Is Free Speech Dead in the United States?
Part 1
One of the pillars of democratic societies is the ability to speak freely without fear of reprisal from the government and its officials. Part of that pillar includes the ability to criticize politicians and their policies. In the United States, the First Amendment protects citizens from government persecution when exercising their right to speak freely. Journalism and the press are protected under the First Amendment.
Who is the Press in the United States?
The short answer is, We The People.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time this year watching First Amendment Audits of varying types. I’ve learned a lot. First, these audits vary depending on the style, location, and target of the audit. Some auditors visit government buildings and take pictures and videos. Some do cop-watching, meaning they only film police while in the course of carrying out their official duties. Oftentimes, cop watchers film the police from the sidewalk during a traffic stop. Other auditors film anything they can see in public, including private businesses. As long as the auditor is on public property, it is completely legal. If they are on private property and the property owner asks them to leave, the auditor could then be trespassing.
I have also learned that the American public generally doesn't understand the legality of public photography and that includes government officials. Many public servants do not understand the differences between public and private property. Some are quick to get angry and confront First Amendment Auditors. When the police are called (and if they even show up), it is a toss-up as to whether or not the responding officers are educated on the law regarding public photography.
In states that do not have stop and identify statutes, the citizens do not have to identify themselves, unless the officer has reasonable suspicion that a crime has been, is being, or is about to be committed. Exercising a right, such as public photography, cannot be made into a crime by the police. So, in most cases, the police cannot demand identification. This would be a violation of the Fourth Amendment. In states that have stop and identity laws, individuals have to surrender their identification to law enforcement upon request. It would be a good idea to check your state and local laws regarding this matter before making the decision to become an auditor.
The Supreme Court has ruled on several cases regarding public photography, essentially stating, “what the eye can see cannot be trespassed.” Each individual Supreme Court Case has its own merits and unique circumstances. Opinions and rulings issued by the court vary accordingly, but in simple terms, the phrase applies to most instances so long as a crime isn’t being committed or someone else’s rights are not violated. So the general rule of thumb is, that if an individual is standing on public property which has public access, then public photography is okay. Exceptions to this rule include restricted access areas and areas for which access is controlled by keyed entry.
I have also learned that there is not a government agency that is tasked with issuing “Press Credentials” or “Press Passes.” Every citizen can be a member of the press in the United States and any journalistic activity is expressly protected under the First Amendment. Professional news agencies and media companies issue identification to their employees. This identification is nothing more than work identification.
So why is this important?
First, it is important to know your rights.
Second, there are citizen journalists out there every day standing up for the First Amendment.
Third, the right to free speech is under attack.
Censorship
One of the things we have been seeing more of is censorship on tech platforms. It’s becoming more pervasive. According to a report published on Feb. 8, 2023 by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, “Under former Twitter employees’ watch, Twitter devolved into a private company the FBI and federal government infiltrated to deliberately limit free speech, particularly conservative speech and news contrary to the mainstream narrative.” The report can be found here.
The screenshot above was taken from the executive summary of a report recently released by the the Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, dated November 6, 2023.
When I was in the process of writing this article, a report was published. The report details how Big Government, Big Education and Big Tech colluded to censor free speech. The House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government found that the Feds bypassed the First Amendment and hid from public scrutiny by using the Election Integrity Project to do its dirty work. The report even cites emails between various parties involved. It covers the who, what, when, where and how. It’s damning and as one may imagine, President Trump is listed as one of the people who was being censored. It’s a long report, but it can be found here if you, dear reader, would like to read it.
Social media and big tech platforms have the ability to influence public opinion. They might have the capability to influence behaviors. This is concerning for obvious reasons. Individuals need to be aware and mindful about how they are being censored on social media. It means a person’s activity is being monitored and data on the individual is being collected. Big Tech companies can use the information they gather about individuals and then use that to manipulate what that person views on the internet. It’s a measure of control. If your information is being gathered and compiled by a third party, then that third party can control you. Imagine how they may be able to shape and influence the outcomes of elections. Stunning, isn’t it?
As big tech companies push their censorship on social media platforms, new platforms rise up! Yes, there are platforms outside the reach of big tech that support liberty and freedom. You just have to dig deep to find them. Telegram, Truth Social, Brighteon.social, Brighteon.com and Qortal are a few worth naming.
Discussion
As the deep state continues to consolidate its power for the purpose of building swamp creatures to control us, it is important to remain peaceful. The deep state loves it when it can use its own propaganda wing to run pictures of violent extremists on the five o’clock news. Remaining peaceful keeps us away from that. What we should do is use the First Amendment to our advantage. One way we can do that is by first doing what I’ve already pointed out. Know Your Rights. Preying on ignorance is one of the common ways individuals are manipulated and oppressed. Another way to resist tyranny is to use the camera on your phone. If you see something happening that’s tyrannical, film it. Then transfer that video to a USB drive and upload it to the internet. Get the word out to people. The more aware people become of the tyranny we are fighting, the better. I realize that some are slow to wake up. I know that the process doesn’t always work for everyone. That’s okay. Not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace. We need to win the ones we can wake up now. That’s why this is an important tool to use.
One individual who has been relentlessly fighting for free speech is James O’Keefe. James has a long history of investigative journalism. He does exactly what I stated. He takes cameras into places and starts recording. Then he publishes the videos for everyone to see. In 2010, he founded the group Project Veritas, which published videos from undercover operations involving a variety of organizations. James has since founded O’Keefe Media Group, also known as OMG. His work since founding OMG has been along the same lines, exposing corruption in a variety of places from Fulton Country, GA to Big Pharma and so on. James goes to where the whistleblowers are blowing the whistles.
On August 8, 2023, James created a firestorm when he secretly began recording a school board meeting in Livingston, NJ. The video was published the next day on X, formerly known as Twitter. The school board officials called the police on him for recording the meeting, but fortunately, James knew his rights. Like the First Amendment auditors I mentioned at the beginning of this article, his activities are protected activities. The groundwork that others before him have conducted has laid the legal foundation for him to do what he did and he was there to expose the policies of the school board to parents and to provide transparency so they can be held accountable for their actions in their official capacities.
The First Amendment is so important to freedom. It serves so many functions, but in its boiled down, most basic form, it enables the transfer of information from one person to another. The quality of that information depends on how much it is censored or changed as it is transferred. There are many ways the information can be transferred and it is through those means that it can be altered. If we are to continue to live free in the United States, then we must be able and willing to exercise our right to free speech. We must have little, if any censorship in order to guarantee a high quality of information. We must also reclaim our education system for individuals so that they are capable of making their own decisions based on the information they receive. We must be able to debate and discuss ideas freely. Anything short of that and we are done as a free nation. If someone has an idea that seems like it is bad, then defeat it with words. When we are able to do this very thing, violence is not necessary and peace wins the day.
What happens when a group of citizens or an individual wants to exercise their right to free speech and assembly and the government arrests them?
To be continued…
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