By Royal Alexander/Opinion
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down
Frederick Douglass, 1860
If there is a cardinal rule regarding our 1st Amendment freedoms it is that government may not choose winners and losers. It may not constitutionally favor some speech or expressive activity over others. It may not favor one viewpoint over another; it may not prefer one political or social issue or position over another. To do so is unconstitutional viewpoint-discrimination. We have just seen a striking example of that.
Recently, two pro-life student activists, affiliated with Students for Life of America, were arrested for writing the phrase “Black Pre-Born Lives Matter” in chalk on a public sidewalk in Washington, D.C. They have been charged with defacing public property, with a punishment of a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 180 days in jail. (I noticed that no Hollywood celebrities or Biden staffers stepped up to pay the bail or fines of these students). They were using chalk. The same chalk children use every day to draw pictures and play hopscotch. Chalk.
They weren’t defacing landmarks with spray paint; they weren’t destroying or setting fire to property, throwing bricks or looting stores. There were no profanity-laced screams at police or attempts to blind them. They were using chalk that can be washed away in a light rain to make the point that the lives of unborn black babies should matter, too. They are the very definition of peaceful protestors.
This action by the City of D.C. constitutes viewpoint discrimination for the simple reason that D.C. government allowed to remain for months the political message “Defund The Police” painted conspicuously on 16th Street and located adjacent to the government-commissioned Black Lives Matter mural. Suppressing pro-life speech while allowing other political messages to appear is transparently inconsistent and favors certain speech in a way that violates these students’ constitutional rights.
Again, D.C. has not acted in a viewpoint neutral way because it allows some protected speech but prohibits other protected speech. The Constitution forbids government from picking, choosing, favoring, or placing its imprimatur and stamp of approval in this way. D.C. must either allow all speech or allow none, but it may not favor one form of constitutionally protected speech over another.
Protecting free speech advocacy on behalf of the unborn is critical because over three (3) thousand human beings—including roughly 1000 Black Americans—who cannot speak for themselves are brutally killed each day by suction, saline or dismemberment abortions, and all without the anesthetic that is legally required in the execution of convicted murderers.
Let’s compare. According to CDC, there have been approximately 172, 416 U.S. deaths from Covid. Also, according to CDC in 2018, heart disease killed 635,260 and cancer killed 598,038 Americans. Based on available state-level data, approximately 876,000 abortions—the clearly visible, and moving, children of the sonogram—took place in the U.S. in 2018, making abortion the leading cause of death in America. Over 60 million babies, in a nation of 330 million, have been killed through abortions since 1973. Abortion, the American holocaust, is the civil rights issue of our time.
All Americans should be protected from anti-speech tyranny when they speak out against the hate crime that is abortion. If these innocent human lives don’t matter, if the weakest among us can’t find a “safe space” even in their mother’s womb, then ultimately no human lives matter and no one is truly safe from violence and death. Such speech must never be silenced.
The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Natchitoches Parish Journal. If you have an article or story of interest for publishing consideration by the NPJ, please send it to NPJNatLa@gmail.com.
God must be so disappointed is us. There was a time when we could disagree.. with respect. Our children’s children can one day go back and read all of this. Isn’t it time we start laying out a history that will bring pride instead of tears?
BLM but for every abortion by a BL is a help cuz the crime rate will drop in the black community in the future
Town has been taken over by a bunch of morons who don’t know anything else but violence and crime and one day we are going to say enough is enough and start taking the town back so it will be a better place to live again!
And what will ge raid now? A couple of weeks ago he took $44 Billion from FEMA in the middle of a pandemic in the middle of a very busy hurricane season.
I hope you folks have come unscathed through the storm. And for the couple thinking I bought 2 homes. No. I wish I only had 1 home, my folks would still be alive. The home I bought probably cost less than most of your cars/trucks.
I also notice that no one showed up with guns to protect that sidewalk and shoot the chalkers. Can’t say I agree with the logic of arresting chalkers. Also, it is not necessarily BLM protestors that are rioting and starting the fires. None of you want to talk of the Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys , American Guard, radical 16 yr olds that are shooting and killing innocents. Yes Royal, Frederick Douglass did say that. He was talking to the anti abolitionists. Guess your folks wouldve shot him too. Guess y’all need to get back to the one individual show tonight. Stay well.
