{"id":8236,"date":"2024-07-06T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-06T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=8236"},"modified":"2024-09-11T23:12:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T23:12:49","slug":"freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom of Speech: On the Whole, I Like It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20240526ff\/20240702-Pogo-BrightlyBurningBook-detail-enh-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Walt Kelly's Pogo. (March 30, 1953) Howland Owl, Mole MacCarony, and The Cowbirds; in a discussion of owl migration. Mole MacCarony, in reference to an ignited 'Captain Wimby's Bird Atlas', says 'There's nothing quite so lovely as a brightly burning book'.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing quite so lovely as a brightly burning book&#8221;<\/strong>. The Hon:Mole MacCarony in Pogo. (March 30, 1953)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn&#8217;t the America I grew up in. But human nature hasn&#8217;t changed, and freedom of expression still makes some of us uneasy. I&#8217;ll be talking about that; and sharing a little family history that relates to the America of my youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#son\"><strong>A Son of Librarians<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#information\">Information, Attitudes, Access, and Me<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#free\">Free Speech, Social Media, and Perceptions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#prepublication\">Prepublication Censorship, a Near Miss<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#politics\">Politics, Panic, and Principles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#social\"><strong>Social Media: New Forum, Old Principles, and Being an American<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"son\"><\/a>A Son of Librarians<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/books-and-flying-cars\/#sharing\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20180105ff\/20170123-OSU_William_Oxley_Thompson_Memorial_Library_East_Atrium-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Ibagli's photo: William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library (Thompson Library) East Atrium, Ohio State University Columbus campus (September 23, 2009)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thompson Library, Ohio State U: bigger that the libraries I grew up with. Ibagli&#8217;s photo (2009)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>My parents were both librarians, which may help explain my fascination with books and information in general. I think it also factors into how I feel, when the folks in charge try &#8220;protecting&#8221; us from information they don&#8217;t like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or go hunting for people whose opinions aren&#8217;t approved by the powers that be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My father was head librarian at what&#8217;s now Minnesota State University Moorhead when earnest Americans like Senator Joseph McCarthy were &#8220;protecting&#8221; us from commies, fellow-travelers, and scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Years later, he \u2014 my father, that is, I haven&#8217;t talked with senators \u2014 told me that he&#8217;d thought about destroying the library&#8217;s check-out records, since they showed who had read which books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Happily, commie-hunters didn&#8217;t come looking for students and faculty with &#8220;subversive&#8221; reading habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"information\"><\/a>Information, Attitudes, Access, and Me<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/prescription-quest-another-months-epic-saga\/#my\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20170129-TelephoneTelevisioncollage-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's collage: a rotary telephone, ca. 1955; Number One Electronic Switching System, 1976 and after; title card for The Addams Family titles, ca. 1964.; family watching television, 1958; publicity still from Batman. (ca. 1967)\"><\/a>Then we got the 1960s, and a whole new set of weirdnesses. That&#8217;s &#8216;my&#8217; decade, when I was a teen and <strong>not<\/strong> on the same page as <strong>either<\/strong> the staunch defenders of yesteryear <strong>or<\/strong> folks who were following Timothy Leary&#8217;s advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than a half-century has passed since then. Some folks around my age grew up, had successful careers, and are now part of The Establishment \u2014 top-drawer folks who think they know what&#8217;s best for the rest of us. Or act as if they do, at any rate.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Me? I&#8217;ve been a sales clerk, flower delivery guy, researcher\/writer, office clerk, computer operator, radio disk jockey, beet chopper, high school teacher; and finally advertising copywriter, graphic designer, and &#8220;computer guy&#8221; for a small publishing house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My views have changed a bit over the decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I still think folks should have access to information they can use. And I still think that expressing opinions is okay: even when they&#8217;re not sanctioned by the powers that be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"free\"><\/a>Free Speech, Social Media, and Perceptions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20240526ff\/20270702-SocialMediaHeadlines-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Social media articles, selected from my Google News feed. (July 2, 2024\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From my Google News feed: social media news items. (July 2, 2024)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;If speech is intended to result in a crime, and there is <strong>a clear and present danger<\/strong> that it actually will result in a crime, the First Amendment does not protect the speaker from government action.