Tag Archives: free speech

Josh Del Sol/Take Back your Power: Gestapo In The USA: FCC intimidates press and kills free speech at 5G rollout (video)

Re-posted with thanks, from Josh Del Sol at Take Back Your Power, who brought us the video documentary of that name on Smart Meters. This is reportage on the recent FCC rollout of 5G, where reporters’ concerns about wireless harm to humans, including the dangers of cancer, were repressed openly at the meeting, as the enclosed video shows. Please read the whole article with care, please watch the video, and please take personal action to contact Senators and Representatives to educate them toward stopping this rollout, as recommended below, because 5G is a blanket technology that will operate at ultra-high microwave  frequencies, and, from all accounts, will most definitely cause infinite harm to humans, animals, and our environment. Children would be most at risk.

One huge takeaway from this reportage and activism initiative is that it is time to let lawmakers know we are going to hold them personally accountable and liable for their actions in kowtowing to industry lobbyists and letting harmful legislation through, as Josh del Sol advises below, a realization that we could apply in all other activism as well.

Excerpt: “Here’s some snippets from FCC Chair Wheeler, at his June 20 press conference:

“5G will use much higher frequency bands [24 to 100+ GHz]… antennas that can aim and amplify signals… massive deployment of small cells… tens of billions of dollars in economic activity… hundreds of billions of microchips… if something can be connected, it will be connected… unlike other countries… we won’t wait for the standards…”

– Tom Wheeler, FCC Chair [on video above]

Paraphrased: “We can’t let life get in the way of profit. We want to make billions from all of you, and control everything. And in doing so, we’re not only going to willfully ignore science, we’re going to remove the idea of standards and initiate a free-for-all.

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Gestapo In The USA: FCC intimidates press and kills free speech at 5G rollout (video)

July 18, 2016
by Josh del Sol

youtube.com/watch?v=OMxfffqyDtc

In a public meeting at FCC headquarters on July 14, the agency which once served the people instead acted like tyrannical thugs, in an escalating series of remarkable events. [watch video above]

First, they prevented wireless science advocates from displaying a simple sign, violating their First Amendment rights in a public venue. Then, a security guard forcefully prevented a t-shirt from being taken out of a bag, by a former Congressional candidate with opposing views.

Next, a Bloomberg reporter had his credentials confiscated — almost unbelievably — for merely talking with the former Congressional candidate.

Following these incidents, the reporter, Todd Shields, was visibly irate with FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler — who also happens to be the former president of CTIA, the wireless industry’s lobbying organization.

“Moments ago I was attempting to talk to to some people who came to attend the meeting and have concerns about radiation and 5G. And your security force intervened — told the guy he couldn’t show me the t-shirt he wished to display at the meeting, forced him to put it away, and confiscated my FCC-issued ID. Is this consonant with the discussion that ought to be taking place here, and what’s your reaction to this action by your staff?”

-Todd Shields, Bloomberg reporter, to FCC Chair Wheeler [on video above]

Bloomberg reporter Todd Shields had his credentials confiscated — for talking with a former Congressional candidate about 5G and health concerns.

And in the Q&A that followed, the former Congressional candidate Kevin Mottus successfully added another dose of truth the narrative.

“Hey Tom, with the NTP study showing wireless causes cancer sub-thermally, how can you proceed with more wireless expansion, with FCC standards only recognizing thermal effects — ignoring thousands of studies showing cancerous effects, neurological effects, reproductive harm, immune system disorders… people are being electrosensitive…”

-Kevin Mottus, former Congressional candidate, to Wheeler [on video above]

After about 20 seconds of yielding the floor to Mottus, Wheeler interrupted, dodged this very appropriate question, and diverted to an FCC-compliant journalist:

“Lydia, do you have a question?

(Which, on the video, almost sounds like a Wheeler Freudian slip: “Litigate. Do you have a question?”)

