#first amendment

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - April 8-14

Based on preliminary results of this poll, for the next few weeks I’m gonna test out doing 5 articles a week instead of 10, as part of an effort to maintain my own mental health. If these half-sized posts get markedly fewer notes, I’ll try to figure out a different compromise.

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Zookeepers prepare Easter treats for animals

“”Our Asiatic lion cubs, who have just turned one, are at a crucial stage in their development, honing their natural exploratory and hunting instincts. Enrichment — like the enormous, scented Easter egg — plays an important role in this, helping to diversify their habitat and encouraging them to fully engage their strength and remarkably keen sense of smell.””

2. ‘People love being here’: London development shows harmony between nature and housing

“[… T]he charmingly named Tadpole Garden Village in Wiltshire will have 28 hectares (68 acres) of green space and nearly 2,000 homes. […] “We were initially brought in to find a nature-based solution to the flooding of the River Quaggy. We linked it to a floodplain and created sustainable urban drainage systems[….]””

3. Federal judge restores AP’s full access to White House events in victory for press freedom

“The ruling affirms that the First Amendment prohibits punishing journalists for refusing to adopt government-mandated language[….] “"Today’s ruling affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation.””

4. Huge Reductions in Plastic Pollution Along Aussie Coastlines

“[… P]lastic pollution along Australian coastlines has decreased by more than a third (39 per cent) over the past ten years[…. Other research found] a 16 percent increase in areas where no plastic debris was found at all.”

5. Pangolarium: world's first pangolin rehab facility opens in South Africa

“A purpose-built facility like the Pangolarium will give rescued pangolins the best chance at regaining health. Monitored release back into the wild is the goal whenever possible[….] “It will also be a research and conservation hub for pangolin academics, rehabilitators and veterinarians to share information and knowledge[….]””

April 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[political-us]

Los Angeles protests for Mahmoud Kahlil

[liberalsarecool]

This is serious.

[kcinpa]

This is kind of brilliant, and necessary.

A group of adult entertainment actors is about to spend $100,000 in the next 29 days running anti-Project 2025/anti-Trump ads on adult websites targeting their male audiences in seven battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.

Why?

Page 5 of the 920 page Project 2025 manifesto says of pornography:

It has no claim to First Amendment protection. ... Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.

Now whether or not you approve of the porn industry, it's clear that Project 2025 is talking about a much broader thing: whatever these right-wing zealots determine to be "pornographic." Note how teachers and librarians are mentioned specifically. Some bookbanners have called children's books pornographic simply for featuring a lgbtq character.

Closer to tumblr's heart, smutty fanfic and fanfic sites would certainly be swept up if Project 2025 ever came to pass.

So kudos to the adult film stars for stepping up and spreading the word.

[bonesashesglass]

Just deleted TikTok. That Trump saving TikTok notification was the most overt propaganda I’ve ever seen in my entire life and no way am I sticking around after that. Moving to Rednote is the right move for everyone over there.

[my-midlife-crisis]

The dawn of Newspeak is on the rise...

And you claim you are for "free speech"...

Just in case you don't want to read the article. These are the words Trump has forbidden:

activism

activists

advocacy

advocate

advocates

barrier

barriers

biased

biased toward

biases

biases towards

bipoc

black and latinx

community diversity

community equity

cultural differences

cultural heritage

culturally responsive

disabilities

disability

discriminated

discrimination

discriminatory

diverse backgrounds

diverse communities

diverse community

diverse group

diverse groups

diversified

diversify

diversifying

diversity and inclusion

diversity equity

enhance the diversity

enhancing diversity

equal opportunity

equality

equitable

equity

ethnicity

excluded

female

females

fostering inclusivity

gender

gender diversity

genders

hate speech

excluded

female

females

fostering inclusivity

gender

gender diversity

genders

hate speech

hispanic minority

historically

implicit bias

implicit biases

inclusion

inclusive

inclusiveness

inclusivity

increase diversity

increase the diversity

indigenous community

inequalities

inequality

inequitable

inequities

institutional

Igbt

marginalize

marginalized

minorities

minority

multicultural

polarization

political

prejudice

privileges

promoting diversity

race and ethnicity

racial

racial diversity

racial inequality

racial justice

racially

racism

sense of belonging

sexual preferences

social justice

sociocultural

socioeconomic

status

stereotypes

systemic

trauma

under appreciated

under represented

under served

underrepresentation

underrepresented

underserved

undervalued

victim

women

women and underrepresented

Don't believe me? Here's more about it.

Enjoy!

[porterdavis]

[thoughtportal]

The Power of Grass Roots Organizing

[postmoderntongues]

I made a video breaking zero laws and violating zero terms of service stating that refusing to let Luigi Mangione use the restroom until he wet himself and then photographing him in his soiled clothing is a form of torture and it’s especially heinous because he hasn’t even been found guilty and TikTok dirty deleted I fucking hate that platform

[bonnibelleangelica]

An Australian PSA for Americans

I’m scared, people. Its come to my attention that some of you have no idea what Australia is like at all and genuinely believe we live in desert mud huts, cooking cans over a fire. So, here are some fun facts to give you a better understanding of Australia since I don’t want you thinking I’m an uneducated mud child.

