Rep. Robert Brady Wants to Outlaw Language Threatening to Lawmakers

Here we go again...

The Hill reports:

Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) reportedly plans to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress.

Brady told CNN that he wants federal lawmakers and officials to have the same protections against threat currently provided to the president. His call comes one day after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was shot, along with 19 other people, at a public event in Tucson. A suspect is currently in custody.

"The president is a federal official," Brady told CNN in a telephone interview. "You can't do it to him; you should not be able to do it to a congressman, senator or federal judge."

..."The rhetoric is just ramped up so negatively, so high, that we have got to shut this down," Brady said.

Gee, I wonder why...

Obama: ‘If They Bring a Knife to the Fight, We Bring a Gun’ (6/14/2008 WSJ)

Note, as usual, coming from the post 9/11 politicians of either Party, all it takes is the PERCEPTION of the threat. And it is not the physical threat. It is "language and symbol". I suppose if Mr. Brady feels threatened by an irate constituent who shouts at him for his stupid idea, the constituent will be arrested and charged with a federal crime of threatening the government official.

How about gold bugs and monetary conservatives who believe and say Ben Bernanke, the Fed chairman, has to go and take the Fed with him and Ben starts to shake in his boots?

Also note that it is a ONE-WAY street: perceived threat against the government officials. The government officials, from the President on down, are free to threaten the populace.

Treasury Secretary Timmy Geithner and the Obama's economic advisor (I just can't remember that funny name) have threatened a "catastrophe" if the debt limit is not raised, after their boss increased the national debt by $3.326 trillion in two short years.

Ben Bernanke continues to threaten the world financial system by digitally printing fiat money and pumping into the system via his beloved primary dealers. He is intent on creating inflation, which will reduce the purchase power of the fiat currency we have to use in the US. It's not a perceived threat, but a real threat here and it is already doing economic damage.

But no matter. It is one-way. Those in power don't want their power to be threatened by lowly peasants and the opposition. Nothing new here, but to outlaw the expression of dissent that makes them feel threatened?

Welcome to the USSA. Or People's Republic of America.

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