There have been thousands of published peer-reviewed studies that indicate the proliferation of microwave (wireless) technologies is not safe to biological life. (See meta-study links here, here, here and here.)

Why is the FCC resorting to Gestapo-like tactics of suppression and outright intimidation?

The issue here, is that the Federal Communications Commission just rubber-stamped their rollout of “5G” cellular technology, which while increasing throughput, would blanket all planetary life with ultra-high microwave frequencies — 24Ghz and up. The fact that these frequencies have never been tested as safe is not stopping corporate-government plans for an unleashing of “massive infrastructure”.

FCCBut there have been thousands of published peer-reviewed studies that indicate the proliferation of microwave (wireless) technologies is not safe to biological life. (See meta-study links here, here, here and here.)

So, because there’s a lot of money in a wireless economy and the data-harvesting that comes with it — trillions, in fact — Big Industry has bought the science, bought lawmakers, ruled the proliferation of microwaves as “safe”, and infiltrated the FCC along with most international health agencies.

And in the face of this willful, for-profit negligence, instead of employing conscience and responsibility, they’re actively silencing all opposition. You know, those of the human species that pay attention to passé concepts like science and reason.

Here’s some snippets from FCC Chair Wheeler, at his June 20 press conference:

“5G will use much higher frequency bands [24 to 100+ GHz]… antennas that can aim and amplify signals… massive deployment of small cells… tens of billions of dollars in economic activity… hundreds of billions of microchips… if something can be connected, it will be connected… unlike other countries… we won’t wait for the standards…”

– Tom Wheeler, FCC Chair [on video above]

Paraphrased: “We can’t let life get in the way of profit. We want to make billions from all of you, and control everything. And in doing so, we’re not only going to willfully ignore science, we’re going to remove the idea of standards and initiate a free-for-all.

FCC Chair and former industry lobbyist Tom Wheeler announces proliferation of 5G microwave technology, privatizes rollout and removes oversight and standards

If unchecked, what could this lead to?

The implications of all of this are very far-reaching. How far? Well, to find out, let’s start with what we know.

It’s pretty clear at this point that we have a government that has been taken over by corporate interests. In order to increase their power and control even more, they plan to exponentially ramp-up the deployment of technology everywhere, which a vast body of science clearly says is harmful.

If unchecked, this will almost certainly lead to an increase in cancer and other ailments associated with exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Haven’t we had enough of for-profit agendas putting profits before health?

From a surveillance standpoint, we already know there is a sinister spying agenda operating behind the scenes. The rollout of “5G” technology — especially in the standardless, profit-centered way Wheeler describes — would indeed open up a considerable new threat to basic rights.

If everything is connected, you can bet that as many details as possible about our actions will be tracked and stored somewhere — like the $2B NSA facility in Blufdale, Utah. And there is extraordinary market value in this. A director at NARUC stated that the value of data harvested just by “smart” utility meters will likely be worth a lot more than electricity itself, which is a $2.2 trillion market globally.

But besides being creepy and making the 1% even richer, there are clear warning signs that a control-oriented governing system could easily take an indexed catalog of all of your actions and use it against you in a multitude of ways.

For example, increasingly-instrusive “pre-crime” operations are already planned in Miami. And insurance providers are checking their customers’ facebook data to influence premiums and even coverage availability. So it’s really not unreasonable to see how a governing body concerned primarily with staying in power, could restrict rights or remove “privileges” for behavior that is deemed to be not aligned with national interests.

So, tracking is not ok unless we are absolutely convinced that the governing body of that system truly respects individual rights and has the best interests of the people in mind. And right now, we are not even close to having such leadership in our governments.

Wheeler’s vision of 5G would significantly enable those who are motivated by power and money to use technology to rule over everyone else. In order to protect our lives and future, we must not allow that to happen.

While we would all like to have fast internet, we must now look closely at the downside of this technology, and take constructive action. This can understandably be difficult, due to the considerable attachment that we have to both our devices and the sense of immediate gratification that we obtain from using them.