1) Almost no one lives in the deserts. 90% of our populations live on the coasts (not just the east coast) in full blown, million-people cities. Imagine an American city, but everyone has a weird accent. Wifi, electricity, tiktok, teenage girls, techbros and even a few hundred Macdonald’s.

2) Kangaroos are like deer. They’re everywhere outside the cities, they don’t bother anyone and they eat grass in fields. Often times, we hit them with our cars. Possums climb our fences at night, foxes eat our chickens and magpies occasionally swoop us, though I’ve only experienced it twice.

3) It’s hot, but not that hot. We have green lawns and lakes, forests and rain storms, and in the summer, most people will only have to deal with temps of 30-35 degrees (85-95f). We dont generally get snow, but we get floods all the time.

4) Our politicians are racist too. We have a left and a right but our elections aren’t the game show yours seems to be. We also legally have to vote and everyone hates it.

5) Universal health care is cool. Sometimes emergency rooms are a little shit and our medicare doesn’t cover stuff perfectly, but as someone with multiple health problems, it’s not a health crisis by any means. Private cover is available anyway, so if you want to, u can pay for better shit.

6) Bali is our national holiday location. Everyone has been or will go at some point, its only a few hours away and everything is cheap as hell. Otherwise, bouncing between the coasts or from city to country and visa versa is the way to go.

7) A lot of Australians hate America. Some of it is fair, some of it isnt, but i thought you should know since apparently some people think everyone loves America. In my experience, the bias goes the other way.

8) Our version of rednecks are bogans. Flannel, cigarettes, beer bellies and questionable political correctness, we’ve got it all.

9) We also have a racist, problematic history of genocide and segregation. In my mothers life time, we used to steal aboriginal kids to force them to act white and “breed away the black.” Australia day (our 4th of July) is very controversial because its on the day the first real colonisation started. And at this point, a lot of people see celebrating it as support of the problematic undertones it represents. Australia flags are a relatively rare sight.

10) Lightning round! We have religion, but it isn’t really brought up very often. There are a few churches in every town, but thats it. We also don’t say the pledge of allegiance, or sing the national anthem unless its a special memorial day. Gun control has been in place for decades and most people are fine with that. And lastly, our car accident death rate is a third of America’s (adjusted for population) so maybe get on that.

If you knew all of this, thank god! I hope this is completely useless. If you didn’t know one of these, that’s fair. Maybe go follow some Australia creators and remember, there’s rich snobs and bigots in every corner of the globe.

[political-us]

[liberalsarecool]

The fascist Felon is very obvious.

[artarchangel333]

SAVE SECTION 230

CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS AND SAVE SECTION 230 AND STOP THE TAKE DOWN ACT

I know the past few months have been hard on all of us but a greater threat approaches. major gov leader dick durben wants to sunset section 230 and pass a bill called the TAKE DOWN act, both bills have the capacity to give the trump administration complete control the internet.

Sunset 230 is a protection from lawsuits made if you make a third party we sit that isn’t connected to major sites, while the first amendment protects your free speech section 230 would prevent lawsuits by gov figures. If section 230 is gone you would be silenced not by the lack of 1st amendment protections but by the extreme financial gutting you have to deal with those law suits.

By destroy section 230 it would result in less moderation and world wide censorship

The TAKE DOWN ACT will double down on this move as that bill removes end to end encryption so the government can just read your DM’s there is also no protection from false reports that can be used to remove sex Ed, LGBTQ+ content, and reproductive healthcare resources. This level of censorship results in trump silencing his critics as well as the rest of the world as well as just straight up 1984 type nonsense! The worst part is that it passed the senate ALREADY!

So after learning all that how can you stop it….

CALL HOUSE REPS FOR THE TAKE DOWN ACT ANDTO SAVE SECTION 230

[thebadchoicemachine]

The top comment:

As of this moment this legislation is in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport. I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of all the names and phone numbers of every Senator on that committee, and I've put the names of Senators up for re-election in 2026 in bold.

I will note that this is the third time this legislation has been introduced. In 2022 it ended up dying in Committee when introduced in the Senate and the same happened when it was introduced to the House of Representatives in 2023. Obviously we should all be concerned and take action, but don't go into full blown panic unless it exits committee. At that point I intend to have a list ready of all 100 Senators stating which ones are up for re-election and are considered at risk of losing seats.

Also my advice for calls:

- When talking with Republicans play up the fact that this would force Elon to implement age verification systems on X (yes do call it X during the call). Elon's been threatening to primary Republicans who stand in his way so there's fear of him. Also play up concerns about "Liberals" doxxing people or Chinese hackers.

- When talking with Democrats, play up the connections to Project 2025 and suggest voters will not be happy to see Democrats siding with it.

