Even the GOP are getting into the stifling of the 1st Amendment

There is a problem with the government trampling the Constitution and it is not only coming form the Democrats. My friend Ken over at Blue Collar Muse has a story about how the AZ GOP are squashing the 1st Amendment Rights of local citizens in Maricopa County.

AZ County GOP Pols Squash 1st Amendment Rights

Usually when I hear stories about a Governmental something-or-other trampling on the 1st amendment rights of Liberty loving Americans I think of national Democrats and their smarmy puling about the beat down they take on Talk Radio.

In what will no doubt be a visual aid for examples of “GOP behaving stupidly”, a group of Arizona Republicans (likely outmaneuvered by the lone Democrat involved), has decided that the 1st Amendment’s guarantees don’t extend to residents of Maricopa County if the people doing the speaking happen to also work for the Government.

At issue are relationships members of the County Attorney’s office have with the media, including a few bloggers. Not all the media, however, just those beating up on the Maricopa County Supervisors County Manager’s office. Seems the Board of Supervisors has been feuding with other state departments for some time, including messing with Maricopa County’s best known government employee, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Not only that, the same Supes squeezing the County Attorney employees have a really bad track record when it comes to things like character and integrity. The gaggle of liberal GOP Supes and the lone Dem in their midst have been accused of “wasteful spending, power grabs and criminal investigations” and there’s even a Twitter account, CorruptAZSupes.

read the rest here.

The problem is not just Democrats. Both parties have used their power to keep their own power and create fiefdoms of their own. This is why we have Tea Parties and go to Townhalls. IT is time to take the country back from the elites in DC and start at the local party level.

fellow bloggers posting on the subject

http://conservablogs.com/bluecollarmuse/2009/10/27/az-county-gop-pols-squash-1st-amendment-rights/

http://www.stephenkruiser.com/2009/10/28/big-tent-plague-az-gop-tool-david-smith-goes-after-bloggers/

http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/87456/

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/10/28/maricopa-county-going-after-bloggers/

http://cactusalliance.blogspot.com/2009/09/compiled-list-of-county-supervisors.html

http://exurbanleague.com/2009/10/28/apparently-theyve-run-out-of-real-work-to-do.aspx

http://freedomist.com/2009/10/28/gop-news-1st-amendment-assault-maricopa-county-az-link-report/

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/10/28/20091028county1028.html

http://icarizona.blogspot.com/

http://sonoranalliance.com/?p=5597

http://voluntarilyconservative.blogspot.com/2009/10/gop-run-amok-in-arizona.html