While solutions to out planet's problems are being actively prevented, steering human culture into a virtual/augmented reality seems to be the insane game of the technocrats. Perhaps "The Matrix" was not far off, after all.

How we will save our world: Individual responsibility, accountability and liability

Dafna Tachover is an Israel-based attorney who is helping to lead the mission for responsible, safe technology.

In addition to an interview with Kevin Mottus, last Sunday I skyped with Dafna Tachover, an Israel-based attorney who was present at “G-Day”, last Thursday.

Tachover, who is among millions now who have directly experienced microwave radiation harm after becoming sensitized to it, says that the only way forward is individual accountability and liability. In my view, she is obviously right.

“Until there’s personal accountability and liability, this systematic problem that repeats itself will happen again, and again, and again, and it has been. So, we learned that the tobacco industry was lying to the public, bluntly — to the public, to the government, to health organizations — without any hesitation…. Was anyone sued? No. Was anyone found personally accountable? No. So that’s actually what enables this kind of behavior to happen again and again.”

“This is the action we should take: we should make it clear to those government people — or you know, if we talk about wi-fi in schools, the school principals, who do have personal responsibility and liability to protect children’s health — to make sure they know they will be found personally liable for the harms they cause. They have a position of trust, and they betrayed that trust. And they should be found liable. It should be civil liability and criminal liability.”

-Dafna Tachover, attorney [on above video]

Kevin Mottus is meeting with reps and creating change on the ground in Washington. If you want to create real change with him, contact him at truthaction@protonmail.ch.

Former Congressional candidate Kevin Mottus spoke about the urgency of the situation.

“My background is as a medical social worker. And when I was in the hospitals I saw young salesman and lawyers coming in with brain tumors, and healthy otherwise, other than the tumor — and doctors asking them about their cell phone use. So I was clued in very early with these heavy users and the tumors it was causing.”

“Schools are now our most dangerous places to be. You have 20-40 wireless transmitters in their iPads and wireless laptops, and then you have 2-3 commercial-grade wireless routers…. So you have, really, the setting of the most significant exposure in our country, and the most vulnerable population being exposed are small children — which we know are 3 to 4 times as sensitive to all environmental hazards.”

“We are microwaving our population and wondering why our cancer is going through the roof and chronic disease is going through the roof. It’s really very sad.”

“I spoke to Congressman Grayson from Florida, and while I was talking with him, one of his staffers, Joe, came up to me. And he said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘I’m talking about wireless cell phones causing brain tumors.’ He said, ‘That’s interesting, because I had a brain aneurysm and I’m lucky to be alive. It’s also interesting because my buddy just died from a brain tumor.’”

“So, people are definitely getting sick. And you need to ask them, ‘Does your face tingle when you use your cell phone?…. Do you have difficulty sleeping? Have you ever gotten nauseous using the phone? Do you feel funny when you’re around wi-fi, or getting close to it?’ And you’ll be surprised — people are getting sick.”

“For instance, I spoke to Congressman Rush. Congressman Rush has a salivary gland tumor, which Israel has associated with cell phone use….”

“We need to stop this before they [FCC] auction the [ultra-high frequency] spectrum.”

-Kevin Mottus, former Congressional candidate, California [on above video]

What can I do to stop this crazy plan!?

FIRST: SEND A LETTER, EMAIL OR CALL

Our friends at parentsforsafetechnology.org have put together an action page for writing, calling and emailing Congress, the FCC and others. Our friends at parentsforsafetechnology.org have put together an action page for writing, calling and emailing Congress, the FCC and others. Use this platform and templates to let them know firmly that you:

  1. Accept their oath of office to defend the Constitution, and all of your rights
  2. Will hold them responsible, liable and accountable if they do not stop harmful 5G technology in its tracks
  3. Demand the 1996 Telecommunications Act be immediately repealed. (This industry-penned law took away local rights to refuse cell tower installations on health or environmental grounds.)
  4. Demand that the responsibility of electromagnetic frequency (EMF) safety standards be transferred to an independent, science based panel that represents the people. (The FCC has NO ONE who is qualified to protect the health of the people, because it was never part of their mandate.)

