ISIS Internet Dominance Causing Second Thoughts on First Amendment

By now the name ISIS has become a very common to hear for people everywhere. Americans though are beginning to deal with ISIS not on the battlefield but through the First Amendment. Like many other extremist groups the internet is a perfect place for them to express their views and subsequently begin their recruiting process by posting videos and other information all over social media and the internet. This has been causing a major headache for US officials because since all of their recruiting and propaganda spreading is done on the internet so they are protected under the First Amendment.


Many ideas have been proposed but there is one issue that continues to poses a continuing problem with this and it is: Freedom of speech may not be curbed unless it poses a "clear and present danger" That little piece of writing is what allows Isis and many other groups to spill their hate onto the web and be protected by the First Amendment because the danger that is being  referred to is an actual threat, not just the advocacy of harmful acts or ideas.  With all of the issues that this has been causing it is no surprise that people are beginning to advocate for the change in the First Amendment especially with the recent attacks in California. I find this very interesting because people believe that you can never change the First Amendment but with the increasing ISIS pressure on the web and in the United States the demand for change has become a topic of interest for many.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/us/isis-influence-on-web-prompts-second-thoughts-on-first-amendment.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Police Abusing Authority.......... again

The city of Ferguson is dealing with another issue that has stemmed from the Michael Brown shooting last august. Two reporters by the names of Ryan Reilly and Wesley Lowery were reporting the incidents last summer out of a Mcdonalds when they were detained by local police and have since been charged with trespassing and interference with a police officer.



What cause the whole issue was while the two reporters were inside the Mcdonald's when officers came and asked them to leave. Apparently they did not leave quick enough and while leaving one of them took out their cellphone and began recording on his cellphone. The officers improperly asked him to stop recording, the officers then became frustrated with how the reporters were acting and simply arrested at the mcdonalds. There was an outpouring of criticism for the police officers with News Guild Barrie Lunzer calling the charges "a gross abuse of power" and a "vile assault on the Amendment". The two reporters were simply trying to do their jobs and report the news which is their right but were denied that right by the St.Louis County police and now have to fight in court to regain that right. Here is an issue that is becoming more common across the United States where police continuously violate the First Amendment rights of Americans especially when it comes to the video taping of themselves or other police officers. Situations like these show that all across America right now people are dealing with First Amendment issues and it is the job of the public to make sure we express these rights that are so easily oppressed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ferguson-reporters-prosecution-st-louis-county_us_56aba4d4e4b077d4fe8ddca6