Biden’s free speech regulation board puts him in Putin’s camp
That headline will have some folks accusing me of more than hyperbole. I think I hear “outrageous” and “liar” echoing through the leftwing echo chamber. Perhaps it is a bit hyperbolic, but not totally outrageous.
Allow me to explain.
We have seen how the Madman of Moscow shuts down all opposition opinions. He shutters newspapers, radio stations, and television networks that do not report exactly what he demands. In other words, Putin uses his powers to curtail free speech. That is what autocrats do.
In America, such extreme censorship is not possible – at least not yet. But Biden and the Democrats seem to have the same gene as Putin when it comes to public information and freedom of speech. They are taking censorship to a new level in America.
The debate over censoring dissent – alternative opinions – has been raging for some time. Progressives have been proffering the argument that conservative voices are dangerous. Their words will literally destroy the American Republic and end democracy. Their philosophic enemies – we conservatives — are a danger to the state – a state that they would be more than happy to run on their own. Doesn’t that sound a bit like Putin and other dictators?
The phenomenon in America is seen in what is called the “cancel culture.” Leftwing institutions – such as colleges and universities – are refusing to invite conservative speakers on campus. And if they are invited, they are often shouted down by both students and professors. Scheduled visits are often cancelled.
Leftwing media is fully engaged in limiting Republican and conservative voices. Just check out the shows on CNN and MSNBC. Virtually all hosts and panelists represent one viewpoint – leftwing narratives that they arrogantly assume are the ONLY proper viewpoint.
The unholy twin of censorship is indoctrination. According to the left, alternative opinions and proposals are to be banned (censorship) and leftwing dogma are to be exclusively passed on to the next generation (indoctrination).
Much of the censorship/indoctrination/cancel culture debate has involved the social media platforms. Originally hailed as the most important development for individual expression, it has been transformed by progressives into another arena in which conservative views must be censored.
The left is so intent on controlling speech that they have gone hair-on-fire bonkers over billionaire business genius Elon Musk purchasing Twitter. What has them crazed is Musk’s promise to broaden the platform to allow a wider band of free speech. He is not going to be the leftwing’s censorship enforcer – as are Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey. (Ooops! He is gone.)
So committed is the left to oppressing personal opinion with which they do not agree that they have now persuaded President Biden to create the Disinformation Governance Board. It will be part of Homeland Security with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in charge. (Keep in mind that he is the same guy in charge of the border crisis.)
If that Board sounds like something you would find in a totalitarian communist nation like Putin’s Russia, Xi Jinping’s China or Kim Jong un’s North Korea, you are starting to comprehend the problem.
Homeland Security was created after 9/11 to coordinate defensive actions against FOREIGN enemies. It was never intended to be an arbiter of domestic political speech.
There was no early warning of planning for this Board. So, the fact that it gets slapped together days after Musk buys Twitter makes the entire enterprise subject to suspicion. This would not be the first instance of the leftwing Washington establishment threatening Musk. He has been on the Biden enemy list for some time.
(If you do not believe that, please explain why the biggest producer of electric cars by far [Musk] is not invited to the White House to talk about electric cars – as are the heads of GM and Ford. And explain why Biden will give rebates to buyers of Ford and GM cars that are twice the amount for purchasers of Teslas. But I digress.)
By its own promotion, we know that the Board is designed to regulate speech – to determine what is disinformation and what is not. It is a dangerous slippery slope for a free small-d democratic society. We have already seen how the left views alternative opinions.
If it is about allegations of Trump conspiring with Russians, that false accusations run rampant across the leftwing media for years – only to be proven false. But the censors at Facebook and Twitter deemed the truth about Hunter Biden’s laptop to be Russian propaganda. There is still an open question as to whether Democrats and the media are hyping a riot into an ongoing insurrection/coup narrative. Does that mean those of us who do not believe the left’s sales pitch will be censored? There is no reason to believe that such a Board would operate any differently than the press and social media in fronting for leftwing propaganda – especially when you see who will handle the day-to-day operations.
