Do We Draw the Line at a US Ministry of Truth?

From JB Shurk on American Thinker.com (May 2):

This aspiring dictatorship is getting desperate and dangerous.

Imagine having complete control over America's corporate news propaganda arm and still feeling vulnerable when it comes to "securing the narrative."  Imagine having all the Big Tech censors working for the U.S. Intelligence Community, and the masters of disinformation are still unsure whether they can amply manipulate American opinion.  Imagine dedicating a year and a half to persecuting anyone who questions the legitimacy of the 2020 election and learning that more Americans than ever now view that monstrosity as tainted by fraud.  Imagine shamelessly spinning the Capitol breach into an attempted coup d'état only to find that half the country believes that the federal government is in the business of imprisoning political protesters.  Imagine spending six years framing Donald Trump as a Russian spy; putting him in constant legal jeopardy with a rogue, Democrat-aligned special counsel investigation; impeaching him for the financial corruption of his political opponent's quid-pro-quo schemes in Ukraine; and then impeaching him a second time for the crime of free speech in a congressional operation designed to prevent him from ever running for elective office again — only to learn that he is the runaway favorite to win the 2024 Republican presidential primary and handily beating the current occupant of the White House by six points.

When propaganda, domestic espionage, malicious prosecution, blackmail, and an organized terror campaign of burn-loot-murder mayhem directed against ordinary Americans fail to subdue the citizen population, what do aspiring totalitarians do next?  That's right, friends, come on down: it's Ministry of Truth time!  The same Department of Homeland Security that has never had any interest in securing the homeland (come right over, international terrorists and drug-runners, the border's wide open!) will now dedicate its malignant resources to censoring so much truth that only the government's lies can be heard!  If you can't beat 'em in the arena of ideas, then beat them into submission with clubs, cut out their vocal cords, declare them "enemies of the State," and round up anyone still standing.  It's the Deep State way!

The whole farce of setting up an all-powerful Department of Disinformation (whose only purpose will be to spread disinformation) would be downright comical if we were given a moment's rest to laugh in between the Biden regime's outrageous daily attacks on what's left of the Constitution.  The First Amendment — right at the top, so no future tyrants could miss it — is obviously meaningless if government censors must first approve acceptable speech.  By far and without equivocation, the most important speech deserving of protection from the treachery of government overreach is that speech that the government decries as disinformation!  The First Amendment isn't there for the protection of cookie recipes and weather reports (although those are protected, too).  It's there to make sure that when officials in the federal government betray their oaths and seize illegitimate power for themselves, there are opposing voices that can beat those usurpers down with words before violence becomes inevitable.  In truth, the First Amendment is one of ten easy-to-understand, bold-faced instructions from our Founding Fathers to future generations of Americans that state as simply as possible — so that no one has any trouble comprehending their meaning — when the Republic's very survival is at stake. 

"You future Americans," our Founders effectively declared, "are a free people with expansive liberty limited only by the few delegated powers explicitly written into the Constitution as exclusive duties of the three branches of the federal government.  All other powers belong either to the respective states or to the people.  Is that clear?  If not, here is a convenient list of government limitations and guaranteed freedoms — although by no means a complete description of Americans' inalienable rights and liberties — that you must keep an eye on in order to ensure that your government does not descend one day into despotism and tyranny, as all forms of government inevitably do.  We will call these the Bill of Rights, and if you catch your government abridging or striking down any of these basic American liberties, then it's time to act.  Set forth in item number one, so you understand their importance to our overall design in protecting you from abusive government, are free speech, freedom of the press, the free exercise of religion, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.  In case of emergency — e.g., a tyrant has risen to squash your freedom of speech — break glass immediately, for you are under attack!  Now on to item number two..."

That's the First Amendment in a nutshell!  It's the first and most important item on a ten-point checklist helpfully provided to aid Americans in determining when their government has lost all legitimacy.  If the words we write today are illegal tomorrow, then peace and freedom are made illegal, too.

It has become quite clear that the Intelligence Deep State dictating U.S. policy is convinced that the Chinese communist model is ideal.  The officers of the federal government have sworn oaths to defend the First Amendment but, instead, treat free thought and free expression as threats to their power.  They do not respect dissent.  They do not protect (as is their duty) unsanctioned political protest.  They actively work with private companies to censor speech and opinion.  They actively work with tech monopolies to manipulate public opinion and propagate blatant lies.  They actively spy on the American people.  They harass and intimidate those who have the courage of their convictions.  They criminalize the constitutional rights of citizens and commit crimes under the color of their constitutional authorities.

Let me ask a simple question: will there ever be an end to these government trespasses?  Is it truly possible for America to dip only a couple of toes into the police state pools without sinking into the depths of despotism?  Can the government really cut the Chinese communist baby in half or select only a handful of new totalitarian tools to enforce upon the American people like some à la carte assortment of unconstitutional hors d'oeuvres?  Of course not!  There are no halfsies with totalitarianism.  Once you toss out the First Amendment, the Constitution is soon dead-letter law.

If America is to survive, we must not misunderstand this serious moment.  Americans must not let their freedoms slip away in silence.  The Rubicon lies ahead, and the federal government must turn around before it's too late.

Those who would abuse their power can silence any one of us at any time, but they cannot silence all of us at all times.  Do not go quietly. [source]