Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“As a free speech fundamentalist, I’m not seeing much of value on offer from either Democrats or Republicans in this year’s presidential election. While I’m not especially surprised, I am somewhat unsettled by just how open both campaigns are about their desire to suppress speech that reflects negatively on either their ideas or on their candidates as people, sometimes while cosplaying as ‘free speech’ supporters. I’m not unsettled because I want to shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater (unless there IS a fire), or use racial slurs, or convince you that bad actors with space lasers are controlling the weather, or whatever. Nor is it that I want to hear other people doing those particular things, although I do — because it tells me who those people are and that I shouldn’t trust them with anything, especially political power. It’s because I’ve read George Orwell’s most popular work, 1984.” (10/10/24)