March 19, 2024

Free speech concerns following creation of DHS Disinformation Governance Board

0

In this April 30, 2022 article for Fox News, Kelly Laco reports on the various concerns surrounding the creation of the Department of Homeland Security’s new “disinformation board” which was intended to “combat online disinformation”.

Several politicians have already expressed their opposition against it, with some saying that this was the Biden administration’s attempt to stifle free speech. Sen. Tom Cotton said, “The Federal Government has no business creating a Ministry of Truth. The Department of Homeland Security’s “Disinformation Board” is unconstitutional and unamerican”. Meanwhile, Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted, “I don’t think people are fully understanding the severity of what a Ministry of Truth organized by DHS truly means. This is Stalin level. This is Mao level. This is the hill to die on.”

In a press conference, Gov. Ron De Santis said, “Clearly, our entire principles that the country was founded on you cannot have a Ministry of Truth in this country”. In a tweet, Brookings Institute Senior Fellow Shadi Hamid said, “How is this even up for debate? The government should not be involved in deciding what is true and false”.

Meanwhile, the White House defended the DHS board, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying, “It sounds like the objective of the board is to prevent disinformation and misinformation from traveling around the country in a range of communities. I’m not sure who opposes that effort.”

Editor’s Note: This “Disinformation Governing Board” reminds us of the Inquisition, which strived to prosecute those who speak out against the “approved” truth of the Catholic Church. Only this time, it is the government, in collusion with major economic powers who are trying to prevent people from accessing information.

But modern censorship is nothing like that of the Inquisition. Its target is not just muzzling speech, rather, it is about one “group” usurping power by eroding trust and attention away from those that question their position. The dangers of this kind of censorship have been discussed in a 2018 article from Wired entitled It’s the (Democracy-Poisoning) Golden Age of Free Speech. Our problem today is that our societal gatekeepers which previously kept governments in check are not colluding against us. They are part of the “disinformation” machinery designed to keep us in our mind’s prisons.

This is why Biden’s Ministry of Truth is dangerous. It can redefine truth and reality. All that we have learned about the nature of humanity, the value of freedom in our societies, and the importance of human dignity could all be rewritten.

We have seen how the censorship during the COVID scamdemic has led to the death of many who could have been saved if they were only given early treatment. We have seen how vaccine disinformation promoted by state forces has led to the deaths of many people who falsely trusted in their captured governments. We have awakened to the use of fear for manipulating sentiment and behavior.

Are we now going to allow this “Ministry of Truth” to continue knowing that our very own governments are part of the conspiracy to rob us of our humanity and democracy?

Read Original Article

Read Online

Click the button below if you wish to read the article on the website where it was originally published.

Read Offline

Click the button below if you wish to read the article offline.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *