By Laurence F. Sanford

Free speech is under fire from Marxist and Islamic totalitarian ideologues. Free speech is not free and must be defended every day by fighting censorship.

Free speech is not an unlimited license to say anything at any time. One cannot yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater if there is no fire. Free speech is standing in the public square and criticizing public officials. Without free speech, we would have no American democracy.

The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights to the Constitution says:

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.

In the United States, the war against free speech is manifested in:

• Universities — Free speech is attacked when unruly mobs prevent conservative representatives from speaking. The Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) declared Harvard, one of America’s most prestigious universities, the worst in the country for free speech rights over the last two years. It received 0.00 out of a possible 100.00. Other Ivy League universities receiving abysmal ratings were the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia.
• Anti-Semitism — Jewish students are harassed, intimidated, and denied access to campus by Marxist and Muslim terrorists claiming to support Palestinians. Israel is condemned for defending itself. No mention is made of the October 7, 2023, slaughter of over 1,200 Israelis by Hamas. The Palestinian genocide and atrocities committed by Hamas were greeted with overwhelming support from the Arab inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank.
• Hate speech — The term “hate speech” is a crutch for shutting down conversations on controversial subjects. What is worse? Hanging from a tree a white man, a black man, a yellow man, a red man, a homosexual, a transgender, or a heterosexual? Of course, the correct answer is that all hangings are worse, as all are human beings. Why should hanging a black man be considered worse than hanging a white man?
• Islamophobia — Islamophobia does not exist. A phobia is an unreasonable fear of something. There is nothing unreasonable about fearing atrocities committed by Muslims in the name of Islam. Accusing someone of being an “Islamophobe” is a means to end the conversation and brand the speaker.
• Social media — Blocking and distortions by Facebook and Google of events such as Wuhan Virus information and the Hunter Biden laptop are commonplace. TV and print media hide and distort facts to bend the story to fit their progressive ideology.
• Federal government — White House and Justice Department officials were engaged in the censorship of Wuhan Virus critics, economic data distortions, falsifying crime statistics, and Marxist lawfare against political opponents.
• State and local governments — California recently passed legislation banning “deepfakes” and disinformation.

Attacks on free speech internationally:

• Australia — Elon Musk has labeled as “fascist” a proposed law fining social media companies for spreading disinformation.
• Brazil — Marxist President Lula is waging lawfare against former President Bolansaro. The Brazilian Supreme Court banned Musk-owned X (Twitter) because it refused to remove content from sites that the court deemed to contain misinformation and fake news.
• Canada — The Trudeau government cracked down on truckers protesting Wuhan Virus restrictions. A Canadian court later found the actions an unjustified infringement of civil rights and freedom of expression.
• China — The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censors all media and public demonstrations against Marxist thought. The CCP extolls Chairman Mao and features him on currency, yet fails to mention he was responsible for the death of millions. Surveillance cameras and internet monitoring are pervasive. There are no freedoms of speech or religion.
• Islamic countries — Laws against blasphemy, which is the act of insulting, showing contempt, or lack of reverence for Allah, are common. Death is the punishment in some countries, such as Pakistan.
• Marxist countries — Totalitarian thought control and censorship support the regime’s legitimacy. History is rewritten to serve Marxist ideology.
• United Kingdom — The Labour Party has newly defined “extremism” to include groups who protest illegal immigration or Hamas atrocities from public funding or engagement.

Summary

Attacks on free speech are attacks on American democracy and Western Civilization. Without free speech, private property, and capitalism, there would be no democracy.

Politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, are leading the assault on free speech, calling for censorship and the jailing of individuals who post misinformation, disinformation, or hate speech. (And who is going to define what is hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation?)

California recently passed laws against AI-generated images. Lawsuits are being filed against these unconstitutional laws, but in the meantime, censorship is in effect.

Jews are the canaries in the mines of censorship. The assaults and attacks on Jews for being Jews are an attack on humanity and Western Civilization. Judeo-Christian values of an individual’s worth are inherent to freedom of speech and religion.

Anti-Israel protests led by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) morph into anti-America attacks wherein the Iranian slogan of “Death to the U.S.” is standard rhetoric. At the University of North Carolina, SJP protestors vandalized the Navy ROTC building and other campus facilities. Where were the police when the vandals were damaging property and disrupting classes? Whether the protestors will be served justice is an open question. The UNC president promised to hold the vandals “accountable.” (Expulsion from UNC should be the minimum.)

Action:

1. Support Elon Musk and others in their fight against censorship.
2. Vote out politicians who espouse restrictions on free speech.
3. Sue institutions suppressing and censoring free speech.
4. Pay attention to the public sphere. The first rule in winning a war is knowing the enemy and its actions. How can the problem be solved if it is not identified?
5. Write to university trustees demanding justice be imposed against anarchists and vandals.
6. Ban the Students for Justice in Palestine chapters that violate the law from campuses.

Laurence F. Sanford is a senior analyst at the American Security Council Foundation.