Imagine our nation’s free speech rights under surveillance by the very government that’s sworn to protect them. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, outspoken critic of COVID lockdowns and champion of free speech, recently brought this shocking revelation to light.
In a riveting interview with ReasonTV, Bhattacharya, the voice behind the Great Barrington Declaration, drew attention to the Supreme Court case Murthy v. Missouri. The case highlights the government’s arm-twisting of social media platforms to stifle speech they disapprove of. It’s not the government’s role to decide what we can and can’t say, and Bhattacharya forcefully argued against such undue censorship.
Online free speech, according to Bhattacharya, holds promise for a renaissance in scientific dialogue and encourages connections which can be throttled by government interference. He equated the current situation to the invention of the Gutenberg Press, carrying potential for a new dawn of knowledge exchange, if only we can keep it out of the grasp of the government and its perceived right to decide what is worth printing or not.
Recalling his experiences in 2021, Bhattacharya revealed how the heavy hand of the government, colluding with Big Tech, censored medical professionals, including him. These aren’t equal partnerships, but it’s the government taking the role of the enforcer, pushing social media giants into compliance.
Instances were shared of internal Facebook staff emails, subpoenaed by Congress, hinting at the Biden White House exercising undue power over the platform. The White House, Bhattacharya argued, used its regulatory authority as a blunt force, ensuring the company’s compliance by threatening its existence, particularly overseas.
The case also saw arguments from the government plaintiffs, suggesting necessary censorship to prevent harm to the public. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson only amplified this sentiment, floating a hypothetical situation of dangerous trends endangering children that should be censored. But Bhattacharya was quick to counter that this false premise assumes the government can blatantly discern what’s good and bad for the people.
Bhattacharya pointed out the historical example of pandemic-related policies to expose this fallacy. Government policies, despite being harmful, were protected under the shield of censorship, causing more harm than good, especially to our children. As he stated, flippantly advising children to take unnecessary vaccines was not unlike coaxing them to “jump out of windows.”
Our liberties –your liberties– are under siege. It’s time we held Big Tech accountable, and insist they reflect the First Amendment in their practices. Demand transparency and equal footing for conservative voices from your representatives. If you’ve been a victim of censorship, speak up. Because it’s not just our free speech that’s at stake, but our future as a beacon of liberty.
