Here’s yet another example of an incremental step in the steady effort by Republicans to create an authoritarian fascist regime right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A.
Republican Florida State Sen. Jason Brodeur, who bears a striking resemblance to Ted Cruz, has actually proposed a bill that would require bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, his cabinet officers and/or members of the Florida legislature to REGISTER WITH THE STATE.
Perhaps it’s appropriate that that kind of control freak would be named Jason.
All that’s missing is the hockey mask.
While exempting the websites of newspapers, the bill would require that bloggers who receive compensation for a given online post about any elected state official register with the Florida Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics.
Ethics? They got ethics in Florida? When did that happen?
You have got to be kidding, Brodeur. You Republicans have been screaming for years now against any effort to require registration of firearms – even in the aftermath of wholesale slaughter of schoolchildren and minorities.
One of the most ridiculous claims is that you have a God-given right to own assault weapons under the Second Amendment.
I have news for you, bonehead, it ain’t a God-given right. I don’t think God addresses gun rights anywhere in his manual, aka The Bible.
So, where’s your righteous defense of the First Amendment? You know, the one that guaranties freedom of assembly, press, speech, etc. Let’s show a little consistency here.
Brodeur’s bill is absurd and unconstitutional on so many levels it’s difficult to know just where to start. I’ll just say it’s a classic first bold step toward the creation of a fascist state.
“If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register with the appropriate office … within 5 days after the first [post] by the blogger which mentions an elected state officer,” the BILL READS.
If a blogger posts subsequent stories about elected state officers, the blogger would be required to file monthly reports detailing where, when and by whom the post was published – and the amount of compensation received. Failure to file the required reports could lead to fines.
The proposed bill leaves unanswered the question of how the law would apply to out-of-state bloggers like yours truly?
I have no intention of registering in Florida or anywhere else but what if I write a story and post it here about DeSantis, or any other state official, including Brodeur? I have a few readers in Florida, so I know my posts go there, albeit on a limited basis. But what if they attempt to make me register and I resist?
Louisiana Voice 
They must have resided in Terrebonne Parish for a while. I’m not sure who gave whom talking points for the DeSatan BS legislation.
I said before and I’ll say again if the MAGA crowd fully commits and gets DeSantis elected the resulting presidency will make the Trump years seem like a walk down Sesame Street. Trump is truly awful, has and can still do much damage, almost all of it in service to his fragile ego. DeSantis is a dyed-in-the-wool fascist. He has and will use government and the law to protect his allies and bind his enemies, and never vice versa. If DeSantis gets elected and gets a “Republican” congress, too, those who didn’t support him will soon be wearing a “Star of David” badge on their outer clothing to mark them from decent people.
Chances are either proven constitutional disaster Trump or DeSantis prevails in the fascist primary. What happens if plucky Pres. Joe Biden succumbs to mortality? Gov. Newsome? Gov. Murphy? Gov Pritzker? God help us all.
Insane
The First Amendment is on life support in Florida (and Texas and Tennessee and a few other states). People outside Florida will certainly blog about DeSantis and other Florida politicians without registering with the state, should this absurd legislation pass. Good luck to Florida in attempting to collect the fines…I strongly suspect that law enforcement in the other 49 states (much less other countries) will not chase after their own citizens to collect any fines that Florida may levy. If Florida voters are foolish enough to continue voting for authoritarian crazies, and allow establishment of a police state, they are also going to see those all-important tourism dollars drying up. It will be interesting to see what the current crop of US Supreme Court (in)justices do with such a case if it ever comes before them.
Where did Jindal go when he was first elected??Florida, Disneyworld and meetings with Scott crowd. La. Ethics fiasco had nothing with ethics but where to seek campaign money. AG Landry clearly violated the edicts yet the Ethics Board forgave him on the basis Landry promised not to do it wrong again. Catch me if you can.The whole world is a stage….Brodeur has those beedy eyes close set.ron thompson
Almost, but not as bad as a disinformation board, or undercover FBI agents in Catholic churches spying on common folk, or your Nazi DOJ going after parents at school board meetings. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Be fair across the board or live with it.
Yes those things would be awful if they were really happening, but they aren’t. The closest thing to real in your comments is that the Biden administration did attempt to address deliberate disinformation before dropping the idea when they realized addressing it through a government agency would only create more controversy. But your “undercover FBI” and “Nazi DOJ” paranoia is exactly the kind of disinformation that idea was meant to address. It’s a deliberate mischarecterization; an alternate reality created especially for you which you promptly swallowed hook, line, and sinker. It is as real as stolen elections, CRT indoctrination, illegally harvesting aborted baby body parts, and death panels. And that’s the difference between today’s right and left. The left is alarmed by real dangers like the capitol riot instigated by a ex-president who refused the peaceful transfer of power and authoritarian politicians who use the law and the power of government to punish those who question or oppose them, while the right is in hysterics over false narratives invented to scare ill-informed voters by poking their ignorant prejudices.