Free Speech Is More than the First Amendment

 

There is a lot of talk about free speech these days and rightly so.  The squelching of the ideological right had been a covert process for many years but now is overt and transparent to see.

This great silencing is not the direct result of a first amendment violation, as the government is not the guilty party to date.  If it were, it would at least be much easier to identify and develop a strategy to stop it.

Instead, we see the titans of private industry and cultural trend leading the way.  For decades a mainstream media created public narratives through entertainment and news.  Now, the internet age has produced companies which control the primary avenues of communication and free expression.  While these are free market enterprises, the sheer size and power they wield is enormous.

It’s the kind of power that begins when a company like Twitter arbitrarily bans opposing viewpoints, only to have other like-minded tech giants (Apple, Google) prohibit the download of a competing app (Parler).  If that’s not enough, another link in that chain (Amazon) then cuts off server hosting for the app.  This kind of monopolistic bullying will only set a precedent for more blatant attempts to shut down opposing viewpoints.

These manifestations can be difficult to isolate and engage because they are often veiled under guise of private business or a floating standard of morality.  No one should be arguing that a private company cannot implement policies as it sees fit, but we should be resisting the impulse to shut up those we disagree with.  It’s simply destructive to society.

I’m not putting forth a conspiracy theory where all of the biggest companies are working together in coordinated fashion nor am I implying that we have a full-blown oligarchy.  This is actually something far worse.  It is the result of like-minded people who gain any sort of majority (economic or political) and become content to silence opposition. That is mob-rule.

The populist passions of mob-rule is nothing new.  In Federalist Paper No. 10, James Madison eloquently noted how natural “factions” will occur but they are best balanced when opposing factions both have voices.

“There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by
destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving
to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.”   

Madison goes on to say;

                 “But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life,”

The dangers of mob-rule mentality are often evidenced by the elevation of one group’s intelligence and morality to be superior to that of another.  This is not the mere dissemination of religious orthodoxy or secular worldview.  Of course, there will be debate on such issues.  It is however an attempt by one side to portray the other as ignorant, unintelligent, dangerous, bigoted, uncaring, and immoral, all for the purposes of marginalizing them and increasing one’s own power.  If you gleefully celebrate the silencing of someone else, that should be a huge warning flag that you are open to authoritarian tendencies.  If you support privatized methods to silence others, what will stop you from using political power to do the same?

Where is the Real Hypocrisy?

Social media and internet platforms are free to ban users because they are a private companies but cake bakers are not free to refuse creating a wedding cake for a gay wedding.  This is the new alleged paradox that has conservatives and progressives calling one another hypocrites for standing in support of one but not the other.

Exchange of Information and Ideas
First, let’s be crystal clear.  Conservatives are not saying Google, Twitter and Facebook don’t have the right to censor posts or ban users.  From a strictly legal perspective, they can and should be able to determine their own rules as long as they do not abridge anyone’s liberties or cause harm.  Taking a post down or banning a user for abuse does neither of these according to the letter of the law.

This however does not exempt them from legitimate accusations of controlling public narratives in an extremely partisan way.  This suppression of conservatives goes far beyond the rants of President Trump and includes elections, news, science, information and free expression of ideas. Under the guise of fact-checking or safety, they contend that these ideas don’t meet their standards but only as defined by an arbitrary standard.

This would not be an issue in an open and competitive market place but these left-leaning tech giants control the vast majority of social media interactions.  I already hear you saying “but Mike, that’s capitalism. Let someone make another to compete then”.  Well, that too appears to be under assault.  Parler is now being targeted by Apple and Android who are disabling the social media alternative app on their platforms.  One day later, Amazon then took steps to take Parler off of their hosting servers.  Next will certainly be data providers being pressured to block these forums altogether from the web. That’s not a free market exchange between providers and users.  That’s an active attempt to shut down opposing views.

Cake Bakers are Private Businesses Too
Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips was asked to make a cake for a gay wedding which he was willing to do but would not express messages that he objected to.  He was then sued and targeted by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission but the case was overturned at the Supreme Court in a 7 to 2 ruling. The story didn’t end there as Phillips was then repeatedly sued including for refusal to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.  

The standard retort is that he violated their civil rights by discrimination on the basis of sexual identity. This however is not the case since Phillips did not apply a litmus test on the basis of identity. He objected to creating specific messages that went against his conscience on religious freedom grounds. He in fact serves and makes generic cakes for such persons on a regular basis.

The litany of lawsuits illustrates that this had nothing to do with the free market as all plaintiffs could have taken their business to any number of other competitors but they were seeking much more than a cake.  This was a symbolic action to make an example of Phillips and was directed at all businesses who share similar beliefs. 

