Enemy of the People - Defense of the First Amendment

ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE
DEFENSE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

They asked my daughter Ivanka whether or not the media is the enemy of the people. She correctly said no. It is the FAKE NEWS, which is a large percentage of the media, that is the enemy of the people!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2018

The President of the United States has declared that the media is the enemy of the people, calling all publications that dare to disagree with him fake news. These tweets and statements made at his rallies are nothing less than a direct assault on the first amendment of the constitution. 

Labeling the media the enemy is the tool dictators use to control media and squelch all dissent. This is what Trump is attempting to do in America, going so far at one of his rallies to intone:

"Just remember what you’re seeing and what you're reading is not what’s happening."​ Donald Trump, July 24th, 2018

“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” —George Orwell, 1984

The crux of Trump's message: Believe only me and not the lying, fake news media, which after all are the enemy of the people. Trump wants you to only believe him and sources that serve as propaganda mouthpiece to his brand of nationalism and tribal politics. 

I will stand for the first amendment and condemn Trump's attacks on the constitution. 

The media is not the enemy of the people and these are utterances of a would be tyrant. 

When pushed by reporter Jim Acosta (of CNN) to clarify whether or not the press is the enemy of the people, Trump spokesperson, Sarah Sanders, would not utter the words. Watch the clip below.

CNN's Jim @Acosta repeatedly asked White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to say the press isn't the enemy of the American people. She didn't.

"It is un-American to come out here and call the press the enemy of the people," Acosta said afterward. https://t.co/RkSlQxY2cK pic.twitter.com/72Z9gFOpnE

— CNN (@CNN) August 2, 2018

​Trump's continued attacks on the free press and refusals of his spokespeople to denounce the rhetoric has led to angry confrontations with the media at rallies and events. See the pictures from Trump rallies and the anger directed at the 'enemy of the people'. 

It's not enough for Trump to attack political opponents, both Democrats and rival Republicans. To achieve the absolute power he desires, which is at the heart of his endless admiration for the dictator Vladimir Putin, he must frame all detractors and dissidents as enemy of the people. 

My message for the President: 

I oppose you. I dissent with my pen, my press, and my voice. 

I will not be silenced as an enemy of the people. I am of the people. 

Many of us oppose you. And we will vote this November. 

I urge all of you reading this post that oppose - exercise your first amendment rights by voting. Stand against all candidates that support Donald Trump and his attacks on the free press and the constitution of the United States of America. 

Click the image below to learn about how to register to vote in your state or go to https://vote.gov/