Posted on 09/03/2024 10:30:04 AM PDT by george76
We have previously discussed the anti-free speech views of Clinton’s former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, who has tried to sell citizens on the perfectly Orwellian view that more freedom means tyranny when it comes to the freedom of expression. He also demanded that former president Donald Trump be banned from ballots as a “traitor” — all in the name of protecting democracy from itself. Last week, Reich wrote a column declaring Elon Musk “out of control” in his refusal to censor citizens and appeared to call for his arrest.
Reich has long been a prominent voice in the anti-free speech movement discussed in my recent book, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage. Indeed, he has given a voice to the rage in calling for others to be silenced or arrested.
Elon Musk has long been the primary target of Reich and his allies after dismantling the censorship system at Twitter, now X. Reich called Musk’s purchase of Twitter with a pledge to reduce censorship to be “dangerous nonsense.”
Notably, Reich’s friend, Hillary Clinton, was one of the first to call for a crackdown on Musk after his purchase of Twitter. Hillary Clinton and other Democratic figures turned to Europe and called upon them to use their Digital Services Act to force censorship against Americans.
Reich has always shown a chilling fluidity in how free speech is protected and argued that public interest should be able to trump the right of any citizens in espousing views that he believes are dangerous.
In denouncing Musk, Reich encouraged a campaign to counter his efforts to resist censorship. He wrote that Musk “may be the richest man in the world. He may own one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to stop him.”
Like Hillary Clinton, Reich is calling on foreign governments and censors to silence American citizens including Musk: “Regulators around the world should threaten Musk with arrest if he doesn’t stop disseminating lies and hate on X.”
He even appears willing to undermine national security programs to stop unfettered free speech. He called for the U.S. government to cut off contracts with his companies despite their critical role in various national security efforts, including the possible rescue of the stranded two astronauts currently in space.
None of that matters to Reich who appears to view free speech as a greater threat to our nation: “Why is the US government allowing Musk’s satellites and rocket launchers to become crucial to the nation’s security when he’s shown utter disregard for the public interest? Why give Musk more economic power when he repeatedly abuses it and demonstrates contempt for the public good?”
Reich’s call to regulate speech in the public interest is the Siren’s Call of every authoritarian regime in history. He will presumably tell us what speech is no longer tolerable for public policy reasons. Our “Indispensable Right” will, according to Reich, be safely in the hands of the European censors who can protect us from errant and dangerous thoughts.
As he explained earlier, “the kinds of things that we do about this is, focus less on thinking about free speech, but thinking about how the times have changed.” In this way, speech regulations can keep us “moving towards how we recommend content and … how we direct people’s attention is leading to a healthy public conversation that is most participatory.”
The “healthy public conversation” with Robert Reich increasingly appears to be his talking and the rest of us listening.
Robert Third Reich
can’t this reich be arrested and silenced? sure hoping so.
can’t this reich be arrested and silenced? sure hoping so.
Yep. What a perfect name for a fascist
The little Napoleon complex midget spews yet more bile.
It’s comedic to see that these retards actually believe the BS they’re spreading is having any useful effects for the side of evil.
The lamentations from these cretins is comedic gold from my POV. You listen to them and only them! There is no other truth!
THE most dangerous battle for the future of humanity. Both here and abroad.
Elon Musk should just turn little man’s X account off.
Pronounced Reishhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa!
If you want to discourage critical thinking about your ideas by censoring free speech about them, there might be something wrong with your ideas.
Rush really had this guy pegged.
Miss Rush
“The only way to make a bad idea seem like a good idea is to silence the good idea that shows just how bad the bad idea really is” L.Star
Demonic Doktor Lovelace strikes again...
So Elon Musk must “be stopped”? Stopped from what, exactly? Stopped from not stopping people from speaking? Can we stop the stoppers from stopping the not stopping? In Reich-world it all makes sense...
Exactly, the only traitors I see belong to the left.
Obviously.
An American that doesn’t respect our right to free speech, shouldn’t be anywhere near leadership of our country.
As Reich and fellow leftists call for censorship, seek criminal proceedings, label persons as traitors, and demand control over free speech - somehow they perceive people like Musk and President Trump as fascists.
Tell me Robert, who is the bad guy here. Better yet, tell it to the guy in the mirror.
And then deport him to any Marxist hellhole of his choice to permanently stay for the rest of his life.
Is this Robert Reich the Third?
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