Free Speech, International

Australia Moves Toward Draconian Anti-Free Speech Law

We have previously discussed how Australia has eagerly joined the plunge into censorship and speech controls, including a court system that has repeatedly refused to protect free speech. It is now on the verge of enacting a new censorship bill that replicates the abuses under the European Union’s draconian Digital Service Act (DSA).

The new bill,  the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), will radically expand the powers of the government to crack down on social platforms and citizens accused of ill-defined misinformation and disinformation.

We previously discussed how Democratic leaders like Hillary Clinton called on foreign countries to pass censorship laws to prevent Elon Musk from restoring free speech protections on Twitter. The EU responded aggressively to warn Musk not to allow greater free speech or he will face crippling fines and even potential criminal enforcement.

Like the DSA, the ACMA seeks to force social media companies to censor citizens in other nations like the United States. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to 5% of their global revenue.

The result will likely target X owner Elon Musk who has resisted demands for censorship and voiced his oppositon of the proposal.

Australian Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland is an enthusiastic champion of censorship. She insisted:

“Misinformation and disinformation pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to our democracy, society and economy. Doing nothing and allowing this problem to fester is not an option.”

I have previously called upon Congress to pass a Digital Freedom Act to respond to the threats from the EU to force the censorship of Americans or jail executives like Musk. The move in Australia only magnifies the need for such legislation.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” (Simon & Schuster).

161 thoughts on “Australia Moves Toward Draconian Anti-Free Speech Law”

  1. “Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible.” He named Vance and Trump, among others, saying, “They have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop now.”

    1. WHAT A DAD!
      _________________

      On Aug. 23, 2023, a child — later identified as Aiden Clark — was killed when the school bus he was on collided with a minivan in German Township, Clark County, authorities said at the time. More than two dozen others were injured in the incident, which happened on the first day of classes.

      The driver of the minivan, Hermanio Joseph, was a Haitian immigrant. He was found guilty by a jury on May 1 for involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide, per WDTN.
      ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      According to this report, the illegal alien invader Haitian who allegedly and fraudulently claimed “asylum,” was a menace to all Americans; Aiden drew the unlucky lottery ticket.

      This clown of a father who so loves the illegal alien who “manslaughtered” his son, needs to stop admonishing patriotic Americans who are interested in securing their country and the “blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity,” not Haitians.

    2. ATS – are you capable of posting anything that does not require 20 minutes of googling to decipher.

      I generally eschew gramar arguments – but when bad grammar makes a post meaningless – its a problem.

      “He” Who ?
      Aiden Who ?
      Died how ?

      Given that YOU seem to think it is inappropriate to use Aiden’s death as a political tool – then WHY Have You ?

      Regardless the FACT is that anything tyhat makes the news is going to be used as a political tool.

      Everytime there is a school shooting – the left IMMEDIATELY jumps in anfd blames the right, the NTA, Trump, Republicans.
      While conservgatives wait quietly praying – “please do not let it be a Trump supporter” – and there prayers are ALWAYS answered.
      Often they are answered resoundingly as the shooter turns out to be gay, or Trans or an echo terrorist or some other left wing nut – though mostly they are just sad people with mental health problems.

      Regardless the left uses ALL deaths involving Guns for political purposes – never getting anyones permission first, and pretty much ALWAYS getting the facts wrong because the rushed to judgement.
      If you do not want crime victims to be used for political purposes – Quit Reporting their names.

    3. Yes, the invasion of illegal aliens across a wide open border allowed by an abject failure of a government, needs to stop now.

  2. Kamala Harris leads by 2.1 points in our national polling average, but Donald Trump has a 61 percent chance to win the Electoral College
    https://www.natesilver.net/p/nate-silver-2024-president-election-polls-model

    Translation, the Left Coast and NE Coast are going to foment a civil war when, not if, Kommunist Kamala loses. The Electoral College is gonna save democracy™.

    Happily, Americans between the Left Coast and NE Coast own the majority of Americas weapons of mass destruction, i.e. guns and ammo.

    OTOH, Childless Cat ladies and White Dudes for Kamala have the testosterone levels of Trans FTM so that might help their side

    Invest in ammo, chickens and BBQ

    1. Trump outperformed his polling numbers in 2016 and 2020. There is no reason t suppose he will not do so again. So, he is really leading the polls at this point.

