Target: John Thune, U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Goal: Don’t let executive attacks on free speech go unchecked and unanswered.
Freedom of speech and freedom of the press were deemed so vital to American values that they became the lynchpins of the Bill of Rights. But current American leaders are making consequential attacks against both freedoms. The ramifications could be long-standing and dangerous.
The president significantly curtailed White House and Air Force One access for the Associated Press: the preeminent media entity in the United States. The ban resulted because the president did not like the media’s refusal to replace Gulf of Mexico with Gulf of America in its coverage. While a federal judge appointed by the president recently ruled the media blackout unconstitutional, moves to revoke credentials from respected journalists or to use federal agencies to threaten major media outlets continue. Such crackdowns on a free press are often prominent fixtures of authoritarian regimes, not democracies.
But even more troubling, these attacks are extending to average individuals. The recent onslaught of student visa revocations shares a strong correlation with college students involved in campus protests. In the most high-profile case, involving Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly outlined in a memo that even legal residents of the United States could be deported for “past, current, or expected beliefs, statements, or associations that are otherwise lawful.” The administration appears to be laying the groundwork to deport any person in the nation based on not just their speech, but their very thoughts.
Such a foundation would set an incredibly dangerous precedent. Sign the petition below to demand elected leaders stop the erosion of freedoms in the Land of the Free.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Thune,
“The era of thought crimes”: this is how one renowned national security attorney characterized a reported White House-backed memo promoting the deportation of legal American residents based on “beliefs, statements, or associations.” Together with the continued attempts to block media access to the leader of the free world, it seems the very foundation of the Bill of Rights is crumbling.
America is not supposed to be a fulfillment of George Orwell’s 1984. At its core, this nation has embodied freedom and hope to people around the world for generations. Do not take away what makes the United States America. Create a stronger legal framework that protects the United States’ most enduring values: freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Sharon Mollerus