&#8221;<br>(<a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/249\/47\/\">Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919)<\/a>, Primary Holding, Justia (justia.com\/)) [emphasis mine]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;Words which, ordinarily and in many places, would be within the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment, may become subject to prohibition when of such a nature and used in such circumstances as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils which Congress has a right to prevent. <strong>The character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which it is done.<\/strong>&#8230;&#8221;<br>(<a href=\"https:\/\/tile.loc.gov\/storage-services\/service\/ll\/usrep\/usrep249\/usrep249047\/usrep249047.pdf\">Schenck v. United States. Baer v. United States.<\/a> 439 Argued January 9,10,1919. Decided March 3, 1919. \/ p. 48. Library of Congress (loc.gov)) [emphasis mine]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Social media isn&#8217;t top of the charts in my news feed&#8217;s litany of dreadful dangers, malign menaces, and looming dooms. But it didn&#8217;t take me long to assemble a half dozen or so &#8220;social media&#8221; headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know how many I&#8217;d have found, if I&#8217;d searched for &#8220;disinformation&#8221; articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clarification time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think that &#8220;disinformation&#8221; \u2014 a potpourri, mishmash, whatever, of falsehood, truth, half-truth, and opinion, presented as unbiased reporting \u2014 really happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I strongly suspect that much &#8220;disinformation&#8221; is actually misinformation \u2014 alternatively-accurate information, and facts presented out of context.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Misinformation, by that definition, is not deliberately deceptive. Folks reporting it don&#8217;t realize that &#8216;what everybody knows&#8217; isn&#8217;t necessarily so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From what&#8217;s in my news feed, I&#8217;m guessing that assorted politicos and do-gooders are at it again: and that this time they see social media as a threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"prepublication\"><\/a>Prepublication Censorship, a Near Miss<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/exoplanets-dust-and-who-sees-data-first\/#accessto\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20210206-800px-Internet_Censorship_and_Surveillance_World_Map-svg-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Map of Internet censorship and surveillance by country (2018)\"><\/a>Fearing the Internet is not exactly new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe two decades back, I read that &#8220;net neutrality&#8221; would save the children and defend freedom. As presented, it sounded like the best thing since sliced bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of rich folks and organizations having a louder online voice, Internet Service Providers would charge the same rates to everyone, no matter what content the customers put online. It sounded like a wonderful way of updating our rules about free speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just one problem, and I&#8217;m relying on my memory here. I haven&#8217;t found recent documentation on a particular part of net neutrality that really got my attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All this talk about equal rates and free speech was well and good: but how could we save the children and defend freedom from Big Bad Bogeymen with naughty ideas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer was simple: set up a government agency that would check content before allowing it online. That way, the American public wouldn&#8217;t be exposed to naughty ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since it was a government agency, it&#8217;d be completely unbiased, approving any and all content that was deemed proper for public perusal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nobody, certainly not folks pushing the idea, put it quite that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attempted prepublication censorship didn&#8217;t surprise me. It&#8217;s an old idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What <strong>did<\/strong> get my attention was that the Christian Coalition <strong>and<\/strong> the Feminist Majority<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#3\">3<\/a><\/sup> united in this effort to \u2014 presumably \u2014 save the children and defend freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think my country experienced a near miss when their &#8220;net neutrality&#8221; didn&#8217;t get traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"politics\"><\/a>Politics, Panic, and Principles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/pope-francis-politics-and-being-catholic-briefly\/#being\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20200519ff\/20201019-Mark_Hanna_1896_election-20201019-TR-Chemist-1912-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Political cartoons: Homer Davenport's version of Mark Hanna in 1896; Karl Kae Knecht's 1912 Roosevelt mixing 'radical' ingredients in his speeches. From Wikipedia, used w\/o permission.\"><\/a>My country&#8217;s traditional election-year hysterics are in full cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think the outcome matters. But I won&#8217;t echo either \u2014 any \u2014 side&#8217;s ardent assertions that [candidate A] will surely doom us all, while [candidate B] is above and beyond reproach. Or that you must vote for [candidate A], for otherwise [candidate B] will surely doom us all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I suspect that politicos use wild claims and fearmongering because it&#8217;s easier to get votes when voters are too terrified to think.