Based Underground is now a conservative news aggregator AND curated newsletter.
In his April 25 American Enterprise Institute post, “Obama is Wrong About Regulating Disinformation,” Mark Jamison disputes Barack Obama’s recent argument that “the growth of social media and technology…undermines our democracy,” and that “regulation has to be part of the answer.”
Jamison sees a looming danger such arguments ignore: “If the government can influence what people see, it can make them relatively ignorant of the data and opinions the government dislikes.” That is especially important because “Government officials are often significant actors in spreading false information.” Consequently, “The answer to bad information isn’t a greater information gatekeeper role for government, rather it is more voices…[because] those who put themselves in that role often get it wrong, leaving us little assurance that a government gatekeeper would result in more truthful statements.”
Obama reminded me of New York Times writer Kevin Roose’s call last year to create a “reality czar”-led government task force to root out disinformation, despite a history of government and its acolytes disseminating misinformation, clear biases, and suppression of those with different views. If that job was in academia, it would no doubt be called the “George Orwell Chair,” adding “of truthiness” if Steven Colbert was one of the donors.
So who could be trusted as the reality czar? No one. That is why Democrats never suggested one when Trump was in office. In politics, truth is subservient to power. Further, any attempt to provably establish the truth when it is in doubt would be littered with obstacles and controversies, and often beyond possibility, but it would create a clear path to eviscerating Americans’ freedoms. So only a person indisputably committed to both truth and freedom could possibly be trusted to lead such an enterprise. Is there anyone who qualifies? That looks like a nearly empty set.
If he wasn’t long dead, I would nominate John Milton. Why? Before America’s founding, he argued for freedoms of speech and the press, and against censorship, in England. His defense of freedom of conscience later powerfully resonated with America’s Founders, reflected in our First Amendment. So it is worth considering the principles he would utilize to establish truth and preserve freedom, in his own words.
Who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?
Let [truth] and falsehood grapple.
Truth and understanding are not…monopolized.
If it come to prohibiting, there is aught more likely to be prohibited than truth itself.
Truth…needs no policies or stratagems…to make her victorious. These are…the defenses that error uses against her power.
Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.
When complaints are freely heard, deeply considered, and speedily reformed, then is the utmost bound of civil liberty obtained.
Discern…in what things persuasion only is to work.
No institution which does not continually test its ideals, techniques and measure of accomplishment can claim real vitality.
Is it just or reasonable, that…voices against the main end of government [liberty] should enslave [those] that would be free?
All controversy being permitted, falsehood will appear more false, and truth the more true.
They who seek nothing but their own just liberty, have always right to win it and to keep it…be the voices ever so numerous that oppose it.
Liberty hath a sharp and double edge, fit only to be handled by just and virtuous men…who have the happy skill to know what is grievance and unjust to a people, and how to remove it wisely…that good men may enjoy the freedom which they merit, and the bad the curb which they need.
Milton would also add other important qualifications in evaluating reality. He would not be misled by government promises that threaten the rights that comprise our liberty, just because the government doesn’t mention that fact. Similarly, when benefit promises far outweigh promised exactions from citizens, he would recognize that they are omitting at least some of the truth. As the English language’s second most famous author after Shakespeare, he would certainly also be alert to the abuse of language not in pursuit of truth, but of power over others.
Discussing John Milton as a reality or truth czar is not a serious proposal. But it reveals the position’s necessary requirements–the love of truth and freedom our country was founded on. Further, those requirements would almost certainly result in many of the positions, promises and policies of those who appointed them being identified as both untrue and unworthy of freedom. Consequently, no such czar would ever be installed in the George Orwell Chair,” and anyone less trustworthy would savage rather than serve Americans’ “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”
Image by Mike Ljung from Pixabay. Article cross-posted from AIER.
Does Donald Trump REALLY Have This Election “In the Bag”?
