There are some powerful and moneyed forces that seem determined to extinguish the freedom of speech by any means necessary. “AFDI Wins Important Free Speech Victory, But Opponents End Run Around the First Amendment,” by Pamela Geller, Breitbart, March 27, 2015:
Last week, my human rights organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), scored another major victory for truth and freedom in Philadelphia. The court ruled that our ads highlighting Islamic Jew-hatred and the Nazi-Islamic alliance, which had been previously denied, could not be prohibited. The judge ruled they had to run.
Victory! But don’t applaud too loudly. The Philly transit authority has declared they will no long accept political ads. The Geller Ban is back. This is not the first time city authorities have changed the rules in response to an AFDI free speech victory.
Longtime supporters of my work are familiar with my numerous court cases in the defense of free speech. Now, after winning another such case, we are about to run our first ad campaign in Philadelphia, and apparently our last: the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday that SEPTA, the Philadelphia-area transit authority, would not appeal a federal court ruling saying that they had to run our ads – instead, they are going to change their rules to prevent all such ads from running in the future.
“New advertising standards,” said the Inquirer, “will be created to prohibit all political, public-issue, and noncommercial ads. By consistently refusing all such ads, SEPTA officials say, they will satisfy Goldberg’s concerns that selective prohibitions violated constitutional free-speech protections.”
Time and time again, various city officials and dictatorial bureaucrats have censored or banned outright our ads of truth and freedom, while allowing the most fallacious and libelous anti-Jewish, pro-jihad message to run. The mainstream media piles on, as in the Philadelphia Inquirer story about this rule change, which calls our ads “virulently anti-Muslim,” without ever bothering to discover whether or not Islamic Jew-hatred really is in the Qur’an, or to consider whether it is really wise of the U.S. government to give aid to countries that encourage that hatred.
This is essentially soft sharia enforcement: the prohibition of any criticism of Islam and of anything offensive to Islam and Muslim sensibilities. It is completely contrary to both the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment, and so time and time again, we sue and we win. And time and time again, instead of looking after the taxpayer coffers and protecting and defending our freedoms, the fat dictocrats in charge of city transportation agencies and other authoritarian bureaucrats squander tax monies on their legal fees (and ours), while working to abridge our freedoms.
Miami was the first city to change its rules, after the Hamas-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) complained about our ads offering help to people who had been threatened by their families for leaving Islam. Then Chicago changed its rules after our campaign telling the truth about jihad ran to counter CAIR’s cynical, deceptive campaign sugarcoating the grim reality of jihad. New York considered changing its rules after the brouhaha over my ads calling for support of Israel and the civilized man over the savagery of the Palestinian jihadists, but the proposal was voted down, to the credit of the officials involved. Here is video of my appeal to the MTA asking that they not adopt these rule changes.
As this all unfolds anew in Philadelphia, not a single “journalist” in the mainstream media questioned even for a second the end-run around the First Amendment that these transit authorities are making by banning cause-related ads. I did three interviews on Thursday about our free speech victory in Philadelphia: for WPVI-TV, NJ.com, and the Inquirer, and not one of them mentioned me or quoted a single thing I said.
The Lockstep Monster. Only one point of view is allowed.
Bob Stewart of the Inquirer was apologetic, writing me after his story ran: “Unfortunately they halved my space for the story so it’s a squeeze job. I’m sure you know the deal.”
I responded: “Actually, Bob, I don’t know the deal. It is telling that not one of the publications that called me for comment used anything I said. Not one. Free press, indeed. It would be comical if the stakes weren’t so bloody high.”
And they are. While America sleeps, these rule changes are rendering the First Amendment a dead letter. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
mccode says
Rock On, Pamela.
tilda says
Two options Philadelphia: either ring that Liberty Bell or melt it down as scrap metal.
pongidae rex says
Multiculturalism that involves Islam is a death march to cultural subugation, or tyranny by the state. Or both. The far-left has finally found its ideological weapon in its quest to destroy America. I do not understand why those who seek to destroy freedom of speech and spiritual freedom never look beyond the success of that endeavor to imagine what will follow.
Rev. Bill Romansky says
I remember back in Mayor Street’s day when the Philly Mufti, supported by city grant monies, got busted for aiding Islamic terrorism.
This is an old problem in Philly.
Lioness says
Pamela Geller is a most courageous woman. God gave her brains and amazing beauty to do this job. What a hero.
Mitch says
“Here is video of my appeal to the MTA asking that they not adopt these rule changes”
The missing link:
Neil Jennison says
We in Britain owe a debt of gratitude to Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to the US Constitution and the 1st Amendment. If only we had that here in “you’ll think and say what the government lets you think and say ” Britain.
mortimer says
Thanks to you, Pamela, and to the good people of AFDI!
This appalling and saddening: “not a single “journalist” in the mainstream media questioned even for a second the end-run around the First Amendment that these transit authorities are making by banning cause-related ads.”
What sort of ‘journalists’ are those who care not a whit for protecting the sacredness of the First Amendment?
Shame on them all for their cowardice. Praise to you for your courage!
duih_swami says
Does the Transit receive Federal funds?
M S case says
Hold on to our constitutional rights with every effort in your body.. Islam’s constitution is the Koran, full of hate and disorder and devoid of human rights. I think it should be banned as a hate book… Islam can not be a religion can it?? do other religions promote hate and murder??? islam must be a Cult. period!!! Then if it is a Cult can it not be outlawed by passing laws?? I think it could if there were any guts and grit left in our elected officials. Oh no!!! That would be islamophobia, political correctness and racist. So what’s to do with the Cult islam???
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More Ham Ed says
By far a majority of U.S. college campuses are teaching that liberal speech is valued, not free speech.
Linde Barrera says
Thank you Pamela Geller for your courageous determination. I am late in giving this compliment due to my work schedule. Please continue to speak out for free speech. I abhor it when the Jews, or any other ethnicity for that matter, are subjected to hate mongering. So unjust.