Julian Assange and Censoring the Left

It would not be an exaggeration, but I think about the political prisoner, Julian Assange, every day. I imagine the man sitting in a cold cell, not permitted any reading materials, bullied daily by guards, and feeling more ill by the minute. Let's not bicker about the truth. Assange is a political prisoner. The man's only crime was to jump bail so many years ago, which comes with a maximum sentence of one year. We all realize why he is really behind bars: exposing the War Crimes of the United States during the illegal Iraqi war. Wikileaks has exposed corruption in governments all over the world. The man continues to be locked-up in a high-security maximum prison along with serial killers and pedophiles. He remains there because the British Justice system takes orders from the US State Department. The enlightened world sees this misuse of power, yet the 'permanent governments' that are truly in power commit these egregious crimes against humanity in plain sight. Why? Because they just can.

In the US, now that there is a new administration under Joseph Biden, nothing of real significance has changed for the better, particularly for the American people. The political duopoly continues to debate whether to give the people a $2000 check to alleviate their suffering due to the COVID Pandemic. Similar to all governments around the world, they lie as a matter of course. Indeed the world outside America views the US government as more entertaining than the Barnum and Bailey Circus of the early 20^th century. Gun totting Senators screaming Q anon conspiracies and calling for the execution of their colleagues across the aisle. It was disturbing viewing popular congresspeople going on social media describing their horror and worry for their lives during the “insurrection” of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. From across the pond, this resembles the political upheaval of a third world country. But I'm afraid it is getting worse.

After the silencing on social media of extremist right-wing groups inciting violence and lies about the 2020 election, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Left started to be censored without real justification. This has happened today on certain Left-wing YouTube channels. To be fair, they haven't been silenced completely but demonetized for their content. Personally, I use YouTube for my news on mainstream channels like CNN and MSNBC, including the occasional visit to Fox News. However, that said, I also watch the Jimmy Dore Show, the Convo Couch, Useful Idiots, Secular Talk, the Rational National, the Political Vigilantly, and The Grayzone. All of these channels are considered Left, and never over the years of my viewership have they incited violence of any kind. 

The above-said channels are antiwar and simply critical of the establishment mainstream narrative that is pushed down audiences' throats for clicks and ratings. To gain a clearer understanding of geopolitics and politics in general, it is vital to read beyond the mainstream daily-crises-24hour-news-cycle that they call 'Breaking News.' I find it necessary to read and listen to all sides to understand the world. By silencing the so-called Left in the general political discourse, we will lose a valuable perspective of the whole. Silencing the Left or the 'Truth' in the news, that is, other political perspectives, freedom of the press, and speech is stifled... and that's called Totalitarianism.

To be certain, I'm all for silencing those voices that incite violence. According to the Supreme Court, rabble-rousing for the purposes of insurrection and violence does not fall under the umbrella of Freedom of Speech. The YouTube channels mentioned above have never incited their viewers to storm the Capitol or murder public figures. Generally, they are critical of pro-war stances in the government and the economic inequality in the US.

YouTube demonetizing these channels is a direct violation of the US constitution.

We must maintain all political voices in the political discourse aside from those blatant groups or individuals that call for chaos and violence. This is not 'free speech' but 'hate speech.'

The US government answers to corporations; corporations do not answer to governments.

This is the state of affairs that must change for the health of true democracy around the planet.