RFK Jr. had made a stance against free speech censorship a cornerstone of his independent run
Free speech crusader RFK Jr. slammed for supporting open letter demanding Harvard review students’ Slacks for antisemitic memes
H/T: Jimmy Dore
Since he’s already abandoned all semblance of morality, he might as well abandon the Constitution?!
Biden Admin Awards Over $4 Million In Grants To Programs That Target “Misinformation”
The State Department has awarded the following five grants since September 1:
An $18,000 grant to the Albanian-based non-governmental organization (NGO) the Institute for Democracy, Media, and Culture* to ensure a “whole-of-society response to cyber incidents and misinformation.” The associated program began on September 1, 2023.
A $14,500 grant to Paraguay’s American Cultural Center [Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano] that will be used to implement workshops that “seek to combat misinformation and promote responsible digital citizenship.” The associated program began on September 1, 2023.
A $15,000 grant to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Udayana University to “raise digital literacy among selected amcors communities, journalists, and social media influencers to combat misinformation, pre-2024 general election.” The associated program is due to start on October 1, 2023.
A $50,000 grant to New York University to complete the implementation of a speaker series that supports “countering misinformation.” The associated program is due to start on October 1, 2023.
A $50,000 grant to the non-profit Digital Rights Nepal*** “to create a sustainable network of youth to promote digital rights, safer internet use and a collective resilience towards misinformation and disinformation.” The associated program is due to start on October 2, 2023.
***Digital rights are the new Internet Freedom (think Arab Spring).
Skeptical Notes:
Read More »Read More »Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a non-profit organization, explains why proselytizing in the U.S. military is both dangerous and unconstitutional. Christian nationalist and dominionist ideologies are espoused by high-ranking officers in the military, some of whom are involved in nuclear war and military planning. This highly disturbing reality, Mikey argues, is largely ignored by policymakers. As was reported following the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6th, 2021, an unusually high number of those charged in relation to the attack had a military background, and some of them adhered to radical Christian views.
Christian Nationalism Unleashed in the U.S. Military – Mikey Weinstein
By Chip Gibbons / The Dissenter
Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip has entered its sixth day. The Israeli military has launched a massive bombardment with airstrikes killing over 1,000 Palestinians.
The FBI’s Material Support for Israeli Apartheid Against Palestinians
Nick Fischer is Adjunct Research Fellow of the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies at Monash University, Melbourne. He answered some questions about his book Spider Web: The Birth of American Anticommunism.
Q&A with Spider Web author Nick Fischer (archived)
By Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 10/23/23
Consortium News sued the United States government and NewsGuard Technologies for allegedly defaming the independent media organization and violating the organization’s First Amendment rights.
The Dissenter: Consortium News Sues NewsGuard, US Government For Alleged Defamation
In a development that parallels the experience of Alexander Finnegan—the communist who became a target for the FBI’s “counter-terrorism” stalking efforts due to his countering the Ukraine narrative—another individual has been revealed as a victim of such unconstitutional state intimidation. The person behind a Twitter account called “Islam, America, Liberty” was recently asked about why they had vanished from the internet for almost half a year, and this was how the exchange went…
FBI coerces antiwar activist into leaving the internet for months, advancing liberal fascism’s crackdown
Quora is infested with feds (so is 4chan, Reddit, Discord, etc).
From watchdogs to lapdogs: Mnar Adley reveals the disappointing state of the fourth estate in the West, exposing how biased media, often working directly with the Israeli government, has been complicit in whitewashing Israeli crimes in Palestine.
How Media Outlets Work With Israel To Control Gaza Narrative
The Uhuru 3 are accused by the US DOJ of “sowing discord” on behalf of Russia. Their attorneys warn the case threatens to “blow a hole in the First Amendment.”
How US gov’t prosecution of Uhuru activists threatens a ‘First Amendment exception’
Related:
For all the (mostly misleading) talk of the US government having too much say in content moderation decisions, this move would literally put US government officials effectively in control of content moderation decisions for TikTok. Apparently the thinking is “welp, it’s better than the Chinese government.” But… that doesn’t mean it’s good. Or constitutional.
…
Honestly, what this reads as is the moral panic over China and TikTok so eating the brains of US officials that rather than saying “hey, we should have privacy laws that block this,” they thought instead “hey, that would be cool if we could just do all the things we accuse China of doing, but where we pull the strings.”
…
So, look, if we’re going to talk about US government influence over content moderation choices, why aren’t we talking much more about this?
Related:
TikTok and U.S. rekindle negotiations, boosting app’s hopes for survival
CFIUS monitoring agencies, including the departments of Justice, Treasury and Defense, would have the right to access TikTok facilities at any time and overrule its policies or contracting decisions. CFIUS would also set the rules for all new company hires, including that they must be U.S. citizens, must consent to additional background checks and could be denied the job at any time.
A Draft Of TikTok’s Plan To Avoid A Ban Gives The U.S. Government Unprecedented Oversight Power
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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