Proposed legislation that would classify conservative free speech as domestic terrorism is being called “the most dangerous bill in the legislative history."
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is aggressively pushing legislation to establish a 13-member panel to determine what constitutes disinformation and misinformation rising to the level of “domestic violence extremism,” according to The Center Square. The board would also collect data on incidents of their pickings of violent domestic extremism and classify noncriminal activities or speech as such.
Free speech advocates blasted the bill for targeting conservatives and criminalizing anyone who expresses an opinion that runs counter to a regime-approved narrative.
“This commission is specifically designed to target conservatives and quash any government opposition, which is why the legislation purposefully ignores Antifa and Black Lives Matter extremists. Indeed, it expressly supports those tactics,” wrote Seattle KTTH talk-show host Jason Rantz, who called it “the most dangerous bill in the legislative history.”
According to Rantz’s interpretation of comments that AG Ferguson made in a January interview with PBS, the idea behind the bill is to “take preemptive measures to stop actual domestic terrorist acts through community intervention,” such as compelling people identified as “extremists” to undergo counseling.
“Let’s engage in prevention, of getting folks — avoiding them being radicalized in the first place. If somebody is radicalized and wants removal, move away from that, how can we help them with counseling, for example, to get them away from that ideology?” Ferguson told PBS host Laura Barrón-López.
“So, looking at from a more holistic standpoint, we think, addresses prevention, addresses helping folks who’ve been radicalized and take a more holistic view of this to address what is a huge challenge, not just in Washington state, but all across the country.”
However, Rantz noted that the bill goes far beyond just that goal.
“They say this is about violence, but it’s not about violence. It’s actually about speech,” he told Fox News on Friday.
“We already have laws on the books that very clearly address violence. What they’re trying to do with this commission is create what they’re calling a ‘public health approach’ to some of these ideologies.”
Rantz also explained that the commission could see the opposition to critical race theory, mask mandates, and radical gender ideology connected to “white supremacy.”
“They are singularly focused on the Right,” Rantz said. “What this commission will end up doing is… recommending legislation that could not only lead to imprisoning people for having certain kinds of political positions, but also forcing them into counseling.”
via madpatriotnews