Free Speech: What Is It?

It’s been a tough week for free speech. On Friday evening, a man named Douglass Mackey was convicted on criminal charges that essentially boiled down to having the audacity to oppose Hillary Clinton in 2016. This was on top of the scam indictment of Donald Trump the day before.

In this video discussion, I’m joined by John Tuturice to discuss free speech from both the perspective of American law and Catholic theology. We look at the historical origins of the famous “You can’t shout ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theatre rationale, when appropriate limitations can be made on speech, and—as we go into Holy Week—how all of this leads us unavoidably to the question Pilate asked of Christ—What is truth?

Greg Price @greg_price11

Douglass Mackey tweeted the meme on the left before the 2016 election and the Biden DOJ is now trying to put him in jail for 10 years for posting it. The tweet on the right was also posted before the 2016 election by a liberal activist but she has never been arrested.

These are toxic and scary times in the United States right now. We’re going to win, but the turbulence feels very heavy. To that end, I’m recalling a talk I listened to by one of the country’s top exorcists, Father Chad Ripperger. As someone who sees what is, quite literally, the worst in all of creation, Fr. Ripperger was talking about what he does when he’s not working. His answer was “I’ll have a cigar and a glass of scotch.” And the reason was simple—he is refusing to allow the darker forces to deprive him of the simple joys of a normal life.

I cite this because, for me, the simple joys are sports, and I’ve been busy producing content this week in that arena. If you or someone in your world like baseball or college basketball, I’ve got a comprehensive preview of the baseball season here that I did with a couple friends, and a short preview of the Final Four here.

Everyone have a good weekend! The forces of populism are on the march. Here in the state of Massachusetts, we just got back from an election for a local GOP state committee role. The populist insurgent won a decisive victory over the candidate backed by the higher-ups in the Republican Party. Our opponents within the GOP have a lot of assets at their disposal. But when we engage, we have the numbers and we’re inside the gates. Be of good heart and press forward, even as the storm rages. We got this.