      1. Sorry, after 8 years of name calling, policy failures, losing elections, the majority are done with trump and his ilk. trump will lose the 2024 election by a wide margin, in both the popular vote, and the electoral college vote.

        trump and his minions had their day, their day is over. Get over it, nominate a person that acts older than 6 years old and you have a chance of wining.

        1. ATS – that is NOT what most of the polls are saying. You appear to be choosing to beleive that ipsos and reuters are right and everyone else is wrong. Maybe that is true – but BOTH over estimated democrats in 2020 and 2016 by LARGE margins.

          Right now Nate Silver – certainly NOT a MAGA republican thinks Harris is up by 2.1 AND has a 60% chance of losing.
          While RCP has the race as a dead heat and by Silver’s calcs that would give Harris an 80% chance of losing,
          and Rassmussen which has averaged D +2.1 over the last 2 presidential cycles has Trump at +3 and outside the margin of error.

          Regardless ignoring personalities and politics – I would rather be Trump right now than Harris.

          Harris also blew her first Solo interview in PA – first she answered SEVERAL questions with nearly word for word the same answers as she gave in the debate, and the questions that were not in the debate resulted in typical Harris word salads.

          More importantly – neither in the debate nor the interviews nor anywhere else has Harris actually answered a question.
          And the non-answers she gave are deceptive of outright lies. She is the daughter of two tenured Berkeley professors – she did NOT grow up middle class (it is unlikely she worked at McDonalds). and she did not rub shoulders in here “suburb” with carpenters and plumbers and working class or middle class people. The area arround Berkeley is not and was not Middle class.
          There is no Trump 20% sales tax – given that she is stealing Trump policies right and left – she should know that.

          She is still playing this game of claiming that she is NOT the incumbent saddled with the incumbents policies.
          While at the same time refusing to identify ANYTHING that separates her from Biden.

          Firefighters got Biden to wear a MAGA hat two days ago. But more significant was that yesterday Biden boarded AF1 carrying a Red Baseball cap.
          There are still lots of rumoprs of tension between Biden and the rest of the party, and also 3 way stresses inside Harris’s campaign.

          Rumors are flying that ABC tilted the debate – giving her the questions ahead of time, promising they would Fact check the crap out of Trump and not fact check her. There is also a rumor she had a bluetooth earring.
          There purportedly is an ABC whistleblower. and one of the hosts in an interview confirmed they were deliberately helping Harris.

          Is this true ? Whether there was an actual conspiracy or just overt Bias – people saw what they saw – 3 on 1.

          And whether you like it or not – americans want to see a fair fight.

          More importantly – Harris MUST do TWO things – Trump does not have to.

          Harris must provide policies that a majority of voters will support – Voters are not going to vote for another pig in a poke like they did in 2020,
          Thinking there were getting Senator working class Joe and instead getting Woke Joe who repudiated everything he ever was.
          Voters want Harris to SAY convincingly – not with platitudes what she will do.

          The next thing Harris must do is pass Clinton’s test – Who do you want the WH to wake at 3am with a global crisis.
          Trump has been that person – there is no question there.
          Further he proves he can think on his feet everyday with dozens of interviews and questions.
          Harris proved in the debate that she can memorize Scripts – which is an improvement over VP Harris.
          But she has NOT proven that she can think on her feet.
          In fact she proves time and time again when faced with the unexpected that she does not make decisions and just obfuscates.

        2. I think you may find come November that voters will take Trump’s personality combined with his successful record, over taking a flyer on someone who has been an incompetent and not very smart left Wing nut apparently right up until Biden dropped out and now has no idea who she is.

          Walz slipped yesterday and called her a prostitute instead of a prosecutor.

          Does not matter – she was not very good at either.

          I know this is hard for those of you on the left – but you can not fake authenticity.

          You do not win elections by uttering the right words. Voters have to both beleive what you say and actually beleive it is good for the country.

          Trump is a known quantity.

        3. the majority are done with trump and his ilk. trump will lose the 2024 election by a wide margin

          Hello Hillary…. 2016 wants you back.

      2. The FACT is we do not know. While I think you are correct, the expectation in 2022 was that the polls were off by 2% om favor of democrats and that would have resulted in a GOP tsunami in 2022. Though the republicans DID Well they did NOT do as well as expected.

