Freedom of Speech... Under Attack Again

Seriously, am I turning into a conspiracy nut or is Freedom of Speech truly under attack again. As in, under attack by our own government. This last weekend, the President said that with the 24 hour news cycle and information on the internet, there can be "too much information." What the what? How can their ever be too much information? He went on to say that their is so much information out there you can't tell what is true and what is less than truthful. Information has been out there forever. At no time has anyone said there was too much information, unless they were attempting to suppress said information. What information can be out there that the government could be afraid of?

Here is what the President said in his own words.

"You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter," Obama said at Hampton University, Virginia.

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,"

Since when was information a distraction? This is how it has always worked. People view the information out there, they see if it passes the smell test, then they see how it fits with their belief system, and then they work to reverify it with multiple sources. The founders wanted a robust debate in our society. That is why Free Speech is encapsulated in the FIRST Ammendment to the Bill of Rights.

This last week the President also announced his pick for the next Supreme Court Justice. She doesn't believe that all speech should be free. Consider this quote dug up by the First Amendment Center's David L. Hudson, who found it in a government brief signed by Kagan in United States v Stevens: “Whether a given category of speech enjoys First Amendment protection depends upon a categorical balancing of the value of the speech against its societal costs."

The 1st Ammendment states:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So, no law "abridging the freedom of speech." That means no law whatsoever. Societal costs is such a red herring for Progressives to further their own agenda to control every single aspect of our lives. See my paper on Progressivism for more information on how Progressives feel about people being smart enough to make their own decisions.

Also going along with these two would be the FCC attempting to "reclassify" the internet. They are doing this to control it, and therefore the information that flows through it. They attempted to implement "net neutrality" through the normal means and were shot down by both congress and the courts. Now this part of the executive branch is just deciding to go against what was decided by congress, the courts, and going against well established precedent set by itself under administrations that were on both sides of the aisle, to get what they want. Whatever happened to separation of powers?

There is a reason I selected the quote I have at the top of my blog. The first thing tyrrants do go after is your voice, your freedom of speech. Consider the following quotes from previous Supreme Court Justices.

"Restriction on free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us."
- Thurgood Marshall

"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."
- William J. Brennan, Jr.

So, judge for yourself whether or not I am going a little loony, but I have to say this has me extremely worried. There was the flag email address to report to the WhiteHouse any falsehood your friends may be spreading about health care. Now the President says there is "too much" information out there and is attempting to appoint someone to the court with no judicial experience that has ideas of limiting speech for the "greater good." All while the FCC is trying to take over the internet.

As I mentioned before, do some of your own research. Look into some of these things yourself. Oh, and if you believe the most technologically savvy President in history doesn't know how to work an iPod (he gave one to the Queen with all his speeches on it as a gift) then I have some ocean front property on the East side of the Vegas Strip I wanna sell ya.

Remember, keep yourself and informed and do not be afraid to speak out.