“Politics is a dirty game,” they’ve always said. But it doesn’t have to be filthy, and it doesn’t have to endanger our democracy.

The No Lies Amendment

Political speech, when that speech can reasonably be expected to be distributed in any fashion to large numbers of people, is subject to all laws regarding slander, libel, and fraud. Speaking within political offices and chambers is unfettered debate and should be protected, as long as it’s not broadcast to the general public. When people with a megaphone are speaking to the voting public, lying, deceiving, and derogating your opponents may be restricted, overriding their First Amendment rights.

This shouldn’t need an amendment. Fraud is already illegal and First Amendment rights are not protection from fraud (see Jack Smith’s indictment of Trump for Jan 6th). But the courts have been reticent about (i.e., will have NOTHING to do with) anything but the most egregious lies and fraud.

We should and can hold our politicians and media people with large followings to higher standards, hold them accountable for spreading lies and conspiracies theories with very little (and usually NO) evidence. The more ‘power’ you wield, the more responsible you should have to be with your speech, by law (since nothing else will work).

-Everett