The radical Left is at it again.
Cancel culture has said you can only read certain Dr. Seuss books to your grandchildren, and you can no longer give them a MISTER Potato Head. And heaven forbid if you let them watch Looney Tunes or Paw Patrol!
Liberals say that there’s no such thing as “cancel culture.” They say it’s the effect of public opinion or the result of a free market. And if you do find a liberal who will say something about it from their supposed “woke” moral high ground, they’ll call it “accountability culture.”
Now, it’s not just canceling books, toys, and television shows; it’s censoring the language you use. Nancy Pelosi and Washington liberals have banned terms like “mother” and “father” in Congress. We’re now even seeing this tactic being applied to schools across the country. As a mother and a grandmother, I am deeply concerned about these increasingly frequent, increasingly aggressive attacks on free speech.
When will it stop? It won’t - unless we speak out. We must call it out for what it is: censorship. Cancel culture is an attempt to institute group think.
If you do not think like them, the liberal mob will come for you - aided by their allies in Big Tech and Big Media. Just look at what they did to the New York Post, conservative activists and even President Donald Trump. If they don’t agree with your voice, they’ll do everything they can to take away your microphone.
Yet, the Supreme Leader of Iran was not censored or suspended after repeatedly calling for violence against Israel. This is wrong, disgusting, but not the least bit surprising.
The liberal elite think they know better than our founding fathers; they think they know better than you do. And they have no troubling passing laws infringing on your constitutional rights.
Your voice should be heard whether you are speaking at a college campus or simply tweeting. The First Amendment is your right, and the radical Left cannot “cancel” your voice. I believe that fervently - whether I agree or disagree with what you are saying.
Civil disagreement is healthy for our government and our society. Diversity of opinions enriches our conversations and strengthens us.
When we start censoring people, we move closer and closer to having the same singular viewpoint, and that’s frightening. You can look to the other side of the world and see where that would take us - Communist China.
We cannot allow the “cancel culture” to dictate our lives. We must stand and fight for our constitutional rights because any group big enough to censor you is big enough to attack your other rights, like the right to keep and bear arms, the right to petition and the right to peacefully assemble.
Make no mistake. Washington liberals will not stop at censoring conservative voices. On the campaign trail, Joe Biden and Democrats repeatedly said they are coming for our guns. That’s wrong, and I will do everything within my power to protect Missourians’ Second Amendment rights.
We value our constitutional rights. As the daughter of a Korean War veteran and the mother of an Army Ranger, I understand the price our veterans and military members have paid to protect these freedoms. We are forever indebted to their service and sacrifice.
That’s why I will continue to fight to protect our freedom of speech - whether I agree or disagree with you.
We cannot allow the radical Left and “cancel culture” to be the judge and jury of free speech. All our personal liberties and freedoms flow from the First Amendment, which is why we must fight to protect it today.
Congresswoman Ann Wagner represents the Second Congressional District of Missouri.
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