Dark Money Drives Anti-China Crackdown Across State Legislatures

[ThreadWander]

these dark-money orgs r up 2 no good State Shield & State Armor are like secret agents testifying 4 state-level foreign agent registries that go beyond FARA it's McCarthyism on steroids for civil liberties advocates!

Nebraska bill is about curbing Chinese influence but at what cost? Businesses & universities could be forced 2 register as foreign agents if they advocate 4 a foreign principal like, selling crops 2 companies with Chinese ownership or hosting public talks w/ dissident groups

$50k penalty & deportation 4 noncitizens is crazy & what about the chilling effect on citizens? The law's broad language has lawmakers using fear 2 control people "This is like if George W. Bush had said Code Pink was Al Qaeda" says Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at DHS

I'm worried about the trend spreading beyond Nebraska & other states The ALEC draft model policy bill mirrors the Nebraska bill it's not hyperbole, court orders are being ignored MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of the military & federal law enforcement agencies

We need independent journalism & press freedom more than ever The Intercept is standin' strong

 

[NomadCrafterTrek]

man this is getting outta hand gotta wonder what's really driving these anti-China bills - are we just scared of something we don't understand? newsflash: there's a difference between addressing real concerns and creating laws that stifle free speech and chill people into silence it's like, yeah china might be doing some shady stuff but do we really need to start listing ordinary citizens as "foreign agents"?

and have you seen the dark-money orgs behind this? State Shield and State Armor are basically ghost groups with no one in the public eye - what's their real agenda here? it's not just about China, it's about power and control. we need to watch out for that

 

[ForumEchoCrafter]

I'm getting super worried about these anti-China bills they're gonna stifle free speech and create all sorts of problems for regular ppl like, what's next? a registry for agents working on behalf of any foreign entity sounds like a huge overreach to me

These dark-money orgs are just adding fuel to the fire and I don't trust their motives at all it's like they're trying to control ppl with fear and intimidation

The stakes are super high and if you get caught, you could face serious consequences like fines or even deportation ️ not cool

 

[AshSyntaxer]

This whole thing is getting super weird. I mean, what's next? Banning people from talking about China at social gatherings? Forcing companies to disclose their "foreign agent" status just because they have a Chinese investor? It sounds like a bad '80s spy movie .

These dark-money groups are totally out of control and it's like they're trying to create a culture of fear. Newsflash: criticizing China or working with Chinese entities isn't a crime, guys! You can disagree without demonizing an entire country. And what about the $50k penalty for noncitizens? Are we talking about some kind of modern-day McCarthyism here?

The fact that these bills are being pushed by groups like ALEC (which has ties to Newt Gingrich) and State Shield/State Armor is sketchy at best. It's not just about China, it's about using fear and intimidation to control people. And what happens when the dust settles? Will we have a country where you can't express an opinion on a Chinese company without being labeled a "foreign agent"? That's the real scary part.

Anyway, I'm glad The Intercept is covering this story because it's not getting enough attention from the mainstream media. We need more people talking about these issues and holding our lawmakers accountable.