WOBURN -- Responding to the growing trend of speech suppression, especially in the online public square, the Massachusetts Republican State Committee voted Wednesday night in support of a resolution opposing all forms of censorship.
The resolution, introduced by State Committeeman Jay Fleitman and State Committeewoman Mary Lou Stuart, calls attention to a “select cabal of technology corporations” and cites “the censorship of press reports and commentary critical of a presidential candidate, the silencing of a duly-elected president, and cooperation resulting in the systematic shutdown of alternative social media platform.”
“Congress has refused to take action on any of this and apparently they’re unconcerned that a small group of powerful tech oligarchs have the power to silence the voices of millions of Americans,” Fleitman said. “We are headed in a dangerous direction, and if people don’t make their voices heard, I shudder to think where we will wind up.”
Fleitman added that he found it “disturbing” that social media giants Twitter and Facebook resorted to censoring the country’s fourth largest newspaper after it accurately reported news that had the potential to harm the chances of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
“Somehow even talking about the New York Post's reporting on social media platforms, which showed that the family of the Democrat nominee for president received a windfall payoff from businesses controlled by one of our greatest global adversaries, was censored by unelected tech,” Fleitman said. “America has a grave problem when a select few corporations get to dictate what people can say or read.”
“All throughout history, authoritarian regimes have relied on censorship and intimidation tactics in order to prevent any criticism of government, and the citizens living under those regimes have suffered greatly as a result,” Lyons said. “I am proud that the Massachusetts Republican Party is making the statement that censorship will not be tolerated.”
MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO ALL FORMS OF CENSORSHIP, AND IN SUPPORT OF THE RIGHTS GUARANTEED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
WHEREAS: Our constitutional republic is deeply rooted in the guiding First Amendment principle of free speech; and
WHEREAS: The success of our constitutional republic is contingent upon the protection of our First Amendment rights guaranteeing freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely; and
WHEREAS: Autocratic and heavily centralized governments have been proven throughout the course of recorded history to rely on censorship and intimidation as the means of silencing free speech and government opposition, and to preserve the authority of the powerful at the expense of the citizen; and
WHEREAS: Recent events point to Congress ceding that authority to unelected technology corporations holding a monopoly on discourse in the online public square; and
WHEREAS: Actions committed by a select cabal of technology corporations included the censorship of press reports and commentary critical of a presidential candidate, the silencing of a duly-elected president, and cooperation resulting in the systematic shutdown of alternative social media platform(s); and
WHEREAS: Congress has shown an unwillingness to commit to guaranteeing and ensuring First Amendment protections for all in the online public square, while ceding such authority to unelected technology corporations and institutions of learning.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the State Committee of the Massachusetts Republican Party: the State Committee stands united in opposition to all forms of censorship, all efforts to stifle Americans’ First Amendment rights, and stands unequivocally for the rights ensured by the Constitution of the United States of America.
Submitted by: Jay Fleitman and Mary Lou Stuart
