Should the Government Restrict ‘Harmful’ Speech Online?

  Rachel Chiu; Foundation for Economic Education  "There’s no doubt that certain kinds of online conduct are reprehensible. But that doesn’t mean we should disregard the First Amendment." R.C.

Ultimately, the fixation on harm does little to justify speech limitations. Legislation that reduces legal speech to promote a larger, social good is still a vehicle for the government to become, as Judge Easterbrook wrote, “great censors.” 

"The First Amendment prohibits the federal government from suppressing speech, including speech it deems “harmful,” yet lawmakers keep trying to regulate online discourse.

"Over the summer, the Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill to allegedly protect children from the adverse effects of social media. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took procedural steps to end the debate and quickly advance the bill to a floor vote. According to Schumer, the situation was urgent. In his remarks, he focused on the stories of children who were targets of bullying and predatory conduct on social media. To address these safety issues, the proposed legislation would place liability on online platforms, requiring them to take “reasonable” measures to prevent and mitigate harm.

"It’s now up to the House to push the bill forward to the President’s desk. After initial concerns about censorship, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced the bill in September, paving the way for a final floor vote.

"KOSA highlights an ongoing tension between free speech and current efforts to make social media “safer.” In its persistent attempts to remedy social harm, the government shrinks what is permissible to say online and assumes a role that the First Amendment specifically guards against.

"At its core, the First Amendment is designed to protect freedom of speech from government intrusion. Congress is not responsible for determining what speech is permissible or what information the public has the right to access. Courts have long held that all speech is protected unless it falls within certain categories. Prohibitions against harmful speech—where “harmful” is determined solely by lawmakers—are not consistent with the First Amendment.

"But bills like KOSA add layers of complexity. First, the government is not simply punishing ideological opponents or those with unfavorable viewpoints, which would clearly violate the First Amendment. When viewed in its best light, KOSA is equally about protecting children and their health. New York had similar public health and safety justifications for its controversial hate speech law, which was blocked by a district court and is pending appeal. Under this argument, which is often cited to rationalize speech limitations, the dangers to society are so great that the government should take action to protect vulnerable groups from harm. However, the courts have generally ruled that this is not sufficient justification to limit protected speech." . . .

You Can Kiss New Medical Cures Goodbye

Merrill Matthews: Issues & Insights 

 "Harris claims her policies will cut Medicare’s costs. But what she’s really doing is cutting the future cures that could save your life."

Political Cartoon by Jim Berryman About Price Controls | Harry S. Truman; 1945 

"As President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris tour the country touting cuts in prescription drug prices, the real costs will be in cures never invented. And you can already see that trend not only in drug companies cutting back on new-medicine development, but also in employee downsizing and the decline of small biotech and life-science companies where many of tomorrow’s drugs are developed today.

"The lifeblood of medical innovation is research and development (R&D) spending. Innovator pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year identifying, developing, testing and, hopefully, releasing potential cures. The vast majority of those drugs won’t make it through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval process. Those that do have greatly improved or saved countless lives. 

"But the R&D process isn’t cheap, and the number of approved drugs can vary significantly by year. For example, the FDA approved 55 new drugs in 2023 (the second-highest annual number) but only 37 in 2022 and 50 in 2021. 

"Most of those newly approved drugs were years, if not decades, in the making. And once they are released their patents may have only eight-to-10 years left before they are ripe for generic competition. 

"Moreover, drug companies have been increasingly targeting some of the most difficult medical conditions and diseases, often requiring hard-to-develop biologics—large, complex molecules usually administered by injection—rather than a simple pill. Of those 55 new FDA-approved drugs in 2023, 17 were biologics. Of the 37 new drugs in 2022, 15 were biologics. 

"The misnamed Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) poses a real threat to new drug development. The law essentially imposes price controls on some of the most popular drugs in the Medicare program. Democrats boast that they are just forcing drug companies to “negotiate” drug prices. But the penalty for not accepting the government’s final price is severe—what the government calls an excise tax of up to 19 times the price of the drug, that’s 1,900% of the drug’s daily revenue." . . . 

