The federal and state governments are taking concrete actions to undermine American’s First Amendment rights to free speech and it is time to sound the alarm bells. The Department of Homeland Security has announced the formation of the Disinformation Governance Board aimed at cracking down on what the government deems disinformation and misinformation. The FBI has admitted to performing some 3.5 million searches of data without search warrants in 2021. And in Michigan, the state government investigated more than 200 doctors and nurses merely for expressing concerns about the COVID vaccine or for not wearing or promoting the wearing of masks according to the Epoch Times. These events show a trend of how the government is tightening its grip on discouraging and censoring dissent. Take notice.
Joe Biden appointed Nina Jankowicz to lead the Disinformation Governance Board. Jankowicz’s philosophy on disinformation is revealed in her Wired Magazine OpEd of January 28, 2021 where she claimed to have monitored online comments about Vice President Kamala Harris, Reps Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Illhan Omar (D- ) and ten other female politicians. She concluded that sexualized insults, harassments, and gender abuse on social media was a threat to national security and democracy. She called for Congress to make online gender-based harassment and abuse illegal. Now Jankowicz has a platform to retaliate and the question is: What constitutes harassment? Strong political dissent against a person or ideology? These things usually start with something people think is noble, but then targets political dissent.
Michigan proved just how disinformation governance works. Epoch Times did an exclusive investigation on healthcare workers harassed by the state government for dissenting on the COVID vaccine and mask mandates. For example, the state investigated a college nursing professor with a doctorate in nursing for speaking as a parent against reinstituting a mask mandate at her children’s school. She faced revocation of her license for spreading “misinformation.” Another doctor was reported for shaking hands with someone who wasn’t wearing a mask; another was investigated for claiming he had a bad reaction to the COVID vaccine. Over 500 such complaints prompted investigations of over 200 doctors and nurses. Just like in communist countries, politically sympathetic citizens complain, causing investigations, harassment or worse.
It’s easy to say that people on social media shouldn’t say mean things or pass on conspiracy theories. But that is the preverbal “camel’s nose under the tent.” Soon those who are deciding what is misinformation/disinformation are basing their decisions on political beliefs. Ronald Reagan once said, “One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project.” We are seeing it first-hand. This is a threat to every freedom you have because the government is installing the apparatus to oppress you. Don’t be a frog enjoying the warming water because it is indeed a deadly cauldron. Do as Ephesians 6:20 urges: “that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.” Your religious and personal freedoms are on the line.
