The so-called journalists at the Seattle Times, led by far left activists like vp Kati Erwert, sent a cease-and-desist demand to the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley, using a frivolous and tenuous trademark excuse.
The Times has endorsed her opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, who uses images of the paper’s headlines in her own ads. Now they are mad that her effective advertisement regarding the insane decay of the city, it’s lawlessness and rioting and anarchy, are being used against their precious Democrat.
Here’s the ad:
The paper issued this cease and desist:
Use of material from The Seattle Times requires The Seattle Times’ consent. Under no circumstances, unless expressly licensed by The Seattle Times, may the Content be reproduced or imitated including in advertising material. If the Content was licensed under an alternate company name (dba) or in the name of a third party, please reply to this email with information on the sales order, invoice or other pertinent licensing information. However, if a valid license for the use of the Content does not exist, the Tiffany Smiley campaign is liable for the unauthorized use in the absence of a valid license, including cases in which a website designer, employee, volunteer or intern is responsible for the inclusion of the Content. If your use of the Content without a license was unintentional, for example if the Content was found on the Internet and believed to be available for free use, it is still in violation of copyright law and ceasing use of the Content now will not release you or your organization from liability in this regard. Please immediately remove all Seattle Times Content from your Video, and from all platforms where the Content appears including from NBC News Blog and YouTube.
Here’s the summary of the sham excuse, from Erwert’s mouth to her own reporters.
“As it relates to political advertising, we try to be very cognizant of fair use,” Erwert said. “In this instance specifically, it is using it for an inferred endorsement of her campaign, which violates the policy and is the reason for the cease and desist.”
Absolutely laughable. The headlines said what they said. If Erwert feels like those headlines make a case against her preferred candidate then maybe she should take a hard look at her preferences.
Because the argument is, implicitly, that crime and lawlessness are the fault of Patty Murray and her party, and therefore headlines about those things are inherently anti-Murray. That’s the argument they are making. So they want to force the ad off the air because — it correctly makes their Democrat endorsee look bad.
Amazing.
Starbucks has even less of a leg to stand on. That sign on that burned out building — a public space and the scene of a major news incident — has been everywhere in media. It is not just a Starbucks trademark but a public symbol of an issue directly related to the campaign.
They do not have a legitimate claim. They just wanted to intimidate Smiley into shutting up.
Well it didn’t work. She filed a complaint with the FEC, which you can read in full here (PDF).
This is another new front in the press’s war on the left’s political enemies. The Democrats, the so-called press, Big Tech — all the forces of the far left — do not want a free country with opposing points of view. They want to get rid of conservative ideology and thought, conservative principles and policy, libertarianism, Christianity, free speech, freedom of thought, and ultimately, democracy and capitalism altogether.
Jim Jordan is right, it’s scary. Trump is right, they will end free and fair elections. It’s what AOC wants, it’s what Sen. Murray wants, and it’s what the Seattle Times and Kati Erwert want.
But they are going to find out. They can’t stop us voting yet. And vote we will. They don’t even know it’s coming becuase they fall for their own fake polling.