On December 15, 1791, the Congress of the United States of America adopted the first amendment to the Constitution.
In its extremely simple language, the amendment states very clearly………CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF, OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, et cetera. “OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH”.
Six words that have no hidden meanings.
SIMPLE?
Should be. But over the past two hundred twenty-nine years, politicians and bureaucrats have defined and redefined the meaning of the word “SPEECH”. The classic analogy of what IS NOT free speech is a statement of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Junior in Schenck versus United States, 1919 (opposition to the draft), quote, verbatim, ”falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic”.
Logical. Common sense. You can’t argue with that. But, what about the expansion of the definition? Burning a flag? Money? Yes, both have been ruled, accepted, as free speech. How can you get from the simple word “SPEECH” to burning a flag? How can you get from the simple word “SPEECH” to money?
Okay, okay, okay…..the definition of “SPEECH” has been stretched. Can you imagine that those guys in 1791 were discussing this subject…..the subject of free speech…….and decided to use the simple words “freedom of speech”? Even if it allowed utterances, words, of defamation, lies, untruths? Do you think, after serious discussion, they said, yeah, it’s okay to lie, defame? Most likely, those guys would have given some explicitly restrictive instructions, definition, if they had known what “freedom of speech” would evolve into in the twenty-first century.
Example: This thing we have called TV. Specifically, the broadcast and cable channels that we all know and a TV channel called FREE SPEECH TV. Yup. FREE SPEECH TV is free alright. But ninety-nine percent of the content on those TV channels probably wouldn’t pass for “freedom of speech” in 1791.
Like the Randi Rhodes on Free Speech TV being heard (seen) saying things like “herd immunity is mass murder”, “all republicans hate Donald Trump”, “Republicans suppress the vote by voter ID and verified signature”, and a guest on her show saying, “Donald Trump and the Republicans are allowing Covid deaths to reduce Social Security and Medicare”.
All lies.
And another host, Thom Hartmann, had guest Anne Nelson who is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University (what the hell is an adjust associate professor?). She spent her time defaming The Council For National Policy (yes, it’s a conservative organization). Professor Nelson degraded, defamed Virginia Thomas (the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas).
Then Professor Nelson intentionally insulted and defamed the popular conservative duo Diamond And Silk. The most outrageous deviation from “freedom of speech” is the way the three largest “social media” platforms have demonstrated a willingness to control speech. That would be Facebook, Twitter and Google. And the control all three forced upon the world (yes, the world) was glaringly against the flow of conservative information, “news”. And to protect liberal politics, Democrat Party.
So, what happened to free speech?
In the most deliberate terms, FREEDOM OF SPEECH has been bastardized, raped, forcing acceptance of a lot that shouldn’t enjoy FREEDOM OF SPEECH.