My nationality is American, which means I believe in the First Amendment.
My profession is commentator, which means I require the First Amendment.
There are no exceptions to either of these tenets.
So when I am told, by possibly well-meaning but at best indoctrinated and at worst imbecilic individuals, that Freedom and Democracy require Censorship and Suppression it is my duty to fight against such buffoons.
That does not particularly mean I support Russia or oppose Ukraine but it does mean anyone claiming to be an American who encourages the restriction of speech is my avowed enemy.
Since the beginning of this military conflict there has been endless propagandizing from both Court Historians and Controlled Media that the government in Kiev is a bastion of independence and liberty.
This is false.
Last year alone in Ukraine President Zelensky banned no less than three media broadcasters because each disagreed with his policies. They are 112Ukraine, NewsOne, and Zik. The claim was made these were pro-Russian channels which is entirely beside the point given that all anti-government outlets in any nation could likewise be characterized by autocrats as mouthpieces for a foreign regime.
Those news organizations which opposed our own disastrous Iraq War Two could as plausibly have been alleged to be supporters of Saddam Hussein.
On a more fundamental level, President Zelensky similarly imprisoned political opponents based on dubious claims of funding separatists.
To which, the Western Media would likely assert in Russia conditions are not so different. To which, Americans should reply that Russia is not being endlessly hyped as a paragon of Jeffersonian virtue.
If we are being asked to court World War Three then Americans should at a minimum know on whose behalf they may be vaporized.
Unfortunately the corruption of the modern era goes much deeper, with various "democracies" all across the Western world lining up to endorse the most extreme punishments for dissent not seen in generations.
In the democracy of Slovakia the National Crime Agency warned residents might face 10 years or 25 years or even life in prison if caught promoting “war propaganda”…meaning anything considered pro-Russian.
In the democracy of the Czech Republic the Prosecutor General indicated expressions of support for the Russian action would be grounds for a 3 year prison sentence. This included any physical demonstration, those on the internet space or social media posts.
In the democracy coalition of the European Union the European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen announced members throughout the entire continent would ban Russian media outlets RT as well as Sputnik from broadcasting. She claimed this censorship was a “tool” against “disinformation”…by which she meant contrary opinions.
In the democracy of the United States there has been seemingly no end to the allegations of Treason simply for demurring from the war hysteria. Notably, Tucker Carlson has been denounced by fellow "journalists" for questioning the defense rationale, as well as now $1 Billion in spending, on a country most Americans could not find on a map at the very time they face 40 year high inflation. Former House Representative Tulsi Gabbard was heckled by the harpies on "The View" as well as the harridan Senator Mitt Romney for daring to mention the more than twenty biological and bacteriological facilities which were operated in Ukraine by the United States government for unexplained reasons.
In the democracy of the Ukraine apparently incontrovertible President Zelensky signed legislation which would put anyone accused of assisting Russia in prison for 15 years. The law includes such offenses as making public statements of support for the military action. At least one political ally has commented this punishment would include at least 20 Members of the Ukraine parliament. Over 30 investigations have already commenced.
Expect mass book burnings to be approved in all of these nations sometime in the next week.
The tiresome response to these atrocious actions across the “democratic” world?
Russia, Russia, Russia! Those evil Russians also passed a law sending any who promote a contradictory viewpoint of the conflict to 15 years in prison!
As always, nuance is ignored. Russia, is only a tenuous democracy. Russia, is not seeking our assistance in the billions of dollars. Russia, is not the entity relentlessly advertising itself as the citadel of freedom.
Anyone who claims there is no distinction is a fool or a liar.
Either way, what a censured Russia does internally is none of my affair. That the past several generations of my family have fought in order to preserve the very Rights being cavalierly confiscated by the “democratic” nations of the globe is absolutely my affair.
If asked to die for anything it will be a death for the Inalienable Right to Speak Freely.
As far as I am concerned there is only one war which concerns me and thus far all the aggressors originate other places than Russia.
Our true authoritarian threats are much closer to home.
Guy Somerset writes from somewhere in America.
