Political memes could land Texans in jail for a year, courtesy of RINOs in high places in the state's legislature.
A bill called “HB 366,” which was introduced by Rep. Dade Phelan, would criminalize certain political memes and altered media. The bill passed the Texas state House on Wednesday.
The bill targets any altered video or image that makes it look like a politician said or did something they didn’t actually say or do. Which is exactly what political memes are all about: commentary through parody or exaggeration.
Revolver News noted: "The state that once symbolized rustic, cowboy independence and unapologetic free speech is now on the verge of criminalizing memes. Sounds like the UK, right? Well, under this law, if a piece of parody content doesn’t have the 'government-issued disclaimer,' the person who shared it could face up to one year in jail. The supposed reason for this bill is to prevent election misinformation, but the language is so broad that it leaves the door wide open for abuse, which is probably the entire point."
Phelan, who led the failed ambush impeachment attempt of state Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2023, sounded a lot like a Democrat with talk of "deep fakes" in explaining his new bill:
"It is my goal to prevent someone from impacting or altering an election by using fake media that never occurred in reality, be it AI or deep fakes."
Critics say the bill will be used to limit political speech.
"So we know that this bill is going to be abused to put people in jail for political speech," state Rep. Nate Schatzline said. "Is it your intent to limit grassroots organizations from criticizing their elected officials?"
Phelan's bill "doesn’t protect democracy; it shuts down humor, satire, and free speech and keeps public officials from being mocked," Revolver News noted. "What makes this even more disturbing is who would enforce it: The Texas Ethics Commission. Who are they? A group of politically connected elites who will decide amongst themselves if a meme is lawful or not."
What happens when the government turns into the “meme police”? Just ask Douglass Mackey, who was tried and convicted of “election interference” for posting a satirical anti-Hillary meme that comically suggested Clinton's supporters could text in their vote.
Is Texas really starting to sound like the UK?
This is from the Irish Independent:
A video has shown the moment an Irishman was arrested at his home in Aldershot, England on Friday.Revolver News concluded: "Let’s pray the Texas Senate shoots this dystopian bill down."
Darren Brady (51) who was born and bred in Dublin was detained after he reposted a photograph depicting a swastika made out of LGBTQ+ Pride flags. In the video, he asks officers: “Why am I in cuffs?” to which one replies: “It didn’t have to come to this at all.”
Brady then responds: “Tell us why you escalated it to this level, because I don’t understand.” To which the officer adds: “Someone has been caused anxiety based on your social media post. This is why you have been arrested.”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance is sounding the alarm on the growing retreat of free speech:
Vice President JD Vance calls out the British government for punishing a man who prayed silently outside an abortion clinic: "Free speech, I fear, is in retreat." pic.twitter.com/f9asJW94vO
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) February 14, 2025
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