3 Attacks on Freedom of Speech –
American Moms Say “ENOUGH!”
There’s an attempt to silence you.
The First Amendment is under full-on assault from media, social platforms, government, school officials – and even peers. It’s coming at us from every direction.
Culture has gone off the rails, and it’s nearly a full-time job to know where to take a stand and which concerns may self-correct when common sense returns. We hope.
Not every hill must be taken – however, freedom of speech is vital to our nation. Ignoring the need to hold this valuable ground in the culture war could leave us with nothing but a handful of dirt.
So, mamas, we must stand firm.
It’s hard to pinpoint precisely when this censorship of words and thought began. Was it a limiting discussion of climate change? That started years ago. Did silencing voices become more prevalent on social media platforms following the tragic death of George Floyd? After that, it was forbidden to discuss the Covid pandemic, with social media serving as a watchdog. It hit its stride when a sitting President was banned from online platforms by moguls who revealed once and for all their unrelenting bias.
Attack #1 – Shut Down Free Speech
There was a line we never crossed when it came to free speech – remember? You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater.
It’s different now.
Did you wonder aloud if your child should take a Covid vaccine? Have you dared to say out loud that men and women have a unique biological makeup that is not interchangeable? Have you voiced concern about riots and crime? Do you have questions about the integrity of our elections?
If so, you may be guilty of “misinformation,” at best. According to those who control the narrative, you are also potentially racist, transphobic, anti-vaccine, and an “election-denier.”
People have been fired, and others have been kicked off social media. Some have even been called to HR to discuss the “incident” where words made someone feel “unsafe.”
At school board meetings, leadership claims they want to “hear from parents,” give 60 seconds for parents to voice condensed lists of serious concerns, then cut off the microphone. (That example is from a Louden County, Virginia, school board meeting 1) Often these boards don’t even respond to parents’ concerns. Is that free speech?
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law prohibiting medical doctors from providing guidance to patients if it falls outside of approved state dictates for covid. They risk suspension of their license. It’s an attack on privacy and speech and an outrageous overreach.2
They want to shut down free speech. And sometimes people are fooled into thinking it’s for their good. It’s not. Our founders knew that free citizens must have free speech.
Moms Say: “We Won’t Be Silenced!”
Moms are united. We won’t be silenced.
Moms are done with school boards trampling parental rights. We see you, mamas, showing up, running for office – putting yourself out there more than ever before.
The day to be silent is gone. American culture is at a crossroads, and our voices are crucial against racial discrimination in schools, radical gender indoctrination of children, and the squelching of American patriotic expression. Big tech may censor our social media accounts, but they won’t win in the end.
We’re better together, so gather with other moms at a Cottage Meeting to compare notes and amplify your voices. Start patriotic traditions with your kids to stave off a negative and encroaching culture. Learn more about our timeless Constitution in our free Healing of America virtual series. As you engage with your school district, download our free Guide to Parental Rights to know what’s what.
Get involved with every election because our voice is heard loudly in our vote. Name-calling activists may bluster, but we can’t back down.
Your voice is vital at school board meetings, social gatherings, church, and in your community. We can protect our 1st Amendment right to free speech by speaking the truth boldly – and with kindness.
Attack #2: Cancel Culture – Forced Speech
Cancel culture has come front and center as a bludgeon to enforce compliance to culture’s demands. Can we be forced to say or express things we don’t believe?
*Did you know it was happening even a decade ago? Remember Jack Phillips – the baker from Colorado, attacked by activists when he declined to be involved in a same-sex wedding ceremony by creating a cake? At the center was the question – does an artist have the right to create art (or not) based on their faith convictions? Far from how he’s been characterized, Jack openly welcomed everyone into his small shop for a pastry, a cake, a cup of coffee, and conversation. Jack was targeted solely for his Christian convictions. His choice to stand for his faith landed him in court repeatedly, and over the next few years, the case traveled up the chain to the Supreme Court. Jack won there, but the litigation hasn’t stopped. Masterpiece Cakeshop has been a target of lawsuits, protests, and propaganda. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, Jack hasn’t backed down.3
*Orlando Magic basketball star Jonathan Isaac made national news when he refused to kneel at a game. Players and managers had agreed to wear shirts emblazoned with “Black Lives Matter” and take a knee during the National Anthem. He was the first NBA player to stand before the anthem during the kneeling craze. Isaac says that as a follower of Christ, he would not bow compliance with an ideology that didn’t represent his convictions. He knew he might be hated and criticized, but he remained steadfast. The media firestorm ranged from those who considered it grandstanding to those who supported his brave act. Ultimately, it was an exercise of free speech in the face of tremendous cultural pressure. He wrote about it in his book, Why I Stand. 4
*In 2020, a popular Youtuber, online artist/animator was abruptly canceled. A college student, Emily Arant, found herself in the crosshairs of an online mob that mobilized an attack for her gentle refusal to create transgender art. As a Christian, she only created “family-friendly” images and videos. When a commissioner made a last-minute request to add a transgender flag to the character art she had ordered, Emily quickly offered a refund. The client decided to move forward with the purchase anyway, and the transaction seemed usual – even friendly. Behind the scenes, however, that individual rallied a raucous online mob to “cancel” Emily and her business. Her online art business had provided funds for her college tuition for a year and a half but was shattered when the mob came calling. Dozens of Christian media outlets covered the story after her gentle response to the attackers. She refused to bow but used her final YouTube video to offer a parting personal message telling her detractors that God loves them. 5
Moms Say: “We Won’t Be Forced to Conform!”