Preach it! I find myself in the same position, when getting bogged down in internet slap fights, and someone plays the ‘OMG the Russians are Communists and Putin wants to bring back the Soviet Union’ card. I have to concede that I don’t know Putin’s thoughts and maybe he does long for Russia’s glory days- but that it’s also entirely irrelevant and what IS relevant is that neither Putin nor Russia at large is self-identifying as being Better Than Everyone Else Because Democracy™. If we in the US- or the ‘Western World’ in general- are going to talk the Freedom talk, we had best be able to walk the walk as well and the way I see it our display of walking the walk has an awful lot of CGI enhancement and requires a huge dose of suspension of disbelief for anyone who hasn’t already drank and digested the “We’re So Squeaky Clean” Kool-Aid.
lovely read, I will savor it again later.
thank you.
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a Lampoon on Today’s CBN Broadcast:
“they are the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world, there is no reason to negotiate peace with them”~700 Flub Report
– the Ukraine on the 700 Flub’s red-headed bastard Ambassador on their Nazi-like fascist bloodsucking warmomgering gold laundering Dominionist tax haven embedded in Ukraine for over 30 years.
“Mariupal has been Decimated!” ~CBS
According to the very fashionable embedded CBS reporter in Ukraine, Mariupal Ukraine has recieved “decimated” injury and damages from Russian forces. The network had drone footage to survey the damage: great footage! Are people in the U S news industry flying recon drones in a war theater and why?
Don’t be a flagrant sensationalist media martyr: get out now!
The reporter really digs-in on ‘DECIMATED’ when they pronounce it like it is a dirty but accurately powerful word. In actuality, the word is being horribly misused by a supposed expert career communicator. The Very dramatic application and sensational hair-on-fire use of Words does not change their definitions. Here we see how the continual flagrant media coverage and modern warspeak has redefined an accurate military effect of first wave Slings and Arrows! How? By placing the Word ‘Decimated’ into a new flagrant violation of reality context of: Very Total uninhabitable Destruction. Words Matter.
I want to hear Biden walk back his Regime Change ‘gaff’, not to hear his many clean-up stooges mop up behind him unless he is medically/mentally unable himself. No senior moment passes! Not with nuclear war in Check. No. Unjustly saving Ukraine like it was a Cuban casino owned by US 1% gangsta investors looking for a tax haven is bad diplomacy Joey. Where did the Anthrax in the US mail come from when Obama was Elected? Why is that Off the table Joe? How much did Ukrainian and Polish nationals screw with our Visa cards and bank accounts and the malware we have been taught that ALL came from Russia? Ukraine tampered with Our Elections Joe including YOURS you visible dotard and now wants to own NATO Armories with a tear jerker by leveraging them with shame! Is it a response to a Betrayal?
Regime Change Joey! Get the Masonic and Mormon thumb- bumping crooks out of Government, get us out of the industry of WAR!
2Kitty
Out
CBS used Apocalypse to describe the destruction observed:
wrong word.
Apo= a tangential departure from a circle like a sling stone. Apo was a military command to ‘shoot’ Sling stones and Arrows, to reduce by 1/10th or to Decimate as was coined and concatenated like apo kalypsos is. It is a Revealing and not a bad thing to those who are not children of rebellion and of the night, Then it is scary.
It is the next appearing of Jesus Christ, not a war zone or destroyed scorched earth. It is a good thing -a desired thing not an Asteroid or Horrible storm or natural event or a war.
and What on earth is Any news correspondent doing with a commerical drone in a warzone?
order the right sized body bags for the crew if you are going to fly drones or use drone footage from anyone.
Sensationalization of words especially the wrong words is behavior
outside of the job description of video journalism.
That’s why Limpbaugh had an audience – they were too,…
“They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening.” ~ 1984
Amerika is even more of a ‘tenuous democracy’.
what, no “free speech zones” for the ukraine?
where is bush jr when you need him.
Freedom of speech needs to go viral, but instead censorship has infected the minds of the blind followers of authority. The authorities, who are nearly all sociopaths, benefit mightily from that censorship. It allows them to control the narrative and enforce their evil agenda, which always is directed towards greater enslavement of the followers.
From the movie “Network”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQTNZRmJdg