Central Texas Congressman's Mass Twitter Blocking Of Dissenters Inspires T-Shirt Line

AUSTIN, TX — President Trump's penchant for Twitter is well documented, given the prolific nature of his posts on a wide range of topics and observations, many of the latter ending with the single-word synopsis of "Sad!" But his penchant to block users with dissenting voices has recently come into greater focus as pundits wonder if the virtual banishment might constitute a First Amendment violation.

But the president isn't alone in blocking users in a rebuke of freedom-of-speech ideals. One Central Texas congressman has barred so many of his constituents on Twitter, the mass banishment has inspired a line of T-shirts complaining about the tactic, as ProPublica recently reported.

"The growing combat over social media is igniting a new-age legal debate over whether losing this form of access to public officials violates constituents’ First Amendment rights to free speech and to petition the government for a redress of grievances," ProPublica noted.

Those blocked in this new-age fashion liken it to a virtual version of being thrown out of a town hall meeting for holding up a protest sign, ProPublica observed.

As it relates to Twitter use — and attendant blocking of those daring to voice dissent — a Central Texas congressman is giving Trump a run for his money. A growing number of constituents complain that U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, a 63-year-old Republican representing the 17th District of Texas, has blocked them after composing posts critical of his leadership. Flores' district encompasses a strip of Central Texas stretching from Waco to Bryan-College Station, including the ranch where former President George W. Bush now spends his days.

Gayle Lacy is among the banished. No mere slacker trolling her congressman willy-nilly, the Waco native was named Wacoan of the Year in 2015 for her efforts in having the site of mammoth fossils in her hometown declared a national monument. Ironically, she was with Flores in the Oval Office when President Barack Obama agreed to the designation at the prehistoric site, ensuring the area's protection from development.

Despite her community efforts within Flores' district, Lacy told ProPublica she's been blocked from Flores' Twitter account three times. One time she was blocked for writing this to Flores via Twitter in February: “My father died in service for this country, but you are not representative of that country and neither is your dear leader.”

The reaction was swift, and Lacy found herself ostracized in a sort of virtual Napoleonic exile to the Mediterranean. Lacy told ProPublica she manged to get herself unblocked each time from Flores' congressional account but remains banished from the campaign site.

She's not the only one to earn Flores' wrath and find themselves blocked from communicating with him via Twitter. Austin attorney Matt Miller told ProPublica he was blocked for having the temerity to inquire when, and if, Flores planned to stage a town hall. Austin marketer Ricardo Guerrero also got himself good and blocked, he told the news site: "He's creating an echo chamber of only the people that agree with him," he lamented.

In a prepared statement, Flores' spokesman detailed the congressman's protocol in blocking people on Twitter, likening violations of his policies as something akin to talking sass to one's grandma.

“We reserve the right to block users whose comments include profanity, name-calling, threats, personal attacks, constant harping, inappropriate or false accusations, or other inappropriate comments or material," the spokesperson said. "As the Congressman likes to say — ‘If you would not say it to your grandmother, we will not allow it here.’"

Flores' predisposition to block on Twitter has inspired a line of handsome T-shirts available for sale on the Internet via the activist group Indivisible Austin. "My Congressman BLOCKED me on Twitter!" one garment, available for $21.99, reads in large lettering. "Dissent is patriotic," reads another in alluding to the American challenge to ironclad British rule that begat America. Other shirts are emblazoned with the all-purpose hashtag #Resist.

Ironically, Flores recently memorialized the anniversary of D-Day in a recent tweet, honoring the cherished freedoms ensured by the actions of courageous members of what has been dubbed The Greatest Generation. Seemingly lost on the congressman in composing the tweet is that one of the most sacrosanct of those freedoms is the one safeguarding the ideals of free speech and expression.

Patch decided to put the congressman's penchant in blocking those questioning him to the test, tweeting the following to his account: "Hello. Why do you block those who disagree with you on Twitter? Isn't that counter to American ideals? I eagerly await your reply."

We'll let you know if we're blocked.

>>> Read the full story at ProPublica

Photo of U.S. Rep. Bill Flores via Texas House of Representatives