        Polsters are supposed to learn from their errors and correct in the next cycle – and MANY do.

        Nassem Talib has excellent advice regarding experts that applies to pollsters – Do not beleive people who do not have skin in the game.

        There are purportedly leaks from BOTH the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign that are bad for Harris. I do not know if that is true – and arguably If the Trump campaign conducted 10 polls and ONE was favorable they would leak that one.
        Still the campaign pollsters future Business depends on their accuracy. No politician wants to hear bad polls. But the want polls that are Wrong even less.

        Rassmussen has a long reputation for accuracy – despite claims of GOP bias – their long term average has is biased D +2.1

        NYT has been surprisingly accurate considering the source.
        While IPSOS and Reuters have been crap for the past decade.

        Rassmussen works to figure out why they are off and to correct those problems.
        Again you would expect others to do the same.
        Yet there is evidence that many don’t.

        We can also check crosstabs and other factors to try to validate or reject the accuracy of polling.

        Trump has gained substantially in almost every demographic from 2016 and 2020.

        One of few demographics he has lost ground with is single white cat ladies.

        It is hard to beleive that Trump has gained in all the groups he has gained – without having a commanding lead in the polls.
        But it is not possible – just improbable.

        It is also possible to get a sense from Other polls. Testor is way down in Montana, which means the GOP will control the senate.
        Casey is in a dead heat with McCormik in PA. Which is unexpected – even if Trump wins PA. Casey is a PA institution he should polls 3+ points ABOVE the democrat presidential candidate in PA.

        Larry Hogan is in a dead heat in Maryland – which if he pulls off will be unheard of – No senate candidate has won a state with 30pts MORE than his parties presidential candidate. There is purportedly no chance Trump gets close in MD, and that means Hogan must be pulling off a Miracle
        OR it means MD is closer than the polls say.

        There are states in which REpublicans challengers are doing worse than expected there are states they are doing better.
        Democrats has ALOT of vulnerable senate seats. They are almost certain to win MOST of them. They must win ALL of them AND the presidency to hold the Senate. But just to win MOST of them – they are going to have to spend a fortune.

        Regardless the closer than expected Senate races – democrat incumbents should again run +2-5 ahead of their presidential candidate – and if we just Harris by Senate Democrats – the polls have Harris too high.

        The other huge factor is that Trump came within 44,000 votes of winning (or should I say ballots) in 2020. That is despite being 4+% behind in the popular vote. There is a significant Republicans electoral college advantage – because democrats have cloistered themselves in a few big cities.
        If the Polls have Harris up by 3 nationally – based on 2020 you would expect she will lose the EC.

        There are lots and lots of other factors and analysis – most of which strongly suggests the polls are on average +2-+4 for democrats.

        But suggests is not certainty. I would rather be Harris right now than Trump.

        I think the fact that Trump is not unterested in another Debate and Harris is now asking for two more suggests that thje Harris camapign KNOWS they need a bigger debate win than they allegedly got.

        Many not all are claiming Harris was the clear winner. But the post debate Polls are showing small swings towards Trump.

        Hillary purportedly won all 4 debates in 2016 as allegedly did Biden in 2020 – But Trump won in 2016 and brought the race 5pts closer in 2020.
        despite allegedly losing.

  5. Anyone who starts a comment with “I am sick and tired of” has the temperament of a little child. All they reveal is their emotions. They have no interest in reasoned analysis.

    1. I am sick and tired of the judicial branch, with emphasis on the Supreme Court, not supporting the Constitution.  

      The entire communistic American welfare state is unconstitutional, including, but not limited to, admissions affirmative action, grade-inflation affirmative action, employment affirmative action, quotas, welfare, food stamps, minimum wage, rent control, social services, forced busing, public housing, utility subsidies, WIC, SNAP, TANF, HAMP, HARP, TARP, NPR, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Agriculture, Education, Labor, Energy, Obamacare, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental Income, Medicare, Medicaid, “Fair Housing” laws, “Non-Discrimination” laws, etc.

      Article 1, Section 8, provides Congress the power to tax for ONLY debt, defense, and “…general (all, the whole) Welfare…,” omitting and, thereby, excluding any power to tax for individual Welfare, specific Welfare, particular Welfare, favor, or charity. The same article enumerates and provides Congress the power to regulate ONLY the Value of money, Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes, and land and naval Forces. 

