Freedom of the Press to Him who Owns a Press

One of the most important aspects of control, government control of the people, is to stifle the free flow of information, to squelch disagreement with the status quo, to quash opinions that go against the grain.

I don’t pretend to know why any particular person uses social media. Many people use it for very innocuous reasons… to stay in touch with family and friends, look at pictures and read about subjects that interest them, etc. That’s all well and fine.

I never used social media for that. Let me explain… It used to be opined: “freedom of the press to him who owns a press.” The rest of us were SOoL, unless we could get someone to publish our ideas. Then came the Internet. The challenge by the common man to the printed press was the miracle of the Internet. That exploded by a factor of 10 when social media made its debut. For me, there was the golden nugget in social media, to be taken up, to be polished, and to be put out to shine like a beacon on a hill – the unrestricted free exchange of ideas.

Then something strange happened in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and we brag of Freedom and Justice for all. (Is that enough clichés for you? I could add one more…)

So, what happened? Well, if you use social media like I do, for the free exchange of ideas, sometimes controversial ideas, then you became acutely aware of the attempts to squelch free speech, and thought, over the past couple of years.

If you raised any question about how the coronavirus got started, you were shutdown.

If you raised any question about fraud in the 2020 presidential election, you were shutdown.

If you raised any question about COVID vaccine efficacy, you were shutdown.

If you suggested the use of alternative COVID treatments, you were shut down.

The words “Hydroxychloroquine” and “Ivermectin” became taboo.

If you questioned the actions of BLM, you were shouted down.

If you questioned the 25, or so, gender identities replacing the original 2, you were shouted down.

The list could go on.

But here’s the really scary part; the censorship was not coming from government, as per se. It was coming from the, so-called, “free press” and the private sector, Big Tech, albeit at the behest of government. The media and private corporations were in bed with those in government who wanted to shut down the free exchange of ideas. I am referring to something very close to “fascism”.

If the stifling of free speech is successful, and we are teetering on the edge, playing with fire, the only thing that will save us is the rights delineated as natural rights in the 2nd Amendment. At that point, it won’t be accomplished without a fight. As bad as that sounds, the alternative frightens me much, much more.