In our country, we take the notion of the right to free speech entirely for granted. We don’t think twice when speaking up about our government, social institutions and each other in whatever public forum we find. We naturally expect the right to speak our minds on the Internet with the same boldness and anonymity used by Thomas Paine when he penned the radical treatises that fueled the American Revolution, signing each one simply, “The Author.”
These are quaint and outdated notions to the enemies of Internet free speech. Some of these enemies live in countries where people have never understood the right to free speech, no matter how much we’ve tried to convert them to “democracy.” These enemies also live in American businesses and government offices, where our Constitution is viewed as a mere speed bump in the race for money and power.
In January, journalists were falling all over themselves rushing to praise online search giant Google for refusing to divulge private customer information to U.S. government agencies without a court order. Less than a month later, journalists were choking on those words when they learned that Google had conspired with the government of Communist China to censor the Chinese version of the Google website, preventing their population from viewing websites that deal with human rights, democracy, Taiwanese independence and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Yahoo and Microsoft were also part of the sleazy conspiracy, and censored the Chinese versions of their websites as well. Anything to make a buck.
For years, Internet writers in the “free world” have shared news accounts and opinions without too many worries. Now that the true nature of Internet communication is becoming apparent, online journalists and publishers are enduring an unprecedented assault on their right to report on the events of the day. Twenty news websites were taken down by San Antonio-based Rackspace.com in response to a secret order from the FBI, based on a request from the Italian government. Those who favor the McCain-Feingold campaign finance “reforms” are watching their plans backfire, as online pundits may soon face political restriction by the Federal Election Commission. Websites supporting political candidates, or linking to the wrong places could be in big trouble. Numerous “American” businesses are currently firing employees and suing websites, not for libel or slander, but for simply talking too much about their companies. The examples go on and on.
On February 12, The Norman Transcript published the results of a poll on the “war on terrorism,” and the suspending of Constitutional freedoms: 52 percent of those polled said that the President “alone” cannot suspend the U.S. Constitution, with another 25 percent saying that, in order to suspend the Constitution, he must obtain the permission of Congress or a court of law. Those were not reassuring statistics, as I can’t find any provision in the Constitution allowing for its suspension, even in times of war. “Unalienable” rights cannot be “suspended” – they can only be violated.