      Additionally, the 5th Amendment right to private property was initially qualified by the Framers and is, therefore, absolute, allowing no further qualification and allowing ONLY the owner the power to “claim and exercise” dominion over private property.

      Government exists, under the Constitution and Bill of Rights, to provide maximal freedom to individuals, while government is severely limited and restricted to merely facilitating that maximal freedom of individuals through the provision of security and infrastructure.

      I am sick and tired of illegal aliens voting in American elections since 1863; I’m sick and tired of LBJ still paying pan-handling parasites to “vote democratic for the next 200 years” and “fundamentally transforming the United States of America” into a s—hole country, when America was designed and intended to be a severely restricted-vote republic under the dominion of the Constitution, not the Communist Manifesto.  

      “the people are nothing but a great beast…

      I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.”

      – Alexander Hamilton
      _________________________

      “The true reason (says Blackstone) of requiring any qualification, with regard to property in voters, is to exclude such persons, as are in so mean a situation, that they are esteemed to have no will of their own.”

      “If it were probable that every man would give his vote freely, and without influence of any kind, then, upon the true theory and genuine principles of liberty, every member of the community, however poor, should have a vote… But since that can hardly be expected, in persons of indigent fortunes, or such as are under the immediate dominion of others, all popular states have been obliged to establish certain qualifications, whereby, some who are suspected to have no will of their own, are excluded from voting; in order to set other individuals, whose wills may be supposed independent, more thoroughly upon a level with each other.”

      – Alexander Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted, 1775
      _____________________________________________________

      “[We gave you] a [restricted-vote] republic, if you can keep it.”

      – Ben Franklin, 1787

  6. There has never been a time in history where the good guys favor censorship.

    What is the difference between totalitarian regimes censorshp than that imposed by “democratic” countries?

    I’m sure one of our s@@tlib friends will have a long, detailed explanation of the difference, why bad when done in the USSR, great when done in Australia or UK.

    And of course they’ll call me a “nazi” for objecting to it.

    antonio

  7. I am sick and tired of this constant whining about how other countries deal with misinformation and misinformation, and how you Americans feel that your “free speech” rights should preempt the laws of other countries.

    In the 2022 election in Australia the left leaning Labour party won a landslide victory over the conservatives who had held power for 9 years. The victory was absolute, meaning that that Labour has an absolute majority in both houses. This is a very rare outcome for Australia where there are many political parties. Typically no single party is victorious. The government is usually a coalition of several parties.

    Labour took the position that they would crack down on social media misinformation and disinformation. The Australian people overwhelmingly voted for this position and booted out the conservatives. The Labour government is now fulfilling its promise to the people who voted for them.

    If you Americans don’t like it, then tough cookies.

    The Australian people are getting what they voted for.

    You Americans are welcome to wallow in your cesspool of misinformation and disinformation, but do not have the audacity to demand that other countries do the same.

    We Australians are deeply offended by your self-righteous pontificating about “free speech” and how you seem to believe that we should fall in line with your MAGA cult.

    1. So Australia doesn’t need any “friends” and Australia is now under the “umbrella” (i.e. nuclear) of the Chinese Coummuist Party, Communist China, and the Communist Manifesto.

      You keep Waltzing with the communists Matilda, but don’t come calling on us, mate.

      America has been officially “fundamentally transformed” into a communist state and the dastardly milquetoast “Americans” will do nothing about it.

      1. Australia has plenty of friends.

        Turley and you MAGA cultists have been whining about social media crackdowns in UK, all of Europe, Brazil and now Australia.

        Who is left??

        When are you MAGA morons going to realize that YOU are the outliers. The rest of the free world is actively combatting misinformation and disinformation in social media. This is what the PEOPLE of these countries are demanding. It is not something bring imposed by governments.

        It is something known as DEMOCRACY which is obviously antithetical to the MAGA cult.

        1. “The rest of the free world is actively combatting misinformation and disinformation in social media.”

          Is it just me, or does anyone else see the irony in this statement?

          1. It is indeed just you (and the rest of the brainwashed MAGA cult) who seem to think that you have some fundamental right to impose your bizarre views on the rest of the world.

            Unlike the MAGA cult other people are capable of rational independent thought.

            1. @anonymous

              Just admit you favor European style “hate” speech laws here in America. I would at least respect you for honesty.

