Land of Freedom of Speech?

You’ve probably heard this quote or have seen it floating around the internet:

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Supposedly Lincoln said it, then it was Reagan who said it. Consensus says it is a gross distortion of one of Lincoln’s speeches, but it makes no difference. The words ring true no matter who said them.

Today, with no real existential crisis for us to rally together against, it seems evident at this point to conclude that our real threat to existence is ourselves, much like the ancient Romans. In my last note I wrote about Google silencing dissenting viewpoints. Almost immediately after that story broke we have Antifa fully emerge to dominate the news cycle, with the Google controversy all but forgotten. At this point, I am fairly certain Antifa is a household name. They really debuted during the 2016 election cycle, but have since become a bona fide gang, (though we are pushing for the designation of domestic terrorists which is much more fitting). Antifa, the “Anti-Fascists.” We are not sure what they stand for besides beating the hell out of whoever they deem to be a Nazi or a Fascist. They say that they are against Fascism and they will fight it by any means necessary, but their definition of Nazism and Fascism begs the question: were they dropped on their heads as an infant? Based upon their speech and actions, one really wonders where they received their education, (just kidding, we all know that “progressives” dominate academia and are working hard to create mindless robots that regurgitate their ideologies) or if they had any parenting. The way things stand now, if you are conservative or anywhere on the right, you are a Fascist, and most likely a Nazi too, even if you are black! If it was just Antifa espousing this thought process it would be easy to overlook, but it is not just Antifa anymore. The mainstream media and most leading politicians seem to have embraced them through their failure or blatant refusal to denounce them, (as I am writing this Nancy Pelosi has issued a formal statement condemning Antifa, so credit where it is due as shocking as it may be). This is dangerous, and it is dangerous because we have people who largely control the flow of information and/or have significant impact on the populace giving the platform to, and allowing the spread of a false narrative, of groups like Antifa. This behavior emboldens Antifa antics as much as it gives credibility in the eyes of impressionable citizens to what they do. As I wrote before, free speech is under attack, and not just from people in positions of power, (here’s looking at you Google) but from each other. As predicted above, if we lose our freedoms, it is because we destroyed ourselves. Freedom of speech is arguably our most important right. That is why it is the first in our Bill of Rights. Right now, we are fighting ourselves. Look to the streets of Berkeley where there is no greater proof of this. We have fellow citizens condemning free speech and pushing for government regulation of free speech under the guise of “hate speech.” Perhaps even worse than a push for regulation is the physical violence that groups like Antifa engage in to intimidate and silence free speech. I say worse only because this is violence enacted against We the People by We the People. We are our own threat now, not the government per se, but each other. While We the People might not have the led the charge against free speech to start, We have taken over it with zeal. Where at one point in time we all believed that free speech was our birth right, now we are growing divided. Our founding fathers are rolling in their graves. With the growing platforms for hate and efforts to silence each other, now is the time that we must stand strong in our conviction that free speech, no matter if we like it or not, is of vital importance to the health of our country, and the world as well. More and more we are bullied into silence for fear of causing offense or being retaliated against or now, bludgeoned by Antifa. Do not be afraid. Stand your ground and stick to your guns. Have courage. We cannot be the generation of Americans who failed to protect our freedoms and uphold our heritage for the future generations yet to come, and certainly not because of petulant children We the People allowed to run amok.

Lee