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The Lifeblood of Democracy
Two cornerstones of democracy—freedom of expression and freedom of information—are under concerted attack, in the United States and around the world. In the US, for example, reactionary elected officials seek to ban books in schools, often in the name of protecting children; and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, seek to curb online […]
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Don’t Let the Government Criminalize Free Speech
If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. — George Washington What the police state wants is a silent, compliant, oblivious citizenry. What the First Amendment affirms is an engaged citizenry that speaks truth to power using whatever peaceful means are available to […]
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What Red State vs. Blue State Looks Like to an Ant
Just watching the two major parties ruthlessly claw at and attempt to malign and delegitimize each other, then seeing people now excitedly lining up on one side or the other like opposing Ninja turtle teams is both amusing and frightening. We can count on the talking heads and modern media to regurgitate a story line […]
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Circus Politics Are Intended to Distract Us
There is nothing more dangerous than a government of the many controlled by the few. — Lawrence Lessig, Harvard law professor It is easy to be distracted right now by the bread and circus politics that have dominated the news headlines lately, but don’t be distracted. Don’t be fooled, not even a little. We’re being […]
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Pro-Israel and Ukraine Groups Use Identity Politics to Attack Free Speech
Questioning Canada’s contribution to NATO’s proxy war is “hate” that must be shut down according to some Ukrainian groups mimicking Zionist organizations by promoting an identity politics laced cancel culture. A Ukrainian student group sought to cancel my talk at Kings College in London, Ontario, on Thursday. In “Western Ukrainian Students’ Association Statement on The […]
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It’s Your Human Right to Access Russian News and Analysis Sites in English if You Want
Collage © Jan Oberg 2023 The human right to freely seek information is laid down in the American Convention on Human Rights from 1968. Article 13 states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression. This right includes freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds.” The Universal […]
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Trashing Asylum: The UK’s Illegal Migration Bill
He was standing before a lectern at Downing Street. The words on the support looked eerily similar to those used by the politicians of another country. According to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Stop the Boats was the way to go. It harked back to the same approach used by Australia’s Tony Abbott, who won […]
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