Is Free Speech Dead in the United States?
Part 2
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? The short answer is they go to jail. In Part Two of this article, I am going to provide some concerning evidence that explains why free speech in the United States is in grave danger. Then I will provide some examples of how people like you and me can fight for it. Before I do either, I want to point out, once again, that the freedom to speak freely is absolutely critical in a free society. Hate speech, misinformation, fake news, disinformation, and poor philosophies can be defeated peacefully in the arena of ideas. Freedom of information and the ability to articulate thought derived criticism and persuasive arguments using empirical evidence, clear logic, and reason is how this end can be achieved without having to resort to emotionally triggered acts of violence. It is how we win the Information War.
We used to be able to ridicule and make fun of people who perpetuated bad ideas and that used to stop them. It was generally understood by everyone why certain ideas, such as high deficit government spending, were not good to implement. The public understood that high deficits would eventually create worse economic problems in the future. People were better educated back then. Nowadays, people are not as well educated and ridiculing someone for their beliefs has become “politically incorrect” and socially unacceptable. Rush Limbaugh used to refer to some of these people as “low information voters.” Rush understood that the information war was producing casualties. That’s why his efforts to counter the mainstream (deep state controlled) narrative were so important. Rush was a national treasure who stood up every day on the radio behind the golden EIB microphone to fight tyranny with his speech. He is greatly missed.
Owen Shroyer
Today, others continue to fight for the same freedom for which Rush fought. Owen Shroyer is one of them. Owen is the host of the “War Room” on the InfoWars Network. He is very critical of the mainstream media, public figures who shill for the globalists, and politicians who infringe on civil liberties, either through the use of a pen or by force with government goon squads. Needless to say, being critical of these figures earned this man a target on his back. Despite that, Owen was courageous enough to travel to Washington, D.C. during the impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump, where he would protest the trial. On Thursday, January 23, 2020, InfoWars host Owen Shroyer was arrested outside the Senate Impeachment Proceedings for exercising his free speech and right to protest.
This article is one of the few I could find detailing the incident. Owen has spoken at times about the arrest during his show. Apparently, the inside of the Capitol is a free speech zone. In other words, citizens cannot exercise their right to free speech inside the actual building of the Capitol, of the United States of America.
The incident at the Senate Impeachment Proceedings would not be the last for Owen. On January 6, 2021, both Alex Jones and Owen Shroyer were present at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. covering the event for the InfoWars Network. At some point in time, Alex was heard on the microphone warning people not to go into the capitol. Owen was calling for peace. Neither one of them entered the Capitol building itself and both tried to warn others about being entrapped by a federal operation by law enforcement. What is significant about Owen’s presence at the capitol is that he would later be charged for it under 18 U.S. Code § 1752(a)(1)and(2) - Restricted building or grounds and 40 U.S. Code § 5104(e)(2)(D) and (E) - Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds.
The charging documents can be found here.
Originally, Shroyer pleaded not guilty but he would later change his plea in exchange for a deal. The U.S. Attorney agreed to drop three misdemeanor charges in exchange for a guilty plea for knowingly remaining on restricted grounds. Some say he was targetted because of his close ties to Alex Jones. Others may speculate it was because he has been an outspoken critic of the Biden Administration. Regardless, he was charged for standing in the wrong area and he is currently serving a 60-day prison sentence for it. I believe his scheduled release is Christmas Eve, 2023.
I would just like to drive home the point that the United States government has incarcerated a journalist for standing in the wrong place at the Capitol. The government doesn’t like the network for which he works and it doesn’t like that he is an outspoken critic. Does this sound similar to how communist governments deal with their critics?
Gonzalo Lira
Gonzalo Lira is a Chilean-American writer and film director who was been living in Ukraine. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he began writing about the military operations in the country. He began publishing videos on YouTube with his commentary about the war. His harsh criticism of the Ukrainian government made him a target of the government. In his videos, he criticized the Zelensky government and he spoke about the conditions of the war, highlighting the discrepancy between the official Ukrainian military reports and what really happened. He said that “although Ukraine may win the propaganda war, Russia wins the real war by capturing territory.” According to his Wikipedia Page, a Russian news agency used one of his videos for propaganda.
On May 1, 2023, Gonzalo Lira was arrested a second time by Ukrainian State Security Agents while trying to flee to Hungary. This was the second time he was arrested. After his first arrest, he claimed he was beaten, tortured, and then extorted. He allegedly paid his captors and after some time in jail, he was released. He hasn’t been seen since his second arrest and it is presumed that he is incarcerated in a prison in Ukraine.
