Speechless

 

The assault on free speech is real.

The First Amendment is enumerated in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. It is a guarantee for citizens to freely express their opinions and prohibits Congress from constraining or usurping the citizen’s free speech rights or the rights of the press to report to the people. Free speech includes that which the government may disagree. Mis or disinformation is free speech. The government can label it as such, but cannot censor it. The citizen has the absolute right to decide what information they choose to consume and what information that they choose to support and accept. These rights are under attack by the very government that the people have empowered to uphold. There is an organized effort to censor speech opposed by government institutions worldwide. Yet there are those who willingly support this perversion of liberty.

As we near the Presidential election, one must ask, is the freedom of expression necessary to preserve this nation? Is free speech the vehicle that enables the people access to and the ability to hold their government accountable? Is the free flow of competing ideas essential to the machinations of a free and open society? There is one party that champions the restriction of free speech. There is one party that believes that the people do not possess the intelligence necessary to determine what is true and what is not. There is one party that proposed a ministry of truth to effectively censor the free flow of information on the internet, particularly targeting social media. The democrat party believes that institutions, not individuals should determine what speech is not only allowable, but accessible. Yet, there are those that are comfortable ceding their rights to government control.

Technologically, our society has advanced so far in such a short time. Information is at our fingertips and news is accessible in real time. Government collusion with social media is diluting and/or eliminating opinions that are deemed unacceptable to be freely exposed to the masses. This enables government entities to control the narrative, a strategy employed by tyrannical governments worldwide to propagandize, hide the truth, and enable those governments to control their population. This insidious tactic, embraced by the Soviet Union, China, Iran, and North Korea, is being employed throughout the “free” world. In the European Union (EU) the CEO of the Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been arrested by France for enabling “bad actors” to utilize the social media platform to commit crimes. The Telegram employs an intermediary to cooperate with the EU to identify and remove bad actor’s access to the platform. This arrest not only violates Durov’s right to freedom of information, but is likely illegal.

In Brazil, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, tasked with fighting “fake news” by the leftist regime headed by Luis Inazio Lula da Silva, decided to ban the “X” social media platform from Brazil in an ongoing dispute with Elon Musk. Musk is refusing to comply with a court order that stated that the social media platform was a “threat to democracy.” Sound familiar? Moraes further ordered all assets to Starlink, a Musk owned satellite broadband firm, to be frozen, all internet providers to remove the “X” app, and will levy fines of $9,000 per day of any of the 50 million Brazilian users caught using a VPN to access “X.” Overstepping his authority perhaps?

Governments have a difficult time conducting illicit business if citizens can learn of those actions. If freedom of the press is curtailed or censored, the powerful cannot be held accountable. Information is power and to limit or eliminate dissent allows tyranny to reign without restraint. Knowledge alone does not prevent the repression of the populace. Those who choose to ignore the tyranny and fall prey to the blindness of political animosity are the willing pawns that facilitate out of control government. A polarized population that falls for the unhinged rantings of a political party that seeks unfettered power are the very tools necessary for evil to succeed. Hatred produces blindness that causes one to fail to recognize the true enemy. Hatred of our neighbors simply based upon party affiliation makes no sense. Hatred will cloud the judgement necessary to stand up for justice. Hatred will allow freedom to die.

Do not rejoice when people you disagree with are persecuted or silenced. Freedom dictates that all are treated fairly in accordance with the law. Speech in which you disagree, unless it is to foment violence or chaos, is permitted in a free society. If someone’s opinion offends you, you can ignore it and seek another platform. If you dislike a person, you have the freedom to associate with whoever you choose. There is always information and opinion that can fit your chosen narrative and beliefs. Give grace to those of differing opinions rather than looking to censor them. Once freedom of speech has ended and the government tells you what to believe, your life will be diminished. Be careful what you wish for, because one day the tables will turn, you will become that threat to democracy, and you will be the one silenced and persecuted.