This week, conservatives overwhelmingly rejected U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s proposal to use the government’s vast powers to prosecute those who engage in hate speech.
The condemnations were vast, swift, and appropriate. Hate speech, after all, is a progressive fiction constructed only to silence dissent.
While many in Idaho’s political arena quickly condemned Bondi, they cannot or will not do the same with House Speaker Mike Moyle.
Earlier this year, Moyle filed two bills antithetical to free speech.
First, House Bill 306 would have made “criminal libel” a felony, elevating it from a misdemeanor. Someone convicted of this crime could have earned a fine of up to $100,000 and up to five years in prison. The proposal, which never received a committee hearing, earned a -3 on the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Freedom Index.
Had it passed, the bill would have made it a felony to knowingly publish lies about another person.
The problem, of course, is who decides the truth. Conservatives backing this proposal must have learned nothing from the pandemic, where the government fed Americans lie after lie about lockdowns, vaccines, and social distancing.
Parrish Miller, the Foundation’s chief bill rater, wrote this about the proposal:
Taken together, these elements will create a chilling effect on free speech, particularly speech regarding government employees and elected officials. Many statements are not objectively true or false, and this law would stifle communication containing claims or suggestions that someone could allege to be false.
That wasn’t the only concerning measure Moyle introduced. He also brought House Bill 307, which would have created a Ministry of Truth within state government. The bill would have given the Secretary of State the power to fact-check campaign ads, and then publish findings on a state website.
That is, in short, outside the proper role of government. For all of its terrible parts and pieces, the measure also earned a -3 on the Idaho Freedom Index.
Luckily, neither measure passed. It’s likely that was by design.
Ryan Spoon, a Moyle Loyalist who regularly attacks conservative lawmakers, activists, and organizations, spilled the beans on the ploy during a social media comment war.
Said Spoon:
Maria Olsen Nate yeah, let’s talk about H306. This bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the House, the most powerful man in the Idaho Legislature, did not even receive a committee hearing in either chamber. Can you explain that to me? How in the world was “King Moyle” unable to even get a hearing for this signature legislation? Unless, of course, it was never meant to get a hearing and never meant to be passed into law? Maybe it was a shot across the bow at you and your DC lobbyist friends and your TX-based PAC pals, who repeatedly and blatantly *LIED* about Julianne Young in the primary, LIED again about the legislative pay raise such as the ad below, and sent out other lies and inflammatory language like “Traitor!” and “immoral” against other Idaho conservatives over modest policy disagreements. It was never a real bill, it was a MESSAGE to those like you to stop LYING. You clearly didn’t listen, but your clients suffered for your behavior anyways.
Did you catch that? Spoon didn’t like what one group was saying, so he supported Moyle’s attempt to chill speech. The threat of action against Moyle’s critics is clearly there.
Spoon is happy to hand the government power to punish opinions or mistakes of their political enemies. He’s willing to let those in power silence dissent, journalists, and political opponents. If the Speaker doesn’t like what you say, he can threaten you with jail instead of letting the matter be settled in court between private parties.
Beyond the obvious problems here, this line of thinking shows complete ignorance of the political process. Sure, Moyle has power now, and Spoon wants it wielded against conservatives who won’t kneel before the speaker. Yet, in only a few elections, the shoe could be on the foot, and that power he once cheered could be used against him.
Of course, attacks on speech aren’t a new thing for Moyle Loyalists.
Earlier this year, I revealed that one of his attack dogs, Brandy Paradee, filed a Secretary of State complaint against Maria Nate over what Paradee saw as a mean tweet.
Paradee complained that Maria Nate offered an observation about the consequences of the legislative pay raise hike.
In short, Nate observed that support for a legislative pay raise is a political burden, something that would be weaponized by the establishment against good conservatives at election time.
Paradee had to tee off on Nate because some of Paradee’s pet lawmakers, including Rep. Heather Scott and Sen. Phil Hart, desperately wanted the pay hike, which Moyle proposed.
The SOS office did nothing with it, and treated the complaint as the garbage it was. The office completely cleared Nate.
Finally, who could forget Brian Almon’s long-winded column condemning me and John Heida of Stop Idaho RINOs for pointing out that Almon serves as nothing more than a mouthpiece for power. While supposedly condemning my gatekeeping, Almon was doing some of his own in urging people to ignore me and Heida.
This troubling development among Moyle and his pawns reminds me of a quote from the marvelous Winston Churchill.
Said he:
Everyone is in favour of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.
Freedom of speech is woven into our national DNA, and many are ready to defend it at the drop of hat – at least when it’s politically convenient.
Too many figures here in Idaho, including lawmakers, activists, and wannabe pundits, are too afraid of Moyle to speak out to defend our most basic liberty.
It’s a shame. Our right to speech is a fundamental part of who we are, and it’s worth defending – no matter who holds power.