In structuring this censorship Board the way Biden has, they avoid the need for congressional action. There will be no public hearings. Biden has circumvented the ability of the Senate to advise and consent (or not consent) on the appointments. More authoritarianism.
Mayorkas has appointed Undersecretary for Policy Rob Silvers and Deputy General Counsel Jennifer Gaskill as co-chairs. Not much is known about Silvers in terms of free speech, but Gaskill is on record in believing that government has a right and duty to limit speech for the public good.
What is most concerning about this new Board is that it is focusing on political speech. It will be asked to decide what political opinions are “dangerous.” And by extension, that means dangerous to the elitist political establishment’s grip on power.
America already has all kinds of laws that protect the public from dangerous speech. We have laws against inciting riots … and slandering people. If you use speech to harass folks at night, you can be charged with disturbing the peace. You can be arrested if your speech disrupts the operation of a business. Free speech does not allow citizens to impose pornography on others – especially children. We have commercial libel laws that make it illegal for companies to lie about competitors’ products. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has regulations banning excessive or dishonest claims about products. All these, and more, are just matters of common sense.
This new Board, however, is the nose of the bureaucratic camel under the tent of democracy and personal freedom. Hell … it’s half the camel. It expands the already serious problem of cultural censorship by schools, publishers, news media, and social platforms by putting the power of government behind it.
Authoritarianism does not come from conservatives – the folks dedicated to limits on government. It comes from the left – the believers in an expanding central government controlled by an unaccountable bureaucracy. This Board shifts more sand from the constitutional rights side of the scale to Big Brother authoritarianism.
The establishment of the communist-sounding Disinformation Governance Board is a greater danger to the American Republic and personal freedom than the riot on Capitol Hill could ever be. Any danger to the Republic is coming from the left.
The creation of this Board by the Biden administration may not be as obvious and dramatic as Putin ordering the cancellation of all opposition messaging, but it comes from the same political genetic pool – the same mindset. It is a major step in that direction. It represents an existential threat to America’s constitutional Republic.
So, there ‘tis.
Like a true commie
Ben, the vagueness of your reply is exceeded only by the vapidness of to whom you are accusing. Not at all out of character given your replies to previous posts.
You’re right . . . This is a DANGEROUS stop in the WRONG diction that MUST be STOPPED. We DON’T need “Putin style” speech control. One Enlightened Patriot.
Correction: START instead of “stop”, and DIRECTION instead of “diction” (I was distracted while typing)
Larry, The hypocrisy in your subject matter is mind-blowing given where you reside. The laws coming out of florida intended to limit free speech have been basically non-stop since desanta took power. A teacher can’t mention that their partner is same-sex to school age children? Disney can’t speak up for their employees and criticize a law because desanta gets offended and tries to hurt them with revoking their special status? How bout you focus for what is actually happening at the state level rather than what you perceive could happen at the federal level? These are deplorable actions that should be rejected by anyone who cares about free speech.
Teachers should not be discussing queers in front of children. And speaking of free speech, check out the great scotus ruling today on religious freedom. And unanimous!!!! And I’m anxious for the ruling in the coach who was fired for praying on the football field. But fags can show their rainbow colors anywhere, anytime. So tell us. Why can’t normal people take their kids to Disney and not worry about them being groomed. And that’s what it’s about. So mike, you and your crowd go be as queer as you please. But keep your perversion to yourself.
My, that’s one broad brush of shame you carry there Larry. I’m always amazed that everyone of your little pundit peccadilloes has been expressed by every Democrat on the planet. Guess that’s why we all think all Republicans are racist, turnabout is fair play isn’t it. The government doesn’t respect you, the press doesn’t respect you, the other party doesn’t respect you, poor poor Larry.
I can understand why you don’t want someone to stay about disinformation. You’re a Republican, that says it all. Hell, your top guy is making his living based on the big lie, a giant piece of disinformation.
Desanctimonious is like trump but with a brain. Very dangerous. Larry loves him, he’s less colorful than Trump although Larry can look past color.