Vicki. is abortion murder? As far as Boogoloo boys, etc, all radical extremists groups are a disgrace. I am not in favor of any hate between the races. These organizations are a major cause of these racial tensions and I condemn these actions. They are the radical right. not upheld by the majority of the right. And no doubt our President acts like an idiot but he is opposing abortion and will nominate Supreme Court Justices that are pro life. Obama was a sly anti American traitor of the United States and handled money recklessly. Again read David Limbaugh’s book about Obama It is a load of information about the behind the scenes in the White House under his tenure.. I want a President who loves America, and who is against abortion. I don’t care what color he is. I want our freedom protected for all Americans. And I don’t use my name here because we no longer have freedom of speech.
We do have freedom of speech…so far.. that’s why you and I can say things openly. You seem to be a single subject voter. That is your discretion. I vote for or against many things. Individual 1 is trying to exclude preexisting conditions from your healthcare. Trying to get rid of my social security and Medicare. He continually sides with Russia and idolizes dictators and autocrats. I’ve mentioned so many things in my other responses. He is a sociopath, a tax evader, a money launderer, a misogynist, a racist, a bigot, a prolific liar (part of the many sociopathic tendencies he often shows). I am adopted. In 1955 my birthmother didnt really have much choice than to give me up for adoption. I doubt her family ever knew. I recently got to thank her and to let her know how hard it must have been for an unwed mother back then. You folks would’ve made sure of that. Within recent years I learned her story. I always had mixed feelings about it. I settled on her body, her choice. Even back then women could get an abortion but certainly not a safe one. It is and should always be a woman’s right to choose. Stay well.
If abortion were legal in 1955, you would be dead. Never lived to see the light of day. And for how long during the pregnancy should your mother have had that right? * months, 6 months? Please Vicki, your mother was in a difficult situation but I am glad she saved your life.
Ever heard of a coathanger?
Vicki, you regurgitate only what Pelosi, Schumer, Biden, Harris, Hillary and the Obamas want you to say. Isn’t it time you listened to Herschel Walker, who is not a politician and has known President Trump for over 30 years and says there is no way he is a racist. In case you haven’t noticed, Walker is a black man. Your hate is so very obvious. You must look up words just so you can use them to describe the President. You never offer proof other than what the radical Dems say. You keep mentioning Russia only because the president met with Putin. Didn’t you watch the video with Obama telling the Russian that he could do a lot more after he was elected into office again, he would have more freedom to do what he wanted. Well, think about that for a moment.
Then there was the speech that Michelle gave saying she had never been proud of America until that moment when her husband was President I can think of plenty of times when I’ve been proud of America. One was when AMERICANS freed the Jewish from concentration camps. Were you not proud of that? What about the Berlin Wall coming down? Not even a little pride felt? For shame. There were several men who were brought home from false foreign captivity by President Trump. I’m sure the families were proud to have them save and home. It’s a shame that you can’t feel that same pride because your heart is so cold and filled with hate to see it. I hope that some day that you can appreciate the good things done for America and for you by President Trump and his administration, while forgetting some of the crooked ways of the Clintons and Obama, and the bowing of then President Obama to a King of another Country. A leader of one country does not do bow to a leader of another Country. It is something that is just not done.
Learning to read and look things up on my own is something I learned early. Mental illness runs on both sides of our family. I dont say these things lightly. Look up sociopathy. Nearly every symptom fits him. Stay well Schlumberger.
“Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” Stay well.
Vicki also doesn’t follow Allen West, Herman Cain (RIP), Tim Scott, Candace Owens, and many other intelligent black leaders who know Trump isn’t a racist. Try opening your mind to more than just the ones who regurgitate negatives!
Just say what we all know is going on, people of color are burning down cities and looting just cuz they can and killing white people like it’s free and not racist and white people have just about had enough so what do you think we can do about that besides a full out civil war! Every place in town is hiring but none of the black people wants to give up free money free food and free housing to go out and take a job cuz then they can’t sit home and watch TV and spend all day on social media! We are sick of lazy fat disrespectful women with bad attitudes living life for free paid for by people who do work and keep having their taxes raised to keep up with all the baby mama’s kids!!
Abortion is considered crime prevention in the black community!
Folks, this is a prime example why some animal mothers eat their young. Stay well.
That remark is tasteless and unnecessary. Yes, I know about the First Amendment. But hate speech is not covered. That is hate speech if I ever heard it.
