(Originally published in Front Page Mag.)
To remind you of what the First Amendment is:
“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.”
I feel this is important to bring up, because now, more than ever, our right to free speech comes under attack. Particularly from a higher-up position.
I’m talking about President Joe Biden. Yes, the same president that was pushing for the longest time to take care of the people that voted him into office. Apparently he’s not too fond about what some people are saying about him on social media.
The Epoch Times recently reported that a federal judge has granted a partial injunction that prevents Biden administration officials and government agencies (including the FBI and the Justice Department) from working alongside big tech firms to censor accounts or posts on social media.
This follows a censorship-by-proxy lawsuit that was brought on by two Attorney Generals in Louisiana and Missouri, who noted that Biden administration officials and agencies were actually pressuring social media companies to not only remove posts, but also suspend particular accounts.
As a result, these agencies cannot engage “in any communication of any kind with social-media companies urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner for removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech,” per the official injunction.
“This could be arguably one of the most important First Amendment cases in modern history,” Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry told The Epoch Times following the injunction.
“If you look at the opinion that the judge lays out, he takes from our argument that this is basically one of the most massive undertakings of the federal government to limit American speech in the history of our country. The things that we uncovered, in this case, should be both shocking, appalling, and concerning for all Americans.”
But the real question is why. Why would Biden and his administration go to great lengths to silence certain accounts and social media posts? I’ve got two guesses.
First, and probably foremost, is when he went on the attack against “MAGA republicans” back in September. He noted how these people “threaten our very democracy,” with so many taking to social media to post their thoughts on him and other political matters.
This might be a bit far-fetched, but think about it. Biden has deep disdain for anyone that supports former President Donald Trump or, for that matter, these “MAGA Republicans” he’s discussing. So of course he’d go after them on social media, in the hopes of keeping things “justified” – for his own sake, of course.
A president going after people for their freedom of speech is absolutely unheard of. Especially when you have the First Amendment into consideration. He has to know they’re protected by that, yes?
Then there’s the second guess, and this one’s more personal – Hunter Biden.
As you know, the president’s son has once again landed in legal hot water, particularly with documents indicating that Hunter tried to use his father’s own leverage to pressure a Chinese executive. Now, ol’ Joe has denied ever being there, but that hasn’t stopped many from taking to social media to provide their two cents on the matter.
Come to think of it, that’s even worse than going after “MAGA Republicans” in general, if only because that means the President is trying to cover up theories surrounding his son instead of letting him have his day in court. That means he’s working against the First Amendment for the sake of his own family.
We don’t know what the real reason is for the Biden administration going on an attack such as this. But I’m thankful that the federal judge working the case realizes the importance of free speech. It may not be what Biden and his family are hoping to hear, but it’s our God-given right and no one – not even the president – should be allowed to silence it. Period.
Michael Letts is the Founder, President, and CEO of InVest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. He also has over 30 years of law enforcement experience under his belt, hence his pro-police stance for his brothers and sisters in blue.