. . ."Given the restrictions and uncertainty that comes with price controls, drug companies will be more cautious with their R&D spending, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing."

Issues & Insights is run by seasoned journalists who were behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning IBD Editorials page (before it was summarily shut down). Our goal then and now is to bring our decades of combined journalism experience to help readers understand the top issues of the day. I&I is a completely independent operation, beholden to none, but committed to providing cogent, rational, data-driven, fact-based commentary that the nation so desperately needs. 

Obama, Trump, and Kamala

Bridget Phetasy tweeted, “What Democrats are realizing far too late is that they’ve Bud Lighted their whole brand.”    "Add Dylan Mulvaney to the nicknames for Tampon Tim, aka Elmer Fudd and Richard Simmons. Kamala is even worse. Theirs is a Dead Campaign Cackling. The media are clueless."

'I Got A Dad, And He Ain't You': Response To Obama's Condescending Remarks Goes Viral   "Prominent black Trump booster Rob Smith has responded to the former president's condescending screed over 'brothas' who are afraid to vote for Kamala Harris. In a now-viral reply, Smith tells Obama: "There is no amount of lecturing or bullying or shaming that you can do that is going to make me change that decision [to vote for Trump]."  (Emphasis in the original)

This man Actually Helped Nelson Mandela  . . ."Mandela’s group wanted to rent the plane, and did so for a cost of $130,000, or $1625 per person for the entire trip (about $3900 in today’s dollars, still a bargain price for an overseas trip with visits to four major U.S. cities)."

                           

Climate Change: The Greatest Psychological Operation We Never Needed (Redux)

 David T. Cloft; AFNN

"So here we are, united by a crisis that doesn’t really exist, but feeling pretty good about ourselves for caring so much. It’s like the biggest, most well-intentioned hoax ever pulled on humanity."

"Well, folks, we’ve been had. Turns out, climate change was never really about saving the planet. It was a cleverly orchestrated psychological operation designed to give humanity a common goal—because apparently, the planet didn’t actually need saving. According to the real science (not to be confused with “the science” aka Fauci) the Earth is doing just fine on its own, thank you very much. But as the Russian philosopher Dostoyevsky—once said, humans need a struggle to be happy. And what better struggle than fighting an invisible, impending climate catastrophe?

"Our political leaders, who are clearly much smarter than us, figured this out long ago. They saw a world without purpose, where people were content watching Netflix and complaining about the Wi-Fi. How do you unite a fractured humanity when people can’t even agree on pineapple as a pizza topping? Simple: you invent a global crisis! Enter climate change. It’s the perfect bogeyman—vague, everywhere, and completely unavoidable. Who cares if the real science says the planet isn’t going up in flames? We need a good struggle, and they gave it to us.

"In their infinite wisdom, the powers-that-be decided that the climate crisis was noble enough to rally us all together. After all, saving the planet sounds a lot better than admitting we just needed something to freak out about. Plus, who’s going to argue with polar bears and melting glaciers, right? It’s the perfect emotional hook. If you question it, you’re not just a skeptic—you’re a villain, hellbent on destroying Mother Earth herself. That’s some next-level psychological manipulation, and you’ve got to hand it to them: it worked.

"The truth is, this whole climate operation wasn’t about actual data or facts. It was about giving humanity a shared purpose. Because, let’s face it, we’re happier when we have a collective enemy, whether it’s asteroids, aliens, or the impending doom of rising sea levels. And if the science doesn’t quite back up the claims, well, details, schmetails. The important thing is that we’re all together in this fight—even if the fight itself is about as real as Bigfoot."

Iran, the Evil Kingdom, Protected by American "Wokesters."

 

Phyllis Chesler; Substack  . . ." A self-described "rescuer" in Spain, (I will call her B), did get a number of our women and their families out and into remote rural areas of Spain where they were funded for only one year. After that, they were informed that it was time for them to take care of themselves. But, long before that happened, this woman promised that if we could get some of the remaining Afghan women out to a third country e.g. Pakistan or Iran, she would bring them to Spain.