              Of course, you won’t, that’s probably a bridge too far now.

              antonio

            2. So how is MAGA imposing their bizarre ( freedom, liberty, self accountability, lawfulness, you know bizarre, etc.) views on the rest of the world? Is MAGA mandating and inshrining law over the worlds’s Social Media and free speech?
              What you’re missing is that MAGA people understand that OUR government has hijacked us and has spread its own agenda across the world NOT to the benefit of our own citizens or other countries. It appears instead they serve the globalist interests of their military corporate masters as Eisenhower warned us they would. Social media is their new vehicle, they must control it to control all opposition to keep the dolts like you misled and in their pockets. Independent rational thought? laughable as you seem to be carrying the water of a worn out Marxist perception of MAGA, what many call patriotism. It only takes good moral men to remain silent to lose what so many before us gave their lives to defend.

            3. It is indeed just me. And the rest of the brainwashed MAGA cult. Which means that it isn’t just me.

            4. You Aussies can do whatever you want to yourselves. Censorship won’t go well for you. Try to reach into our country and control us and you’ll lose that arm.

          2. The rest of the “free world” is actually communist and producing mis- and disinformation by the truckload…

            …because “modern new-normal” Americans fall for anything and allow it.

        2. Your description of Democracy is mob rule, America is a Constitutional Republic. There is a reason a Democracy such as you offer is a failed trap. Those that attain power unchecked and unchallenged serve no one but themselves. This is human nature and our founders new this and established our Republic to navigate past this flaw. Hey, enjoy your freedom, or whatever they tell you it is.

          2. This is a typical MAGA word salad of nonsensical gibberish.

            It is very simple. The Australian people voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Labour government which promised to crackdown on social media. The promise is now being fulfilled.
            This is what the people want.

            If you don’t like it, so what.

            You can indulge in nonsensical theorisng about the definitions of forms of government, but the bottom line is that the Australian people demanded this, and the Labour government is fulfilling a promise. This it not something being imposed on the people. You can call it whatever you want but it doesn’t change the fact that this is what the people voted for.

            Your MAGA pontificating about forms of government is absurd, but typical of the brain dead MAGA cult.

            1. “word salad”
              “pontificating”
              We know where you are getting your inspired vocabulary from.

            2. This is a typical MAGA word salad of nonsensical gibberish.

              Word salad… when pathetic commies attempt to cosplay as being capable of putting together a coherent argument. It’s like they’re channeling Kamala Harris.

              It’s not that we have a problem with what you chose to do to yourself. It’s that we’re MOCKING you for doing it to yourself… and reminding ourselves that enough mental midgets like yourself voting for a utopian form of the book 1984 can be dangerous.

              But you go right ahead and keep assuring us you’re all Marxist geniuses that need More Cowbell with your flavor of Marxism.

            3. “The Australian people voted overwhelmingly . . .”

              Your love of mob rule is duly noted.

              The people also “voted overwhelmingly” for Madame guillotine and for Hitler. How’d that work out?

              Appeal to majority is a fallacy. At least in the Western world.

        3. “Plenty of friends!”

          H— yeah!

          Communist China.

          Who’da thunk Australia would have chosen communism?

          1. “Communist China. ”

            After the CCP reclaims Taiwan, assuming that happens, maybe they will altruistically turn their attentions to making Australia their protectorate. Would serve the Aussies right.

        5. Where is your outrage over the misinformation when X was Twitter and Zuckerjew censored Facebook? Go back in time and read what they did. The government actively censored and persecuted any medical professionals that did not fall in line with their CoVID agenda. Facebook censored any accounts that reported anything that did not fall in line with their DNC misinformation propaganda. Now you try to spin what the government did to all of us as something MAGA people are off track on? Good luck and you’re about as authentic as Biden is cognizant.

          1. What exactly does this nonsensical diatribe have to do with the fact that that the Australian people freely voted for a government who made a promise that is now being fulfilled.

            Are you trying to say that you have some right to interfere in a freely made choice.

            You may not like the choice, but we don’t care.

            Mind your own damn business.

            1. Mind your own damn business.

              The beauty of free speech is we can tell pathetic wankers like yourself to go back to attempting impossible sex acts on yourself.

              The Brits thought shipping criminals to Australia would make useful individuals out of them.

