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Attack on the First Amendment

In a media environment largely dominated by progressives, the airing of other views is a true necessity for the maintenance of the First Amendment.  It is expected that those views would produce disagreement from the predominantly leftist media majority; that’s the nature of public debate. 

What is truly worrisome and devastating to constitutional liberties and public safety itself, however, is the impulse by several not just to disagree with non-Democrat views, but to attempt to censor them out of existence altogether.  This is a nationwide trend that began on college campuses, expanded to social media sites, and now has metastasized to the general public square.

Unfortunately, even key elected officials have signed on to this revolt against the Bill of Rights.  Several years ago, Senator Charles Schumer called for the weakening of free speech rights, alleging that paid political speech is not covered by the First Amendment. He stated that “The First Amendment is sacred, but it is not absolute.” Frighteningly, the Senate Minority Leader received the support of the Democrat delegation. Happily, that was not enough to secure passage of the measure.

On college campuses, students and professors not kowtowing to left-wing orthodoxy are ostracized, attacked, and banned. Social media giants censor out voices they disagree with, and cut deals with overseas Communist regimes. The mayor of one city discourages his police from protecting the property of a federal agency leftists dislike, a growing tendency in Progressive-run metropolises. Hollywood moguls harass entertainers who contradict leftist positions. Major news media outlets ignore facts that don’t fit in with their left-wing views.

In addition to the academic, political, and financial acts against those disagreeing with the left, violence has been employed.  Antifa actually uses the classic tactics of fascists and totalitarians to physically assault any that dare disagree with it. It serves as the shock troops of the anti-free speech movement. While serving as vice-chair of the Democrat National Committee,  Keith Ellison signaled support for Antifa.

These Gestapo-like tactics are being supported and encouraged by some Democratic leaders.  Rep. Maxine Waters of California has urged supporters to assault Trump Cabinet members at gas stations and anywhere else they’re seen. “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” she said.

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A key tactic of those opposing the presence of contrary views and the practice of free speech rights is to make broad and untrue statements about those with more centrist or conservative views, then not allow the offended to respond. 

Recently, the legal abuses by the Obama Administration have been noted in this column and other forums. The use of the IRS to harass the Tea Party, and the use of the Justice Department to attack those disagreeing with the former president on climate issues are two salient examples.  These are not allegations, they are facts.  Indeed, the IRS was forced to publicly apologize for its actions. Nevertheless, those courageous civil libertarians pointing out these violations are publicly denounced for detailing the lawbreaking by Democrat partisans. Even worse, they are frequently ignored and not given the chance to address the public.

The dominance of mass media by the left has acted as a shield for the misdeeds of those it favors. It was recently pointed out that the Obama Administration tilted towards Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of terror.  That reality is downplayed by the biased media. A former Obama official, John Kerry, has met with Iranian officials since leaving office.  That is not an opinion, it is a fact. Yet mentioning those facts brings down a torrent of objections from leftist who seek to rewrite history for their own benefit, a tactic common to totalitarian regimes.

Dissent and disagreement in a free nation are healthy.  The growing leftist and progressive tendency to censor and employ violence against those it disagrees with are worrisome signs that that health is deteriorating.

Illustration: Pixabay