I think Trevor Howard said it best at the White House Correspondent’s dinner and I will paraphrase, the reason we know DeSantis is smarter than Trump is that before he cries about rigged election, he is banning all the math books so people won’t learn how to count. DeSantis knows that if you wear a costume, hey, you must be gay, and we must take any incentives away, ole. Fuck free speech there, you said the wrong thing buddy, there goes those incentives, how else can we hurt you?
These freaking people are trying to take out Disney and they accuse us of cancel culture.
These freaking people like to punish anyone who exercises free-speech in a manner that they disagreed with. But if you call out a lie, whoa stop the boat Nelly, where are the founding fathers, the supporters of big lies everywhere.
Hell, Larry and Joe can’t even admit the big lie is even a lie. They can’t prove it so it must be true. Don’t wanna be shut that shit down, that’s trumps bread and butter.
Larry, I agree with you that anyone who wants to stamp out dissent is being down right unAmerican. Which Democrats are doing that Larry, inquiring minds want to know?? Show us those descent dumping Democrats, you must have a list
Larry, freedom of speech and disinformation campaigns are two very different things. And if you think disinformation is part of freedom of speech, you are Putin’s top communist. And that’s not hyperbole. That’s a fact Jack..
I don’t know what this organizations process will be, the amount of transparency it will have, and the amount of oversight it will have. But stamping out disinformation is not a bad thing as long as we can all see the process, the fax, and why it’s being done. Joe has the type punching bag post article on this and you can see my more articulate version of these comments there. This is a retread as is your article.
Make America white again And straight
Frank Stetson. You never cease to amaze me how ill-informed, ill-logical and inarticulate you can been when you go off on one of you loooong rollercoaster screeds. I do not respond point-by-point because you make no relevant points. And besides, responses would be ineffective since you require remedial education. And before you hypocritically accuse me of an ad hominine attack, re-read own posts. IN every way, you seem to be what you criticize most.
Tim … America evolves and that is a good thing. I love the diversity of America. My only prejudice is against the radical left. We do not need a white nation — even though we are 72 percent white. He need a nation in which all racial groups embrace the personal freedom and American exceptionalism that has made America the envy of the world — the freedoms that are articulated in the Constitution. Prejudice is not part of conservative dogma — far from it.
I really meant to piss Frank off. Just posted as a joke. No, I don’t harbor any hatred for people of color. And gays don’t bother me but they should keep their private lives private. I don’t care who has relationships with whom but I don’t approve of dragging our kids into it. And yes, many schools have crossed that line
They m, You don’t hate people of color but like to piss folks off for having an opinion. Nice
Larry, no need to reply, I dismiss the radical right Trumpublicans like you too.
And I realize you can’t talk about stuff like the big lie. I feel your pain.
Glad to hear your clarification. Unfortunately, you give credence to the left’s false claim of pandemic racism in America. The entire issue is where that line is when it come to adult content (and I am not referring to xxx material exclusively). In some areas some schools are crossing the line — and that means laws would l help set the line. One line for most Americans is putting sex ed into the k thru 3 curriculum. Since that is what the left want, we need to protect the children with clearer laws. Tradition and culture are failing.
Frank …. i wish you would stick to what you know or stop lying. AGAIN you put me in the Trumpian category which — if you read anything I wrote — you would know that is untrue. You read so much of my stuff that I cannot attribute to ignorance .. so I assume you lie to make your points. And … on the matter of the election — contrary to you second attempt at disinformation — I have actually written several columns on the 2020 election and did not say it was stolen in any of them. Like some others, you have invented an imaginary Larry Horist in your intellectually-challenged mind to carry on your mendacious debate. Get real Frank.
Nobody is trying to take out Disney. We just want normal families to enjoy their visit without queers and perverts in their faces. Let the kids be kids. We don’t need to have them taught that fag sex is ok. It’s not ok. Next they will be wanting to pass out free queer porn
You know,, i’m going to Disney for close to four decades now and have yet to see anything like what you’re describing.
