Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has implicitly announced a revival of the Fairness Doctrine. Introduced in 1949, the Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to present different viewpoints on controversial subjects. When the doctrine was repealed in 1987, radio stations could air programs by conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh without being forced to…
In the wake of last week’s electoral victories by Democrats, the two most prominent Republicans once again showed they are living in a fantasy world. Trump claimed that, along with the government shutdown, Republicans lost because he wasn’t on the ballot. J. D. Vance said that Republicans need to “do better at turning out voters…
A recent report claims that the Kansas City Chiefs have been the beneficiaries of implicit bias from referees. This bias, one of the study’s authors claims, is a result of “regulatory capture.” This is an example of a dangerous trend: equating the actions of private entities with the actions of government. Regulatory capture, University of…
The No Kings protests on October 18 drew millions of people to 2,700 different locations to voice their opposition to Trump’s increasingly dictatorial policies. Despite predictions by Sen. Ted Cruz and others, the protests were peaceful and civil. I doubt that Trump’s minions will allow that to continue because dictators don’t play fair. Every dictator…
In July, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz added his voice to the calls for censorship when he introduced the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act. The bill, he told Fox News, would allow the Department of Justice to prosecute those who fund protests “which may well turn into riots.” Interestingly,…
Republicans have long professed support for private property rights and the free market. Increasingly, they are abandoning both principles and are becoming a gang of traitors and hypocrites. Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado, provides a recent example. The Congressman has introduced three bills that will “reform” antitrust laws. Big Tech is among the…
The Onion, which calls itself “America’s Finest News Source,” recently filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in defense of Anthony Novac. In 2016, the aspiring comic created a parody of the Parma, Ohio, Police Department’s Facebook page. He was subsequently arrested and charged with “disrupting police operations.” The Onion’s brief brilliantly…
In May, a federal appeals court upheld a Texas law that prohibits social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube from discriminating against users based on their ideas. In prohibiting such actions, Texas has declared war on free speech. Proponents of the law claim that social media companies are guilty of censorship when they block,…
Many conservatives oppose vaccine mandates, regardless of its source. They see no difference between a government mandate and a mandate issued by a private employer. The failure to discriminate—to recognize the differences between two or more things—isn’t surprising. Many conservatives do the same when they claim Big Tech is engaged in censorship. Certainly, mandates issued…
Senate Bill 2373 would allow the Texas Attorney General to sue social media companies for restricting users’ freedom of expression. Such restrictions are widely being called censorship. The truth is, no private entity can engage in censorship. It may ban the expression of certain ideas on its platform, but it cannot penalize individuals for expressing…
A lot of noise is being made about censorship on social media platforms such as Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter. Many are claiming that these companies are engaging in censorship when they remove or limit certain content. The truth is, no private company can engage in censorship. Censorship is a legal prohibition on the expression…