"Well, she lied. Or rather, she overreached. She was yet one more person who wanted to be lauded and funded for her altruism--oh, there are so many. She wanted publicity first in order to first get funded, and when that did not happen--our Afghan women, almost penniless, sometimes without male protectors, some with brothers and children, remained stuck in Teheran, Meshad, or Isfahan. They kept begging for help--and then they stopped, they became quiet.

"I wondered if they had gone back to horrendous lives under the Taliban or whether they'd managed to marry an Iranian. Now, I must wonder whether they were among those whom Iran forcibly exiled or worse, whether any of them were among the hundreds of Afghan refugees whom Iran executed over the last year.

"Muslim on Muslim hatred, Shiia on Sunni hatred. The Iranian oil fields, their nuclear sites, their torture chambers--all, all protected by American foreign policy. The same America that pulled out of Afghanistan in an unbelievably incompetent way, leaving billions of dollars of military equipment behind for the Taliban--and, more important, leaving human beings many of whom had become Westernized, some of whom had worked with American and European organizations--at the mercy of Hell."

More from Ms. Chesler: Thomas Friedman is A Big, Fat, Jerk   . . ."Oh dear. Friedman lives in his own diabolical dreamworld. He believes that C.I.A. director, Bill Burns can effect "coercive diplomacy" by explaining to Iran that their terrorist imperialism will soon bring them down; that America will find ways to make this happen, and if Burns simply lays it all out in words, that Iran will "define its western border and declare that everything beyond it is for the Lebanese, Syrians, Yemenis, Iraquis," etc.

"But to Friedman, Iran and Israel are the same, are morally and demographically equal.

NYT's Thomas Friedman anti-Israel

"Thus, according to Friedman, Burns must also demand that Israel "withdraw from southern Lebanon and Gaza" and, dreaming aloud, Friedman recommends that "the Lebanese Army and a credible, lethal, international force will replace Hezbollah, and an Arab peacekeeping force will replace Hamas." Assuming that Israel withdraws entirely. Burns will also "encourage Israel to limit any retaliatory strikes against (Iran)."

"While Friedman does not tell Iran what it must do in its own sovereign country, he holds forth on sovereign Israel's internal affairs. "We must not be in the business of making Israel safe so that a radical messianic government can annex the West Bank...Bibi needs to purge the settler lunatics" and "open talks with credible leaders...on a two state solution." If Israel does not do as Friedman orders, America will not keep "resupplying Israel with missiles and missile systems."

"Has Friedman and my good friend completely forgotten the history of all the British and Israeli offers to Arabs for a second Palestinian state? (Jordon is the first one). Forgotten that Arabs rejected all these offers? Forgotten that Iran and its terrorist proxies want to genocidally exterminate the Jewish state? That international police keeping forces have been totally ineffective, corrupt, violent, indifferent, anti-Zionist, and invariably fail their missions?

"Has Friedman not noted that even more menacing messianic maniacs than the West Bank "settlers" rule Iran, mullahs who exile, torture, and execute dissidents, women, homosexuals, and refugees without the UN censuring or stopping them, without America calling them to account?

"Finally, nowhere in this piece does Friedman mention 10/7, nor does he call for the release of the American or Israeli hostages who still remain in terror tunnels in Gaza."

Ms. Chesler isn't finished with Friedman yet: NYT's Thomas Friedman is consistently wrong about Israel    "In the rigorous world of journalism, credibility is paramount. Yet, Thomas Friedman, a prominent voice for The New York Times, seems to have a recurring pattern of misjudgments, particularly concerning Israel. 

"One could call it an “obsession.” 

"If Israeli and American leaders were to shape foreign policy based on Friedman’s recent and past columns – both countries would have been less safe today and peace in the Middle East would have remained an intangible dream. Thankfully, they didn’t." . . . 

The Importance of Ted Cruz; Time to rally for Ted.

 Jeffrey Lord, The American Spectator 

"There’s more. Oh, so much more. But the central fact is that Ted Cruz is the role model for exactly what a great United States senator should be. He is someone who not only takes care of his constituents, but also takes great care of the Constitution and the freedoms that America’s founding document was designed to protect."

