Alicia

Saved by grace. Entreprenuer doing business God's way.

[David Sacks @DavidSacks]

IN THE GLOBAL STRUGGLE AGAINST AUTHORITARIANISM, THE WEST’S REAL ENEMY IS ITSELF

American politicians speak constantly about the indispensable role of the United States in leading the free world against authoritarianism. If that is true, why is the White House so silent in the face of new global threats to free speech?

In January, American citizen Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian prison for posting YouTube videos; the State Department didn’t lift a finger to help. Last week, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France for the crime of insufficient content moderation.

Now Brazil has banned X for resisting the diktats of a tyrannical judge, who salivates over the possibility of jailing @elonmusk. The EU is one step behind, with Eurocrat Thierry Breton pursuing a criminal investigation against Elon for “platforming disinformation,” which Breton defines to include a conversation with Donald Trump.

In the UK, the government of Keir Starmer imprisons critics of open borders with more zeal than it prosecutes violent crime. In Canada, Justin Trudeau crushed a trucker protest against vaccine mandates by asserting sweeping new powers to freeze bank accounts.

At no point has the White House expressed concern about this new iron curtain that seems to be descending across the West. Quite the contrary, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration repeatedly pressured Meta to censor during Covid. Worse, the FBI primed Facebook to censor true stories about Biden Family corruption by suggesting that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation (even though the FBI knew it was authentic).

Barring court intervention, TikTok will shut down in the U.S. on January 19, 2025 thanks to a new power authorized by Congress to ban websites and applications that the President determines are subject to the influence of a foreign adversary. X may not be far behind if liberal elites and deep state apparatchiks like Robert Reich and Alexander Vindman get their wish. They have called for the U.S. to adopt Brazil’s and the EU’s approach and “rein in” Elon Musk.

Hypocritically, the same voices demanding this crackdown are also the loudest in proclaiming the West to be engaged in a “war on authoritarianism” against countries like Russia and China. But whatever their other sins, Russia and China are in no position to deprive American citizens of their free speech rights; only our own government can do that.

Similarly, if Western leaders truly wanted to prevent authoritarianism, the easiest place to start would be at home, protecting the civil liberties of their own citizens. Instead they seem obsessed with deflecting the public’s attention onto foreign enemies, as Orwell depicted in the Two Minutes Hate in 1984.

As this battle over free speech heats up in an election year, where do the candidates stand? Donald Trump has declared his support for free speech whereas Kamala Harris has said nothing and can be expected to continue her administration’s policy of tacit approval of creeping censorship. In just two months, Americans will decide. Do we actually lead the free world in standing up for free speech, or do we accept the authoritarianism we claim to detest so much?

[Alicia @allroses]

Only 46 years old with a 7-year-old missing his mom! Please help my friend as she fights for her life. https://t.co/LQ0TbWYVNb #gofundme #braininjury #TBI

[Alicia @allroses]

@gehrig38 Congrats to your son! You have every reason to be proud! My husband and son are Marines! Oohrah!

[Alicia @allroses]

Incredibly grateful for my best friend! She is full of love, kindness, and compassion! She radiates joy and is completely selfless! She's a fighter and now she is fighting for her life! Please donate. #donate #gofundme https://t.co/LQ0TbWZtCJ

[Rob Schneider 🇺🇸 @RobSchneider]

A huge THANK YOU to Scottsdale Finest @ScottsdalePD for all your help today when my car broke down! Thanks, Officer Lee! YOU CAN DO IT!!

[Five Tool Arizona @FiveToolAZ]

BALL GAME!

@mesqwildcatBB is your 4A State Champion!

’21 Luis Morales gets the final pop out and the save. The RHP tossed the final 1.1 innings of no-hit baseball. Mesquite defeats Salpointe Catholic, 2-1.

[Alicia @allroses]

“The dark side of prosperity is that it can make us forgetful of God or moderate in zeal toward him.” https://t.co/y2m0BcHivt

[Alicia @allroses]

@UberEats My promo code did not apply and I can't find your customer service. I reviewed your article. It's not helpful.

[Alicia @allroses]

@FamousFootwear Your associate Roberto at the Mesa, AZ store 1710 is amazing!! So funny, helpful and kind. Please make sure he gets the recognition he so deserves!!

[Alicia @allroses]

Best 8 minutes of television I’ve seen in years! Thank you @rickygervais! Hilarious and refreshing!

[NBC Entertainment @nbc]

Ricky Gervais kicks off The #GoldenGlobes.

[Noam Blum @neontaster]

Ricky Gervais at the #GoldenGlobes

[Alicia @allroses]

I-17 SB from Table Mesa Rd is a snarly mess. Slow and go for miles due to accident. #az #traffic

[U.S. Marines @USMC]

#HappyBirthdayMarines!

Today, we celebrate our heritage and honor the sacrifices of those who fought before us.

[Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump]

We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi!

[Alicia @allroses]

Marine Corps DSTRESS Line https://t.co/9NFbkGSKKI #marines #usmc #mentalhealth #help

[Jason Moore @JasonMoore]

I’m not rooting for either team specifically here... but the Lions are getting hosed by these refs. I’m hopeful the Packers fans see that too... right?

[Jordan Strack @JordanStrack]

There is no other way to put this. The Lions are getting absolutely screwed. This is flat out trash officiating. These refs are making a lot of money and they suck. End of story. Wow.

[Natty Corner @WolverineCorner]

I hate this. As a football fan, this is the worst. The Lions got absolutely screwed yet again. This is inexcusable from the NFL. The players, coaches, and Lions fans deserve better.

[Detroit Lions Pro @DetroitLionsPro]

CONGRATS TO THE REFS ON THE WIN. REFS ARE STILL THE LIONS TOUGHEST OPPONENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#DETVSEVERYBODY