Canceling free speech rights
American democracy rests on free speech guaranteed in the Constitution’s First Amendment. Freedom of information, a free press, the exchange of ideas and support of facts are part of our 249 years as a nation.
By next year, we may not see the today’s TV lineup. This and similar newspapers may be gone. Our social media may be censored to please Trump, thanks to the likes of Cook, Zuckerberg, Bezos and Musk. As in Communist China, we could be vulnerable to tattletales; MAGAs who would rat out neighbors who oppose Trump. Really? We said he couldn’t get elected. Anything’s possible.
We have almost no power to stop the forces of dictatorship now steamrolling our rights. Don’t count on the mid-term elections because by then, there will be irreparable damage and probably gerrymandering to put MAGAs in power permanently. The Supreme Court is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump and big business, determined to overturn judges who base decisions on the law.
What now? If you don’t want Breitbart to be the only available “news” channel, support print and broadcast media that tell the truth. Look at Bluesky, BBC News or The Guardian, as popular channels and social media outlets succumb to censorship. Protests and letters to Congress only go so far: we need economic power available to us only through massive national boycotts. Start with ABC and CBS, Disney and Paramount. Before you turn on “Dancing with the Stars,” remember ABC executives are quislings supporting the oppression of free speech.