By Ryan “Dickie” Thompson, The Punk Rock Libertarian
I’ve seen censorship. I’ve been banned, shadowbanned, locked out, flagged, and algorithmically buried more times than I can count. But what we heard in Congress this week should send shivers down the spine of anyone who claims to care about freedom—whether you lean left, right, or live completely off that axis like I do.
Watch this hereing here
Click for the hearing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUQfDNX1Tbc
Let me break it down in plain language for those too busy living life to sort through 150-page court opinions and political grandstanding.
In a congressional hearing that featured testimony from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, and attorney John Sauer—three people who have taken real hits for speaking uncomfortable truths—we heard confirmation of what many of us already knew but couldn’t yet prove: The federal government, under Joe Biden’s administration, systematically pressured social media companies to silence dissent.
Not opinions that were illegal. Not speech that incited violence. Just wrongthink.
And now, thanks to a lawsuit led by the Attorneys General of Louisiana and Missouri, and thanks to a federal court’s ruling, we know what was done—and who did it.
“Conspiracy Theory” Until It Wasn't
Remember when people said the lab leak theory was a crazy right-wing conspiracy? Banned.
Remember when doctors said lockdowns were more harmful than helpful? Banned.
Remember when folks like me shared articles critical of vaccine mandates, mask laws, or Hunter Biden's laptop? Banned, shadowbanned, or labeled as “misinformation” by state-fueled fact-checkers.
All of it orchestrated behind the scenes by government operatives using back channels, direct emails, and “partner portals” to flag, throttle, or erase inconvenient content from the digital public square. They didn’t need to pass laws. They used coercion, intimidation, and soft censorship—because they knew it would never survive constitutional scrutiny if they were honest about it.
They even tried to shut down this very hearing, as Rep. Mike Johnson pointed out. Before a single word of testimony could be given, House Democrats attempted to block RFK Jr. from speaking. Why? Because the truth is radioactive to those who live by illusion.
The New Church Committee Moment?
What we’re looking at here isn’t just political bias or social media manipulation—it’s the weaponization of the federal government against the First Amendment. Just like the Church Committee in the 1970s exposed the CIA's domestic surveillance programs, this moment is peeling back the layers on a system that now uses Big Tech as a proxy army to do what the government itself is forbidden to do.
We’re not talking about rogue interns or confused bureaucrats. We’re talking about systemic collusion between federal agencies—including the FBI, DOJ, HHS, and the White House—and Silicon Valley. We're talking about coordinated takedown requests, weekly meetings, pressure campaigns, and veiled threats of regulation or antitrust action.
That’s not private industry. That’s not capitalism. That’s fascism by any historical definition—corporate and government power merging to crush opposition.
And it’s not just about the past. As long as these bureaucrats remain in power, and as long as tech giants remain unaccountable, this will happen again. It might already be happening.
Dissent Is Not Disinformation
One of the most revealing moments in the hearing came when Rep. Johnson highlighted the federal court’s opinion: “If the allegations made by the plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack on free speech in United States history.”
Not my words. Not some fringe YouTuber’s words. A sitting federal judge’s words.
Let that sink in.
Millions of Americans were censored—many without knowing it. Their posts were throttled, their reach collapsed, their accounts de-boosted or demonetized. Not because they were wrong, but because they were inconvenient.
This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about liberty vs. authoritarianism.
The Gatekeepers Are Panicking
Watch the hearing footage. Listen to the panic in the voices of those trying to discredit the witnesses. They didn’t argue with the facts—they dismissed them entirely. They ridiculed the idea that the government would ever conspire to silence people. They sneered at Kennedy, called him a political pawn, and tried to shame him for testifying.
That’s not debate. That’s desperation.
They’re terrified that Americans are finally waking up. They’re scared that the paper trail exists—20,000 pages of communications between federal officials and Big Tech. They’re scared that whistleblowers are talking. They’re scared that, for once, their grip on the narrative is slipping.
And they’re especially scared because this isn’t going away. The Fifth Circuit is now reviewing the case, and more lawsuits are coming. The American people want answers—and they deserve them.
We Don’t Need Permission to Speak
Here’s what this whole case confirms for me, as a punk rock libertarian who’s lived by one rule since the first time I got thrown out of a venue for speaking my mind:
We don’t need permission to speak.
Free speech is not a privilege. It’s not a perk for compliant citizens. It’s a right. And that right doesn’t end because some bureaucrat thinks your post might cause “vaccine hesitancy” or because you criticized a powerful family.
The Constitution doesn’t come with an asterisk. There is no “unless Twitter disagrees” clause in the First Amendment.
If the state can silence dissenters through private intermediaries, then the First Amendment is a lie. And we either fight for it now or we lose it forever.
What Comes Next
This court ruling was just the beginning. The evidence is overwhelming. The suppression was systematic. The implications are profound. Now we need:
- Criminal investigations into officials who violated constitutional rights.
- Real accountability for tech platforms that acted as state censors.
- Legislation that draws a bright red line between government and digital speech platforms.
- A public reckoning with the media outlets that refused to cover this scandal because they were complicit in it.
But more than that, we need people like you and me to keep speaking. Keep questioning. Keep pushing back.
Because the next censorship wave is coming—they’ll just rebrand it again. “Public health.” “Election security.” “Hate speech.” They’ll always find a reason. The only antidote is unrelenting, unfiltered truth.
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