Is There A Story Here? What Is It?

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Is There A Story Here? What Is It?

The following article caught Kat's attention and she sent it to me. It's about Diana Hsieh.

For the life of me, I can't figure it out.

Speech regulators fine woman over Facebook post
by Jon Cassidy
Dec. 27, 2014
Watchdog

From the article:

Never in a million years did Diana Hsieh think she could be fined by the state of Colorado for a political Facebook post.

However Orwellian that sounds, had Hsieh posted in Texas she wouldn't have faced a fine but a felony conviction.

Woah...

Now that's what I call a fine start of an article. Mystery. Danger. It's even worse elsewhere.

I'm serious. That's a great opener. How does that make you feel?

For me, I gotta read this thing--like NOW--to see what's going on. I'm not a fan of Hsieh's, but I sure as hell don't want to see her in serious legal trouble.

Then came the fizzle. I read the thing...

As I understand it, Hsieh published a report about abortion on Facebook in 2008, registered with some Colorado state government organization that deals with campaign finance because of some doubt over encouraging people in the report to vote on a law, received some donations, got one day late on filing the paperwork, got fined $50, got that reversed, and decided to sue the government.

Um...

OK...

Sue about what? The $50? So was the reversal due to the judgement or is Hsieh pursuing something else? Was all this back in 2008? Or is it now?

Did it take six years for her to get her 50 smackaroonies back? Is the government going to send in a SWAT team and throw her ass in jail?

What?

From the way the article is written, I honestly don't know.

The rest of the article is about campaign finance laws and a few respective court cases and rulings all over the USA.

Jon Cassidy seems to be a good upcoming journalist writing at some fairly prestigious places on the right. But I can't make sense of this thing.

Despite disagreeing with a lot of what Hsieh says and does, I'm glad to see her in the mainstream fighting the good fight (second tier, maybe, but still mainstream). I only wish I knew what was going on...

Is this me or do others have the same problem?

If you can figure this article out, would you please let us know what the story is?

I would hate to think the Sturm und Drang disaster in the opening was about a $50 fine in 2008 that got reversed. (Well, there was that potential Texas felony charge in the wings that didn't happen because she didn't live in Texas... Dayaamm...)

Michael

[Jonathan]

Is There A Story Here? What Is It?

The following article caught Kat's attention and she sent it to me. It's about Diana Hsieh.

For the life of me, I can't figure it out.

Speech regulators fine woman over Facebook post

by Jon Cassidy

Dec. 27, 2014

Watchdog

As one commenter said, the headline is "click-bait," not journalism. The article does not support the headline. Comrade Sonia was not fined "over a Facebook post." She was fined for being late in delivering her organization's paperwork.

Jon Cassidy seems to be a good upcoming journalist writing at some fairly prestigious places on the right. But I can't make sense of this thing.

I've never heard of Cassidy, but if this article represents how he normally thinks and writes, then he appears to be anything but a good upcoming journalist. He's crying wolf. He's making mountains of molehills. This article just screams in multiple ways that he can't be trusted as a source of information or clear communication.

J

[Jules Troy]

She still sucks.

[BaalChatzaf]

I've never heard of Cassidy, but if this article represents how he normally thinks and writes, then he appears to be anything but a good upcoming journalist. He's crying wolf. He's making mountains of molehills. This article just screams in multiple ways that he can't be trusted as a source of information or clear communication.

J

The story is still a cautionary tale. The bastards in government will pass so many piddling laws that anyone is bound to break one of them, which mean the government can go after their ass in a purely legal manner.

We hates the government preciousssssssss ............ and we wants it to die of a wasting disease.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[jts]

I've never heard of Cassidy, but if this article represents how he normally thinks and writes, then he appears to be anything but a good upcoming journalist. He's crying wolf. He's making mountains of molehills. This article just screams in multiple ways that he can't be trusted as a source of information or clear communication.

J

The story is still a cautionary tale. The bastards in government will pass so many piddling laws that anyone is bound to break one of them, which mean the government can go after their ass in a purely legal manner.

We hates the government preciousssssssss ............ and we wants it to die of a wasting disease.

Ba'al Chatzaf

That is just a conspiracy theory. The govenment is not out to get you. You are paranoid.

[Robert Campbell]

The headline's click-bait for sure.

The article rambles so badly, it borders on incoherence. For instance, the Colorado judge rule in Diana Hsieh's case? I suspect not, but from the way the piece is written I can't tell.

The Institute for Justice has gone after Colorado's campaign finance laws, so I'd consider them a legitimate target.

Texas's, just as much if not more. But Cassidy fails to make the relevant connections with any clarity.

Robert Campbell