Freedom of Speech in an Age of Lies and Hysteria

The Castle Report

Darrell Castle talks about government and private efforts to deny our right to speak freely and to profit from our own lawful businesses. Transcription / Notes FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN AN AGE OF LIES AND HYSTERIA Hello this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. Today is Friday January 18, 2019 and on this Report I will be talking to you about the importance of the freedom to speak freely and how that freedom is under threat as never before in America. The first amendment to the United States Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” So Congress, is prohibited from denying our right to speak freely, and later amendments apply that prohibition to the states as well. The people who founded this government, who drafted the constitution, and ratified it, understood how important freedom of speech really is. George Washington said, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter.” I suppose then that we are on our way like sheep to the slaughter because the freedom to speak freely is routinely denied in America. The term “freedom of speech” has been the subject of constitutional litigation for most of my lifetime but it is simpler than some make it. One could sum it up by just saying that it is the right to publicly state what others, especially those in power, would rather not hear. The problem today is determining whether the censorship of speech is coming from a government or private source. The wholesale denial of our right to speak has had a chilling effect on those who value freedom but unfortunately many in both the public and private worlds do not value freedom at all. It is getting harder and harder to tell the private corporations, especially those in Silicon Valley, from the government. It is unfortunately not just private companies such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Google that de-platform individuals denying them the ability to speak and thus to earn a living. It has only been a few years since people in America would have been shocked to learn that your ability to speak could depend on your politics. Today, our way of life, in America, at least the one we have always known, is under attack. Those who would deny us the right to express our opinion and to profit from our own intellectual property and labor apparently want to replace the American system with something of their own choosing, something they find acceptable. Is the issue of freedom of speech connected to the government’s abuse of power, violation of law and due process with regard to government efforts censor lawful businesses that do not fit within its desired political perspective. I am saying they are connected so let me explain what I mean. We know now that this censorship and denial of the right to express our opinions and to earn a living is not being conducted by only private corporations. That alone would be bad, but it’s actually a lot worse. Beginning with the Obama administration around 2013 the United States Justice Department implemented a program labeled “Operation Chokepoint.” Apparently that administration could not attain its political goals through legitimate legislation passed by congress because the will of the people would not permit it, but the all knowing government decides what is best for us. I suppose they think we are like children without the maturity to understand what is in our own best interest and what is not. In any event Operation Chokepoint targeted businesses the government found “unsavory” by cutting off their access to banks and credit cards. Some of these businesses included gun stores, ammunition shops, fireworks stores, small dollar lenders, and certain home based charities.