In the world of free speech and open debate, it seems that the right to express oneself is teetering on a precarious edge. Who would have thought that these cherished freedoms, supposedly embedded in Western culture, are being threatened both abroad in Europe and at home in America? As Jim Jordan, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, points out, there’s a concerning trend afoot.
Recently, there have been whispers and shouts about censorship, particularly when it comes to social media platforms and the government’s role in policing what can or cannot be said. It’s not a phenomenon limited to our shores; one need only look across the pond to witness an alarming situation where an Irish citizen was arrested upon landing in the UK for a tweet shared while in the United States. The tweet, apparently humorous (though not to everyone’s taste) was enough to land him in hot water, proving that the long arm of censorship spares no one.
Back here in the United States, we’ve seen similar attempts to squelch speech. The Biden administration is reported to have pressured social media companies to remove tweets that didn’t align with their agenda—emails sent from the White House to Twitter tell the tale. When a tweet from RFK Jr., a competitor in the Democratic primary, was nearly erased from public discourse, it was enough to make one wonder: what happened to open political debate?
Meanwhile, the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and the purported efforts to label it as disinformation reveal even more about the state of free expression. The FBI’s meetings with social media giants like Facebook and Twitter, advising them of potential “Russian disinformation,” led to these companies temp-checking posts for authenticity. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention that they knew the laptop wasn’t false information—but keeping quiet served a different purpose.
For those at the forefront of uncovering these truths, like Sean Hannity, it is evident that the battle for free speech is ongoing. Indeed, Hannity himself experienced efforts to suppress his own reach on social media. It’s all part of the broader picture, a kernel in the popper of discontent, pointing towards a systemic issue that demands scrutiny. As these discussions unfold, one can only hope for a return to reason and a future where ideas, however contentious, can flow freely.
