If you want to know why free speech is so vital to a free American system, attorney John Haywood recently posted a series of posts on Twitter than makes it completely clear.
Haywood has it exactly right on this. It will help you to understand the situation if you need to argue the points with those who feel that government should be used to end free speech that doesn’t agree with leftism… you know, Democrats who want to shut down free speech.
Read this, it is important:
Once you signal free speech is on the political bargaining table, some very rough customers will show up to drive hard bargains. You've told them your society is not really committed to freedom of expression, dissent, the exchange of ideas. You won't FIGHT for those ideals.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) August 15, 2022
When you abandon your commitment to free speech, you immediately create a power structure that decides which speech is allowed. Every totalitarian ideology will crave a position in that power structure. Every faction will insist on banning what it considers "hate speech."
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) August 15, 2022
Totalitarian ideologies with money and political influence get busy cranking out legions of indoctrinators and operatives, infiltrating both government and private companies to ensure their speech codes are enforced. Those without such influence usually resort to violence.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) August 15, 2022
When you say, "We believe in freedom of speech, BUT…" every totalitarian will line up to fight for control over what comes after the "but." Everyone who doesn't fight viciously for control will end up being controlled. Some of the bids for power will be written in blood.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) August 15, 2022
Of COURSE every predatory ideologue wants the free speech of his victims and adversaries restricted. Of course they all want resistance to their ideas made illegal, so dissenters cannot organize, persuade, or refine their arguments. All other power flows from control of speech.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) August 15, 2022
You can already see all of this happening around you today, and it's going to get worse. When free speech becomes not a principle, but a privilege, then everyone who doesn't fight for that privilege is bound to lose it, and much else afterward. Of COURSE there will be blood. /end
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) August 15, 2022
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