “Cal Poly  and Saudi Arabia” and you will read what the story was really about. It was concerning a large public concern by many – including me – that Cal Poly was planning to do the business of setting up engineering classes  in Saudi Arabia. It seems rather clear — at least to me —  that only certain people would be invited to teach and others would be systematically excluded. Would women be allowed to teach? I think not.

I asked a military officer where all the ‘foreign fighters’ ( our media loves to use words that shows they don’t take sides) were originating?  In the early days, so many were coming from Saudi Arabia, but this torrent has since been reduced to a trickle …  it seems that volunteers are now getting hard to find. Now-a-days, I understand many ‘foreign fighters’  are coming from north Africa.

So given what I just said, my question to Cal Poly was a simple one: was there a chance that we would be providing certain Saudis with skills that could be used against us?  So I asked in my blog:   (is) “Cal Poly … training tomorrow’s terrorists?”

Free speech may have died in England and is crippled in Europe … but for now, if we are vigilant, the right of free speech will continue to help us ask those tough questions which will help us find American solutions to the problems of our day.

a time to pause and reflect at graduation(s)

after two weeks of witnessing graduations planning a couple of celebratory parties ... it's time to come home and recharge the batteries!

My daughter Kristin earned a masters degree in engineering at the University of Virginia and will be teaching at West Point in the fall … and our daughter Karen earned her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee Knoxville … and will be teaching at the University of Louisville also in the fall. Congratulations, Ladies!

All this hard work makes me tired.

Dad