Rights and those who wrong them

The Founding Fathers of the United States had the wisdom to add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. One of the Amendments included in the Bill of Rights is the First Amendment which reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Many people today interpret that to mean the right to distribute pornography and to express criticism of Republicans. While it those rights may be protected, the Amendment also includes the right to be critical of Democrats as well. It does not suggest that the government can use private companies to censor certain criticism; it is generally considered that if someone acts at the behest of the government, they are considered part of the government and have the same restrictions.

Years ago, Jourdan commented on these pages that while the United States is not the only country where people have rights, it is the only country where those rights are considered innate rather than granted by the government. 

Leftists are charging headlong into claiming that anyone who wants a free flow of ideas is a danger to society and must be silenced. As if on cue, Robert Reich, a man with an ironic last name if there ever was one, has claimed 

(Elon) Musk has long advocated a libertarian vision of an ‘uncontrolled’ internet. That’s also the dream of every dictator, strongman and demagogue.

I must have missed that in my reading of history. I was not aware that tyrants have advocated the free flow of ideas.

A fair and balanced press is vitally important to an open society.  Up north, Canada's one-man advertisement for the Electoral College has been making Elon Musk look like a piker. For a while now, the Government of Canada has been subsidizing the main stream media. Nothing guarantees a balanced watchdog media than having the government subsidize that media. That is over and above the normal government support that the government gives the Canadian Broadcast Corporation. None of this money goes to such upstart news organizations such as Rebel Media who have the audacity to present information that is critical of the government.

The government has taken this one step further. The government is now issuing Journalism Licenses. Whether an organization qualifies to be granted a Journalism License is up to whom? Let me see, it wouldn't be the government now, would it?

Why yes it would. The government gets to decide -- after deliberating in secret. That is sure to instill confidence in the minds of the people of Canada that they are being given accurate information about government affairs.

He may not be Fidel's son, be he sure acts like he is. Photo: Time.com

Maybe it is the optimist in me, but I see these actions as the last gasp of a dying mentallity.

I hope I am right.