I found out that sometimes babies survive late term abortions. After all the horrible pain of trying to kill these babies. There is an abortion protection act protecting these damaged babies.So is it better if they continue to live with neonatal care, or should they be killed as Obama tried to enact as law. Anyway, So, now they completely dismember these living beings. How can anybody think this is not murder. I have heard some Democrats are in favor of this and abortion up to the time of birth. The age old question is “Why do pro abortionist not admit these babies are a human life?” At all stages after conception.? Why can’t the liberals get their way like Roe vs Wade then not stop there>\? They just keep on pushing. Just keep making it more and more evil? WHY?
MEWHP! Blessed is he who having nothing to say abstain from giving wordy evidence of the fact!
What’s the matter Randy Stelly, as a former owner and writer for an ultra liberal newspaper, you should be able to think of something better than that comment. Oh, Right! Ultra liberal, so when you can’t come up with a good counter argument, you insult. It’s just your way. You didn’t mention anything that I commented on, like abortion. When a pregnant woman is murdered and her unborn child also dies, that suspect is charged with double homicide. While you may not like that fact or agree with it, it is true. So why would a mother and a doctor, for no good medical reason, kill a child who has a heart that beats and can move around in the womb. Have you ever seen how they do a late term abortion, they pull a baby apart. That baby is a living, breathing being. Whether you agree with me or not, I don’t care. Your smart little remark that is supposed to put someone down doesn’t faze me at all. I will still answer people as I always have. I will offer help if I can, and I will state my position. You see, I don’t agree with some of your liberal beliefs, so I’m rather glad that you don’t agree with me.
Now if you insulted me over the fact that I disagreed with someone over the the fact that young men being arrested for writing on the sidewalk with chalk. Not really because they wrote with chalk, but that they didn’t get a permit to do so, then you are really stretching for that one. I can guarantee that if these two men had been men of color, you would have been at the front of a crowd, shouting at the officers who arrested them, at a mayor that it’s wrong, at the City Council that it was only chalk. The irony of it is, I still would have been saying that it was wrong. It was CHALK, not paint. No reason for arrests.
Now I would say to you, Randy Stelly, ““You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Sound familiar? Late term abortion is basically infanticide, and infanticide is illegal. Abortion is wrong. I may use more words than some, because I like to make sure people understand what I’m saying. If you don’t want to read anything I write, just scroll on by, you with your liberal leanings won’t understand compassion anyway. Now I thank you to leave me alone. I used to respect you, and I will have to say if you see my comments today as wrong, then I was wrong in respecting someone who doesn’t deserve it.
MEWHP, you keep saying what you say. I stand with you all the way. 100%.
You remind me of a moralizing hypocrite! Politically I am an Independent! I am pro LIFE! I’m also pro law! Until the law is changed woman have the right to make their own decisions! Besides I thought Jesus was the only person without sin! If you are the second coming in disguise I apologize! God will take care of all of us who is morally wrong! There are already a lot of children who need help that are not being taken care of! How many are you helping? I’m trying to do my share! I’m pro gun! Just come to my house uninvited and I don’t know you! I am about fiscal responsibility! I am certainly pro first amendment! How does that make me the liberal you claim that I am? You only think that you know me! You have no idea of who I am and what I have been through! I can honestly say that I have paid my dues to society! Can you? Besides as far as my adult life people only know what I want them to know! If anyone find out something I don’t want them to know I still don’t give a damn! God knows it all! I’m alright with HIM!
R. Stella, please tell me what I said that made you insult me as you did. I said nothing out of line. You just decided that it was ok to insult me with your little comment, and that I did not appreciate.
As far as what I do to help others, I do as Jesus commanded. I do it quietly, when they need help, but it is not something I need to brag about, for that is not what Christ taught us. In other words, don’t brag.
As I said, I don’t believe I said anything that should have set you off. I simply believe writing on a sidewalk with chalk is a ridiculous reason for needing a permit.and these young men should not have been arrested. You say you are an independent, but when you get so upset because I defended peaceful protestors for the right to life movement, you get huffy and insulting. That is almost always a liberal’s way, so I think by saying you are an independent, maybe you are just trying to fool us all!
“People only know what I want then to know” is a statement that tells us you might have things to hide. You insult by saying something really stupid about me being the second coming of Jesus Christ. Something YOU pulled out of thin air as I neither said or hinted about being perfect. It seems you think you can give your opinion on things, but I don’t have the right to do the same.
