Letters to the Editor Week of 3/8/2021

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Press readers

Limits to free speech
To the editor: In last week’s guest editorial, John Whitehead states, “The question is not whether the content of their speech was legitimate.” This premise is a distortion of facts and is precisely the reason for the myriad of conspiracies, lies, rumors, and Qanon types in social media today.
Whitehead's statement is also legally inaccurate. The first amendment does not give anyone a constitutional basis to commit riots, insurrection, slander, hatred, or felonies. What speech is not covered under the First Amendment? From the Freedom Forum: fighting words, defamation, incitement to imminent lawless action, true threats, blackmail, and solicitations to commit crimes.
In addition, banning someone from a social media platform is not a First Amendment issue if it is owned by a private company.
Paul Szymanowski
Curtice

A diet of propaganda
To the editor: I would get a laugh from John Whitehead’s column about technofascism if it wasn’t so dangerous. He decries the banning of several right wing extremists like Donald Trump and Alex Jones.
There was a time when we valued truth in this country until Trump created alternate facts. It is long gone with a steady diet of lies and right wing propaganda. I would also like to remind people that empires like the old Communist Russia and Nazi Germany were built on a steady diet of lies and propaganda which Republicans use in abundance.
Do you want to let radical Republicans overthrow democracy? That is the more important question.
Even the lies would be acceptable if there was more fairness in media which is pretty much controlled by the right wing.
Our forefathers, who conservatives ignore, said a free press is necessary to keep democracy alive. This steady brainwashing for one party is what I call techno censorship.
Albert Kapustar
Oregon

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