  "As the election season draws to a close, one thing is increasingly clear: The Democrats are targeting Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

"And it’s time to rally for Ted.

"The race between Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred is, according to polls, close, with Cruz in the lead.

"But the real question here is: Why do the Democrats and Washington’s elites so despise Cruz? As his website makes plain, Cruz has been nothing if not devoted to serving his state. The site notes:

From the oil fields of West Texas, to the farm lands of the Panhandle, to the United States’ southern border and into space, Ted Cruz has been Texas’ leading fighter for over a decade. Since day one, creating jobs, defending freedom, and ensuring security have been Ted’s priorities. Ted has a proven record of standing up to any politician or special interest group to defend the Lone Star State. Delivering meaningful, bipartisan wins for Texas commerce and transportation, NASA, and more, Ted has worked for every Texan to keep Texas, Texas.

"But there’s more going on here than Cruz simply doing his job for Texas, and doing it well.

"The real problem that is driving Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer crazy is that in addition to taking care of Texas, Ted Cruz is a seriously serious — and smart — conservative. And left-wing New Yorker Schumer and his allies cannot abide a seriously smart, decidedly principled, and more than capable conservative.

"Newsmax (where, full disclosure, I am a contributor) headlines this:

Sen. Cruz to Newsmax: My Senate Race Is Schumer’s No. 1 Target

"The story reports:

The No. 1 target this election cycle for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Cruz told Newsmax on Wednesday.

. . . 

Try a Little Honesty About Israel

Victor Davis Hanson 

. . ."Israel’s enemies got the Biden message: Attack the Jewish state, and perhaps Americans for the first time in a half-century may not really mind that much." . . .

In the Vice President's chair sits a stand-in for the boycotting Kamala Harris

"A snarly Biden recently bragged at a contentious press conference, “No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none. And I think [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] should remember that.”

"Yet the thin-skinned and triggered Biden’s prickliness poorly hid—or perhaps revealed—the truth: This current administration knows that it is responsible for the current explosion of the Middle East and the particular dilemmas of Israel.

"Biden further revealed his blame-gaming of the Israeli government when asked another loaded question about purported Netanyahu election interference, saying, “Whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know.”

"Election interference?

"Biden apparently forgot who just flew Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into swing-state Pennsylvania, just as early and mail-in voting there began, to lobby for more aid even as he trashed candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance to a left-wing magazine.

"Recently, Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris refused to say whether the Netanyahu administration is even an ally of the United States.

"Her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, could not state whether the Democratic ticket would approve of an Israeli response—by either targeting the Iranian nuclear bomb program or its oil fields and exporting facilities—to some 500 Iranian missiles and rockets that hit the Jewish state.

"Another Bob Woodward racy and gossipy tell-all book just appeared. It alleges that Biden despised Netanyahu and has reportedly smeared him to aides: “That son of a b—-, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad f–king guy!”

"What are we to make of this Biden-Harris-Walz mess?" . . .

Joe Biden Is Failing At A Geometric Rate | Victor Davis Hanson

This Is Why Donald Trump's McDonald's Visit Was a Genius Political Move

Jeff Charles; RedState

Even further, it plays to one of Trump’s strengths: His ability to relate to regular, everyday Americans. Despite being a billionaire, the former president has tapped into the sentiments felt by America’s blue-collar, salt-of-the-Earth types, many of whom might enjoy a Big Mac every now and again.

"When McDonald’s leadership looks at all the publicity they are getting from former President Donald Trump’s Sunday visit to one of their locations, they must be saying: “I’m Lovin’ It.”

"But Democrats aren’t.

"The reason is clear: Trump’s visit to McDonald’s was a masterful political maneuver, and everyone knows it.

"The former president on Sunday showed up to a McDonald’s restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania to start a temporary new job: Fry cook. The visit was a jab at his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who made a dubious claim that she once worked at the fast-food restaurant during her college years.

"But it was much more than just a jab at Harris – it was a bit of political posturing that showcased one of his strengths: Coming off as a relatable person.

