Murthy v. Missouri: The Future of Free Speech By Charles Taylor (Florida)
At present the Supreme Court of the United States is hearing oral argument in the case of Murthy v. Missouri, a free speech case. The lawsuit alleges that 67 federal agencies, and officials, including White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI and the U.S. cybersecurity agency, coerced social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter/X to censor individual posts, primarily related to Covid restrictions imposed by the past two administrations.
There was a rally outside of the Supreme Court building by medical freedom advocates, "Rally to Reclaim Free Speech." The case was made that the government suppression of freedom of expression during Covid, not only was in violation of the First Amendment, but led to the dangers of adverse effects from the vax not being exposed to the public. According to Children's Health Defense vice president Laura Bono, "If we win, it will solidify every American's right to free speech."
While more collectivist countries like Australia do not have a robust tradition of protecting free speech, and are even more paternalistic in government than the US (witness the Victorian government lockdowns, the longest on the planet even compared to communist China), a pro-freedom result in this case may influence legal thinking across the world, perhaps even Australia.
"About 300 medical freedom advocates gathered today in front of the U.S. Supreme Court for the "Rally to Reclaim Free Speech" as the justices heard oral arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, a landmark case that could shape the future of free speech in America.
The rally, organized by Children's Health Defense (CHD) and other health freedom groups, featured a host of speakers who told the crowd that government-directed social media censorship during the COVID-19 pandemic violated the First Amendment and led to a dangerous suppression of dissenting voices on public health issues.
Speakers included Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Paul Marik, Dr. Christina Parks, attorneys Sujata Gibson, Tricia Lindsay and CHD General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg, Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, filmmaker Mikki Willis, Highwire host Del Bigtree, Murthy v. Missouri plaintiffs Dr. Aaron Kheriaty and Jim Hoft, Brownstone Institute's Jeffrey Tucker, activist Amy Bohn, CHD Vice President Laura Bono and Michael Kane, among others.
'If we win, it will solidify every American's right to free speech'
Speakers at today's rally emphasized the potential impact of Murthy v. Missouri on the future of free speech in America.
"This is a historic day," said Laura Bono, CHD executive vice president. She stressed the importance of today's hearing on Kennedy v. Biden — the closely related government censorship case in which CHD is a plaintiff.
"If we win, it will solidify every American's right to free speech," Bono said, "[And] not just ours. These cases will shape the future of free speech in America and the world."
Rosenberg, CHD's attorney for Kennedy v. Biden, said, "Free speech, one of those cornerstones of our democracy, hangs in the balance today." She clarified that the case is about "the government impermissibly bullying and coercing social media to do what the government itself cannot do to tamp down protected speech."
Lindsay, a New York attorney who has long been involved in COVID-19-related litigation, compared the case to the suppression of religious freedom in colonial America.
"Today we stand on the precipice of change," she said. "We stand at the crossroads between tyranny and democracy, freedom and literal slavery, dictatorship and republic."
Veteran civil rights attorney Gibson called on the Supreme Court justices to uphold the First Amendment and restore the balance of power between the government and the people, or else "our American experiment is over."
'We know you got the scientists to lie'
Many of the speakers argued that the COVID-19 pandemic was used to usher in a nefarious agenda, with the government, media and Big Tech companies pushing a false narrative and silencing dissenting voices around vaccine mandates, lockdowns and other pandemic measures.
Bowden, a physician from Texas, described how the government "hijacked our exam rooms, hijacked your right to bodily autonomy and informed consent" by dictating who would get treated and how, without ever treating a single COVID-19 patient themselves.
"Reasonable scientists with good intentions … would have engaged in debate with those they disagreed with," Bowden said. "But there was far too much invested in a pre-determined plan for that to happen."
"You lied," Bigree told the crowd. "We know you got the scientists to lie," he said, referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci and the suppression of the lab-leak theory.
"What they told you was false," said Marik, a co-founder of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). "We know the 6-foot rule was a lie. Social isolation was a lie. The lockdowns were a lie. We know that the vaccines are not safe and effective," he added.
"Truth is treason in an empire of lies," said Bohn, co-founder and president of Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids. She warned people in the freedom movement not to become complacent because "complacency is the quickest way to get to tyranny."
Tucker said:
"The ambition of every tyrant, from the beginning of time … is to curate the public mind, right? … to control what we think by giving us only certain kinds of information so that we arrive at certain conclusions so that we'll be more loyal subjects to put up with whatever happens after that."
'One of the most censored physicians in this country'
Rally speakers addressed the suppression of early treatment options and censorship of concerns about vaccine safety.
Kory, a critical care physician and co-founder of the FLCCC, shared his experience of being censored and attacked for advocating for the use of ivermectin as an early treatment for COVID-19.
"I consider myself to be one of the most censored physicians in this country throughout COVID," he said.
Noting the suppression of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, Kory said, "Censorship is silence … [because] you have no idea what you are not hearing."
Marik, another co-founder of the FLCCC, emphasized the importance of early treatment options and the need for open scientific debate. He alleged that 18 million Americans are still experiencing adverse events from the mRNA vaccines, and over 500,000 were killed by them.
Bigtree criticized the media for pushing the narrative that the COVID-19 vaccines were "95% effective at stopping transmission," despite the lack of evidence from clinical trials.
He also highlighted the increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with the mRNA vaccines, citing a recent study of 99 million people showing numerous adverse events that the mainstream media described as "rare" but that he said were "6 times the amount" (in the case of myocarditis) of normal rates.
Rizza Islam, one of the "Disinformation Dozen," criticized those offering "joints for jabs" and other incentives while they censored posts saying "that natural immunity is superior to that of vaccine-induced immunity."
"They allow poison in the water, they put poison in the air — and all of a sudden they care about your health?" he asked. "Does that make sense?"
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