Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Politics

“All Speech Is Not Equal”: Biden Taps Anti-Free Speech Figure For Transition Lead On Media Agency

For those of us who have been critical of the growing anti-free speech movement in the Democratic Party, the Biden transition team just took an ominous turn.  The New York Post reports that Biden tapped Richard Stengel to take the “team lead” position on the US Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. As I previously addressed in a column, Stengel has been one of the most controversial figures calling for censorship and speech controls. For a president-elect who just called for everyone to “hear each other,” he picked a top aide who wants to silence many.  Since it would be difficult to select a more anti-free speech figure to address government media policy, one has to assume that Biden will continue the onslaught against this core freedom as president.  This is not the first Biden aide to indicate a crackdown on free speech in the new Administration and Biden himself has called for greater censorship on the Internet.

Last year, Stengel wrote a chilling Washington Post op-ed that denounced free speech as a threat to social and political harmony.  Like a number of liberal and Democratic figures, Stengel struggled to convince readers that what they need is less freedom:  “All speech is not equal. And where truth cannot drive out lies, we must add new guardrails. I’m all for protecting ‘thought that we hate,’ but not speech that incites hate.”

It is the European view that has destroyed free speech on that continent. We have previously discussed the alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, (here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). It is a trend that seems now to be find support in the media, which celebrated the speech of French President Emmanuel Macron before Congress where he called on the United States to follow the model of Europe on hate speech.

In January, Biden called for greater speech controls on the Internet and denounced Twitter for allowing others to speak freely. In insisted that tolerating such views in the name of free speech is same as “propagating falsehoods they know to be false.” Biden called for companies to bar Trump views on such things as mail-in voting as an invitation for fraud.  He is not alone. Congressional leaders like House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff have called for labeling and removal of material with some members directly threatening a legislative crackdown. This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for resisting speech monitoring and censorship as a matter of free speech. Pelosi lashed out that those who want to preserve a free speech zone are “all about making money,” ignoring free speech advocates who have no financial interest in these companies. Pelosi said that opposing such monitoring means that social media companies simply want “to make money at the expense of the truth and the facts” and are trying to “hide under the freedom of speech.”

These efforts are drawing upon the work of academics who are pushing for greater censorship and speech controls. The Atlantic published an article by Harvard Law School professor Jack Goldsmith and University of Arizona law professor Andrew Keane Woods calling for Chinese style censorship of the internet.  They declared that “in the great debate of the past two decades about freedom versus control of the network, China was largely right and the United States was largely wrong” and “significant monitoring and speech control are inevitable components of a mature and flourishing internet, and governments must play a large role in these practices to ensure that the internet is compatible with society norms and values.”

Stengel however is one of the most unnerving and outspoken voices against free speech. He wrote how hard it was to explain our views of free speech to Arab countries which of course routinely jail or even execute people for exercising free speech. However, Stengel was raising the point to suggest that they had a valid confusion over our values:

“Even the most sophisticated Arab diplomats that I dealt with did not understand why the First Amendment allows someone to burn a Koran. Why, they asked me, would you ever want to protect that It’s a fair question. Yes, the First Amendment protects the ‘thought that we hate,’ but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another. In an age when everyone has a megaphone, that seems like a design flaw.”

That design flaw is free speech itself. So in a nation filled with gifted people to lead the effort on government media policy and positions, Biden selected a person who rejects the very essence of free speech.  Stengel promises the “unity” of a nation silenced by government speech codes and censorship.   If no one has a megaphone, free speech is no longer a problem.

 

 

672 thoughts on ““All Speech Is Not Equal”: Biden Taps Anti-Free Speech Figure For Transition Lead On Media Agency”

  2. I know this is off topic but each time I see those low life ANTIFA/BLM attacking defenseless Americans it boils my blood. I envision a battalion of SEALS or Special Forces catching them in an L shaped ambush and beating the puttuti out them.

    1. Does your blood also boil when you seen Proud Boys and other Trump supporters attacking defenseless Americans?

      1. Since when ever did the happen…..care to document your allegations?

        All we have to do Is tune in to the nightly news and we can see videos of BLM and Antifa committing riot, arson, looting, assault, murder, and hear reports of rape and other acts of violence…..but no Proud Boys……now why is that Einstein?

    2. Unbelievable!

      Were you trained in “force size” and “L-shaped ambushes” in RTO school or by reading books in your spare time on that hilltop?

      1. Wow, that is some underwhelming BS. So, the big thing you all have been waiting for from Powell turns to be an affidavit from somebody unnamed that they witnessed electronic vote manipulation that was designed into the software by Smartmatic in Venezuela in 2004 or 2006. It apparently involved “turning off the internet” for 2 hours.

