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They're whining to government
(by Dave Lange - October 27, 2010)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
They're whining to government
The American Civil Liberties Union, an often lonely voice in the crowd standing up for certain freedoms that some citizens can't stand, is at it again.
The ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief last week in the case of Susan B. Anthony List vs. Rep. Steven Driehaus, et. al., which is before the Federal District Court for Southern Ohio. The defender of civil liberties is joining the Susan B. Anthony group in arguing that Ohio law which prohibits the publication of false advertising is an unconstitutional infringement on the First Amendment right to free speech.
The obvious question here is, if the government can punish organizations and people for telling lies about political candidates -- will politicians ever be able to say anything at all?
In this case, the question is not just whether falsehoods are protected free speech. "The right to dissent is foundational to our democracy," ACLU of Ohio Legal Director James Hardiman said. "By allowing the government to be the final arbiter of what speech is acceptable, we open the door for those who are critical of elected officials to be silenced."
Locally, the question also was raised this election season by state Sen. Timothy Grendell, R-Chester, who complained about information in campaign literature and remarks by Robert Cannon, of the Constitution Party. They are among the candidates for the Ohio House seat recently abandoned by Matt Dolan.
Mr. Grendell groused to the Ohio Elections Commission that he had falsely been accused of voting to deregulate utility companies in the late 1990s, as well as for the latest state budget, and that he is a "nepotism and cronyism" conspirator. The elections commission agreed to hold a hearing on the complaint.
But poor Mr. Cannon may be an unwitting victim of "nepotism," in that Mr. Grendell benefited from the good name of his wife, Diane Grendell, in getting elected to state office in the first place. It was Mrs. Grendell who passed her Ohio House seat along to Mr. Grendell, and it was Mrs. Grendell whose name was attached to utility deregulation, not Mr. Grendell, which obviously was an innocent mistake by Mr. Cannon's campaign.
Mr. Grendell did vote for the Senate version of the state budget, but he did not vote for the final version that became law. Picky, picky. As for "nepotism and cronyism," does anyone really want the political-correctness police sticking their noses in that?
After the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List announced plans to put up billboards reading, "Shame on Steve Driehaus! Driehaus voted for taxpayer-funded abortions," the Democratic congressman from Southwest Ohio did the same thing that the Republican state senator from Northeast Ohio did. They went whining to the government.
This isn't the first time the American Civil Liberties Union, which often is reviled as an ultra-liberal organization, has stood up for the freedom of conservative opposition to abortion rights. In 2003, the ACLU defended a Chardon High School student's right to wear a sweatshirt reading, "Abortion is homicide."
Civil liberties are as vital for conservative causes as they are for liberal ones.
Whining for the government to arbitrate between fact and opinion and to discern truth from falsehood is a bipartisan quest to stifle debate.
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