This is the “warning shot.” While all know more than letters to our reps will be needed to right the ship, this is where it starts. So do this first.

Then, to join the movement and be kept informed of organized actions going forward, be sure to subscribe your email to parentsforsafetechnology.org and to our site, takebackyourpower.net.

SECOND: GO TO YOUR REPS

View Kevin Mottus' call-to-action, and join him to make change on the ground.

Mottus is calling on everyone to go to speak with your government reps in DC — and to go in person if at all possible.

“You know where the Congressmen are. You know where all of the committees are. Go. Educate them. Go like the wireless industry goes, time after time, to the FCC.”

Mottus is inviting all anyone who wants to join him in DC for the next session of Congress (between September 6 to October 6), to email him at truthaction@protonmail.ch.

It is also very important to contact your local governments, to let them know that they, too, will be held individually accountable and liable. In Wheeler’s June 20 talk, he very clearly identified the role that local governments will play, if their plan of 5G is to be “successful” or not.

THIRD: ACCEPT YOUR OWN ACCOUNTABILITY, AND ENVISION THE POSITIVE OUTCOME

Take inspired action now.This is as much about standing up to the harm-doers and holding them accountable, as it is about holding yourself accountable to do the right thing. Not to take the world on your shoulders, but to do the right thing and stay connected with others who are likewise committed.

In this process, we’re remembering who we are, as co-creators of reality. We’re accepting responsibility for the fact that we let the situation become what it is today, because of our passive trust in those who have become corrupted — but we’re forgiving ourselves, trusting in the greater flow, and coming together.

Though it can be painful to face the situation and accept the necessity of our action, we just have to do it. We’re now seeing clearly that in order for the human species to make it through this threshold, individual rights must be protected.

It is not ok to suppress free speech. It is not ok to suppress science; whenever this happens the resulting harm is enormous. And it is not ok to prioritize power and greed above life itself.

So the only way left is to grow up, individually and as a species. When we do this — by taking responsibility and putting our Inspired Will into the world — we open the door to a future of awakening, freedom and peace for all humanity.

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REFERENCES +
Repost of the article is ok with attribution and link back to this page.

Josh del Sol is the director and producer of Take Back Your Power, a revelatory documentary feature film uncovering the worldwide ‘smart’ metering and grid agenda. Watch the film and subscribe to updates at www.takebackyourpower.net, and follow him via twitter @TBYPfilm.

Doreen Agostino/Our Greater Destiny: Precedent Setting Verdict: Thomas Deegan

Re-blogging, with many thanks to Doreen for covering this story.

I don’t think it’s a meaningless coincidence that both this unjust verdict on Thomas Deegan and new evidence surfacing in LaVoy Finicum’s death are occurring at just this moment in time. We cannot look away from what is happening here. Two men, speaking out and challenging State and Federal authority: one, arrested, wrongfully charged, indicted as guilty of making undefined “terroristic threats”, the other killed.

Reporters and court witnesses Caleb Hitt, Dee Corley, and Carl Swennson discuss how this verdict on Thomas sets a precedent for the criminalizing of free speech, how the FBI had infiltrated earlier meetings in attempts to entrap and provoke, how false charges had been laid at his door, and how this verdict sets the stage for a longer appeal process, which will hopefully bring the truth about fraudulent corporate government that Thomas sought to expose into larger view. “The Constitution doesn’t exist anymore.” “All of the courts are frauds.” “This is a step in the process–it’s not the end.” Full article and video link at Our Greater Destiny. Also see Thomas Deegan’s closing arguments in court here.

Eva Bartlett/American Herald Tribune: Investigating massive corruption at the UN: Independent journalist’s accreditation revoked

Re-blogging, with thanks, on The Everyday Concerned Citizen.