Republicans:

Ted Cruz, Texas (Chairman) - Phone: (202) 224-5922

John Thune, South Dakota - Phone: (202) 224-2321

Roger Wicker, Mississippi - Phone: (202) 224-6253

Deb Fischer, Nebraska - Phone: (202) 224-6551

Jerry Moran, Kansas - Phone: (202) 224-6521

Dan Sullivan, Alaska - Phone: (202) 224-3004

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee - Phone: (202) 224-3344

Todd Young, Indiana - Phone: (202) 224-5623

Ted Budd, North Carolina - (202) 224-3154

Eric Schmitt, Missouri - (202) 224-5721

John Curtis, Utah - Phone: (202) 224-5251

Bernie Moreno, Ohio - Phone: (202) 224-3353

Tim Sheehy, Montana - Phone: (202) 224-2644

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia - Phone: (202) 224-6472

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming - Phone: (202) 224-3424

Democrats:

Maria Cantwell, Washington (Ranking Member) - Phone: (202) 224-3441

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota - Phone: (202) 224-3244

Brian Schatz, Hawaii - Phone: (202) 224-3934

Ed Markey, Massachusetts - Phone: (202) 224-2742

Gary Peters, Michigan - Phone: (202) 224-6221

Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin - Phone: (202) 224-5653

Tammy Duckworth, Illinois - Phone: (202) 224-2854

Jacky Rosen, Nevada - Phone: (202) 224-6244

Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico - Phone: (202) 224-6621

John Hickenlooper, Colorado - Phone: (202) 224-5941

John Fetterman, Pennsylvania - Phone: (202) 224-4254

Andy Kim, New Jersey - Phone: (202) 224-4744

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware - Phone: (202) 224-2441

••••

script courtesy of the comment section comment:

Here is a script I just wrote - feel free to use!

Hi, my name is [], and I am one of Senator []’s constituents. I live in [city, zip code - leave your full address if leaving a voicemail].

I am calling in regards to a bill that was recently introduced in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport: the SCREEN act.

I am asking Senator [] to either take no action or vote against this bill because of its implications for freedom of speech. [insert one of the other concerns listed above]. Thank you for your time and for listening to my concerns.

[feminist-space]

"Wolfe, a reporter with Mississippi Today, a nonprofit, online news outlet, won the Pulitzer for detailing a disturbing $77 million welfare fraud scandal in the nation's second-poorest state, a scandal headlined by Mississippi's most famous athlete, Brett Favre.

The reporting described how, with then-Gov. Phil Bryant in office, Favre and a handful of others scored millions of dollars that were supposed to go to welfare families but were instead used on projects that included a college volleyball facility and a concussion drug company.

Favre's involvement elevated the story into national news, providing fodder for talking heads from Fox News to ESPN. In no time, some people were going to sarcastic extremes over the story, such as shirts that went on sale saying, in all capital letters, "Brett Favre stole money from poor people. Go Bears."

Bryant and Favre both have said they had no idea the money was designated for welfare families.

It was against that backdrop last spring, a month shy of her 29th birthday, that Wolfe won the Pulitzer and celebrated with family, friends and colleagues at Hal & Mal's, a Jackson institution. It was a moment that should have capped the journey on a story Wolfe had been chasing for five years.

Instead, not long after the Pulitzers were announced, the former governor sued Mississippi Today for defamation, setting off a battle that not only soured Wolfe's and Mississippi Today's moment but, more troubling to Wolfe, turned the focus away from the scandal itself.

That's because not only has Bryant's lawsuit not gone away despite Mississippi Today's insistence that its reporting is truthful, but the former governor also recently asked a circuit court to hold Wolfe and the news organization in contempt of court. The governor wants all of Wolfe's notes. He wants her emails. He wants her confidential sources. And the judge has ordered, at the very least, that Wolfe and Co. show him what they've got so he can determine its relevance to the case.

Mississippi Today has called the order "unconstitutional" and appealed to the state supreme court. Either way, Wolfe and her boss, Adam Ganucheau, have said there's no way they're giving up confidential sources. They say they would rather defy the court and face possible jail or, probably more likely, see their news organization get hammered with substantial damages.

What was once a story about poverty, power and Brett Favre, has now become a battle involving the First Amendment."

[bear-cubs-art-things]

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

-Evelyn Beatrice Hall, The Friends of Voltaire

The first amendment allows us to say what we want, whenever we want, without our government punishing us for our words. KOSA, therefore, is violating our first amendment rights. It's mass censorship of the internet, and our right to freedom of speech is being suppressed BY THE GOVERNMENT. Our founding fathers created this as THE FIRST AMENDMENT, and clearly thought this was important. Oh, wouldn't they be disappointed to see what their descendants are doing now. KOSA, a mass censorship bill that will contradict our constitution as we know it. KOSA, which instead of protecting the kids is in fact putting them in harms way. KOSA, which will put so so many people in danger. And we can stop it, but we have to fight. We MUST fight

To hear one voice clearly, we must have the freedom to hear them all