In 2020, I wrote about the toppling of the monument to George Washington on the campus of George Washington University, where I teach. The university was silent on the vandalism by far left groups. Now, after George was restored, protesters have again vandalized the monument by spray painting pro-Palestinian slogans on its base. It is a continuation of property damage seen recently on Capitol Hill, including the defacing of the Columbus statue in front of Union Station as police watched. A pro-Palestinian group heralded the property damage on GW campus this week and pledged more such action until the university cuts ties with Israel. Continue reading “George Washington Monument Vandalized By Pro-Palestinian Protesters”→
We have previously discussed the cancel campaigns targeting JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. Rowling was not only the greatest selling author of all time but a wildly popular writer until she publicly opposed certain transgender policies as inimical to the advances in feminism. Now, she is the target of a lawsuit by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the gold-medal winning athlete who had previously failed a gender test to confirm that she is a female fighter. We previously discussed that global debate, but Khelif is now accusing Rowling out of many thousands of critics of being a cyberbully. X owner Elon Musk has also been named in the lawsuit.
The crackdown on free speech continues in the United Kingdom as officials use recent rioting to justify a roundup of citizens who they view as “pushing harmful and hateful beliefs.” The government is ramping up arrests of those with “extremist ideologies” in the latest wave of arrests. The crackdown includes those accused of misogynist views.In my book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I discuss how difficult it is to get a free people to give up freedoms. They have to be afraid, very afraid. For that reason, governments tend to attack free speech during periods of public anger or fear. Continue reading ““It’s Not OK Any More”: The United Kingdom Cracks Down on Free Speech”→
Below is my column in the New York Post on the complaints of Jewish groups that they were denied permits to march in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention while other groups, including pro-Palestinian groups, were allowed to do so. There is a crushing irony in Chicago given the decision in 1978 to allow Nazis to march in nearby Skokie, but Jews could not march in Chicago in 2024.
Three years ago, we discussed the conviction of a British man for “toxic ideologies,” under the draconian laws criminalizing inciteful or dangerous speech. The erosion of free speech appears to have only accelerated in the UK. As is often the case, the attacks on free speech increase during periods of unrest, anger or fear. With the recent anti-immigration riots, British authorities have used their laws to round up a large number of citizens expressing anti-immigrant views and some have already been convicted. Those cases include Wayne O’Rourke, 35, who has been sentenced to three years in prison for “stirring up racial hatred.” Continue reading ““Keyboard Warrior”: British Crackdown Results in Three-Year Sentence Over Anti-Migrant Postings”→
Below is my column in The Hill on the move of the European Union to force Elon Musk to censor X users, including political speech leading up to the 2024 election. The column discusses this Rockwell painting, which we often use in discussing free speech controversies.
I just returned from a trip to Boston with my wife and one of my kids. Boston has always held a natural appeal for me as a city heavily steeped in history. I never get tired visiting the city and I wanted to share a few travel blog entries and pictures. I could not recommend a visit to the city more highly, but give yourself a few days to take in everything that Beantown has to offer. Continue reading “A Walk Through Beantown: Why Visiting Boston Never Gets Old”→
There is a rather curious controversy brewing over one of the Washington Post’s most controversial writers, Taylor Lorenz. The “tech columnist” for the Post has drawn continual criticism over public meltdowns and alleged doxxing. However, the Post seemed to value her notoriety…until she posted a picture of President Joe Biden with “war criminal” on it. Lorenz appeared to suggest that others added those words before various mainstream media outlets contradicted her account. She is now denying that she denied it was her words and the Post is investigating. What is most curious, however, is what it takes for the Post to investigate alleged false claims by its columnists. Continue reading “The Curious Story of Taylor Lorenz … and Belated Concerns of the Washington Post”→
For years, many of us have been writing about the decline in viewpoint diversity and the rise of an academic orthodoxy in higher education. It is one of the focuses of my new book, The Indispensable Right. Despite the calls for greater tolerance, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) just elected a new president who has been criticized for being overtly hostile to conservative viewpoints and candidates. Todd Wolfson, a Rutgers University anthropologist, is an ally for those who continue to oppose intellectual diversity in favor of ideological orthodoxy in higher education. Continue reading ““A Fighting Organization”: AAUP Elects New President Who Doubles Down on an Anti-Conservative Agenda”→
We previously discussed the defamation lawsuit against CNN and the curious effort to use Taliban law to dismiss the lawsuit by Navy veteran Zachary Young. The litigation has not been going well for the network and it just lost another key motion to block an effort to depose Jake Tapper. Worse yet, the court appears to have questioned the veracity of the host in a sworn deposition on his lack of knowledge over the financial subject matter of the deposition. Continue reading “CNN Loses Another Motion in Defamation Case as Court Orders Tapper to Appear”→
Below is my column in The Hill on my call for a bill that would bar federal funding of any program and grant to censor, blacklist, or target individuals or sites based on their content. It is time to get the U.S. government out of the censorship business. The column discusses the proposal in my new book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” to block any further funding for the current system of corporate, academic, and government programs targeting opposing or dissenting views. Continue reading “Want More Freedom of Speech? Try Less Government.”→
In my new book on free speech, I discuss at length how the mainstream media has joined an alliance with the government and corporations in favor of censorship and blacklisting. The Washington Post, however, appears to be taking its anti-free speech campaign to a new level with open calls for a crackdown. The newspaper offered no objection or even qualification after its reporter, Cleve Wootson Jr., appeared to call upon the White House to censor the interview of Elon Musk with former President Donald Trump. Under the guise of a question, Wootson told White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that censoring its leading political opponent is “an America issue.” Continue reading ““An America Issue”: Washington Post Reporter Calls on White House to Censor Trump for America”→
In my new book on free speech and various columns, I write about the European Digital Services Act (DSA) as one of the greatest assaults on free speech in history. One of the most notorious anti-free speech figures in the world is European Commissioner for Internal Markets and Services Thierry Breton. Where some censors express reluctance in their work, Breton is chillingly enthusiastic in threatening those with opposing views with charges and financial ruin. The latest is Elon Musk for his decision to interview former President Donald Trump. Continue reading ““We are Monitoring”: EU Censor Threatens Musk Ahead of the Trump Interview”→
Below is my column in The Hill on why a Harris-Walz Administration would be a nightmare for free speech. A long-standing advocate for censorship and other speech controls, Vice President Kamala Harris just added an equally menacing candidate to her ticket for 2024.
We have previously discussed controversial sentences handed down in cases involving rioters on January 6th, including sentencing orders that, in my view, violate First Amendment rights. That included the case of Daniel Goodwyn, who pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building. That crime would ordinarily not involve any jail time for a first offender. However, Judge Reggie B. Walton of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia decided that he would use the case to regulate what Goodwyn was reading and communicating with a chilling probation order. After the case was sent back by the D.C. Circuit, Walton doubled down on his extraordinary order. Now the D.C. Circuit has refused to hear an emergency appeal. Continue reading “Combatting “False Narratives”: D.C. Circuit Refuses to Block Judge Limiting the Speech of Jan. 6th Defendant”→
In 2020, I wrote about the toppling of the monument to George Washington on the campus of George Washington University, where I teach. The university was silent on the vandalism by far left groups. Now, after George was restored, protesters have again vandalized the monument by spray painting pro-Palestinian slogans on its base. It is a continuation of property damage seen recently on Capitol Hill, including the defacing of the Columbus statue in front of Union Station as police watched. A pro-Palestinian group heralded the property damage on GW campus this week and pledged more such action until the university cuts ties with Israel. Continue reading “George Washington Monument Vandalized By Pro-Palestinian Protesters” 