So I ask you. Who is really the hypocrite here. I am a believer in God who sent His Son to die on the cross for my sins and your sins. I know I have not offended Him for standing up and calling abortion what it is. It’s the murder of a baby in the womb. An innocent baby. Yes, I know government gave women the right to make a choice, and that is law. But, my belief is that abortion is murder. Late term abortion is even more horrid. You can call me any name you want, but let me tell you something. You do not have the right to say “if you are the second coming in disguise”. I’m not perfect, I wrote of my beliefs, and you insulted me. What? Do I not have the same rights as you. I have not broken any law. I am a conservative, and thankfully do not have to hide behind another label because I’m ashamed of being a conservative.
Moralizing hypocrite is what you called me in your vey first sentence.I can tell you, NO, that is not me. Though I believe all should have a high moral standard, in their day to day actions, in the way they treat others and in in the way they speak to others. You should realize you are no different than I, R. Stelly. You are a sinner saved by grace, no better that the worst sinner among us. A sinner who has confessed his sins, and asked for forgiveness, becomes a child of God. You claim to be a child of God, yet you insult in the worst way, another child of God.
I hope others can see that your words, your actions toward me are unfair and unjust. You twist things in the hopes of making yourself look better, more superior than others. You were unfair in your words to me, and I wonder how often you have done that to others. I pray that God blesses you, and shows you that some of what you do and say is wrong!
You know my name! Is MEWHP your real name? Never heard of you let alone know you! I am more considerate of people I know!
I would like to reply to R Stelly’s comment below where he says that he would be more considerate to people he knows and he doesn’t know me. I do not agree with him. He is wrong and maybe that is part of what is wrong with the world today, and I realize that as I say this, I put myself at risk of being called a moralizing hypocrite again. I was raised to be considerate of others, even if I don’t know them, unless they have given me a very good reason not to. I think it’s wrong to treat someone rudely or badly simply because you don’t know them. Isn’t it best to simply walk on by? Why would it be ok to be inconsiderate to strangers for no apparent reason?
As for giving you my full name, I’ve been doxed before, and I refuse to give anyone an opening to do it again.
I am going to assume that you are a woman MEWHP and apologize for offending you! It you are a man NOT!
WHP stands for Women’s Health Practitioner. I am sure she speaks from knowledge and experience. She is based in Evidence Based Practice, so she knows what she’s saying to be fact, not emotional gibberish or subliminal insults.
Writing on a sidewalk with chalk should NOT require a permit. There are hundreds of children who write and draw on sidewalks on a daily basis. Chalk does not damage anything, so they were not defacing any anything as it is easily washed away. Yet BLM and antifa spray paint on buildings and nothing seems to happen to them. Were they given a permit to deface buildings by the mayor who is someone against conservative politics and for the far left groups destroying our nation. This arrest is a far reach if I have ever seen one. I wish someone would take a hose and wash the words off. All supposed damage is gone, no harm done. This sounds more like the mayor of our nation’s capitol city thinks more like a dictator than a mayor. She allowed paint to damage buildings, but chalk is a crime.
The students were not arrested for writing on the sidewalk. They were arrested for writing on the sidewalk WITHOUT A PERMIT. They could have applied for said permit, but they didn’t. They were warned before their arrest, but they didn’t listen. This wasn’t about their 1st amendment right, it was about them now following the rules and receiving punishment for the same.
So where do I get a permit to riot? A permit to tear down public monuments? A permit to burn police cars? You know darned well that this is an Orwellian unequal enforcement of the law against a non-favored political viewpoint. But keep voting for democrats. Be patient. They’ll get to you eventually.
Stop with the logic. Their brains can’t handle it.
Funny how only conservatives are required to petition the government in order to have their bill of rights but liberals can burn cities, and destroy public property. When they show up at your place without a permit go ask for it and see how they react.
Dane, if it was about them not following the rules and receiving punishment, I wonder if a lot of the graffiti, the vile words spray painted on buildings, the looters, the ones burning cities, threatening people, shooting and murdering innocent bystanders babies included, and destroying property applied for that permit. The mobs causing mayhem. Why aren’t those who are really destroying property in jail? Where is their punishment for not following the rules. Your argument, in the light of all that is happening in DC and cities across America, does not really hold water. These two young men were peacefully protesting the murder of babies in the womb, abortion. If it is not the rule for all, they cannot make it the rule for these two. It is WRONG! A mayor and City Council cannot make rules for some and not for others.