              Obviously… those criminals are now in a period of genetic throwbacks.

    3. Nice to see how grateful the Aussies are for all of the American deaths this Nation suffered in defending them from a Japanese invasion of their little island stockade isn’t it.

      1. Australian losses in WW2 were 0.58% of the total population.

        US losses were 0.32% of the total population.

        Our sacrifice was almost twice that of the US.

        1. A real mathematical wizard aren’t you? What were the total populations of each? Country?

        2. All the Allies sacrificed a great deal in that war to defend freedom. Such comparisons are of little value imho. We are very grateful for the Anzac contributions and I believe they are grateful to America and their other cobelligerents.

        3. The U.S.A., was sacrificing to defend Australians, not the other way around. Aussies didn’t die defending New York from attack while defending Americans on American soil. It was Americans that died defending Darwin, Port Moresby, the Northern Territory, and Australian coastal waters, as well as in the Coral Sea.

          From a military standpoint, Australia made for some nice strategic ports from which to stage future operations. Apart from providing convenient ports, it was only of a small military combatant contribution to the overall strategy of island hoping and the liberation of the Philippines. And being desperately short on modern military equipment (1942), Australia was in dire need of rearmament. Which Americans provided then all manner of military equipment, logistics, armaments, and ammunition. Otherwise, technically Australia could just as well have been by-passed while Americans could have alternately taken the Solomons, Papua New Guinea, and New Britain. In essence just what we did anyway after the Coral Sea battle. Which, also took place to protect Australia’s position at Port Moresby. Where Americans had come to the rescue on the ground to push the Japanese back across the Owen Stanley mountains.

          America did not take that route or attitude regardless of the losses incurred, and poured a military arsenal of equipment, men, and material into Australia.

    5. Too bad for you that Americans can still legally voice their opinion when other, formerly free nations, willingly vote themselves into dictatorship under the guise of suppressing “disinformation” (i.e., any speech that does not support the narrative of the ruling elite in government, academia, and business). If you want to commit civilizational suicide through majority vote, go ahead, be my guest, knock yourself out, but don’t expect others to self-censor about it, or expect us to listen when you cry like a baby about our commentary.

    6. The Australian people are getting what they voted for.

      Yes, and you’re getting it good and hard. Right up the ass, which is the new normal for Australians like yourself.

      If you Americans don’t like it, then tough cookies.

      This is just a guess, but I don’t think the rational people left in Australia think for a one moment that pathetic neo-commie wankers like yourself are up to the task of standing up to the ChiComs all by yourself without ANOTHER instance of America showing up to prevent you having to learn to speak Chinese when and if you’re allowed to attend school.

      We Australians are deeply offended by your self-righteous pontificating about “free speech”

      “We”???? Who’s “we” – you and the pet rat you keep in your pocket that goes everywhere you go to ensure you have a friend with you?

      The beauty of free speech is we don’t have to give one second of concern as to whether or not your Marxist soul is wailing for a comfort room, a blanky, and being assured that you’re relevant.

      Piss off, you pathetic self-important wanker.

  8. Was Covid a mistake, test or an attack? At this juncture in time, it probably doesn’t matter, the effects are turning out to be the same, draconian governance seeking to take control of knowledge through a back door of limited speech. Governments worldwide used the Covid pandemic to enforce control of movement, commerce, education and a host of other controls, foremost among them is the assault against free speech. Governments used Covid as a weapon against inquiry, removing disciplined scientific knowledge and research from acceptability. The government then began banning words as a pretext to control, again of [knowledge]. I could go on and on, but the gist is the same, governments worldwide have become hungry for power and are reluctant to surrender it, and this issue about speech, is just one of the downward spirals towards Tyranny.

    1. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

      “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

      “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

      – Declaration of Independence, 1776

    2. “Was Covid a mistake, test or an attack?”

      Kennedy’s book makes it out to be a CIA effort to develop a biological weapon gone wrong. Efforts to develop it directly by the US government were stymied, so Dr. Fasci & co contracted out to China, with disastrous results. I strongly suspect that the CCP had a hand in that disaster to some unknown extent. I also tend to believe the gist of Kennedy’s narrative.

      1. And it is just one big random coincidence that Real President Donald J. Trump was commencing his inexorable 2020 campaign for the presidency with no viable competition anywhere on the horizon.