        Dang, that’s a smoking gun if I ever saw one – remember how the internet was turned off for 2 hours on the night of the election? (me neither) – and I’ll bet Biden is trying to get on a plane out of the country right this minute!

        GMAFB!

  4. ‘PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION

    Go to @SidneyPowell1 home page & read her messages.

    Every lie will be revealed.

    Communists are involved in trying to steal landslide re-election of our President.

    Joe Biden is going to end up in prison. Many others too.

    SWAMP WILL BE DRAINED.’

    @LLinWood

  5. LOL.

    Giuliani is only a “senior lawyer” in the sense of being a lawyer and senior citizen.

    He hasn’t practiced in decades. He lied to the court this morning, claiming to be a member in good standing of multiple courts, including DC, when he’s actually administratively suspended in DC for non-payment:
    https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1328731496413278209 (has copies of his statement to the court and his DC Bar status)

    1. This comment of mine was submitted as a reply to a comment that had a column from John Solomon describing “senior lawyers” on Trump’s team, including Giuliani. But the comment I was responding to seems to have been deleted.

      1. S. Meyer’s wording sounds an awful lot like Allan, who hasn’t posted under his own name recently but was caught yesterday posting under the name “1984.” Since Allan is a troll who has harassed me for months, I’m not going to engage. Maybe S. Meyer is a different person, maybe not.

        I’ll simply point out that anyone who wants can do a DC Bar member search here: https://join.dcbar.org/eWeb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=dcbar&webcode=findmember, and if the person is a member in good standing (as is the case for Jonathan Turley), the results show “Membership Status: GOOD STANDING,” whereas Giuliani’s show “Membership Status: ADMINISTRATIVELY SUSPENDED: NON-PAYMENT.”

        One would think that if Giuliani is a competent lawyer, he’d have checked his status before telling the court that he was a member in good standing in DC.

        1. Non payment doesn’t mean not in good standing. It means he doesn’t want to pay where he doesn’t practice law.

          “One would think that if Giuliani is a competent lawyer, he’d have checked his status before telling the court that he was a member in good standing in DC.”

          This is a ridiculous statement. I don’t understand why you made this statement along with a bunch of others.

          You have a double standard that is impacting your ability to reason clearly. Don’t blame everyone else or make things up to prove your point.

            1. Do you know what the word administrative means and do you know how it applies in DC? Apparently not.

    2. “He lied to the court this morning”

      Here you are accusing another of lying when he believes he is in good standing with the court. Add to that the fact that not practicing in front of the court for years and therefore not paying the usual fees doesn’t mean he isn’t in good standing.

      Your double standard is on display again along with a lack of truthfulness and ignorance.

    3. “had a column from John Solomon describing “senior lawyers” on Trump’s team, ”

      The comment missing was from:
      https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/tue-am-trump-legal-team-zeroes-expulsion-election-observers-data

      Based on the comment below you weaved a new story.

      “President Trump’s campaign legal team has beefed up with several senior lawyers as it prepares to challenge hundreds of thousands of votes cast in Democratic stronghold cities like Detroit and Philadelphia without required GOP observers, arguing the expulsions created disparate treatment or unequal protection of voters in violation of the Constitution.

      The team led by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and longtime Trump private lawyer Jay Sekulow has been expanded to include former Justice Department officials Victoria Toensing and Sidney Powell, former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova and trusted campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis.”

      1. It discussed what the Trump team was actually doing. It is difficult to summarize so I won’t go further but it is a worthwhile read for those looking for content rather than sleazy comments by Commit.

    4. What nonsense. Gulliani has been practicing right to the moment. What do you think the actions that you have slandered over the past could of years have been ? No only has Guilliani been practicing – but he has been doing so both inside and outside the US. He has taken numerous depositions in foreign countries regarding the corruption of the Biden family.

      I would further note that Gulliani has a lifetime reputation.

      What about you ?

      Can you name a single accomplishment in your entire life that matches any one of Guilliani’s top ten ? Top 100 ?

  6. First Amendment up for grabs? Why didn’t Trump try this? In over five years of merciless pounding from the Left and commercial media you’d think President Trump would have cracked down on the assault by ‘ limiting speech ‘ such as Biden is proposing ??