"For starters, choosing Pennsylvania was a good strategic move. The Keystone State is expected to be crucial in the outcome of the upcoming election and both campaigns have been working feverishly to garner support.

"Harris’ team has sent some high-profile political operatives to the state to gin up votes while Trump has held a series of rallies and other events to attract support. Both candidates are making an aggressive push to win the state.

"Currently, the former president is leading his opponent by only 0.8 percent, according to the most recent Real Clear Polling average, which means it is a tossup at this point." . . .

Biden Says the Quiet Part Out Loud, Admits His DOJ is Working to Jail Trump After the Election

The Gateway Pundit   "Joe Biden Tuesday evening campaigned for Kamala Harris at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center in Philadelphia.

"81-year-old Biden was in really bad shape Tuesday night.

"He is so far gone that when he tried to dunk on Trump he botched his line.

" 'She beat Trump so badly in the debate, he’s scared to death to beat her again!” Biden shouted.

"This is the decline Kamala Harris covered up for years." . . .

Biden is now openly hoping President Trump — his former top rival before he kicked Biden's ass so bad he dropped out in disgrace — is jailed after the corrupt Democrat-led witch hunt:
"He got the sentence kicked back, but I want to watch that sentence." pic.twitter.com/jsaq9jR7ob

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 16, 2024

Kamala Harris Suggests Men Are “Misogynist” if They Don’t Vote For Her in Dumpster Fire Interview with Al Sharpton

. .  ."Professional race hustler and MSNBC host Al Sharpton interviewed Kamala Harris on Politics Nation.

"The interview with prerecorded and aired Sunday evening.

"Al Sharpton asked Kamala Harris about her lack of support from men of all races.

"Black men are not supporting Kamala Harris which is why the Democrat machine sent Barack Obama on the campaign trail to shame black men.

"Earlier this month Barack Obama scolded black men and told the ‘brothers’ that they had to vote for Kamala Harris." . . .

"Oh man. Black Americans are DONE with Barack Obama. Listen to black voters respond to Obama trying to shame them into voting for Kamala.
"These responses are 
"We can now officially call Obama’s smug speech the greatest political backfire of all time… — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 14, 2024

Don Salmon: "My problem with President Obama lecture black men about voting for the Democrats. he only show up when time to lecture us. about voting ." Before you click on this, be aware it is full of street language and posted only to show the reaction to Obama's lecture about how "the Brothas" should vote. All we need now is for Obama's guy pal, Bruce to write a song about it all. 

CBS: at least they are nicer that MSNBC in discussing Trump-Harris

"If Harris can’t be presented authentically in what should be a controlled setting, how can we trust her to be genuine when the pressures of the highest office amplify?"  

https://www.terrellaftermath.com/

Kamala Harris Responds to '60 Minutes' Edit Controversy, Distances From CBS     . . .The Kamala Harris campaign has distanced itself from the controversy surrounding her "60 Minutes" interview after Donald Trump demanded the network apologize for airing two different versions of the Vice President's response to a question.

In a teaser clip released online, which also aired on "Face the Nation" on Oct. 6, Harris provided a lengthy response to "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker's question about whether the U.S. lacks influence over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the final interview that aired Oct. 7, Harris' answer was edited differently.

"The two clips have circulated on social media side-by-side as the network faces calls to release the full interview transcript. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that CBS "must be investigated," accusing the network of making Harris appear "more Presidential" in the edit. Both versions of Harris' response are transcribed below." . . .

So much for “Joy”; Dear Team Kamala: Your anger betrays you

Diann Russell; Substack 

"Remember when Kamala claimed her campaign was built on “Joy?” Well, “Joy” was in precious short supply yesterday, let me tell you. Twitter was jammed with pro-Harris accounts venting their huffy adolescent indignation." . . . 

 

"I may not know who will win the election, but I can tell you with certainty which candidate thinks she’s losing.

"Yesterday, Donald Trump donned an apron and worked the French fries and drive-thru window at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, and Team Kamala lost its ever-lovin’ mind.

"It was a master class in retail politics that generated so much attention for the candidate, not to mention several iconic photographs, that the only reaction the other team could muster was impotent rage.

