“I don’t believe or accept that point of view! But I will fight, so he has the right to say it!” That was once a common sentiment held in the United States by well, just about everyone towards free speech. Common folks, north and south, east and west were bound together as a people, by a common heritage, common beliefs and a common value system regarding basic constitutional precepts. Our founding documents prescribed the First Amendment, which contained among others, the right to free speech. The belief in this omnipotent freedom has enlivened the American people for generations and been one of the motivating factors in sending our troops into battle to liberate foreign peoples living in darkness and to free them from tyranny and totalitarianism. But recently something has gone awry. Cries of misinformation and censorship have rankled the spectrum of politics, the media and even more ominous, the populace. Critics have cried out for the need to limit speech and censure those whose speech is inflammatory and giving out “misinformation?’ Misinformation? What is this? In the marketplace of ideas, discussion and debate, where have we ever heard the term misinformation and when have we attempted to implement it? From the Sedition Act of 1798, which made it illegal to criticize the government with “malicious words,” attempts to limit speech in times of peace have been stopped by a freedom loving people who desired a perpetuation of American civilization, as an “empire of liberty.” For its part, the Sedition Act was not renewed by the Congress, and fell into the dustbin of history in 1801 with the onset of the new Jefferson Administration. But as we have entered the 21st century, from COVID, to Russian collusion, to climate change, a strain of authoritarianism has entered the American body politic. The claim of misinformation has been used as an anvil to quiet dissenters or squelch the opinion of people who just have an alternate point of view from the governing elite. From Dr. Scott Atlas on science and the treatment of COVID, to the use of hydroxychloroquine to combat COVID, the list of topics identified as misinformation is growing but the assertions are pernicious. The concept of misinformation has been used to control information and influence elections as well. The successful use of high tech platforms to censure the New York Post regarding the Hunter Biden laptop during the election of 2020 is a striking and telling example of this phenomenon. To make matters worse, 51 former intelligence officials signed a letter calling the New York Post story about Hunter Biden an example of Russian misinformation. No leads, no sources, no evidence, but a common cause of what would appear to be an overriding desire to elect the opposition candidate. What does this tell you about our intelligence gathering community? They are either corrupt because of the desire to be partisan and issue overtly false statements pertaining to a legitimate concern, the content of the laptop. Or, they are incompetents! They are unable to discern between a Russian intelligence operation or a breach of protocol by the candidate’s family. Either outcome is a serious cause of concern regarding the professionalism and capability of the American intelligence community and would probably help to explain why these agencies have been so wrong on everything from Vietnam to 9-11. One of the contributing factors to the greatness of America has been its commitment to the “empire of liberty,” including free speech. A dismantling of the notion of misinformation will certainly reinvigorate the marketplace of ideas, and thought will be valued based on its merit and utility, and with it a restoration of a basic component of American Civilization.
Friend of Cicero
Comments