  7. New laws concerning hate speech must be written. People will not keep spouting hate unless a Penal Code of Conduct is adopted. The harshment of the penalty must increase according to the number of repeat offenses. Shunning will not be enough. Blocking their opinions on Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook will not be effective. They will get their word out on other formats. Any format that allows this kind of speech should also be harshly disciplined even to the point of shutdown if necassary. Words are no longer enough. We must take action Comrades. Our motto must be, “The Chosen Of The World Unite”. We must reach our goals by any means necessary. We will be known as the saviors of the world. What are we going to do today Brain. The same thing we do every day Pinky. Take over the world!!! A cartoon brought to reality once again. Don’t forget “The Brain was crazy!

  9. Just like the 8 years of Obama. Trump engages in puffing like a used car salesman. He gets accused of being a serial liar. The Dems straight out lie about their intentions and do the opposite of what they say. The difference is that the Dems have the megaphone called the MSM.

  10. It’s legal for these people to lie to the public.

    Let’s see what they say in court, what evidence they provide, what evidence is provided by the other side, and how the court rules.

    1. That is exactly what will be done. It’s tough in such a short period of time to gather evidence of fraud.

      What do you deny?

      “We have sworn witness testimony of why the software was designed — it was designed to rig elections.”
      ” their own manual explains how votes can be wiped away, it’s like drag and drop”
      “We’ve identified mathematically the exact algorithm they used and planned to use from the beginning to modify the votes ”
      “The software that they use is done by a company called Smartmatic. It’s a company that was founded by Hugo Chávez, and by his two allies who still own it. It’s been used to cheat in elections in South America.”
      The quote from the NYT.

      Get specific. Deal with the issues on the table.

      1. How can I get specific before they present the evidence?

        They can say “We have sworn witness testimony,” but until they present the testimony, we don’t know what it says or who the witness is, …

        Let’s see the evidence.

        1. “How can I get specific before they present the evidence?” …”Let’s see the evidence.”

          That is fair, but if you have been one of the anonymous deniers that has stated Biden is president elect or that the Trump team has no proof, you were lying then.

  11. Just curious about your thoughts/talking points on the Lindsey Graham election tampering situation, Jon?

      1. Fish. You demand proof when Trump speakes of election fraud by Democrats. But concerning a claim of election fraud by Lyndsey Graham your demands for proof make the noise of a pin dropping in a vacuum.

  12. MIchelle Obama Instagram:

    “This week, I’ve been reflecting a lot on where I was four years ago. Hillary Clinton had just been dealt a tough loss by a far closer margin than the one we’ve seen this year. I was hurt and disappointed—but the votes had been counted and Donald Trump had won. The American people had spoken. And one of the great responsibilities of the presidency is to listen when they do. So my husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power—one of the hallmarks of American democracy. We invited the folks from the president-elect’s team into our offices and prepared detailed memos for them, offering what we’d learned over the past eight years.

    I have to be honest and say that none of this was easy for me. Donald Trump had spread racist lies about my husband that had put my family in danger. That wasn’t something I was ready to forgive. But I knew that, for the sake of our country, I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside. So I welcomed Melania Trump into the White House and talked with her about my experience, answering every question she had—from the heightened scrutiny that comes with being First Lady to what it’s like to raise kids in the White House.

    I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do—because our democracy is so much bigger than anybody’s ego. Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like them or wish it had gone differently—the presidency doesn’t belong to any one individual or any one party. To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theories—whether for personal or political gain—is to put our country’s health and security in danger. This isn’t a game. So I want to urge all Americans, especially our nation’s leaders, regardless of party, to honor the electoral process and do your part to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history.”

    1. Unfortunately, I don’t think Trump is capable of working on a smooth, respectful transition of power.

          1. Think of the reports that tie Obama / Biden into spying on Trump and the subsequent events that followed. That it wasn’t legal doesn’t necessarily make their acts criminal. That administration did not provide a smooth transition to Trump. In fact it did the opposite which continued even while they were out of power.

            Now it is time for you to look things up for yourself. People are always providing you with answers but you don’t reciprocate.

            1. People say all sorts of things.

              You haven’t provided evidence of them doing anything illegal.

              There are a bunch of people who post anonymously, and you must be confusing me with one of the others.

              1. Someone is calling a nutty commenter out saying something like, you are a nut. He has a certain way about him of wasting the time of others and posting foolish comments.

                By the way, after spending time responding to you, “Think of the reports that tie Obama / Biden into spying on Trump…” you never cleared up the issues. It becomes a waste of time when a person doesn’t respond to the content.

                1. Let me fix this for you Kayla. Obama and Biden didn’t spy on Trump. No one spied on him from the US government and that was confirmed by IG Horowitz.

                  You’ve apparently been misinformed by somebody with an agenda.

                  1. Joe, you can believe what you want. No one in their right mind can take you seriously. Nothing you post can be trusted.