by JD Rucker
No. Stop it. Remember 2020. Remember the tens of millions of illegal aliens, 14% of whom are apparently registering to vote. Remember that while most states can report results in less than a day, for some reason battleground states like Pennsylvania and Georgia are incapable of reporting for days or…
Daniel Penny Subway Chokehold Trial Begins
by Zero Hedge
Jordan Neely’s death in a crowded Manhattan subway car made worldwide headlines in May 2023, after bystander footage showed former Marine Daniel Penny restraining the erratic homeless man in a fatal chokehold. The case is finally set to go to trial, with jury selection beginning Monday. Penny, who has argued…
You Can’t Get Blood Out of a Stone: U.S. Consumers Have Been Squeezed Bone Dry as the U.S. Economy Falters
by Michael Snyder
(The Economic Collapse Blog)—A recent survey discovered that 79 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. is on the wrong track right now. As a nation, we may not agree on much, but this is one thing that almost all of us can agree on. Needless to say, the economy is…
US Investigating Leak of Israeli Attack Plans for Iran
by Publius
The United States government is currently engaged in an investigation concerning the unauthorized release of classified documents that detail Israel’s planned military attack against Iran, as reported by The Associated Press. These sensitive documents, attributed to both the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, indicate that Israel…
Bank of America Sees Gold Breaking $3,000 Sooner Rather Than Later
by Sponsored Post
Gold has recently experienced a remarkable resurgence, setting record highs and drawing renewed attention from both retail and institutional investors. This shift comes as traditional safe-haven assets are increasingly perceived to be under threat. Strategists at Bank of America suggest that investors, including central banks, should consider reallocating into gold…
Texas DPS Encounter Group of 30 Illegal Aliens with 3 Unaccompanied Minors and 3 Special Interest Illegals
by The Gateway Pundit
Texas DPS apprehended a group of 30 illegal aliens on Sunday in Maverick County. In the group were 3 unaccompanied minors and 3 illegals from the “special interest” countries of Iran and Guinea. Special interest refers to countries that pose a threat to United States national security including potential terrorist…
‘Nightmarish Scenario:” Creeps Can Produce AI-Generated Deepfake Nudes of Anyone With a Few Clicks
by Breitbart
Online AI chatbots are enabling users to generate explicit nude photos of real people with just a few clicks, raising alarms among experts about a looming “nightmarish scenario.” A recent investigation by Wired has uncovered a disturbing trend on the messaging app Telegram, where dozens of AI-powered chatbots are allowing…
Elon Musk Goes All-in for Trump at Huge Pittsburgh Rally, Says ‘Stakes Are Too High’ to Remain Politically Neutral
by The Post Millennial
Elon Musk was in Pennsylvania Sunday along with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to tell Keystone State voters that although he might “hate politics” he’s engaging in it right now because “the stakes are too high that … I feel I have no choice.” “Yeah, anyway, so I’m dramatically increasing…
Fake Meat Industry Now Demanding Public Subsidies Due to Lack of Customer Interest
by Ramon Tomey
(Natural News)—The fake meat industry is now demanding public subsidies to prop itself up, given that customers have spoken with their wallets and said “no” to lab-grown meat. Data from AgFunderNews cited by the National Pulse reveals that the industry is in dire straits due to dwindling money. Funding for the lab-grown meat sector peaked…
Dominion Voting Systems Issues a Chilling Warning to Conservatives Weeks Before the Election
by The Gateway Pundit
Dominion Voting Systems has issued a chilling warning to conservatives just weeks before the all-important presidential election. In a post on the X platform, the company said that it was “closely monitoring” claims that its machines may be compromised. “Dominion is closely monitoring claims around the Nov. 2024 election and…
Coward: Hamas Chief’s Bunker Loaded With UN Food, Millions in Cash, Weapons and More
by Red State
The one constant in the entire “Islamist terrorist” issue is that their leaders 1) never place themselves in any direct danger, although sometimes danger in the form of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) manages to find them anyway, and 2) they generally live in wealth and luxury while their fighters…
Fire Departments Sued by Biden-Harris for Requiring Job Candidates to Learn How to Fight Fires
by The Gateway Pundit
Thank heavens for the Biden-Harris administration and its steadfast determination to root out institutional racism wherever it may hide. And it hides in the strangest places, too. For instance, do you know it’s institutionally racist to expect a firefighter to know enough to fight fires? I know, I’d been too…
“The Epitome of Evil” Is Running Operations Out of Government Facilities “Established to Provide Assistance” to Illegals
by Michael Snyder
(End of the American Dream)—Are you ready for the truth? Since Joe Biden entered the White House, we have witnessed a tsunami of migration that is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Millions upon millions of people that are not being properly screened are taking advantage of our deeply…
Iran Deserves Listing on Global Terror Finance and Money-Laundering Blacklist
by WND
On Oct. 21, the plenary of the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, will convene in Paris. Should the organization that sets global standards for countering money laundering and terror finance consider removing the Islamic Republic of Iran from its blacklist, as Tehran hopes, the answer should be a resounding…
The All-Too-Short List of Conservative, Anti-Globalist Leaders
by The Gateway Pundit
As the world shifts leftward and increasingly embraces globalism, a handful of leaders remain as holdouts—conservative, anti-globalist figures who advocate for national sovereignty, economic protectionism, and opposition to globalist institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, or multinational trade agreements. They frequently push for secure borders and immigration…