What’s the Take-Away?
Both of these examples involve private companies.  I’ve made the case that conservatism views them all as having the right to manage their business models as they see fit, even if some disagree with a policy or action.  In both cases, the hard-left is driving the actions which are not applied equally to each example.  They control one and then use the ‘capitalism allows us’ argument but apply a different standard to the other that they don’t control so they seek retributive action through things like lawsuits and the proposed Equality Act.

Just today, Facebook deleted the Walk-Away Campaign page with its nearly half a million followers as well as the accounts of its employees and volunteers.  This is not coincidence, and it certainly won’t be the last of the purging.  It is readily apparent that all of these actions are orchestrated by a political movement that is represented not only by public offices but by big business, tech giants, entertainment and media outlets.  It’s also worth mentioning that I’m not advancing a conspiracy theory as there is no hierarchy of control.  It is simply a trend of like-minded people with powerful resources acting on what they perceive as a mandate.  Mob-rule is now king and anyone who dissents should be silenced.  Diversity of thought will not be tolerated.  As Lord Acton said, power corrupts.

What nearly half of the country is objecting to is the rapidly increasing assaults on ideological speech, religious expression and the ability to espouse differing views from the ever-changing cultural narrative. Republicans may seek various actions such as RICO statutes and anti-trust law but ultimately conservatism does not seek a solution via government. We would however like to see an end to the vilifying and false characterization of our positions. 

Weep for our nation and pray for revival of all of its people. 

 

No, the Right is Not Responsible for Our Impending Collapse

Many consistently espouse the view that problems in the United States (and the world for that matter) are largely due to Republicans and conservatives.   Frankly, this is almost laughable in light of reality.

As our culture becomes more debased, it is clear that society is not retreating to social mores of the established past.  Instead, it is running rapidly toward newly defined and ever-evolving standards of morality.  This pursuit of being ‘woke’ is straining the limits of being able to live peaceably with others. It is a new breed of self-righteousness that rejects any Biblical authority and promotes the individual as the definer of their own reality.  Not only is this theologically erroneous, it is also dangerous to liberty itself.

A society in which every person demands universal acceptance of their views cannot function and a society in which every person labels opposition as evil cannot survive.  Once power is obtained, this narcissistic mindset will naturally rule with an iron fist.  It will silence disagreement with all tools at its disposal including technology, entertainment and education.  It will seek economic sanctions against those who it vilifies by tax policy and encouraging people to not patronize certain businesses.  Churches will no longer be havens of religious liberty and parental freedom to teach our children anything different from the ongoing cultural perspective will be met with antagonism, all under the banner of tolerance.

This may sound like the ranting of a fatalist, but all of these things are occurring or being advocated for in real time before our eyes.  While I have always maintained that most left-leaning Americans subscribe to a Fabian-like socialism, 2020 sped their progress up exponentially.  From public shaming over COVID mandates to violent and destructive protests and a vitriolic election cycle, the progressive agenda in its many forms is visibly tearing apart the country.

To say there has been any sustained trend of fiscal or social conservatism occurring in the past 25 years goes against the facts.  Most conservatives have voted Republican simply as a stop gap for radical leftist legislation and thus believing that gridlock is a much better alternative.

The size, scope and spending of Government has not decreased in any tangible way.  In fact, government continues its voracious appetite for more power and Americans seemingly continue to succumb like dogs waiting for scraps to fall from the dinner table.  Sure, advocates of ideological socialism will continue the dance with capitalism as long as it gets them what they want, but ultimately the damage may be unrecoverable.

In their purest forms, governmental socialism and free market capitalism are antithetical to one another.  That is, one erodes the other and neither can realize its stated potential.  While socialism is attractive for its noble intentions, its fatal flaw is the intrinsic fallen nature of mankind to self-serve and accumulate power. It always relies on the goodness of those in power and that people will pursue productivity without advantageous gain.  Many will claim these are the same weaknesses for capitalism but a truly free market will more likely be held in check by the reaction between buyers and sellers of goods and services.  That is, unless an outside party (government) influences this relationship through regulatory burden or a false sense of security.

In the wake of another shift in political power, we see that unity has been redefined to mean “you must agree with us or suffer the consequences”.  Those consequences often manifest as public ridicule, economic isolation, and sadly the go-to approach of labeling opposition as racist and bigoted.  

A look at the last 100 years clearly demonstrates a slow but consistent move to the political and social left.  The hybrid capitalist/socialist approach may be nearing the end of its course leaving only room to swing full-tilt into controlled socialism.

The incredible wealth in our country is attributable to capitalist endeavors which have resulted in dramatic increases in human flourishing throughout the twentieth century.  Conservatism has not failed but rather has been rejected because it is too hard of a choice for a populace given over to emotionalism.  Socialism entices by ‘feel good’ mantras that only require sacrifice by those who have more than us.  It falsely precludes that it is morally superior simply by nature of self-ascribed virtue.