Closest thing I’ve seen to a pervert as a father with sunstroke having a meltdown with the wife. I’ve never seen a guy kissing a guy, even holding hands with a guy in the same for women too. I’ve met a lot of people, we’ve always had a really good time, apparently no matter what side of the aisle they’re on. Everyone is always very happy, very friendly, and very nice.
All Disney said was they were against this law. Do what you will, if you don’t turn up I’m pretty sure I know where the perversion is.
I have never seen so many people so afraid of something that really no one needs to be fearful of. It’s sad. At least gay people who read this site can get an idea of how many asshats are still out there.
I’ve been to Disney and saw fags kissing in public. And they even started queer pride days. Never going back. So go ahead and go mix and mingle.
Faggot
You know that’s only a put down with you homophobes. And one from the 50’s to boot.
Most of whom are closet cases anyway to frightened to let you freak flag fly.
Mike. And what laws in Florida have limited my free speech. oh .. maybe you are talking about keeping adult literature out of grade schools. That has been the tradition since the Republic was founded. Keeping adult content for later years is common sense. Would you have kindergarten teachers or librarians reading “50 Shades of Grey” to kids? I am sure not. The battle is not banning material, but keeping access to age appropriate youngsters. And as I recall, the woke left was all for banning “Tom Sawyer” everywhere of the name of a main character. The current bill simply limits curriculum for K thru 3. That should not be a big deal. And according to the polls, the fast majority of Americans embrace that common sense restriction. The left has propagandized the situation by misrepresenting the purpose and the effect of the law. I really do not understand why those on the left want to sexualize prepubescent kids who are not sexual minded — who have not reached that level of mental and emotional maturation. Why do you want to do that?
Right Larry. If grown up people want to read that stuff it’s fine with me. But little kids should be off limits
Am I missing something? Larry’s talking adult content, Mike’s talking child porn I think, the example in the book was a bar chart depicting racial biased amongst different croops. Not sure I see that as either adult content or child porn. It is a stupid fire charge and totally inappropriate in my opinion and should not be allowed in the school because of its stupidity more than anything else. I mean why stoke the flames are division that are already stoked to an incredibly high level right now.
I did not see any other examples and if Memory serves correctly, the process was not transparent and not many examples were presented for judgement. So what are you guys talking about
Frank … It has been obvious for awhile that you memory is NOT serving you well. You “I did not see …” is characteristic of you making judgement on limited knowledge or your are lying. If you want to debate and issue, at least get the facts … get the whole picture. Not just cherry picking on item to support you flaws thesis.
thank you for your total lack of clarification. I feel we are really dialoguing now. It’s just that you are unable to answer even simple questions I guess.
FS: am I missing something.
LH: It has been obvious for awhile that you memory is NOT serving you well.
FS: Larry’s talking adult content, Mike’s talking child porn I think, the example in the book was a bar chart depicting racial biased amongst different croops. Not sure I see that as either adult content or child porn. It is a stupid fire charge and totally inappropriate in my opinion and should not be allowed in the school because of its stupidity more than anything else. I did not see any other examples and if Memory serves correctly, the process was not transparent and not many examples were presented for judgement. So what are you guys talking about
LH: is characteristic of you making judgement on limited knowledge or your (SIC) are lying.
And based on this, Larry lays down Larry’s Law:
LH: If you want to debate and issue, at least get the facts … get the whole picture. Not just cherry picking on item to support you flaws (SIC) thesis.
You cease not to astonish folks how ill-informed, ill-logical and inarticulate you are going off on your long dog whistle screeds full of animosity and ill will towards your fellow citizens. I will not respond to your points because you have no relevance. Besides, responses would be ineffective since you are totally dead from the neck up and missing any semblance of a heart. Remedial education would be ineffective; you are a waterlogged sponge that must be put through the wringer before it can be refresed. Yet, before you hypocritically taunt me with your all-to-frequent ad hominine attacks, read own posts, if you even know how to read. You are far worse that what you criticize. You are mean. You are divisive. You are pond scum.
WAH – Liberals won’t play fair so I am going home. They are so, so, radical.
Larry’s Law.
