If anyone wants an example of why it’s not just anti-constitutional, but dangerous and unethical, to allow the Federal Communications Commission to exist, they need look no further than this breaking story.
As official government web info reveals, Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FLA) just sent a letter to Google/YouTube head Sundar Pichai recommending that he make YouTube suppress videos that question the hysterical “Anthropogenic Climate Change” narrative.
From her charming missive as the head of a super-special committee:
Today, I write with urgent concerns regarding a new report on the spread of dangerous misinformation on YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. According to the report, which was released this month, YouTube has been driving millions of viewers to climate misinformation videos every day, a shocking revelation that runs contrary to Google’s important missions of fighting misinformation and promoting climate action.
What’s “shocking” is the fact that this “report” Ms. Castor mentions comes from the hardcore left-wing Avaaz, a global non-profit dedicated to -- among a few collectivist causes -- pushing the “Anthropogenic Climate Change” theory, and which works very closely with left-leaning politicians world-wide to sell the myth… What’s shocking is that Ms. Castor never bothers to mention that Google has already been accused by whistleblower Zach Vorhees of putting web sources that don’t agree with the “Climate Change” narrative on a black list for suppression (MRCTV being one of them).
What’s “shocking” is that this woman should already be aware that for more than two years, YouTube has been accused of demonetizing and suppressing conservative, libertarian, anti-war, and Climate Realist videos.
And what’s “shocking” is that this woman should spout fascistic threats like this:
Specifically, YouTube can address these issues by taking the following steps:
- Stop promoting climate denial and climate disinformation videos by removing them immediately from the platforms recommended algorithm;
- Add 'climate misinformation' to the platform list of borderline content;
- Stop monetizing videos that promote harmful misinformation and falsehoods about the causes and effects of the climate crisis;
- Take steps to correct the record for millions of viewers who have been exposed to climate misinformation on YouTube.
All of which assumes many erroneous terms and ideas, such as “climate change denial”, “climate disinformation”, “climate misinformation”, and “the climate crisis.”
Debating the data or politically-funded theories pushed by organizations such as the United Nations’ “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” (IPCC), or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the University of East Anglia (so ignominiously tied to the ClimateGate Scandal, along with the IPCC), is not “misinformation”. It’s intellectually rigorous dissent, something that scientists who are truly interested in truth do not fear.
Additionally, there is no “crisis” of the climate. Like so many others in her lexicon, Ms. Castor’s use of this term is rhetorical scaremongering unbecoming anyone who is interested in real debate.
But, of course, her committee itself – padded with leftist Democrats – is the “Select Committee on the Climate Crisis”.
Let’s allow that to sink in.
US politicians are funneling thousands of taxpayer dollars a month to fund the workings and paper-shuffling propaganda of a “Select Committee” which has in its name something that is assumed to be true, but which its members themselves would prefer not to see debated in public. In fact, they are so rabid about not allowing people to see various forms of information, they just sent a letter to an already censorious corporation to not only give them “suggestions” as to how to suppress and what to suppress in the “Climate Change” battle, but they laid down a deadline of February 7 for YouTube to act.
What will happen then, no one knows. But one thing is certain.
If Ms. Castor and her political, tax-hungry friends would prefer to not act like fascists in the mold of Italy’s Benito Mussolini, if they’d prefer to act like peaceful people, they could stop telling other people how to run their businesses, and simply open their own businesses to host videos.
And this is a message to all Americans who also can recognize the veiled threat Castor just sent Google (as much of a smokescreen as it is, for Google is probably going to engage in more censorship with or without her letter, and this offers perfect political cover for the action)… If Castor feels this comfortable sending a threatening letter to YoutTube right now, separate from the FCC, imagine what could happen if the FCC is, once more, put into the hands of censorious Democrats or Republicans who want to crack down on free speech in their own way?
The very idea that a DC politician or agency like the FCC can “send letters to” or mandate that a private company or private individuals stop engaging in free speech is fundamentally reprehensible, and runs counter to the very document that supposedly built the Congress, the US Constitution.
The First Amendment says, in part, “Congress shall make no law…” abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.
What’s so hard to understand about that?
Now, if the feds wanted to look closely at the protections against libel and slander suits that it’s offered Google/YouTube through Section 230 of the 1996 “Communications Decency Act” (again, uh, FIRST AMENDMENT, so why have this act at all?) and see that said “protections” apply only if Google and YouTube are not acting as “editors” by picking and choosing what can go on the “platforms” and what gets priority, that’s a different matter.
But as things stand, it’s clear. We have an out of control Congress that cares nothing for scientific debate.
And cares nothing for freedom of speech.