I recently blogged about the ONDCP blog Pushing Back. To recap; PB is a fed blog that allows reader to “Send Comments.” As of this date they are no reader comments posted on the blog.
I have sent two comments so far and received no response (they are probably in my FBI file)
This experience has given me Con Law flashbacks. My question is; If the government creates a blog and allows for any public input, does it have to then accept all public input?
The case law states that the government can present self serving viewpoints publicly without allowing dissenting views. There is no equal time or fairness doctrine for the Federal Government. However, if the government opens a public forum it can not censor viewpoints.
It seems that Pushing Back has a seperate community site and that site has the ability to register new users. The site also allows readers to post and add pictures. Is that not a public forum?
There is no link to the Pushing Back community site on pushingback.com. I only found it by accident through Site Meter. Someone at ONDCP linked to my blog directly from this site-http://pushingback.com/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=/Msgs/default.aspx?MessageID=29
I would love to register to post and comment on pushingback.com. However, new user registration has been suspended.
Are my first amendment rights being violated? If any first amendment gurus or Con Law students can answer this I would greatly appreciate it.
Federal Government drug warriors have always feared free speech. When drug war propaganda was uploaded onto YouTube comments were quickly disabled after an overwhelming negative reception. Censorship and a fear of debate are not the hallmarks of democracy. Only tyrants fear open dialogue on important issues. Prohibition should be debated. If the federal government wants to waste my tax dollars on propoganda they should be required to acknowledge dissenting views.
Labels: Federal Government, War On Drugs