. . .
K “If I prayed, my prayers would be answered. I sought to circulate a petition protecting one’s right to petition for redress, yet no one was interested.”
J “You know my concern. There is too much misinformation. Information must be mediated by someone responsible. You know my other concern. No individual or institution is responsible enough to mediate.”
K “The marketplace of ideas can handle it.”
. . .
K “Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger and Bari Weiss, the three recipients of the Eighth Annual Pushitzer Prize In Commentary For 2023 (May 8, 2023), are on board. Julian Assange, the recipient of the Third Annual “Cameo In Courage” Award For 2018 (April 9, 2018) and the Fourth Annual “Cameo In Courage” Award For 2019 (April 8, 2019), is on board. Edward Snowden, the recipient of the First Annual “Cameo In Courage” Award For 2016 (May 9, 2016), is on board. There are still courageous folks on this planet willing to take a stand.”
. . .
K “Last week, Consortium News filed a lawsuit in federal court to challenge Newsguard and the U.S. government for violating the First Amendment and defaming the authors. Newguard has been acting on behalf of the U.S. Government to censor information.”
. . .
K “Tomorrow on the morn of Halloween in Lindke v. Freed, the Supreme Court is addressing the following question: ‘Courts have increasingly been called upon to determine whether a public official who selectively blocks access to his or her social media account has engaged in state action subject to constitutional scrutiny. To answer that question, most circuits consider a broad range of factors, including the account’s appearance and purpose. But in the decision below, the court of appeals rejected the relevance of any consideration other than whether the official was performing a “duty of his office” or invoking the “authority of his office.” App. 5a.’”
J “The answer will be long, too.”
. . .
J “Misinformation concerns me.”
. . .
[See “US Government & NewsGuard Sued by Consortium News” in “Consortium News” dated October 23, 2023.]
Bumper stickers of the week:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Knowledge is power. No, knowledge is not power. But ignorance is powerlessness.
“Scientia potentia est” Sir Francis Bacon / Thomas Hobbs
“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” Noam Chomsky
“If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell
“The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.” Sigmund Freud
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