Mamas, we live in the real world and refuse to be told what we “must” do – especially if it goes against our convictions. We have a right to our thoughts, beliefs, words, and creativity. We stand firm for the sanctity of family, marriage, and our rights as parents.
Moms see the writing on the wall- and in the classroom and boldly stand up to ensure their kids are not sucked into an abyss of conformity of thought and actions. We will not permit schools and teachers to force our children to comply with anti-American practices or pronoun protocol.
We enjoy the freedom of religion in America, so we won’t be told what to worship, say or believe. We do not bow to demands from those who insist on compliance over common sense.
We will get the medical treatment that we believe will be effective and make those decisions on behalf of our children. We will teach our young love for country and gratitude to God. Our families will salute the flag and say the pledge. Can I get an “amen”?
A shift towards bowing to cultural conformity will not stop with a few concessions.
We won’t be forced to conform, and political power brokers are beginning to see the formidable force of mamas in America. Don’t back down.
Attack #3 – Browser Bias
The internet is a wonder. We no longer need a shelf full of dusty and quickly outdated encyclopedias. Now, the world’s knowledge is at our fingertips.
Or is it?
When writing this blog- research is where it always begins. One thing that has become a hallmark of these deep internet dives – is that almost any search usually brings up only one point of view. It is best described as left-leaning, liberal, politically correct – or pick your own term. Rarely will it yield differing opinions.
Say you try a search of “the attack on free speech,” and you may get the results we did. First, there’s an account of a congressional hearing about the attack on free speech in the classroom. It’s a subcommittee bemoaning an attempt to censor racism education (CRT) and the stifling of LGBTQ+ education.
Media compares it to Nazi book burning 6 – but, mamas, removing sexually explicit, age-inappropriate, or racist material from schools is nothing like Hitler’s actions. For more on what’s being pushed on our children, check out the book list in our recent blog post about shocking sexual indoctrination in schools.
A Google search for “censorship” yields dozens of articles about the same thing. It’s not about conservative voices silenced or topics removed from social platforms. “Censorship,” according to Google, is all about outrage over banned books.
Nobody wants to be called a book banner – but parents are determined to protect our kids from pornography and gender-ideology-driven titles in schools. That’s far from extreme.
Now take a moment to consider this is the same browser bias your child will encounter when they work on a school paper. They may only see one side of a given topic. It’s crucial to show your teens this targeted exclusion of voices.
Don’t get sucked in by the search engine biases. It’s extra legwork to find the alternatives, but a little digging will yield gold.
Moms Say: “We Won’t Be Fooled!”
Moms are sick and tired of a lot of things. They’re sick of dirty dishes, socks left around the house, Cheerios in our vans, school boards, media, and politicians who think they can put one over on us.
Moms are educated and savvy. We won’t be fooled by attempts to squash alternative views and truth.
Moms are getting wise to the scam. Politically powered search engines can censor what we see – initially. To get the lowdown online, you have to work around the bias- and you can!
Do you want to know the latest news on vaccines, lockdowns, CRT, or inflation? Sure, check out what Google serves up. But then, do a quick search of some alternative sources.
As a starting point, you can find many ideas and tools for raising patriots and protecting our nation at MomsforAmerica.us.
Then take your search to sites for organizations like The Heritage Foundation, Prager U, Focus on the Family, Fox News, The Washington Examiner, and others. Just know you’ve got to take a few extra moments to seek other news sources. (Note that our mention of these organizations does not imply full endorsement of them by Moms for America.)
So when looking for the truth online check out what Google brings up and then double-check with an alternative media source.
Then make your own decision. It’s called freedom of thought.
We may have been born in the morning – but not yesterday morning!
Don’t be fooled by anyone’s spin.
Stand your ground. Be kind, but don’t be silenced. You are standing for your children – you are standing for our Constitution. You are standing against an attack on the heart of America.
6 npr.org
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