        Xi, Obama, Hillary, and all the other global communists, both foreign and domestic, knew and understood that Real President Donald J. Trump was going to be elected by a huuge majority in a landslide victory; they had no other options than “China Flu, 2019.”

      2. You know it’s so damn evil covid was only supposed to kill off the elderly and infirm.

        The best laid plans often go awry.

  9. THE AMERICA FOUNDERS:

    Freedom of Speech

    Freedom of the Press

    Freedom of Religion 

    Right to Keep and Bear Arms

    Right to Privacy

    Private Property

    Free Enterprise

    Free Markets 

    Every conceivable natural and God-given right and freedom not mentioned previously per the 9th 

    Severely Limited and Restricted Government per Article 1, Section 8, and the 4th and 5th Amendments

    Citizenship Qualifications Within the Year of Ratification of the Constitution

    “SECURING THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY.”
    ______________________________________________________________________________________

    Exactly whose great idea was it to give it all away?  

    Answer:  “Crazy Abe” Lincoln, a joined-at-the-hip fellow traveler of Karl Marx. 

    American freedom persisted for a mere 71 years.

    The American Founders did not establish their nation for it to be “fundamentally transformed” into communism. 

    The Lord said, “Love thy neighbor,” not give him your house, all your property, and all your money. 

    The Lord also said, “Thou Shalt Not Covet, Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness, and Thou Shalt Not Steal.”  

    America’s success is obsessively coveted globally; “asylum” is a preposterous monumental fraud, and America, its government, its money, and its territory have been stolen. 

    “OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY” are Gone With the Wind. 

    Someone owes the American Founders an earnest and solemn apology at the subsumption and Big Chill of their creation. 

  10. “Misinformation and disinformation pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to our democracy, society and economy. Doing nothing and allowing this problem to fester is not an option.”

    Doesn’t this statement qualify as “misinformation and disinformation”? Can this idiot cite any precedence, court finding or non-partisan article to support this silly assertion that a meme can cause harm to society? What they are really worried about is the “safety and wellbeing of Australian” politician’s careers that harm the rights of the people…

  11. When your next-door neighbor would rather see you in prison than listen to your opinion, it’s called democracy. Democracy has always been “two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” Aristotle was among the first to note this, and our Founding Fathers seconded his opinion.

    The Democrats are indeed defending “democracy.” They have quite a taste for lamb. Whoever they can gang up on, whether it’s black slaves or Indian braves or now white plumbers, the Democrats will use race to divide and conquer. The border is the new ballot box. Sitting Bull and Geronimo could tell you how that ends.

    What we should defend is a constitutional republic, and free speech–the right to denounce demagoguery from any quarter–is foundational to such a republic.

    1. Democrats are like Iago. They tell lies in the ears of their next door neighbor about the neighbor across the street. They then sit back with a laugh and watch them fight.

      The enemy of my enemy is my friend (for now).

  13. Misinformation and disinformation do [not] pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of any self-reliant person who considers and concludes for themselves whether what they are told is misinformation and disinformation is in fact misinformation and disinformation. Folks who so obediently and too easily rely on government’s paternalism to tell them what is misinformation and disinformation are much more likely to become even further victimized by government’s many condescending or controlling ways.

    1. OP Hoffman, is spot on and reminded me of this article.

      Government censorship is a greater threat than ‘disinformation’
      By Douglas Murray
      Published Sep. 12, 2024, 6:56 p.m. ET

      “One reason why we shouldn’t allow governments to make decisions over what is true and what is not is that they aren’t very good at it.”

      “There is absolutely no evidence that they can manage it. Government misleads the public all the time. As do some portions of the press and media.”

      “At one end of this are outright lies. At another there is what you might call an “approved narrative.”

      “For example, just in the last few weeks, we have seen the Democrats pretend that Kamala Harris never had any oversight of the southern border.”

      “Is that disinformation? I should say so.”

    2. “Misinformation and disinformation do [not] pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of any self-reliant person who considers and concludes for themselves whether what they are told is misinformation and disinformation is in fact misinformation and disinformation.”

      True, but that is their trick. First, they used the public education system as a tool to produce generations of increasingly conformist drones incapable of independent thought, and now they are taking full advantage of it.

      1. * The democrats are the masters of disinformation formerly known as a lie.

        They should know when to crack down on the opposition spreading misinformation!

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