Larry, perhaps you have not read the nuances of this totally unnecessary law, because discussion of “my partner” if they happen to be same sex, is now prohibited (of course a teacher can still speak of their husband or wife as long as they are a heterosexual couple). You, nor anyone in your legislature, nor ron desaster, can point to a single example where inappropriate discussions regarding gay sex have been held in the classroom. This law was passed to rile up the base-No other reason. Additionally, you said nothing about desaster going after Disney, when they exercised their right of free speech and criticized the law. My comments stand-you need to look at the prohibitions on free speech that are already in your own yard rather than worrying about what might happen at the federal level-Putin is already governor of florida…
Why should anyone have to explain to kids that they have a queer teacher?
The better question would be why not? Because nothing in this law stops gays from teaching.
Worse, the world is full of gays, they are everywhere. In the military, business, church, police, daycare, —- you going after them all Ben?
I’m afraid, Larry: You Err!
Biden’s MiniTruth puts him in line with ZELENSKY!
Zelensky has banned all parties of opposition AND ALL NEWSPAPERS, RADIO- and TV STATIONS of any opposition!
We are not necessarily on the right side here.
Remember Obama an Saakashvili bombarding Ossetia and Avkhasia with artillery in 2008 – and now, we blame Russia?
And the Maidan Shooters of 2014, associated with “Our Yats” (quote Nuland) had a US-sniper-instructor,
the mass murders of Odessa and Korsun were done by people of “Our Yats”, and oppressive laws against minorities came from him,
and that led to secessions – the secessions to Civil War – Civil War to Genocide (14,000 in Donetsk-Luhansk!) – and we blame Russia?
Shouldn’t we look back at our part in the Crime?
First, there was “Our Yats” – then, the Chocolate King – then, another Oligarch paid for a Comedian to make it look civilized!
I was hoping for Zelensky, at first – also because I thought: A Jew can’t go with Fascists – but “that ain’t necessarily so!”
There is nothing that can justify the motives and evil brutality of Putin and the Russian invasion of a sovereign state. In this conflict it is easy to pick sides if you have any respect for international order and and humane policies. We are most definitely on the right side in the Russian/Ukraine conflict. Suggesting we are on the wrong side is like saying we were on the wrong side in World War II. Russia is the enemy of the United States — and that has been established for several years. Winning in Ukraine is essential to US national security.
Queers shouldn’t be allowed around children
“AGAIN you put me in the Trumpian category which — if you read anything I wrote — you would know that is untrue. You read so much of my stuff that I cannot attribute to ignorance .. so I assume you lie to make your points.”
“Something in the way he moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way he woos me
I don’t wanna leave him now
You know I believe and how
Somewhere in his smile, he knows
That I don’t need no other lover
Something in his style that shows me
I don’t wanna leave him now
You know I believe and how
You’re asking me, will my love grow?
I don’t know, I don’t know
You stick around, now it may show
I don’t know, I don’t know”
Apologies to The Beatles.
Larry Horist. You astonish folks how ill-informed and inarticulate you are with your dog whistle screeds full of animosity towards your fellow citizens. I will not respond to your pointless points because you have no relevance. Responses would be ineffective since you are dead from the neck up, you are missing any semblance of a heart. Remedial education would be ineffective; you are a waterlogged sponge that must be put through the wringer before it can be refreshed. You are worse that those you criticize. You are mean. You are divisive. You are pond scum. WAH – liberals won’t play fair so I am going home.
Go ban some books, make unwanted babies, restrict voting, invade Ukraine, and blame Biden for every miserable aspect of your life. You push slightly against Trump’s personality while accept most polices whole hog.
“Strange infatuation seems to grace the evening tide.
I’ll take it by your side.
Such imagination seems to help the feeling slide.
I’ll take it by your side.
Instant correlation sucks and breeds a pack of lies.
I’ll take it by your side.
Over saturation curls the skin and tans the hide.
I’ll take it by your side.
I’m unclean, a libertine
And every time you vent your spleen,
I seem to lose the power of speech,
You’re slipping slowly from my reach.
You grow me like an evergreen,
You’ve never seen the lonely me at all
I,
Take the plan, spin it sideways.
