Free Speech

The Language of Force

by John W. Whitehead March 27, 2024

“If the state could use laws not for their intended purposes but to silence those who voice unpopular ideas, little would be left of our First Amendment liberties, and little would separate us from the tyrannies of the past or the malignant fiefdoms of our own age. The freedom to speak without risking arrest is ...

When Corporations Serve As a Front for Government Censors

by John W. Whitehead March 8, 2024

“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. We must, therefore, be on ...

Is Free Speech a Relic in America?

by James Bovard December 1, 2023

Is the First Amendment becoming a historic relic? On July 4, 2023, federal judge Terry Doughty condemned the Biden administration for potentially “the most massive attack against free speech in United States history.” That verdict was ratified by a federal appeals court decision in September 2023 that concluded that Biden administration “officials have engaged in a broad pressure campaign ...

Conspirators for the Constitution

by John W. Whitehead June 8, 2023

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”— George Orwell Let’s be clear about one thing: seditious conspiracy isn’t a real crime to anyone but the U.S. government. To be convicted of seditious conspiracy, the charge levied against Stewart Rhodes who was sentenced to 18 ...

The War on Free Speech Is Really a War on the Right to Criticize the Government

by John W. Whitehead May 5, 2023

“Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? The constitutional theory is that we the people are the sovereigns, the state and federal officials only our agents. We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek ...

Don’t Let the Government Criminalize Free Speech

by John W. Whitehead April 26, 2023

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”—George Washington What the police state wants is a silent, compliant, oblivious citizenry. What the First Amendment affirms is an engaged citizenry that speaks truth to power using whatever peaceful means are available to us. Speaking one’s truth doesn’t have to be the ...

Biden’s Atrocious Assange Prosecution

by James Bovard March 1, 2023

“A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press,” proclaimed Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. But he was referring only to the Chinese government crackdown on Hong Kong journalists early last year. Unfortunately, the Biden administration continues rushing to destroy one of the most important truth tellers of our times. Julian Assange has been locked away ...

All of Us Are in Danger

by John W. Whitehead October 7, 2022

“If you can’t say ‘F@#k’ you can’t say, ‘F@#k’ the government.’”— Lenny Bruce, comedian Anti-government speech has become a four-letter word. In more and more cases, the government is declaring war on what should be protected political speech whenever it challenges the government’s power, reveals the government’s corruption, exposes the government’s lies, and encourages the citizenry to push back against the ...

Get Ready to Be Muzzled: The Coming War on So-Called Hate Speech

by John W. Whitehead May 19, 2022

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.”—Benjamin Franklin Beware of those who want to monitor, muzzle, catalogue and censor speech. Especially be on your guard when the reasons given for limiting your freedoms end up expanding the government’s powers. In the wake of a mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, carried out by an ...

Elon Musk, Twitter, and Freedom of Speech

by Laurence M. Vance May 2, 2022

By now, the whole world knows that Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX—and the richest man in the world—is buying Twitter for $44 billion and taking the publicly traded company private. Musk, who has called himself a “free speech absolutist,” said in a press release: Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, ...

Cancel Culture’s War on Free Speech

by John W. Whitehead January 19, 2022

“Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners.” — George Carlin Cancel culture—political correctness amped up on steroids, the self-righteousness of a narcissistic age, and a mass-marketed pseudo-morality that is little more than fascism disguised as tolerance—has shifted us into an Age of Intolerance, policed by techno-censors, social media bullies, and government watchdogs. Everything is now fair game for censorship if ...

The Government’s War on Free Speech

by John W. Whitehead March 10, 2021

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” — George Washington It’s a given that the government is corrupt, unaccountable, and has exceeded its authority. So what can we do about it? The first remedy involves speech (protest, assembly, speech, prayer, and publicity), and lots of it, in order to ...