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#4\">4<\/a><\/sup> I&#8217;ve never been a fan of moral panic, I talked about that last month, and that&#8217;s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was going somewhere with this. Let me think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reading habits and the Sixties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Circumstances and censorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Politics and moral panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One reason I like living in America is that we can vote for a candidate: even if some judges disapprove of the person. I also like living in a country where we&#8217;ve got some respect for freedom of speech: and where rules about those freedoms are reviewed occasionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, I don&#8217;t think the way we run America&#8217;s government is the <strong>only<\/strong> right way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There <strong>isn&#8217;t<\/strong> any one &#8216;correct&#8217; form of government. Folks living in different cultures and eras have different needs, and that&#8217;s okay \u2014 <strong>If<\/strong> whatever system they use lets folks take an active part in public life, <strong>and<\/strong> the system follows natural law: ethical principles which apply in every time and place. (Catechism, 1915, 1957-1958)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"social\"><\/a>Social Media: New Forum, Old Principles, and Being an American<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sharing-my-catholic-faith-story-mostly-online\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170306ff\/20170317-N-X-desk-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's 'Internet Friends.' (2017)\"><\/a>Another reason I like being an American is that our government has (generally) maintained its respect for our freedoms.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/#5\">5<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Article the third \u2014 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.&#8221;<br>(<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikisource.org\/wiki\/United_States_Bill_of_Rights\">United States Bill of Rights<\/a> (1791) via Wikisource)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>That won&#8217;t keep folks \u2014 well-intentioned and otherwise \u2014 from panicking when others, who aren&#8217;t the right sort, express &#8220;subversive&#8221; ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And sometimes I figure the &#8220;subversive&#8221; ideas really <strong>are<\/strong> aimed at undercutting the common good \u2014 possibly with good intentions, and that&#8217;s yet another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I might want tighter controls over who gets to express opinions online. \u2014 <strong>If<\/strong> I believed in the infallibility of experts and the divine right of congress to decide what we may and may not see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I figure that experts, journalists, members of congress, and judges are human beings: which is both good news and bad news, and that&#8217;s several more topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, I&#8217;ll be glad that folks like me are still allowed to share what we think. Even if we are doing so in a medium that didn&#8217;t exist when I was young. Again, that&#8217;s a reason I like an American.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If all this sounds familiar, it should. I&#8217;ve talked about it before:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/independence-day-2024-america-and-context-a-short-ramble\/\">Independence Day, 2024: America and Context, a Short Ramble<\/a>&#8221; <br>(July 4, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-beauty-and-the-evening-news\/\">Truth, Beauty, and the Evening News<\/a>&#8221; <br>(June 15, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/free-to-agree-with-me-cancel-culture-and-freedom-of-expression\/\">Free to Agree With Me: Cancel Culture and Freedom of Expression<\/a>&#8221; <br>(November 18, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/doom-gloom-and-dystopias-but-hope-is-an-option\/\">Doom, Gloom, and Dystopias: But Hope is an Option<\/a>&#8221; <br>(January 20, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/social-media-security-and-assumptions\/\">Social Media, Security and Assumptions<\/a>&#8221; <br>(February 6, 2021)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> Those were the days, my friend; we thought they&#8217;d never end; then they did:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1960s\">1960s<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Counterculture_of_the_1960s\">Counterculture of the 1960s<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Establishment\">The Establishment<\/a> (term used in sociology and political science)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hollywood_blacklist\">Hollywood blacklist<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/House_Un-American_Activities_Committee\">House Un-American Activities Committee<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg\">Julius and Ethel Rosenberg<\/a> (alleged commie spies: tried, convicted, executed)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McCarthyism\">McCarthyism<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Red_Scare\">Red Scare<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Smith_Act_trials_of_Communist_Party_leaders\">Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders<\/a> (decision: actions may be prosecuted, beliefs are not prosecutable)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Subversive_Activities_Control_Board\">Subversive Activities Control Board<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timothy_Leary\">Timothy Leary<\/a> (see Turn on, tune in, drop out)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Turn_on,_tune_in,_drop_out\">Turn on, tune in, drop out<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/einsteinfile00fred\">The Einstein file: J. Edgar Hoover&#8217;s secret war against the world&#8217;s most famous scientist<\/a>&#8221; <br>Fred Jerome (2002) via Internet Archive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20080205100902\/http:\/\/osulibrary.oregonstate.edu\/specialcollections\/events\/2007paulingconference\/video-s3-3-badash.html\">The Scientist as Educator and Public Citizen: Linus Pauling and His Era<\/a>&#8221; <br>Video: &#8220;Science in the McCarthy Period: Training Ground for Scientists as Public Citizens&#8221; <br>Lawrence Badash; Special Collections, OSU Libraries; Oregon State University (October 29-30, 2007) via Internet Archive Wayback Machine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/uncpress.org\/book\/9780807847497\/american-science-in-an-age-of-anxiety\/\">American Science in an Age of Anxiety<\/a>&#8221; <br>&#8220;Scientists, Anticommunism, and the Cold War&#8221; <br>Jessica Wang (1999) The University of North Carolina Press<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"2\"><\/a>2<\/sup> Times change; human nature, not so much:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clear_and_present_danger\">Clear and present danger<\/a> (1950 followup on the 1919 Schenck v. United States decision)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation\">Disinformation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Misinformation\">Misinformation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/supremecourt\/text\/249\/47\">SCHENCK v. UNITED STATES. BAER v. SAME.