American journalist, thrown out of the UN–for reporting the truth about UN corruption? “It’s not about comfort – when they throw you out, you can’t speak to sources and report, like about Yemen—I’m working on a new story, more on UN being captured by Saudi Arabia, marginalized, in corrupt decay.

Please add your voice: “A petition demanding the restoration of Lee’s Resident Correspondent accreditation provides updates on his case.”

Paul A. Philips/Activist Post: The Growing Tyranny of Free Speech Suppression and What You Can Do

Re-posted from this op-ed, posted Feb 22, by Activist Post, with many thanks. Paul A. Philips’ site is New Paradigms.

“Don’t become an unquestioning, compliant docile sheep. Don’t live your life muzzled, glued to the TV. Don’t let the pillar of public apathy keep the suppression of free speech propped up and standing.

Educate yourself. Understand the bigger picture of the growing tyranny of free speech suppression and spread the word. Understanding the bigger picture ought to be enough to make anyone want to shout down from the rooftops.

The solution is to confront. More people need to muster enough courage to speak out about what isn’t being said than ever before. Confront those politically correct weasels. Confront any control freak with ulterior motives to shut people up.

Boycott the social media giants. There are a growing number of other social media outlets dedicated to alternative-view communities where you’d be better off spending your time.

We have to stand in the gap, maintain our constitutional right to hold up a protest sign, preserve public opinion … whatever it takes to protect our freedom to speak.”

The Growing Tyranny of Free Speech Suppression and What You Can Do

humanfreedomOp-Ed by Paul A. Philips

Some people need reminding that the principled 1st Amendment was written to allow the flow of free speech without government interference. The 1st Amendment allows a person in the minority to say what they want while protecting them from the opposing majority.

What we’re witnessing today on unprecedented levels is the denial of our self-expression through a number of uncompromising authorities taking away our right to free speech.

Consequentially, we’re facing a crisis where citizens’ ability to think for themselves, communicate opinions or disagreement is seriously under threat.

The growing tyranny of free speech suppression can be found:

In schools

Yes, get them at an early age so that they can be under the ruling thumb with ludicrous, moronic prohibitions and zero-tolerance policies making the schoolchildren too scared to say anything for the rest of their lives.

For example, I’m told that schoolchildren in some schools cannot say certain words like, for instance, gun (now referred to as ‘the G-word’). How will this growing word embargo affect the ability to communicate clearly?

Political correctness

Hordes of politically correct weasels and control freaks have been allowed to run amok on citizens of all ages enforcing their petty word characterizations.

Here are just a couple of examples:

Some UK hospital staffs have been severely ticked-off for stigmatizing patients: To avoid the so-called stigmatizing, ‘out-patients’ must be called ‘clients.’

Music teachers have been told that pupils cannot teach the song ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep.’ In line with political correctness it must be called ‘Baa Baa Happy Sheep’!

Reported for speech categorization

Besides political correctness citizens are getting reported for a number of speech categorizations considered to make someone feel uncomfortable, unsafe or cause offense.

College campuses are known to be the hotbed for this. Besides encouraging the snitch-community, students could be reporting each other for ‘trigger warning’,’ micro-aggression’ and ‘red light’ speech categorizations…

In schools besides hateful speech, offending ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion … teasing is now considered to be bullying. Bullying is deemed by authorities as tomorrow’s hate crime…

Social Media

Bearing in mind the effects they have on government policy, besides Google, for some time social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter (see video) have been at work on what speech needs online censoring. Taking the case where you’re not approved, deemed by these corporations as ‘anti-government speech,’ then you will be deleted on the basis of ‘extremism.’

Implications, implications??

The consequences of the suppression of free speech

1. Inability to think critically

Already mentioned, the suppression of certain words and speech categorizations will greatly hinder the ability to think critically and communicate views in an articulate manner because of a lack of vocabulary.

