Thanks for this excellent essay, looking forward to your next pieces on the subject. The assault on free speech is probably the gravest threat to our civilization in modern times. Three years ago, censorship was rife already, but nothing compared with what has been going on since the start of the pandemic. The machinery is getting more sophisticated every day and most of the media are part of it. Without free speech and independent media, democracy is in fact impossible. This is why the biggest, in fact the only task for those who wish to preserve free democratic society, is to fight back to restore freedom of speech.
First, the snark: Boy, the left sure changed their minds about using federal troops to quell popular uprisings when the aggrieved turned from assaulting police stations, small businesses, the White House, war memorials, and poor neighborhoods to chasing out the congress critters in our Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Suddenly, Speaker Pelosi loved the National Guard.
Now, the important thing: Thank you, Mr. Posner. As you suggest, it takes a lot of courage in this America to speak your mind in a public forum. You're a brave man and courageous reporter in the face of the screaming, hyperbolic hoards of Woke. America needs more of you and less of them.
An afterword: Your Orwell quote is so damned appropriate.... "Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
I really liked this. It has encouraged me to not be as afraid to talk about my ideas that would get me “cancelled”. In my opinion, there is a large and silent group of people in America that shares the same philosophy as discussed in this post. They just need to stick together, use rational thinking, and back each other up. Once this starts occurring, more people will start to speak out about the lack of freedom we have been experiencing and the ideas will start flowing again. I think as a country we have started to become less intelligent. Our education system is not as strong as it was in the 1900’s and our literacy rates our lower then Russia, China, and Japan. As our youth get dumber, they will stop thinking for themselves and start following the trendy movements they see on social media. Slowly, society will start to collapse. Freedom to speak one’s mind and to think critically with reason is a sign of intelligence. The censorship of ideas and use of cancel culture/wokeness is an example of our society losing its sharpness. It is important for the people that still have reason and logic, to lead the masses again in the right direction.
They can't stop people from talking to each other, and they can't stop people from their own action. So, I posed a revolutionary idea, which was to form a voluntary, democratic organization that tasks itself with watching and redressing injustices. I'll link a one-page intro. Glad to find your substack, cheers.
Gerald can expound on this as well. He's one of the few journalists/authors who was never captured.
These 5 institutions caused/allowed great harm to be inflicted on the world. Institutions that are supposed to “search for the truth” now work tirelessly to CONCEAL important truths. Like a previous article, this piece attempts to show HOW “madness” turned our world upside down.
I, too, recall the days of yore, when liberal teachers, professors, journalists and pundits respected Free Speech. In fact, I learned respect for Free Speech from them, as their arguments for it were thoroughly compatible with the Free Market ideas I was picking up from reading Friedman, Hayek and von Mises in my freshman year of high school (whose books I learned about via the old National Review under Buckley, which was at that time an outstanding example of the principle of Free Speech and independent journalism in action.) This caused me to fall in love with Journalism, serve as editor in the creation of an independent student magazine (the first of many), and get to DC as an intern-member of the DC Press Corps just in time to cover the 1976 U. S. Bicentennial, which was a massive celebration of American freedom. The path to the restoration of the Culture of Free Speech begins through independent Journalism. It's time to launch another generation of independent student journalism that will put the Gospel of Liberty back into the hands of America's high school and college students. Are you game? :D TTyler in Texas
I have a question and an observation. My question is: How did we get to where we are today from where we were when you and I were in law school? I was taught that the remedy for speech is more speech. What has happened to that fundamental American (and British) idea? My observation is that it is frightening that we must now depend on the right to support free speech.
True or False? When Dept. of Defense unleashes a bioweapon upon U.S. Citizens resulting in less or more than one million deaths and injuries of old / young men women children infants, as part of an ongoing plan to do just that, those within D.O.D. and their accomplices outside of D.O.D. are criminals AND have committed Treason? IF TRUE, THEN Each and every United States Federal Judge, Each and every United States Federal Lawmaker and Each and every member of the Executive branch of government who fails to recognize this Truth Maxim of our Democracy, not merely by words, but by deeds, such as for illustration and and limited to diligent investigation and if found true, publishing the names of all persons of interest who appear to be involved, and initiating and fully supporting appropriate probes and criminal trials, AND FAILURE TO ACT IS THIS MANNER WITH FULL FOLLOW THROUGH INCLUDING CRIMINAL TRIALS AND APPROPRIATE SENTENCING - IN FACT is suspect of supporting such egregious activities for which they, themselves, should be added to the list of complicit persons failing in their PERFORMANCE OF DUTY to the American people as well as to their families and to their respective churches, and should be shunned and likewise investigated. The alleged Proof of the aforementioned proposition is here: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/military-covid-vaccines-rfk-jr-podcast/?utm_id=20230402 and, as to violation of Federal Law prohibiting such acts, the author (merely one of the Federal and State Laws violated) of Federal Law Regulating the Invention and Deployment of Bioweapons is here: https://www.bitchute.com/video/1Mxke9pPqJ2E/
Thanks for this excellent essay, looking forward to your next pieces on the subject. The assault on free speech is probably the gravest threat to our civilization in modern times. Three years ago, censorship was rife already, but nothing compared with what has been going on since the start of the pandemic. The machinery is getting more sophisticated every day and most of the media are part of it. Without free speech and independent media, democracy is in fact impossible. This is why the biggest, in fact the only task for those who wish to preserve free democratic society, is to fight back to restore freedom of speech.
