1984: Thread

[grarpamp]

These 20 States Threaten Legal Action Over Biden's 'Ministry Of Truth'

https://www.theorganicprepper.com/states-legal-action-ministry-of-truth/
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/disinformation-governance-board/
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/the-organic-prepper-has-been-defunded-for-being-a-disinformation-website/
https://selfrelianceandsurvival.com/product/the-official-newsletter-of-the-apocalypse/
https://reclaimthenet.org/20-states-threaten-legal-action-over-dhs-disinformation-board/
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Miyares-Letter-1.pdf
https://www.myfinancialgoals.org/education/state-attorney-general-contact-list.htm

The attorneys general of 20 states have threatened legal action
against the US government unless they disband the newly formed
Disinformation Governance Board.

We shared with you recently an article about the people behind the
DGB, who have a history of trying to curb dissenting speech by calling
it “disinformation.” We here at the OP have been the targets of
censorship before and would not be surprised to see more of the same.
(Here’s how we’re meeting the possibility of further oppression
head-on.)

It turns out that we’re not the only ones concerned about this.

What’s being done?

In a letter addressed to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the
Attorney General of Virginia, Jason Miyares, spoke for the AGs of 19
other states and shared his concerns about the overreach.

The letter was acquired by ReclaimtheNet.org.

    As the chief legal officers of our respective States, we, the
undersigned Attorneys General, are tasked not just with enforcing the
laws but with protecting the constitutional rights of all our
citizens. Today we write you to insist that you immediately cease
taking action that appears designed exclusively for the purpose of
suppressing the exercise of constitutional rights.

    Every American knows that the Constitution forbids the government
to “abridg[e] the freedom of speech.” US Const. Amend. I. As Justice
Robert Jackson wrote nearly eighty years ago, “[i]f there is any fixed
star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high
or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics,
nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.” West Virginia
State Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette, 319 US 624, 642 (1943).

    Your recent testimony before the US House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Homeland Security, however, indicated that the
Department of Homeland Security, under your leadership, is doing
exactly that: prescribing orthodoxy by slapping a federal-government
label of “disinformation” or “misinformation” on speech that
government bureaucrats, operating behind closed doors, decree to be
improper. This is an unacceptable and downright alarming encroachment
on every citizen’s right to express his or her opinions, engage in
political debate, and disagree with the government. The Biden
Administration’s latest effort to decide what speech is “acceptable”
and “orthodox” combines McCarthyite speech policing with the secrecy
of the English Star Chamber.

    In short, you seem to have misunderstood George Orwell: the
“Ministry of Truth” described in 1984 was intended as a warning
against the dangers of socialism, not as a model government agency.
“MiniTru” and its thuggish apparatchiks are the villains in that
story, not the heroes. For the sake of our democracy, you must
immediately disband the “Disinformation Governance Board” and cease
all efforts to police Americans’ protected speech. The existence of
the Disinformation Governance Board will inevitably have a chilling
effect on free speech. Americans will hesitate before they voice their
constitutionally protected opinions, knowing that the government’s
censors may be watching, and some will decide it is safer to keep
their opinions to themselves.

    The resulting damage to our political system and our culture will
be incalculable: as a democracy, our political debates and decisions
are supposed to take place in the public square, where every citizen
can participate, rather than in government office buildings where
hand-picked and unaccountable partisan committees are insulated from
public supervision and criticism.

(Read the rest of the letter here.)

The letter goes on to question the timing of the new Ministry of Truth
(just as Elon Musk completes the purchase of Twitter with the stated
goal of restoring free speech on the platform). It also calls into
question the dubious qualifications of head honcho, Nina Jancowiz, who
AG Miyares describes as “often in error but never in doubt.”
How will the AGs enforce this?

In a firmly worded promise, Miyares concludes:

Unless you turn back now and disband this Orwellian Disinformation
Governance Board immediately, the undersigned will have no choice but
to consider judicial remedies to protect the rights of their citizens.

We sincerely hope this puts a halt to the censorship efforts of the
Biden administration.
Who signed the letter?

The letter was signed by the attorneys general of 20 states. We hope
that other states follow in their footsteps to protect this vital
constitutional right. (Contact your state’s AG and let them know you
support them or want them to get on board, too!)

The following AGs signed the letter.

    Jason S. Miyares, Virginia (the author of the letter)
    Steve Marshall, Alabama
    Mark Brnovich, Arizona
    Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas
    Ashley Moody, Florida
    Christopher M. Carr, Georgia
    Todd Rokita, Indiana
    Derek Schmidt, Kansas
    Daniel Cameron, Kentucky
    Jeff Landry, Louisiana
    Lynn Fitch, Mississippi
    Eric Schmitt, Missouri
    Austin Knudson, Montana
    Douglas J. Peterson, Nebraska
    David Yost, Ohio
    John M. O’Connor, Oklahoma
    Alan Wilson, South Carolina
    Ken Paxton, Texas
    Sean D. Reyes, Utah
    Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia

Will this effort gain any traction with the DHS and the current
administration? We are not holding our breath.