2. Easier to control and manipulate

As a consequence of 1, it will make individuals that much easier to further control and manipulate.

Where will it go from here?

3. Creates limited choices

Language and thought creates our reality; and when greatly restricted, our choices will in turn be based on limited or even false paradigms.

4. Breeds ‘unhealthy skepticism’

Typical of a totalitarian scenario, adhering to the establishment’s growing suppression leads to what I call unhealthy sKepticism where more and more people will become fixed, rigid and dogmatic in their beliefs. Instead of investigating, anyone seeing outside of the limited viewpoint will be ignored, ridiculed or rejected, labeled as someone to be ‘skeptical’ about.

5. Encourages intolerance

We’ve seen a number of circumstances where dissent and public opinion has been demonized unjustly. Aren’t the authorities the real extremists or bullies?  

6. Easier to whitewash

If speech is under the control of corporations such as the social media giants (or any other mainstream media outlet) acting on government policy, then it makes it easier to manipulate the general consensus … even to the point of whitewashing dubious or criminal activities.

7. Bottling-up effect

The bottling-up of free speech could lead to violence and rioting on the streets through frustration in the desire to take action.

What you can do to protect free speech

Don’t become an unquestioning, compliant docile sheep. Don’t live your life muzzled, glued to the TV. Don’t let the pillar of public apathy keep the suppression of free speech propped up and standing.

Educate yourself. Understand the bigger picture of the growing tyranny of free speech suppression and spread the word. Understanding the bigger picture ought to be enough to make anyone want to shout down from the rooftops.

The solution is to confront. More people need to muster enough courage to speak out about what isn’t being said than ever before. Confront those politically correct weasels. Confront any control freak with ulterior motives to shut people up.

Boycott the social media giants. There are a growing number of other social media outlets dedicated to alternative-view communities where you’d be better off spending your time.

We have to stand in the gap, maintain our constitutional right to hold up a protest sign, preserve public opinion … whatever it takes to protect our freedom to speak.

You can read more from Paul A. Philips at his site NewParadigm.ws

Source: Activist Post

John W. Whitehead/The Rutherford Institute: The Right to Tell the Government to Go to Hell

Re-posted, with thanks, from The Rutherford Institute. Please visit there for vital and ongoing commentary, news, activism in protection of free speech, free thought, and free action, all being currently demonized today in the name of “hate speech,” “dangerous speech,” and political correctness, by an increasingly totalitarian state that is openly employing the tools of historic fascism and totalitarianism to muzzle and contain critical thinking, protest, and dissent. “We are moving to a non-thinking culture.”

The video below presents John W. Whitehead‘s discussion on free speech, its relation to American Independence from the days of British colonialism in this country, and what is happening today to our First Amendment, the American right to free speech, why suppressing free speech leads to violence, why it appears as if the government is pushing us in that direction, and the vital importance of what we need to do today: “We are going to have to protect free speech.”  7 minutes long, well worth your time, please listen, please be inspired, please start exercising your right to free speech while you have it!

As I’ve been noting in many posts for a long time, absolutely in keeping with all other activists, writers, and speakers online who advocate the same, it is way past time for Americans to wake up and start speaking out, as a first step to making change happen. Allowing yourself to be suppressed by this surveillance state is a first step to enslaving yourself and your children and your grandchildren. If you don’t see the warning signs yet of what is going on currently in the US and what is surely going to happen next if Americans do not rise up in mass and protest the many and diverse encroachments on our basic rights–to free speech, for one, and to clean air, clean water, non-GMO food, clean energy–and basic protections–the right Not to be irradiated by WiFi, chem trails, ELFs, EMFs, as we are, currently, the right to peaceful living, without fear of  retaliation by way of targeting, blacklisting, covert assault with electromagnetic weapons, or armed, aggressive Federal action when exercising our rights to free speech or peaceful protest, the right to natural and alternative health care–which is increasingly being attacked, the right to say No to toxic, unsafe vaccines that are being made mandatory and required for public schooling of our children, the right to express ourselves publicly on any issue, whether or not it’s related to the government without being labeled–absolutely ridiculously–as “extremists,” “terrorists,” and “anti-governmentalists”– if we do not speak out today, America, we will have No Free Tomorrows left.