“ 'Well, oh yeah? It was STAGED!”

"Yes, that’s how campaign stops generally work.

"Did they think that Trump filled out a job application, sat down for an interview with the manager, and was hired? Of course it was staged, you prats! Campaigns arrange events at all kinds of places. Team Kamala staged a “Kamala greets customers at a diner in Pennsylvania” event that included kicking out the restaurant’s regulars and replacing them with Kamala supporters who were bused in to play the supporting roles.

" 'It was all fake! The Secret Service vetted the customers!!!”

"Yes, that’s what the Secret Service does — especially for a presidential candidate who was already the target of not one but two assassination attempts.

"Look, they’re not mad because “it was staged.” They’re mad because it was brilliant and they didn’t think of it first.

"The minute the Washington Free Beacon fact-checked Kamala’s claim of having worked at a McDonald’s when she was in college, her campaign could have staged an event with Kamala working the French fries. But they didn’t. Instead, they let it dangle like low-hanging fruit, leaving Donald Trump to wander over and pluck it." . . .  Full article.

Trump shines at McDonald’s while Kamala’s getting mad    "In the wake of getting shot in Butler, PA, Donald Trump struck me as a bit subdued. I was worried that the bullet, while it didn’t take his life (thank God), took some of his mojo. Meanwhile, the media began telling us that Cacklin’ Kamala was the embodiment of pure joy. Well, that was two months ago, and a lot can change in two months. Now, Cacklin Kamala is angry, while a buoyant Trump had fun at a Philadelphia McDonald’s. We are witnessing the living embodiment of the momentum we’re seeing in the polls." . . . First President to ever work at McDonalds.  Says Mr. Trump.

MSNBC Goes Into Full Meltdown Mode As Trump Gets Huge Crowd and Cheers at McDonald's   . . ."What's unstable about working at McDonald's? Are they really going that route to insult the people who work there? Every politician running for office does things like this traditionally. 

"MSNBC also tried to float Kamala's desperate last-ditch propaganda that Trump was "unstable," which was a silly rebuttal, seeing as he just worked with the folks at McDonald's to serve folks. They really are clueless. Plus, the claim that he doesn't have an economic plan is just laughable, when it's really Kamala Harris who has offered up nothing up but word salads. And they had to slip in the "threat to democracy" mantra, which is a little hard to sell when he's handing out food at the drive-thru. 

"Bottom line? They just can't deal -- and it's a beautiful thing to see." 

Insane Joy Behar Claims Trump Will Have ‘the Air Forces’ Bomb ‘The View’ Studio. (I watched this show and lost 10 IQ points)

Nicholas Fondacaro; MRC  

She and moderator Whoopi Goldberg then proceeded to claim that the media was actually on Trump’s side and that they were intentionally trying to depressed Democratic voter turn out:

"ABC New is desperate to get Vice President Kamala Harris elected president. How desperate? Joy Behar, co-host of news program The View, repeatedly fear mongered that former President Trump planned to have “the Air Forces” bomb their studio and have the military kill liberals if he was elected again. On Wednesday’s show, she told viewers not to trust the polls and the media, suggesting they were on his side and were trying to depress Democratic voter turnout.

" 'Let me tell you something. I was watching interviews with MAGA supporters. They do not believe that he will do what he says he’s going to do. That's what we're up against,” she decried on Tuesday’s episode.

"What sort of stuff was she upset MAGA supporters didn’t believe? She couldn’t wrap her mind around how they didn’t believe he was going to be a dictator like she did, or how she foresaw him bombing their studio:

So, if you say he's going to be a dictator on day one, he wants to punish with the – with the air forces, whatever we have – the armed forces, he wants to punish people who disagree with him like people like us! Okay? And they say, ‘oh, he's not going to do that.’ He's going to take us out of NATO. ‘No, he's not going to do that.’

"So, it's very hard for us to talk to these people, because they refuse to believe. And I guess they're hearing it on Fox or elsewhere.

"On Wednesday, she wanted “talk about fascism for a second,” and how Trump’s picture was in the dictionary." . . .