It seems they might be more for the mobs and mayhem, than the peaceful protest that these two young men were involved in.
I’m very tired of you an your foul thinking. I guess you don’t work because you’re always on here spewing negativity. Did the KKK have a permit for all the hate an violence they are known for? No they didn’t need one they just went around burning black churches an black homes an killing blacks because they’ve always been allowed to. (I’ve always thought a person that hates because of another persons skin is the lowest of low an should be just bashed away from the earth. But it’ll happened.) No one stopped the KKK because even the judges, lawyers an presidents hid behide that hood. So shut your trap with all this Black Lives Matter crap, BLM was neant to be positive an some fools not even associatedwith them took it an ruined it. I support All Lives Matter an I support Black Lives matter. You’re outraged because of chalk!!!!!!!!! Stop with all the deflecting. Yall make me sick with all this back an forth. When the ultimate judge comes back so many of yall will look like a bunch of fools.
Add in the Boogaloo Boys, Proud Boys, alt right, white nationalists. They are the ones causing most of the violence at peaceful protests. They bring guns and gasoline. Always the Repubs want to wave shiny objects trying to divert attention from a message. A fine news person we’ve listened to for over a decade has said for the last 4 years, don’t listen to what they say watch what they do. Individual 1 ignores covid and has all along. Biden knows and has handled a pandemic correctly, effectively. Individual 1 ignores the people dying in the street under his watch, not Biden’s. When Individual 1 took over, crime was at a 50 year low. The economy was in the largest and longest growing rebound for 6 years straight. Everything Individual 1 inherits, he destroys. He is no leader. He is no businessperson. He cannot be installed for another 4 long miserable disgraceful years. Stay well.
Is it lifewater, or dirtywater, which it seems to be because of the words you use against me because I stand up against the kool aid drinkers and speak the truth. You look up the founder of BLM and assure me that he was not one on the biggest racists ever. You seem to think because I don’t agree with all the destruction in the cities across America that I am someone who does not believe that black lives matter. Well I can honestly tell you that I do believe that black lives matter. I believe that the poor woman who stood sobbing because her neighborhood had been destroyed by two groups who were shooting blindly in the streets, killing who happened to be in their line on fire, babies and children were of no consequence to them. They didn’t give a damn who they killed, they were pushed along by hate. Then they burned whole city blocks. They didn’t care who owned the businesses or buildings. They were ready to destroy whatever they could. It could have belonged to their neighbor. But before they burned, they looted store after store, so not only were they murderers, arsonists, but now we can add thieves to the lists. Yet to many of these lawbreakers, nothing has happened. There were no arrests, because police were told to stand down and do nothing to them. I have to wonder why. If your house or business were being destroyed and burned to the ground, wouldn’t you want the ones responsible tried and punished. I believe that black lives matter just as much as white or brown, any race or any nationality. I just don’t believe in a group who has taken name that means something, and use it to destroy. BLM does not describe truthfully what the group believes. They should NOT be marching with Antifa or the radical members of BLT if they want people to believe them.
As for white supremacists groups, I am as against them as any other group causing havoc in our land. I detest KKK and skinhead groups. We are created equal. EQUAL, not one group better than another. I have always believed this, but I get called names by some for whatever reason is in their twisted way of thinking.
The only thing you bring up of current events is that I’m against the arrest of the young men who were peacefully writing on the sidewalk with chalk. Now why on earth would I be against their arrest. Because we have the right to protest peacefully, but they were arrested because they had no permit. Ok, so if they didn’t have a permit, ticket them as ‘no permit‘ is a minor offense. Now let’s look at the other protestors. I agree that a white cop murdered black man. Yes, murdered as in he must be punished for that action. I am in agreement. But the protests going on because of that has cost Billions of dollars, and do you know who will end up paying the money back. Insurance companies will go broke, so the government will. Are you aware of where the government gets its money? If you pay taxes like I do, then you will be among those who pay for the loses.
So despite what you think, I was not only writing about chalk. Too bad you could not be bothered to read all I wrote, you might have understood and possibly even learned something. Instead you just get violently angry. I do hope you over your sickness soon. If you don’t, I would suggest that you not read anything I write, because you might have to be admitted to some sort of hospital or another. Just sayin’. Be careful of all the anger you have, it is not good for you. God bless!