Free Speech is Not Free (Constitution Minute - fighting back against those who would silence us)

Unless you’ve been living in a cave the last six months, you undoubtedly have seen story after story about how the authoritarian Left is trying to silence conservatives and other non-Left voices.  Whether it’s breaking down Tucker Carlson’s front door or attacking journalist Andy Ngo in Portland, Oregon, it’s clear we’ve entered a new phase.  Now is the time for all good people to fight back, or watch the Left destroy our First Amendment.

In January, I gave you lots of examples of how the Left is assaulting free expression in public, on campus, and online.  More recently, I’ve been tracking stories about how people are fighting back.  Here are some of the more interesting ways people are taking a stand:

Our friend Senator Ted Cruz will hold hearings Tuesday July 16th on Google’s anticonservative bias.  Dennis Prager, who was kicked off of YouTube - owned by Google - will testify.  This follows previous hearings about anticonservative bias at Twitter and Facebook.  The tech companies are probably not free speech zones, which one may reasonably conclude after the Supreme Court declined to apply the First Amendment to public access cable television earlier this year.  So going after the tech giants is in the interest of free expression overall, not free speech rights under the First Amendment.

But speaking of Facebook, Laura Loomer sued Facebook for $3 billion for defamation for calling her a “dangerous individual” and a domestic terrorist.  Other recent free expression-related litigation includes #WalkAway founder Brandon Straka suing a New York City gay community center for canceling his event and the state of Texas suing San Antonio for denying an airport concession to Chick-fil-A.  The Chick-fil-A controversy also resulted in a new state law passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor to rectify the situation, as well as an investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Elsewhere at the state level, 28 states now have campus free speech laws or bills and Kentucky has a new law allowing Bible classes to be taught in public schools.  A pending resolution in the Pennsylvania legislature condemning a state lawmaker for harassing anti-abortion protesters now has 40 co-sponsors. 

On campus, an incoming freshman tore up her acceptance letter from NYU for its anti-Semitism.  Her great-grandfather had founded the music department there.

Playwright and activist Phelim McAleer fought back by finding a new venue after a theater in Washington, D.C. cancelled a contract allowing him to stage his play ‘FBI Lovebirds’ about Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.  The play was rescheduled in the Ronald Reagan building.  It is based on Strzok and Page’s unintentionally funny texts. The show went on and a good time was had by all. 

Shareholder resolutions protesting censorship or seeking ideological diversity on corporate boards were introduced at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Twitter.  Shareholders also went after JPMorgan Chase for debanking conservatives. 

What can you do?  Here are two easy-peasy action items that will take you a grand total of five minutes.  First, sign the White House petition to designate Antifa a domestic terrorist group.  The petition was inspired by Antifa’s attack on Andy Ngo in Portland.  Second, sign the open letter to the U.S. Army War College to reverse its decision to disinvite a speaker after CAIR - the Council on American Islamic Relations - made trouble.

Finally, there’s the story of the 10-year-old girl in Britain who was suspended from school after asking to be excused from LGBT lessons during Pride Month.  She said the lessons were confusing her classmates who are now calling themselves bisexual and trans.  If a 10-year-old girl can fight back against the authoritarian Left and its insanity, so can we.