CHICAGO 7 Hypocrisy: Liberals, Democrats and the Media Abandon Their Free Speech Principles
By Dr. Tom Snyder
One of the 2020 movies being touted for multiple awards this season is THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, written and directed by liberal filmmaker Aaron Sorkin (THE WEST WING, MONEYBALL and A FEW GOOD MEN).
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 is an acclaimed political drama about the United States government’s trial against a group of antiwar leftists in the late 1960s accused of inciting riots at the 1968 National Democrat Convention in Chicago.
After setting the stage and introducing the main characters, the movie presents highlights from 12 or so days of the trial, which lasted more than four months. These highlights are interspersed with scenes of the defendants conferring with their lawyers and with each other, plus dramatic flashbacks to the situations that occurred in Chicago during the protests. The movie’s depiction of events surrounding the National Democratic Convention in Chicago start with city officials refusing to give the antiwar activists permits for their protests. Whatever happened to the right to free speech and the right to peaceably assemble, the movie asks.
When it was released in late September, left-leaning film critics in the mass media fell all over themselves to praise the movie for its defense of the right to free speech and the right to protest. They ignored the fact that it was the protestors in Chicago on Aug. 28, 1968, who started the violence by throwing bottles and rocks at the Chicago police, who definitely over-reacted. They also ignored the fact that several of the men on trial were part of violent protest groups looking to stage an “insurrection” against the government.
For example, Defendant Tom Hayden publicly advocated political violence as early as 1967. Also, when the trial began, the federal prosecutors had also charged an eighth defendant, Bobby Seale, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party, a violent Marxist group that engaged in drug dealing, prostitution, extortion, assault, rape, and even murder (see the entry “Black Panther Party (BPP),” at Discover the Networks), with conspiracy to incite violence.
Now, of course, some of these same pundits are defending the removal of President Donald Trump and even his supporters from the two major social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook. They are also defending the removal of the app for the alternative social media platform, Parler, from the Apple App Store and Google Play for Apple and Google smartphones. They are also applauding Amazon’s total shutdown of Parler’s servers.
They claim they’re doing all this because Trump and people on Parler allegedly supported the violent storming by some Trump supporters of the Capitol Building, where the United States Congress meets.
Whatever happened to the right to free speech and the right to peacefully assemble, guaranteed by the United States Constitution?
In reality, Parler removes any posts that advocate violence. For example, they removed a couple such posts by Trump election advocate Lin Wood. Also, it should be noted that Parler welcomes people of all political beliefs to use its service. Unlike Twitter, which regularly deletes hundreds and thousands of conservative accounts, Parler welcomes people of all political persuasions, right, left and in between, conservative, liberal, leftist, progressive, libertarian, as well as middle of the road. The only reason conservatives have added accounts on Parler is because they think Twitter treats them unfairly. Where else can they go?
So, for Democrats, liberals and media pundits to praise TE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 for supporting free speech and the right to protest against the government but to turn around and support the censorship of all Trump supporters, Republicans and conservatives who don’t agree with them, or who have the gall to protest the government, smacks of rank hypocrisy.
These people are abandoning the free speech principles that they promoted a mere four months ago.
Americans must decide whether they’re going to support liberty and justice for all, or liberty and justice for only a few. Truth, Liberty and Justice don’t seem to be the values of the left. Democrats, liberals and the huge conglomerates running Big Tech and Big Media should support Truth, Liberty and Justice. Shutting down half of America’s voting age citizens, more than 75 million people, is not the way.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
