I have removed a couple of comments on my Facebook posts after a warning to be concise and limit comments to the subject of my posts. I’m sure that was what the perpetrator expected after he had used my FB page to promote his own political agenda. He could then accuse me of censorship.
When I joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 1962, like all military personnel, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States: “I, John Ikerd, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
I attended meetings and summer camps for six years, during the Berlin Airlift, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and most of the Viet Nam War. Fortunately, I was not called to active duty, but I was ready to keep my oath to defend the U.S. Constitution if I had been called to do so. The faculty position I accepted in 1970 with North Carolina State University was with the Cooperative Extension Service, which is funded in part by the federal government. Once again, I was asked to take the same oath as when I joined the military. During my 30-year academic career, I maintained at least a 50% Cooperative Extension appointment, which meant my responsibility to support and defend the Constitution and faithfully discharge my duties continued.
During all those years of public service, I always worked for the people of the various states where I was employed and for the people of the United States. I worked “with” the administrators, institutions, and government agencies, but worked “for” the people. Paraphrasing Mark Twain, I was “loyal to my country always, and loyal to my universities and state governments, when they deserved it.” I took seriously my oath to support and defend the Constitution by serving the people of the United States.
Regarding censorship, the First Amendment to the Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” I didn’t need congressional approval to remove the objectionable posts from my Facebook wall. If someone paints a swastika on my garage door, I am not obligated to leave it there to protect the speech rights of the perpetrator. If someone posts something I deem offensive on my Facebook wall, I have every right to remove it.
I believe we are in the midst of a carefully orchestrated political movement to overthrow the form of government encoded in the U.S. Constitution. A major part of this campaign is to destroy trust and confidence in the government by dominating the media and public discourse with lies and propaganda. Social media is a major means by which this propaganda campaign is being carried out. Many of the people carrying out this campaign are probably not aware they are being used to spread lies and conspiracy theories. However, I will not allow my Facebook wall to be used to further this campaign to discredit the Constitution and overthrow the government.
The public press has different rights and responsibilities than individuals. Differences of opinion priorities of government in ensuring individual liberties and social justice have existed since the beginning of the nation. The government has constitutionally responsible to do both. These are legitimate areas of public discourse that should be covered objectively by the press.
However, freedom of the press was never intended to include the freedom to use the press to destroy confidence in the Constitution and overthrow the government. The people of Europe understand the consequences of allowing lies and propaganda to shape people’s perceptions of their government. They experienced it in the lead-up to World War II and it has been taught to their children ever since.
The Trump campaign condemned “fact-checking” lies as a violation of free speech and demanded equal time to espouse their fascist propaganda during the presidential campaign. Now that they are in power, they are orchestrating the silencing or the firing of reporters who refuse to remain silent about their lies and are denying access to those they are unable to silence or get fired. This is not freedom of expression; it is the power of suppression.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to find reliable information. I rely on those who have been willing to question both Democratic and Republican policies and have not been intimidated by Trump’s efforts to dominate and control the public discourse. Heather Cox Richardson is a history professor at Boston University and was previously at MIT and the University of Massachusetts. I like Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen, Robert Reich, and Stephanie Kelton for economic policy—all professors at major universities.
I watch the BBC for world news and PBS for news in general. They cover issues in more depth than commercial stations. I watched CBS to keep in touch with the corporate media until they fired Norah O’Donnell for fact-checking J.D. Vance. I switched to ABC to keep up with the headlines most people are watching. I read online articles in a wide variety of publications, from the Wall Street Journal to the Guardian. Almost all of my statistical data come from government sources, which are freely available online. I rely on sources that make sense to me.
I have been retired for 25 years but I remain committed to supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States of America. The President and those carrying out his orders, including Republicans in Congress, took the same oath as I did when I joined the military. Yet, the President has systematically ignored the Constitutional limits on his power and the rule of law. Congress has failed to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities as a co-equal branch of government. Whether the Supreme Court will relinquish its power to the President, remains to be seen.
I remain loyal to my country, always, and loyal to my government when it deserves it. I feel no obligation to support, defend, or give voice to those who are not.
John Ikerd