So it would seem that the right to speak freely cannot be exercised in a country that claims to be democratic in nature. Regardless of what Lira said or wrote, free speech does not exist in Ukraine. He was arrested for speaking the truth. It’s plain and simple and the U.S. Government is doing nothing about it.
Free speech is not about agreeing with what is being written or spoken. Let me be clear. Free speech is about the right to say whatever you want without the government throwing you in jail. Neither Owen nor Gonzalo should be in prison. Gonzalo might be in Ukraine right now, but does that really matter? His videos and blogs are censored in the United States. If he had been at the capitol on Jan. 6th, he might have been prosecuted right along with Owen. His case represents how free speech is being treated by “European Democracies” and Shroyer’s case illustrates the status of the First Amendment in America.
In an article published Tuesday, November 21, 2023, by the Gateway Pundit, it was revealed that a secret White House program allows law enforcement to spy on phone records without wiretap or search warrants. It’s a program that has been used on and off since 2009. “…The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy began paying AT&T to allow all law enforcement agencies to probe AT&T customers’ phone records as far back as 1987,” according to the article. How was the government using the information it collected and what will the government do with it in the future? I have serious concerns…
Take Action
There are things that can be done now to stop all of this. The first thing I recommend is, if you haven’t already, to get concerned about your privacy. Information is collected about all of us on a daily basis from private and government entities. They get most of this information using technology, namely your cell phone. In order to fight this, STOP using Apple and Google phones with their proprietary software. If you don’t and you post something online that they don’t like, then you will eventually be canceled. Start using a de-Googled phone. This is a phone that uses a different operating system that doesn’t have the Apple or Google software that reports back to Apple and Google. Generally, these phones are easy to use, cheaper, and most importantly, they protect your privacy.
With the help of a de-Googled phone, you can post those controversial comments on social media without too much worry. But that’s only just the beginning. There are other ways to track you, like through your credit cards and banking. Unfortunately, the topic of privacy is beyond the scope of this article. If you would like to learn more about how to protect your privacy, click on the links below:
https://brax.me/home/rob
https://abovephone.com/
https://www.brighteon.com/1a756d31-e330-40fa-ba66-de1bec6e975d
The reason I even brought up the topic of privacy in this article is because it will become increasingly important to secure your privacy if you want to exercise your right to free speech in the future. When the Sons of Liberty dumped the tea into Boston Harbor, they wore disguises. They protected their identities and their privacy. When the Pamphleteers printed and distributed propaganda supporting the Revolutionary War, they didn’t use their real names. They protected their privacy.
On November 14, 2023, Business Insider published an article entitled, Nikki Haley wants you to verify your identity on social media. Apparently, Nikki Haley thinks that protecting your online identity is a threat to nAtIOnAl SeCuRiTy. She thinks the people are too stupid to separate fake news from truth. If she’s so concerned about spreading misinformation, then why doesn’t she criticize the mainstream corporate media? If she’s so smart, then why not advocate for restrictions on the mockingbird media? It’s about control. That’s why.
The Deep State is out for blood. They intend to crush anyone standing in their way. It is trying now to intimidate the public out of speaking up. Protect your privacy and then join your fellow Americans in speaking out against this tyranny. It is time to push back. Do not assume someone else will do it in your absence. If I assume you’ll do it and you assume I’ll do it, then nothing will get done. We must ALL do it. Be vigilant. Call your state representatives. Call your Senators. Call your Congressman. Then EMAIL them. Then, call the corporate headquarters of every private corporation from which you purchase goods and services. Then take to social media and speak out there. Then organize by meeting with your neighbors, friends, family, church members, etc. Write out a communications plan and implement a parallel system of communications so you can all communicate outside of the centralized communications system. Having a backup communications system will be absolutely important if the government decides to go full tyranny on the people. Now is the time to speak out MORE than ever. It is our best hope to peacefully bring down the evil we face and I have faith we can do it. And do it we must. If we don’t, then well end up as slaves or worse.
Is Free Speech Dead in the United States? Ultimately, you can be the judge of that. I don’t believe it is because good people are fighting for it. I believe this will continue. I know it’s my absolute right to say what’s on my mind. I intend to keep it that way. Securely. Privately. Publicly at the time and place of my choosing. I am keeping it alive with every article I write, with every First Amendment auditor I watch, and with every social media post I make.
If you like reading my articles and articles like this, then please like, share, and subscribe. If you’d like to donate to help support my work, you can do so through a paid subscription here on Substack or by going to Buy Me A Coffee and donating there. Thank you for reading and for your support. May God be with you. Peace!