I was thinking about the times of the wild west when prisoners with a death sentence were housed in jails that provided them a ringside seat to the gallows where they would soon be hung. Prior to their appointment with the hangman’s noose, the barred open windows of their cells would often allow them to hear construction of the gallows, and then they could hear them being tested with sandbags that would simulate their own body dropping through a trap door whereby their neck would be broken and they would dangle in front of the crowd that would gather to watch the grisly event.
This scene seems eerily analogous to what is happening to us with free speech in this country. We are watching the gallows being built and tested for the death of free speech. All but the most pig-headed person realizes that the media is incapable of objective, fair reporting. They have operated in the shadows for decades as they brain-washed those infatuated with news “personalities” who seemed bigger than life. These ‘beautiful people” were trusted and seemed so sincere and genuine, and with a smile could get the average viewer to believe black was white for decades.
But then folks began to catch on to the lies. It was unprecedented. They awakened and realized they were being manipulated and consequently summarily rejected them and today Donald Trump has become President. Aghast, they hardly knew what to do. They are still totally unnerved and have come out of the closet and openly declared war. They are frantic and their battle plan is to offer 24/7 propaganda which has been recognized, (I think), as nothing more or less, than an overt attempt at trying to undo an election because they do not like the results. No lie is too rotten, no disinformation is unworthy to be propagated.
Academia has also risen to the challenge and its radical professors and communist leaning unions are openly annihilating free speech in schools and campuses complete with paid agitators to incite riots.
Hollywood and the rest of the arts and entertainment industry have always been allies to this movement and there is no surprise that they are fanning the flames. They have been joined by the professional sports industry who aren’t content to make their billions and stay neutral.
The real danger however, are the social media companies. They are uber-biased, radically liberal, and anti-faith in nature.
All of them!
Several articles have caught my eye lately that warn of this danger. Google, Facebook, and others are using their massive enterprises to perform censorship of anything and everything they don’t like and preparations are being made to increase this activity. Which means if they don’t like this post, they will simply eliminate it without consequence.
US News came out with this report:
“Google, Inc., isn’t just the world’s biggest purveyor of information; it is also the world’s biggest censor.
The company maintains at least nine different blacklists that impact our lives, generally without input or authority from any outside advisory group, industry association or government agency. Google is not the only company suppressing content on the internet. Reddit has frequently been accused of banning postings on specific topics, and a recent report suggests that Facebook has been deleting conservative news stories from its newsfeed, a practice that might have a significant effect on public opinion – even on voting. Google, though, is currently the biggest bully on the block.
When Google’s employees or algorithms decide to block our access to information about a news item, political candidate or business, opinions and votes can shift, reputations can be ruined and businesses can crash and burn. Because online censorship is entirely unregulated at the moment, victims have little or no recourse when they have been harmed. Eventually, authorities will almost certainly have to step in, just as they did when credit bureaus were regulated in 1970. The alternative would be to allow a large corporation to wield an especially destructive kind of power that should be exercised with great restraint and should belong only to the public: the power to shame or exclude.
If Google were just another mom-and-pop shop with a sign saying “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone,” that would be one thing. But as the golden gateway to all knowledge, Google has rapidly become an essential in people’s lives – nearly as essential as air or water. We don’t let public utilities make arbitrary and secretive decisions about denying people services; we shouldn’t let Google do so either.”
The myriad of stories about Facebook radically censoring political and faith organizations will make your blood boil. They are now embarking on rating news stories appearing in your feeds as fake news. Most millennials obtain all of their news from these sites. What better way to indoctrinate them?
Ugh, the gallows are being built and tested and if this continues unabated, free speech will soon be a thing of the past. Call your congressmen and senators today and demand that these entities be regulated.
So, all this is very troubling. If we cannot know the truth how can we be set free? Fortunately, there is still some uncensored truth available in this world and it is the Holy Bible. When I get discouraged at what is going on in this wicked old world I take solace in knowing that there is a righteous God who never lies and is the same today as a thousand years ago, or a thousand years from now. Read your Bible, enjoy its truth, and the freedom it brings, (while you can).
John 8:32
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Have a great weekend and go to Honey Lake Church or somewhere this Sunday.
March 17 2017 – Click here to listen