From the Desk of Ron Paul.
This week, something incredible happened.
A bill called the “RESTRICT Act” was set to sail through Congress, innocuously referred to as a bill to “ban TikTok,” the Chinese-owned social network which is now the most popular in the world.
The moment seemed perfect for consensus in Washington. . .
. . . Against the backdrop of growing concern about social media in general and TikTok in particular, a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow kicked the entire political and media establishment into overdrive to punish China in any way possible.
But then, people discovered what the bill would actually do . . . and the truth spread like wildfire.
What is the RESTRICT Act?
. . . It’s the most terrifying piece of legislation in years, if not the most terrifying piece of legislation ever introduced in American history.
It would give the government the ability to target anyone they deem as a national security risk – regular people like you and me – and allow them to remotely access every piece of electronics we own, from our computers and cell phones to the camera on the front porch.
And if they find you in violation, they can seize your property, fine you one million dollars, and imprison you for 20 years.
Don’t expect a fair trial, either. The RESTRICT Act limits judicial review to the notoriously corrupt and partisan D.C. Circuit Court.
And you couldn’t raise a defense for the rules being issued in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. Relevant agency actions are exempt from review.
In other words, they can write the rules and hold them against you before you could have even heard of them.
Oh – and everything they do is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, so they will do it all in secret.
On a recent episode of The Liberty Report, I agreed the RESTRICT Act is “the Patriot Act on Steroids.”
This is not hyperbole. If anything, it exaggerates the power of steroids.
The RESTRICT Act would allow the Biden administration to control speech on the Internet, under threat of being federally prosecuted for a 20-year felony.
The government would be allowed to ban apps if any of its users were believed to have conducted “foreign interference in American elections.”
Note that “foreign interference in American elections” was the tagline for the fraudulent campaign, perpetrated by the Washington establishment and its cronies in mass media, to delegitimize the Trump presidency.
But in case that wasn’t sufficiently vague and overbroad, the bill even says it can force social media companies to censor their users if their speech appeared to be “trying to steer policy in a foreign government’s favor.”
So, if you’re using Facebook, Twitter, or ANY platform to speak in a manner the government deems “steering policy decisions in a foreign government’s favor” – like, say, opposing the U.S. proxy war against Russia in Ukraine – the government could force these platforms to ban you. . . and much, much worse!
Because you might be opposed to U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine, the United States government can seize your property, fine you one million dollars, and imprison you for 20 years.
This is nothing less than the complete destruction of the First Amendment. This bill would give the government express power to control public speech.
I may not be a fan of TikTok, much less a user of the platform, but banning it takes us down a very, very dangerous path.
And given everything we have seen from the government recently – banning the sitting president from Twitter, censoring the truth about Covid, vaccines, the Biden family’s corrupt dealings, and on and on – you can be absolutely CERTAIN this unconstitutional and authoritarian power will be abused with you and me as the clear targets.
It truly is heartening to see how rapidly huge numbers of the American people, from all parts of the political spectrum, discovered the truth about this most dangerous piece of legislation and are speaking out against it.
But politicians, not public opinion, make policy, and that’s why it’s absolutely critical you contact Congress RIGHT NOW and DEMAND they vote NO on the RESTRICT Act, which would utterly eviscerate the First Amendment.
Think of it! Ordinarily, they give the most pernicious, most dangerous bills misleading names.
• Spy on Americans? Call it the “PATRIOT” Act!
• Tax, spend, and inflate? Call it the “Inflation Reduction” Act!
• Universal Gun Registration? Call it the “SAFE” Act! (New York did.)
This time, they just came out and said it: The RESTRICT Act would close your airway and STRANGLE free speech in America.
The “RESTRICT” Act would not just destroy free speech on social media. . .
It would destroy Free Speech in America – period.
It’s our patriotic duty to speak out . . . while we still CAN.
Certainly, that means spreading the word.
You can help your Campaign for Liberty get the word out by simply forwarding this email widely.
But it’s absolutely critical you click here and voice your opposition to the RESTRICT Act, and DEMAND your senators vote NO.
Right now, your legislators in D.C. are wondering: How many of them know what this is really about?
We need to prove to them that this tyrannical scheme has been exposed.
This is a fast-moving event in Washington right now.
Please send your directive to Congress immediately. We never disclose your personal information to anyone and only include your name and city in communications to Congress.
This is a fight we can win, right now!
After you’ve sent your directive to Congress to defeat the RESTRICT Act, please make your most generous contribution to Campaign for Liberty to help us inform and mobilize more patriots to save Free Speech.
Because it’s not enough to know the truth: we must act to defeat this dangerous legislation, right now. And the more people we can reach with your support, the more we can bring this tyrannical power grab to a crashing halt!
Thanks for all you do for Liberty,
Ron Paul
Chairman
Campaign for Liberty
P.S. This dangerous bill is moving through Congress RIGHT NOW, just as the people are discovering what it’s really about.
Don’t hesitate – Send your directive RIGHT NOW!
And if possible, please support Campaign for Liberty with your most generous contribution to make a stronger fight! Can you make a gift today of $25, $50, $100, or even $250 or $500? Your support is always appreciated in our fight for liberty.
If you’d prefer to donate via PayPal, please click here.
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The mission of Campaign for Liberty is to promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a constitutional foreign policy, by means of education, issue advocacy, and grassroots mobilization.
Because of Campaign For Liberty's tax-exempt status under IRC Sec. 501(C)(4) and its state and federal legislative activities, contributions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions (IRC § 170) or as business deductions (IRC § 162(e)(1)). www.CampaignForLiberty.org
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