Democrat Censorship at all Levels of Government
When Democrats can’t control the narrative, they try to take away First Amendment rights.
Anytime you hear the terms “misinformation” or “fact-checking” it’s almost guaranteed it’s a leftist speaking who wants to censor your speech.
When I was elected to serve on the school board of one of the largest districts in my state, I gathered facts and data. I presented the information I collected to the public on topics such as student discipline problems, overspending, and testing data. The leftist district superintendent, Aaron Spence, wasn’t pleased because the rosy façade he presented to the public was being challenged. So, his high-paid media director created a “fact-checker” page on the taxpayer funded school district website to combat what they considered “misinformation.” One of the tasks in the job description for the media director was to “control the division narrative.” She used her government funded position to attempt to discredit a representative elected by the people.
Spence now heads the Loudoun County school system where the board continues to muzzle public speech—his media director fact-checker also followed him there. America First Legal (AFL) just announced a lawsuit against the Loudoun County School Board and its chair, Melinda Mansfield. On Oct. 8, 2024, several concerned citizens spoke out regarding an alleged illegal alien student with gang ties. The media published articles about the student allegedly returning to school after his arrest for “carrying a gun and threatening to shoot another student.” During their speeches to the school board, the parents suing the board did not provide any identifying information about the student. They only shared what the media reported and concerns about the safety of their own children and others in the school. The chair continued cutting off the speakers, misleadingly claiming they violated student privacy laws. Ultimately, Mansfield cut off all public comment, preventing several individuals from speaking who signed up in advance.
(READ MORE: Tim Walz’s NEA Promotes the Sexualization of Children)
The Constitution Clearly Spells Out Our Innate Rights
The day after the board meeting, Mansfield and Spence sent a letter to the community claiming: “Misinformation is on the rise, and school divisions like LCPS must be vigilant in actively combating it. It is our responsibility to call out misinformation when allegations are incorrect, unsubstantiated, or deliberately used to create division within our community.” Perhaps worst of all they wrote, “Allowing unverified information to spread in a public forum, particularly one offered by the School Board, would be irresponsible.” Nowhere in the First Amendment does it state that freedom of speech only applies to “verified information.”
Ian Prior, legal counsel for the plaintiffs, said it best: “Government is not the arbiter of truth.” Mr. Prior also asserted: “Freedom of expression upon public questions concerning the functioning of our schools is a core right secured by the First Amendment…While Loudoun County Public Schools may believe that it can deprive First Amendment rights based on its claims of so-called ‘misinformation,’ the Bill of Rights makes clear that in the United States, the government is not the arbiter of truth,”
The Loudoun board has a history of silencing the public on issues with which they disagree. In May 2021 Tanner Cross, a PE teacher in the district, spoke at a public meeting sharing his thoughts on a transgender policy under consideration. “I love all my students, but I cannot call a boy a girl and a girl a boy,” he said. The Loudoun County School District suspended Mr. Cross from his job and banned him from all school functions.
Cross fought back and won. The Virginia Supreme Court reaffirmed a lower court ruling to reinstate Mr. Cross to his position after he sued claiming the Loudoun board violated his right to free speech and free exercise of religion.
It is imperative that every American fights back like Mr. Cross when speech is censored. We cannot give up our First Amendment rights!
Kamala Harris Wants to Control Free Speech on Social Media
Censorship at the local level surely results from big government actions and enablement at the federal level. The Harris-Biden administration has doubled down on trying to control public speech. Harris shared her concerns about social media companies directly speaking to millions of people “without any level of oversight or regulation and that has to stop.” Harris believes government should be the arbiter of truth.
The @joerogan conversation with @realDonaldTrump drops tonight. Can’t wait!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2024
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Over the last several decades radical leftists have waged a war against speech in the form of political correctness. It has caused the public to fear speaking up. Scott Smith’s daughter was the victim of a sexual assault in a bathroom by a transgender student and the former Loudoun County superintendent tried to cover it up. When Smith and other parents shared concerns at a school board meeting about a boy wearing a skirt assaulting a female, Scott Smith was arrested. The Harris-Biden Department of Justice falsely labeled him a domestic terrorist. These actions have certainly empowered the Loudoun school board to double down on censorship because they’ve had the backing of the federal government.
Elon Musk claims that citizen journalism is the future. Recent research found only 32 percent of Americans get their news from television—a vast majority favor digital devices for their content. Pew Research found 54 percent of adults get their news from social media “at least sometimes.”
In three days, Joe Rogan’s interview with Donald Trump received over 28 million views. In contrast, Kamala Harris’ CNN town hall received a paltry 3 million viewers. No wonder Harris wants to regulate social media—she can’t control the narrative of her political opponent.
Elon is right. We need “journalism for the people, by the people.” The people should get to decide the “narrative and what matters,” not the government.
(READ MORE: Virginia Election Official Sends Multiple Absentee Ballots to 7,400 Households)
