I’m going to turn to the subject of censorship vs free speech again, (1) because it’s come up with regard to Secretary of State Mark Rubio’s social-media response to a reporter on free speech and terminating the visitor’s visa of a Hamas supporter.
“President Trump appealed to a lot of Americans on free speech arguments and not suppressing speech, especially from the government,” the reporter asked.
”Your revocation of the green card to many is seen as one of the most anti-speech actions a Secretary can take with his powers,” he continued.”How do you respond?” (2)
I give Secretary Rubio’s response in the same tweet, below.
The point I want to make here is that there is no such thing as “free” speech – or, if there is, there shouldn’t be.
I cannot come up to you and tell you I’m going to rape and kill you. Are we all agreed?
There are, and may always be, exceptions to free speech. And the main one is, if that speech promises harm to the listener, it is prohibited.
To treat it as a right rather than a negotiated social process ultimately leads to a repetition of this disagreement: No society I know of permits free speech under any and all circumstances. All recognize exceptions.
What the democracies do recognize is the rule of law. But that’s a second discussion.
Those who want to end democracy will point to the “hypocrisy” of saying we support free speech and then we censor them – just as Hamas supporters are saying they should be allowed to stay in the US even while they stir up anti-Semitism and promote violence.
On the spiritual side, the spiritual laws don’t say that we can say whatever we want without consequences. The Law of Karma sees to it that we experience what we dish out. We suffer the consequences in our next lifetime. So there’s no unlimited, swing-from-the-rafters free speech on the spiritual side of life, either.
My chemistry teacher in Grade Twelve taught me never to say “never” – or “always.” The only “always” is: “Always leave room for exceptions.”
“Free speech” is not totally free. For the safety and wellbeing of the population, there are exceptions. And the exceptions are defined in law, including executive orders.
Footnotes
(1) See also:
- “It Isn’t That We Don’t Censor,” Sept. 10, 2024, at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2024/09/10/it-isnt-that-we-dont-censor/
- “While We Were Sleeping,” Feb. 26, 2025, at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2025/02/26/while-we-were-sleeping/
(2)
Reporter: “Your revocation of the green card to many is seen as one of the most anti-speech actions a Secretary can take with his powers. How do you respond?”@MarcoRubio‘s response is fierce and factual ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uVwJy30dVo
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) March 12, 2025
See also Ben Kew, “Marco Rubio Brilliantly Shuts Down Reporter Suggesting Visa Revocation of Hamas Supporters Violates Free Speech (VIDEO),” Gatway Pundit,