First, the snark: Boy, the left sure changed their minds about using federal troops to quell popular uprisings when the aggrieved turned from assaulting police stations, small businesses, the White House, war memorials, and poor neighborhoods to chasing out the congress critters in our Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Suddenly, Speaker Pelosi loved the National Guard.
Now, the important thing: Thank you, Mr. Posner. As you suggest, it takes a lot of courage in this America to speak your mind in a public forum. You're a brave man and courageous reporter in the face of the screaming, hyperbolic hoards of Woke. America needs more of you and less of them.
An afterword: Your Orwell quote is so damned appropriate.... "Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
I really liked this. It has encouraged me to not be as afraid to talk about my ideas that would get me “cancelled”. In my opinion, there is a large and silent group of people in America that shares the same philosophy as discussed in this post. They just need to stick together, use rational thinking, and back each other up. Once this starts occurring, more people will start to speak out about the lack of freedom we have been experiencing and the ideas will start flowing again. I think as a country we have started to become less intelligent. Our education system is not as strong as it was in the 1900’s and our literacy rates our lower then Russia, China, and Japan. As our youth get dumber, they will stop thinking for themselves and start following the trendy movements they see on social media. Slowly, society will start to collapse. Freedom to speak one’s mind and to think critically with reason is a sign of intelligence. The censorship of ideas and use of cancel culture/wokeness is an example of our society losing its sharpness. It is important for the people that still have reason and logic, to lead the masses again in the right direction.
They can't stop people from talking to each other, and they can't stop people from their own action. So, I posed a revolutionary idea, which was to form a voluntary, democratic organization that tasks itself with watching and redressing injustices. I'll link a one-page intro. Glad to find your substack, cheers.
https://markgmeyers.substack.com/p/introduction-to-a-democratic-approach
Gerald can expound on this as well. He's one of the few journalists/authors who was never captured.
These 5 institutions caused/allowed great harm to be inflicted on the world. Institutions that are supposed to “search for the truth” now work tirelessly to CONCEAL important truths. Like a previous article, this piece attempts to show HOW “madness” turned our world upside down.
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/these-5-institutions-allowed-great
I, too, recall the days of yore, when liberal teachers, professors, journalists and pundits respected Free Speech. In fact, I learned respect for Free Speech from them, as their arguments for it were thoroughly compatible with the Free Market ideas I was picking up from reading Friedman, Hayek and von Mises in my freshman year of high school (whose books I learned about via the old National Review under Buckley, which was at that time an outstanding example of the principle of Free Speech and independent journalism in action.) This caused me to fall in love with Journalism, serve as editor in the creation of an independent student magazine (the first of many), and get to DC as an intern-member of the DC Press Corps just in time to cover the 1976 U. S. Bicentennial, which was a massive celebration of American freedom. The path to the restoration of the Culture of Free Speech begins through independent Journalism. It's time to launch another generation of independent student journalism that will put the Gospel of Liberty back into the hands of America's high school and college students. Are you game? :D TTyler in Texas
I have a question and an observation. My question is: How did we get to where we are today from where we were when you and I were in law school? I was taught that the remedy for speech is more speech. What has happened to that fundamental American (and British) idea? My observation is that it is frightening that we must now depend on the right to support free speech.
Outstanding. IF Stone: https://youtu.be/qV3gO3zxQ1g?t=1185
It’s got to start somewhere, no doubt
Have you read about Ireland’s new hate speech bill?
True or False? When Dept. of Defense unleashes a bioweapon upon U.S. Citizens resulting in less or more than one million deaths and injuries of old / young men women children infants, as part of an ongoing plan to do just that, those within D.O.D. and their accomplices outside of D.O.D. are criminals AND have committed Treason? IF TRUE, THEN Each and every United States Federal Judge, Each and every United States Federal Lawmaker and Each and every member of the Executive branch of government who fails to recognize this Truth Maxim of our Democracy, not merely by words, but by deeds, such as for illustration and and limited to diligent investigation and if found true, publishing the names of all persons of interest who appear to be involved, and initiating and fully supporting appropriate probes and criminal trials, AND FAILURE TO ACT IS THIS MANNER WITH FULL FOLLOW THROUGH INCLUDING CRIMINAL TRIALS AND APPROPRIATE SENTENCING - IN FACT is suspect of supporting such egregious activities for which they, themselves, should be added to the list of complicit persons failing in their PERFORMANCE OF DUTY to the American people as well as to their families and to their respective churches, and should be shunned and likewise investigated. The alleged Proof of the aforementioned proposition is here: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/military-covid-vaccines-rfk-jr-podcast/?utm_id=20230402 and, as to violation of Federal Law prohibiting such acts, the author (merely one of the Federal and State Laws violated) of Federal Law Regulating the Invention and Deployment of Bioweapons is here: https://www.bitchute.com/video/1Mxke9pPqJ2E/