I want to see an actual credible example of a public university or college that is actually indoctrinating students via directive from the administration. Don't include private schools, we already know that there are left (American University) and right (such as faith based, like Oral Roberts) private colleges and universities that are very open about their mission and political leanings.
I didn't say that colleges indoctrinating students was a violation of free speech. Don't add things that aren't in my argument!
What I spoke of was the threat to free speech, now that many voters believe they can end-run the first amendment with hate speech laws. Remember, you were talking about what your coworkers think may happen in the future. I'm pointing out some reasons why they are not as off-base as you think. Regardless of whether government did the indoctrination, there will be violation of free speech when government can control speech through hate-speech laws.
Also, you don't seem to be denying that government was caught red-handed using social media as a form of censorship, which was my first example.
https://twitterfiles.substack.com/p/1-thread-the-twitter-files Just another reason your coworkers are justified in worrying about their right to free speech. Speaking of the Twitter Files, and since you want us all to cite chapter and verse, do you have examples of how the Patriot Act has affected your right to free speech, or the free speech of ordinary Americans
in a way that is more damaging than what the Twitter Files has exposed, or than the examples dogmush just provided? I don't know the answer to that question. I'm just curious.
I didn't say anything about guns, don't add things that aren't in my argument.
Decline in home ownership? That isn't a political problem that is an economic problem. Everything from supply and demand, income over time has not kept up with inflation, etc. People in exiting houses are not selling and moving because they took advantage of the lower interest rates from that were extended past the time needed.
Don't add things that aren't in your argument? Like recent events you pretend aren't happening? I was making a parallel that even you should be able to relate to. Anyway, good luck trying to argue that economics is not part of, and deeply affected by, politics.
The churches around me that have shut down is due to either declining membership (such as kids are moving away for career opportunities) or the membership had a division of beliefs, and each side went elsewhere (I see this more in independent self-governed churches). Or just financial reasons, don't generate enough money to keep the lights and heat on.
Point to a credible source, not twitchy, not a pundit, not some website, but an actual real news article that has a church being shut down by the government for doing their "Christian duties". Not for tax invasion, fraud, pedophile, polygamy, etc. but actually in the course of their "Christian duties".
"An actual, real news article" -
. Yeah, 'cuz perfeshenul jurnalsts in 2023 are so much more credible than "some website."
Perhaps I should have explained this more in my earlier post, as I forget that most people are unaware of such things. Yes, of course churches close down from time to time. That's clearly not what I was talking about. I specifically spoke of churches that were shut down, some of them permanently,
by the Left-wing over-reaction to covid that saw churches as less essential than bars, race riots, and casinos. Don't add those other causes of church shut-down to my argument.
The point is, governments forced some churches to close, and sometimes fined those which did not close. And no, live-streaming does not change the fact that governments at various levels demonstrated they were willing to shut down churches in the United States. And you don't think it's realistic for people to worry about their churches being closed down on some other pretext? Did you miss the fact the FBI was spying on Catholics, because they're Catholic? Or all the fear-mongering about "Christian nationalism"?
Here are a few links to some stories about how covid scare-mongering shut down, and may have permanently harmed some churches. Note especially the quotation from the ABC News article (an actual, real news article!!). Church attendance does not seem to have recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Not all churches can survive that kind of hit.
https://religionnews.com/2023/01/05/more-americans-stay-away-from-church-as-pandemic-nears-year-three/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/january-web-only/attendance-decline-covid-pandemic-church.htmlhttps://abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-19-pandemic-forces-nationwide-reckoning-american-churches/story?id=82448256While some churches are now experiencing more of their parishioners returning to the pews, others have had no choice but to close their doors permanently.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/22/more-houses-of-worship-are-returning-to-normal-operations-but-in-person-attendance-is-unchanged-since-fall/(Also, FWIW, Christians are commanded to "forsake not the gathering of themselves together." Screentime is not gathering. Communion/Eucharist can't be done virtually. Zoom church is helpful, and my church live-streams its services, but these cannot replace the real thing.)
GOP is the right. Last time I checked there isn't a viable right winged third party.
I'm going off the original Act and votes in House, Senate, and POTUS. GOP has had the majority since the act passed and haven't over turned it.
Don't add party labels to my argument.
Leftism is still leftism, regardless which party does it. And the Democratic Party hasn't tried to overturn the Patriot Act either.