I,
Fall.
Without you, I’m nothing.
Without you, I’m nothing.
Without you, I’m nothing.
Take the plan, spin it sideways.
Without you, I’m nothing at all.”
Bowie
Re: FL’s book burning polices, from Michael Lewis in the 4.19 Miami Today:
“Those who thought Florida would limit its crackpot crackdown on legitimate ideas in schools to social studies and history didn’t grasp the full range of narrow-mindedness: last week the state proudly banned 54 math books, warning publishers to get outlawed content out of print.
How, even in Tallahassee, could 41% of all the math books the state reviewed for use in the public schools be so objectionable as to be outlawed?
How, in fact, could any math book be objectionable on the grounds that Tallahassee used to outlaw them?
According to Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, 28 of the outlawed books had “prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT.”
CRT is critical race theory, which is taught largely in law schools and sets a framework to examine systemic racism. Can you imagine any way of teaching critical race theory in a math textbook? No publisher would try. How could anyone, even in Tallahassee, read critical race theory into 2+2=4?
Understandably, the announcement from Mr. Corcoran doesn’t offer a single example of such objectionable concepts as teaching law school theory in third grade math – or any other example of why books were rejected.
Maybe the Tallahassee gatekeepers just didn’t like textbook drawings that might be interracial groups of children.
There certainly weren’t any math problems like this: Little Johnny, who is Black, had 4 apples and Little Billy, who is white, has 3. How many of Johnny’s apples does Billy have to take away from him to get 6?
There were other reasons for rejecting the math texts: 12 “didn’t properly align to B.E.S.T. standards,” the state’s approved methods of teaching, and 14 were excluded because they not only didn’t align to those standards but also “incorporated prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT.”
Even if we take those highly questionable state academic standards as gospel, that means that books excluded for non-math reasons total 42 – that’s 28+14=42, according to the old-fashioned grammar school math we learned before the new B.E.A.S.T. standards were even created [and, yes, I do mean B.E.A.S.T.].
It would be one thing if the state were actually selecting books based on academic standards, choosing those that best teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions. If that were the case, it would be excluding books that don’t clearly explain math fundamentals to improve student performance.
But that would assume that Florida was trying to protect a high level of education performance. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
First, the reasons Mr. Corcoran lays out are all about political correctness – if you assume for a moment that what the current Florida leadership believes is correct. What I know about math says that from arithmetic through calculus, political thought plays absolutely no role – at least, outside of Tallahassee. There is no such thing as conservative addition or liberal subtraction. In fact, 1+1=equals 2 in every political jurisdiction on earth – except Tallahassee, that is.
Second, preserving Florida’s standards means preserving mediocrity. The latest national ratings of Florida’s public school education as a whole from Edweek gives us a nice mediocre C rating. That means we’re passable. Is that the kind of education level we’re trying to preserve with these edicts?
We’re far ahead of Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nevada and New Mexico but far behind leaders New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland and New York. But at least our third graders will not be taught critical race theory. Mediocre, but protected from something that has never been taught in the public schools to this point. What a victory, hailed by the governor.
“I’m grateful that Commissioner Corcoran and his team at the department have conducted such a thorough vetting of these textbooks to ensure they comply with the law,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis, obviously speaking of the laws of ignorance.
As it is, the department crows that “every core mathematics course and grade is covered with at least one textbook” of the 78 books that were not charged with slipping law school materials into their 2+2s. What a great victory – the state didn’t just plain ban everything.
The aim, of course, has little to do with Florida schools and much to do with changing what an entire nation of youngsters can be allowed to know. The state points out that “publishers … have the ability to substitute or revise their submitted bids to be included on the state’s adopted list” by having their books meet Florida’s specifications. That means changing what can be taught in 50 states.
What we learned from this political circle’s dictatorship over math texts adds up to a small fraction of Floridians dividing us by subtracting content and multiplying tangential fears in their calculus of political control with zero tolerance – making less than zero sense.
Dick and Jane should be terrified of the Spot we’re in.”
So, it tis there.