                    1. Kayla, we can all believe what we want but no thanks. I don’t see the benefit in tricking myself and the practice is clearly not serving you well.

                      Do you want a link to the Horowitz’s report?

                    2. It is not my fault that you don’t know what his job description was. I would explain that along with what his report said, but I don’t think you are capable of understanding complex issues. I’ve seen your postings and they are among the worst on the blog because you don’t realize any of your shortcomings.

                    3. JF – many of us read Horrowitz’s report – by all indications – you have not.

                      When we read it we were shocked at the malfeasance demonstrated by those in the FBI and DOJ both with respect to the Clinton investigation and the Russian Collusion investigation.

                      We also read the Mueller report – which absent the spin of Muellers team of angry democrats – found nothing.

                      Further we have paid attention to what has come out since.

                      And with each passing day more information comes out that demonstrates that even Horrowitz pulled his punches, that he did not go far enough, that the conduct of the FBI/DOJ was worse than he found.

                      And that the egregious misconduct pervaded the entire obama administration and remains with us still.

                    5. Anonymous, what I said might be thought insulting but it is true and there is no other way to say what needed to be said. I used no foul words or petty statements. It is he who should object, but it is he that makes the wild assertions repeated over and over again never dealing with facts that are presented.

                      I don’t want to be insulting but you too lack ability. In fact for all I know you could be the “nutty poster” discussed earlier. You certainly sound like him. Perhaps you will be ranked second to last place because your vacuous comments don’t lead to the error ridden posts of Joe.

                      You should be thanking me for my criticism. I’m being honest and helpful something that seems foreign to you.

                  2. Look over here. Pay no attention to those nasty Fisa warants. There just a figment of your imagination.

  13. Pingback: Biden Appoints 'Anti-Free Speech' Richard Stengel to Transition Team Media Post ⋆ MICHAELANTONIO MEDIA

  14. Ah, but Stengel and Biden and Harris and Pelosi will have megaphones; it is just the unworthy who will not possess them.
    The problem is that too many people do not understand that free speech is an integral part of individual freedom, and that when you suppress it, you crush the individual and create a society in which fear rules. A closed, not an open, society. Free speech is not just something guaranteed in a legal document; it must be a societal value and a cultural norm, or it does not exist except as a legal fiction. We can always choose not to listen or to read those with whom we do not agree, but if we prevent them from expressing their opinions because we redefine as offensive that with which we disagree, then we impose our standards on others, and we embrace tyrany, not freedom, and we encourage conformity born of fear, not understanding based on open discussion.
    I took my right to speak freely for granted when I was young and free speech was generally accepted as a basic American value, But over the past forty years, there has been a steady erosion of support for free speech, due in part to the concentration of media, to the increasing popularity of divisive and repressive ideologies, to postmodernists who value arguments over verifiable facts, and to efforts to narrow the range of acceptable speech by those who view free speech as a “design flaw” and consider it their duty to suppress speech that they find ‘hateful’ or unworthy of being read by others because it runs counter to their beliefs or politics.
    The Berlin Wall has not survived, but the values imposed on the peoples living on the other side of that wall have both survived and flourished in what was once the West. We are now a long way from Voltaire and Diderot . . . but considerably closer to Stalin and Honecker.
    Trump’s four years were marked by resistance and rudeness. It now seems that Biden’s presidency may delight conformists but distress those who want to know why they should “do what they are told to do” before they subject themselves to another’s will, even that of the most woke and well meaning of bureaucrat.
    Now where did I put my facemask?

  15. The funniest thing just happened. I liked several comments on this board, and a minute later, they were unliked. I liked the same comments, again, and they were unliked, yet again. Somebody could be hacking this website. I’m serious. Just think the owner of the blog should look into it.

  16. Pingback: Biden Appoints ‘Anti-Free Speech’ Richard Stengel to Transition Team Media Post – All Sides Now

  17. I like Stengel. Thought he did a great job when he edited Time. Noted, Jon, in addition to your advocacy against anti facism, that you find someone who edited one of the most centrist magazines to be anti free speech.

  18. The left considers anyone to be a nazi who opposes their multicultural, egalitarian agenda and believes it fair to use any means necessary to fight them and that includes suppression and censorship of speech.

    Mainstream conservative types in the Heritage Foundation, NRA and Federalist Society don’t get this. You’re a nazi too in their book. And you’ll discover soon enough that you can’t vote your way out of this.

    Traditional free speech liberals (and I’m talking to you JT) are considered no differently.

    At least Stengel is one leftist honest enough to admit their intentions.

    antonio

    1. Anyone who calls Democrarts “Dims” is childish. Why would anyone take you seriously?

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