From the Rutherford Institute Youtube channel hosting this video: “Free speech is no longer free. Emboldened by phrases such as “hate crimes,” “bullying,” “extremism” and “microaggressions,” the government is whittling away at free speech, confining it to carefully constructed “free speech zones,” criminalizing it when it skates too close to challenging the status quo, shaming it when it butts up against politically correct ideals, and muzzling it when it appears dangerous. In this episode of On Target, John W. Whitehead identifies the kinds of speech being targeted for censorship or outright elimination.”

John W. Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute: Sheep Led to the Slaughter: The Muzzling of Free Speech in America

Re-posted with thanks from PPJ Gazette. Source: Sheep Led to the Slaughter: The Muzzling of Free Speech in America

Fourteen years on from that fateful day in September, 2001, when we witnessed the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York, and reeled at the number of American lives lost, American freedoms have seen continuous repression, suppression, and eradication.  From later in this article: “The cluttered cultural American landscape today is one in which people are so distracted by the military-surveillance-entertainment complex that critical thinkers are in the minority and frank, unfiltered, uncensored speech is considered uncivil, uncouth and unacceptable.” The first part of the article is posted here, please visit PPJ Gazette for the full post.

Sheep Led to the Slaughter: The Muzzling of Free Speech in America

3 Comments

John W. Whitehead

September 01, 2015

“If the freedom of speech be taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”—George Washington

The architects of the American police state must think we’re idiots.

With every passing day, we’re being moved further down the road towards a totalitarian society characterized by government censorship, violence, corruption, hypocrisy and intolerance, all packaged for our supposed benefit in the Orwellian doublespeak of national security, tolerance and so-called “government speech.”

Long gone are the days when advocates of free speech could prevail in a case such as Tinker v. Des Moines. Indeed, it’s been 50 years since 13-year-old Mary Beth Tinker was suspended for wearing a black armband to school in protest of the Vietnam War. In taking up her case, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

Were Tinker to make its way through the courts today, it would have to overcome the many hurdles being placed in the path of those attempting to voice sentiments that may be construed as unpopular, offensive, conspiratorial, violent, threatening or anti-government.

Consider, if you will, that the U.S. Supreme Court, historically a champion of the First Amendment, has declared that citizens can exercise their right to free speech everywhere it’s lawful—online, in social media, on a public sidewalk, etc.—as long as they don’t do so in front of the Court itself.

What is the rationale for upholding this ban on expressive activity on the Supreme Court plaza?

“Allowing demonstrations directed at the Court, on the Court’s own front terrace, would tend to yield the…impression…of a Court engaged with — and potentially vulnerable to — outside entreaties by the public.”

Translation: The appellate court that issued that particular ruling in Hodge v. Talkin actually wants us to believe that the Court is so impressionable that the justices could be swayed by the sight of a single man, civil rights activist Harold Hodge, standing alone and silent in the snow in a 20,000 square-foot space in front of the Supreme Court building wearing a small sign protesting the toll the police state is taking on the lives of black and Hispanic Americans.

My friends, we’re being played for fools.

The Supreme Court is not going to be swayed by you or me or Harold Hodge.

For that matter, the justices—all of whom hale from one of two Ivy League schools (Harvard or Yale) and most of whom are now millionaires and enjoy such rarefied privileges as lifetime employment, security details, ample vacations and travel perks—are anything but impartial.

If they are partial, it is to those with whom they are on intimate terms: with Corporate America and the governmental elite who answer to them, and they show their favor by investing in their businesses, socializing at their events, and generally marching in lockstep with their values and desires in and out of the courtroom.

Please continue reading the article at PPJ Gazette.