free speech

Let’s be clear about one thing: no one—not the armed, violent, militant protesters nor the police—gave peace a chance during the August 12 demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va.
What should have been an exercise in free speech quickly became a brawl. It’s not about who threw the first punch or the first smoke bomb.
It’s not about which faction outshouted the other, or which side perpetrated more violence, or even which group can claim to be the greater victim.

They claim that its goal is to disrupt misinformation, but its real purpose is to censor truth coming from alternative media. [...]

Nearly half of Congress is trying to criminalize BDS, a boycott against Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, but 25,000 Democrat Socialists of America support the BDS campaign. [...]

Consortium News Exclusive: The U.S. mainstream media continues to spread its own “fake news,” like the falsehood about an intelligence community “consensus” on Russia-gate “hacking,” as algorithms begin to marginalize dissent…
By Robert Parry

Today we investigate new developments in the case of murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich, as well as mainstream fear-mongering over North Korea, the tragic lament of the Telegraph newspaper, and also UK government making formal moves now to censor the internet, and much more…
Watch UK Column anchor Mike Robinson, along with Patrick Henningsen and Alex Thomson with today’s international news round-up.

21st Century Wire says…
It’s no secret that the US mainstream media enforces a very tight party line when it comes to saying anything about Israel. Generally speaking, any criticism of the ‘Jewish State’ normally ends up in the editorial waste bin.

In March of 2017, bills were introduced in the US Senate and House of Representatives which would criminalise support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as well as other organisations which advocate for a boycott of Israel and Israeli products.

The bill would impose fines up to $250,000 on any US citizen ‘engaged in interstate or foreign commerce’ who supports a boycott of Israeli goods and services. [...]

A protestor stands in front of riot Police Monday, April 27, 2015, following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.
“Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? The constitutional theory is that we the people are the sovereigns, the state and federal officials only our agents. We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek to challenge and annoy, as we need not stay docile and quiet.”

In a free society, people have a moral responsibility for their speech, while at the same time a free society requires legal responsibility only for what they actually do.