Campaign For LIberty

Note: We offer this edited version of this publication for efficiency as we agree with the ideas, but the not the presentation design or the editing, but the message is very important"

Dear Adrian,

Censorship. Government intervention.  Massive regulation.

Since the 2016 election, “Russophobia” is running rampant in America. And it’s now being used to justify one of the most dangerous proposals I’ve seen in years floated in Washington, D.C.

A 23-page proposal leaked from Senator Mark Warner’s office to Axios calls for a massive government takeover of the Internet with dangerous implications for you and me.

Of course, as ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Warner is proposing all of this under the guise of “national security.”

These proposals include everything from mandating location tracking on your social media accounts, mandating identity verification for individual users, requiring companies to label “bots” or face penalties for their inaction, and expanding so-called “disclosure” requirements for online political speech, along with much, much more.

If passed, these policies would have a chilling effect on free speech, and severely hamper competition for tech companies in the online marketplace, as any new social network would be required by law to comply with these costly and burdensome regulations.

If you’re like most Americans, you take the speed, easy access, and relative privacy and anonymity of the Internet for granted. But thanks to the menacing schemes of power-hungry statists in The Swamp, I’m afraid all that could come to a crashing halt.

So won’t you please add your name to the list of signers to Campaign for Liberty’s INTERNET FREEDOM DIRECTIVE?

To put Congress on notice, it’s absolutely critical I gather 50,000-signed directives by the month’s end. So I’m counting on you to add your name, forward this email to at least five of your friends, and -- if possible -- make a generous contribution, as well.

Washington, D.C. loves nothing more than to use fear as a motivator for public policy.  Aided by their pals in the mainstream media, fear of Russian interference in America’s elections is stoking calls for action to crackdown on Internet Freedom.

Already, after being hauled before Congress and lambasted in front of the cameras, some of the largest Internet companies and social networks have begun taking steps that will lead to a less free and open Internet.

Facebook, YouTube, and podcast hosts like Spotify and Apple took action recently to shut down pages and delete content for alleged “hate speech” violations of their “community standards.”

Twitter has gone from “shadow banning” libertarian and conservative pundits and politicians to outright banning or suspending anti-war voices like RPI’s Daniel McAdams, Antiwar.com’s Scott Horton, and former State Department staffer Peter Van Buren.

While it’s true the First Amendment only prevents the government from infringing on the right to free speech, that doesn’t make the actions by these private companies any less troubling.

In fact, these acts of censorship and silencing certain types of speech by private companies are particularly troubling because politicians are outright demanding even more of it. 

“Infowars is the tip of a giant iceberg of hate and lies that uses sites like Facebook and YouTube to tear our nation apart.  These companies must do more than take down one website.  The survival of our democracy depends on it,” Senator Chris Murphy wrote on Twitter.

I have news for Senator Murphy -- the survival of our republic depends more on the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions, which once thrived on the Internet, than it does on shutting down speech or ideas simply because we may disagree with them or find them “offensive.”

If these statists get their way, it won’t be long until any viewpoint they disagree with is “disappeared” down the memory hole on the Internet.

I shudder to think about what could happen then.

The Internet and its technology have revolutionized communication and created entire industries and millions of new jobs over the past 25 years.  But while free Americans are using the technological revolution for good, statists have conjured up more sinister uses.

Just imagine government bureaucrats armed with whatever they want to know about you right at their fingertips.  What you read.  What you watch.  What you buy.  What you say.  Who you talk to.

Imagine it all being tied into an intricate network combining your Internet use, your credit card purchases, your tax records, your health records.  Imagine the Internet -- and with it, the entire technological revolution -- SHUT DOWN with a ball of higher taxes, government snooping, and bureaucratic red tape.

Adrian, these are not fights you and I can afford to lose, But without a lightning-fast response by you and me to these fights going on RIGHT NOW, I’m afraid our government will whittle away Internet speed, access, and privacy down to virtually nothing.

And with it, strike a deathblow to our Liberty Movement.  After all, the Liberty Movement has exploded in recent years thanks to the Internet, and it’s no coincidence the statists are now rushing to shut us down. That’s why I’m counting on you to sign on to Campaign for Liberty’s INTERNET FREEDOM DIRECTIVE immediately. And if you can, I also hope you’ll agree to a generous contribution of $50, $25, or even $10.

By signing on, you’ll allow me to prove to members of Congress just how many Americans are opposed to these radical schemes.  You see, the statists in Washington, D.C. aren’t pushing just one massive bill that you and I can mobilize against, defeat, and then stop worrying about.

You and I are going to have to stay on guard until we send the message to every congressman and senator that if they vote to regulate, tax, or spy on us via the Internet, THEY’LL LOSE THEIR JOBS.  As the Directive says:

“As a Member of Congress, you are being put on notice.  “Those who would increase regulations on the Internet and seek to further destroy online privacy and anonymity will pay a severe political price at the polls.”

And with fights raging in Congress, the sooner you and I send this message, the better.  But as I mentioned, I’m trying to gather 50,000-signed directives in the next 18 days.   And I’m hopeful that will just be the beginning.
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Note:  This is part of what we can only call "The good fight to drain the swamp, " or as I am wont to say, "Destroy the web...."

Adrian Vance