<\/a><br>Supreme Court. Argued Jan. 9 and 10, 1919. Decided March 3, 1919. via Legal Information Institute, Cornell University<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"3\"><\/a>3<\/sup> It seemed like such a good idea \u2014 or \u2014 very strange bedfellows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows&#8230;.&#8221; <br>(&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/23042\/23042-h\/23042-h.htm\">The Tempest<\/a>&#8221; , William Shakespeare (ca. 1610-1611) from 1863 Cambridge edition of Shakespeare, via Gutenberg.org)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attempted_net_neutrality_legislation_in_the_United_States\">Attempted net neutrality legislation in the United States<\/a> (&#8220;This article needs to be updated&#8230;.&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Edmund_Tylney\">Edmund Tylney<\/a> (Master of Revels 1579-1610)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_censorship\">Internet censorship<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_censorship_and_surveillance_by_country\">Internet censorship and surveillance by country<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Net_neutrality\">Net neutrality<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Net_neutrality_in_the_United_States\">Net neutrality in the United States<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Prior_restraint\">Prior restraint<\/a> (&#8220;The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject&#8230;.&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Master_of_the_Revels\">Master of the Revels<\/a> (English official responsible for royal revels: and, from around 1580 to 1624, theatrical censorship)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20220117-Documents\/cjc.2007v32n2a1921.pdf\">Commentary \/ Net Neutrality: Telecom Policy and the Public Interest<\/a>&#8221; <br>Neil Barratt, Leslie Regan Shade, Concordia University. Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 32 (2007) 295-305.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pre-publication censorship in Elizabethan England\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/marlowes-dr-faustus-freedom-censorship-and-speculation\/\">Marlowe&#8217;s &#8216;Dr. Faustus,&#8217; Freedom, Censorship and Speculation<\/a>&#8221; (September 10, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/marlowes-dr-faustus-freedom-censorship-and-speculation\/#but\">But Publishing May Require Permission<\/a> [the Christian Coalition and Feminist Majority, united in a common cause: I am not making this up]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/venice-biennale-holy-see-pavilion-art-and-cities-of-refuge\/#theres\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20240129ff\/20240430-Actress_from_the_1920s-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"From Gainsborough Pictures: Isabel Jeans, in the film 'Easy Virtue', directed by Alfred Hitchcock. (1928) from Wikipedia, via https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/193889603@N04\/51533655578\/ and Yellow Cap Data, used w\/o permission.\"><\/a><sup><a name=\"4\"><\/a>4<\/sup> Clutch those pearls!!! \u2014 or not:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fearmongering\">Fearmongering<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Pearl-clutching\">Pearl-clutching<\/a> (&#8220;This is an essay on the civility policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors&#8230;.&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moral_panic\">Moral panic<\/a> (it&#8217;s not always &#8216;those people over there&#8217;, my opinion)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paying attention, but not playing along; my take\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-beauty-and-the-evening-news\/\">Truth, Beauty, and the Evening News<\/a>&#8221; (June 15, 2024)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-beauty-and-the-evening-news\/#moral\">&#8220;Moral Panic&#8221; and Making Sense<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"5\"><\/a>5<\/sup> The United States Constitution, a work in progress:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Constitution_of_the_United_States\">Constitution of the United States<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/guides.loc.gov\/us-federal-law\/constitution\">United States Constitution<\/a><br>Guide to Law Online: U.S. Federal \/ Library of Congress Research Guides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This isn&#8217;t the America I grew up in. But human nature hasn&#8217;t changed, and freedom of expression still makes some of us uneasy. I&#8217;ll be talking about that; and sharing a little family history that relates to the America of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"Freedom of expression, being able to share opinions and information, matters: even when it makes some of us uneasy.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Freedom of Speech: On the Whole, I Like It","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,192],"tags":[16,13,218,237,7,27,34,207],"class_list":["post-8236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discursive-detours","category-journal","tag-america","tag-blogging","tag-freedom-of-expression","tag-freedom-of-speech","tag-getting-a-grip","tag-history","tag-politics","tag-social-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-28Q","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8236"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8243,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8236\/revisions\/8243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}