Freedom of Speech is under Attack

Amendment I – Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Distorted Definition

The definition of “freedom of speech” has been stretched so far that it includes things such as free expression in art (paintings), photography, music, literature (books and magazines), cinema (movies and videos), gestures (hand, facial, and body), and even burning of the American flag!

To me, speech includes only the spoken word, speaking only with the mouth, verbal, oral, and talk. It does not mean free expression by burning of the American flag! This malicious, disrespectful vandalism has nothing to do with speaking as intended by the framers of the Bill of Rights. Some people have taken things too far with this freedom.

Freedom of Speech?

The statement “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech” is being violated. For people saying whatever they desire, law enforcement will arrest and jail them. Just because “Congress shall make no law,” that has not stopped the federal government, states, and cities from enacting laws that abridge “the freedom of speech.”

The Obama administration is working to eliminate freedom of speech by eliminating talk radio through attempting to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. After that failed, he now has a czar working behind the scenes to tax talk radio stations making it impossible for them to survive financially. All of this just to get after Dr. Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Mark Levine, et al.

Jason (n.l.n.; 2009) of The Patriot’s Mind wrote that President Obama has more czars than I can keep up with, but let me introduce you to newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer, Mark Lloyd, who is yet another worshipper of the liberal’s totalitarian ideas. Unfortunately, Glenn Beck and the Heritage Foundation are reporting of new efforts by Lloyd to implement the ‘liberal fascist’ Fairness Doctrine again. That is right, more attacks on freedom of speech from the Obama administration and his left-wing cronies who hate the idea of Americans hearing an alternate opinion than those of the left. Is it any doubt that their chief desire is massively to increase government in order to grab more freedoms belonging to the citizens of the United States? You would have to be ignorant not to see it.

Jason (2009) further wrote that Obama’s Chief Diversity Officer, Lloyd, is promoting the following statement in the name of diversity (emphasis mine, the author of this article): “Local public broadcasters and regional and national communications operations should be required to encourage and broadcast diverse views and programs.” In addition, CNS News reported the following back on August 14, 2009, on the matter: “Mark Lloyd, newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer of the Federal Communications Commission, has called for making private broadcasting companies pay licensing fees equal to their total operating costs to allow public broadcasting outlets to spend the same on their operations as the private companies do. Lloyd presented the idea in his 2006 book, Prologue to a Farce: Communications and Democracy in America, published by the University of Illinois Press.”

David Henderson (2009) wrote in the Library of Economics and Liberty EconLog that not the Fed, as in Bernanke, but the Feds, as in the federal government. Here are excerpts from an AP news story that came in on September 21, 2009: The government is investigating a major insurance company for allegedly trying to scare seniors with a mailer warning they could lose important benefits under health care legislation in Congress. In addition, the most chilling two paragraphs:

• In a warning letter to Humana, Health and Human Services (HHS) said the government is concerned that the mailer “is misleading and confusing” partly because the company’s lobbying campaign could be mistaken for an official communication about Medicare benefits.
• HHS ordered the company to halt immediately any such mailings and to remove any related materials from its website. In the letter, the government also said it might take other action against Humana based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Henderson (2009) went further and wrote that one of the ways that governments try to “win” debates is to make debate by the other side illegal. This is what HHS is doing, at the behest of Senator Baucus. Asked on September 20, 2009, “Face the Nation” on CBS whether a “sort of meanness” had settled “over our political dialogue,” Obama said. Right! I’m not sure that the questioner, Bob Schieffer, knows the difference between meanness and anger. I have seen some of the former, but much of the latter, at the various town hall meetings. However, here’s where Obama has a chance to practice what he preaches. He has the power to countermand HHS’s order. Moreover, HHS’s action would certainly qualify as mean. You can’t get much meaner than to threaten someone with guns. Further, that is what a warning letter from HHS is. Think about what would happen if Humana ignored the HHS letter and kept speaking out critically on health care. The next step would be to bring Humana to court. If Humana refused, the next step would be, literally, for the Feds to come in with guns.

Roger Hedgecock (2009), KOGO radio talk show host in San Diego, California, wrote in the WorldNetDaily that Obama’s blitzkrieg against the Constitution has broadened to include an assault on talk radio and the Internet to silence radio critics and growing opposition organized on the Internet from the tea party movement. It also appears that the Obama administration is contemplating bailing out failing newspapers. Through such bailouts, Obama selects the executives and members of the boards of directors of newspaper publishing companies. This action implies the kind of permanent government control that we are seeing now in some of the banks and in the auto industry. Talk radio and the Internet are preparing to fight back. It’s time to put up or shut up, America. Literally. Get the book that shows how to fight the assault on your freedom of speech!

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“If ever [a] time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.” ~ Samuel Adams

References

Jason (n.l.n.) (2009, August 27). Obama’s attack on freedom of speech – Fairness Doctrine revisited. The Patriot’s Mind. Retrieved from www.patriotsmind.com/2009/08/27/obamas-attack-freedom-speech-fairness-doctrine-revisited/.

Henderson, D. (2009, September 21). The Feds’ attack on freedom of speech. EconLog, Library of Economics and Liberty. Retrieved from econlog.econlib.org/archives/2009/09/the_feds_attack.html.

Hedgecock, R. (2009, April 27). Obama threatens speech on radio, web, print. WorldNetDaily. Retrieved from www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96277.