HELP - Im in an argument with a freep...

Hes claiming Woodrow Wilson passed a law making criticism of the president illegal...This appears to be a complete pile of bull...

Of course, the guy has no evidence to back up this statement. Anyone know anything about this?

your freeper pal needs to prove he did.

I would just love to prove him wrong...

btw, hes NOT my pal, this is happening on a different discussion board...

it is unconstitutional.

I think he may be referring to the alien and sedition acts from the 19th century.

would be unconstitutional anyway

congress does.
make him prove it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918

And it was repealed in 1921.

The law doesn't forbid criticizing the president.

But I'm positive that's the law they're referring to. It's the only law that was passed by Wilson that even comes close. The freeper may be confusing "government" with "president", as they are wont to do.

that if he can't come up with some documentation, then you just don't believe it. If its true, it'll be documented somewhere, and shouldn't be too hard to find.

Besides, what's his beef? that no one should criticize the president? C'mon, really?

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
Theodore Roosevelt

--Then a whole argument ensued...in a nutshell: that GWB was so slimed during the campaign that he must be all for criticism of presidents, as opposed to W Wilson, who had to pass a law silencing dissidents...

How can peoples brains be so warped? Its amazing...

all those who opposed President Clinton in the 90's.

As others have noted, it's up to the freepiot to support his claims. Make him put up or shut up. :)

...that Bush ISN'T taking away our rights more and more?

Is HIS argument, "it's been worse"? (two wrongs make a right) and somehow Wilson is some kind of "hero of the left" so who are WE to criticize?

the bloody murderous history of Christianity. They immediately launch into the Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot chant, completely ignoring the fact that Hitler was a Christian, who perceived himself as being on a mission from God to kill the Jews for being the Christ killers, and claimed that they collectively killed more people than the Christians.

A position that is highly debatable but even if the position was true, they are in essence saying that ok, sure, our history is that of a bunch of murderers, but we're not as big of murderers as these guys. While my position is why support a murderous religion in the first place.

Nevertheless, I guess these days it's just the moral thing to do.

Illegal....



I need to get back to work but here's the

link:http://jackbowman.home.mindspring.com/warkills/nofree.htm



Schenk vs. United States

In 1917 the United States was at War with Germany. The draft for military service had been imposed on the eligible American males. Many Americas did not think we should be in this war that did not appear to threaten our homeland. One of them was Charles Schenk, He handed out flyers that condemned U.S. participation in World War I. In his flyers he told men to resist being drafted. He was convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917. His case was appealed to the Supreme Court. He said that his Constitutional right to free speech and to free press had been abused by the conviction.

In 1919 The Supreme Court said that Article VI of the Constitution takes precedence over all other laws. The Court disagreed with Schenk, and a rule which is known as "the clear-and-present-danger test" was announced by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.: "The question in every case is whether the words used in such circumstances are of such nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has the right to prevent." This Supreme Court ruling meant that there were limits to freedom of speech in times of war. Schenk was not denied his opinion, but the way he expressed it was seen as a clear danger to the society. Schenk’s act of distributing anti-war leaflets, and his advice to dodge the draft, was creating confusion and disorder in a society that needed to be united.

index.htm

The Democrats of Wilson's time were conservative. Now we are liberal and progressive.

Wilson was a racist. And if he were alive today he would jump over to the Republican Party in a heartbeat.

Here's a list

Howard Ahmanson - Top backer of California vouchers

John F. Ankerberg - Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

Richard K. Armey - R- Texas, House majority leader

Gary Bauer - Family Research Council (presidential candidate)

Brent Bozell - Media Research Center

Dan Burton - R-Indiana (scumbag)

Coors - Lots of ‘em!

David Copeland - Copeland Ministries

William E. Dannemeyer - GOP California homophobe

Tom DeLay - R-Texas House, majority whip

Rich DeVos - Owner Amway

James Dobson - Focus on the Family

John N. Doggett - Black conservative attacker of Anita Hill

Robert K. Dornan - Former gay bashing House member

Ronald S. Godwin - Washington Times Corporation

Alan Gottlieb - Citizens Committee for the RKBA

Jesse Helms - R-North Carolina

Nelson Bunker Hunt - Texas billionaire

Reed Irvine - Accuracy in Media

Ernest J. Istook Jr. - R-Oklahoma

Bob Jones - Bob Jones University

Beverly LaHaye - Concerned Women for America

Trent Lott - R- Mississippi, Senate majority leader

Patrick McGuigan - Editorialist The Daily Oklahoman

Edwin Meese - Ex attorney general, Heritage Foundation

Don Nickles - R-Oklahoma

Oliver North - Right-wing radio host

Howard Phillips - US Taxpayers Party

Ralph Reed - Past Christian Coalition president

Pat Robertson - 700 Club

Phyllis Schlafly - Eagle Forum

Jay Sekulow - Christian Coalition’s Center Law & Justice

John Sununu - Rightwing television host

Paul Weyrich - Free Congress Foundation

John Whitehead - Rutherford Institute

Donald Wildmon - American Family Association

Can we add Sonny Bono to the list?

which prevent on-the-floor Senators and Reps from denigrating the president.

That may be what the simpleton is getting at.

...and was responsible for what your freeper friend was referring to.

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/red.html

What is wrong with telling your freeper friend that progressives learn from their mistakes and that conservatives are idiots and never learn a damn thing! Oops, sorry but my emotions took over for a moment there. Anyway, you get my point I hope. Yes the Wilson administration did it but it was wrong. Why would you want to emulate what is wrong? By the way I think that most historians would agree that Civil Liberties originated in response to the excesses of what AG Palmer was doing.

Although he was a Democrat if he were alive today he would be a Republican. He was a conservative nut from the south who was a racist and a kkk member. Don't defend him.