What’s the difference between misinformation, disinformation or any other sort of bad information? There is none. All are merely propagandistic ways of labeling free speech Democrats/socialists/communists (D/s/cs) don’t like as somehow bad and evil. The more convincing or effective that speech, the worse and most dangerous to “our democracy” it must be.

D/s/cs virtually never refer to America’s actual form of government, which is a constitutional, representative republic, preferring instead “our democracy, which is a one party, tyranny of the majority. One such is one Barbara McQuade:

Graphic: MSNBC Screenshot

MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade argued Monday [02-29-24] that the United States’ “deep commitment to free speech” makes Americans uniquely susceptible to disinformation campaigns.

McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor, went on “The Rachel Maddow Show” to promote her new book, “Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.” She said her “goal” with the book was to spark a “national conversation about truth and our commitment to it.” 

She added, “I hope that by dissecting it, explaining it, and educating the public, we can all see disinformation for what it is so that we can begin to push back against it.”

Ah. McQuade wants Americans to know the “truth,” which can’t be “disinformation,” because disinformation can’t be true, and she knows, because she, unlike anyone that doesn’t share her political views, is uniquely capable of speaking, writing and knowing the truth. Rachel Maddow prompted this:

“Actually, Rachel, I think we’re more susceptible to it than other countries, and that’s because some of our greatest strengths can also be our Achilles Heel,” McQuade said. “So, for example, our deep commitment to free speech in our First Amendment. It is a cherished right. It’s an important right in democracy, and nobody wants to get rid of it, but it makes us vulnerable to claims [that] anything we want to do related to speech is censorship.”

“Nobody wants to get rid of it.” I’m sure McQuade is thinking of all the other democracies that have no First Amendment. I wonder, particularly these days when the Mummified Meat Puppet Administration is working more feverishly than ever in history to censor Americans and deny them information, anyone would think anyone is hostile to the First Amendment? Obviously, such people must have fallen victim to “disinformation campaigns.” But McQuade has a patented D/s/c solution:

“We need to have a conversation and common-sense solutions to these things,” she said. “Instead, we throw out terms like ‘censorship,’ call each other names, use labels and retreat to our opposite sides. We need to be pragmatic and come up with real solutions.”

Whenever D/s/cs want to “have a conversation” and propose “common-sense solutions” what they’re really, always, saying is:

Graphic: Andrew Klavan "Shut Up. YouTube screenshot.

The only real, effective and constitutional “solution,” the only real way to have a “conversation” about any issue, is to have a conversation, a debate, a discussion where nothing is out of bounds, where there is no “disinformation” or “truth,” but assertions American can consider and choose to accept or reject as they please. The only antidote to “bad” speech is good speech, more, not less speech.

The First Amendment exists because the Founders understood the eternal, human tendency to try to shut up, imprison, even kill people whose ideas, whose speech, annoys them, or even worse, exposes their ideas and actions as unethical, harmful, stupid or illegal. 

We’ve seen, during the MMPA’s reign, numerous examples, such as the media suppressing the very real revelations of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop. That one threw an election. The Twitter Files  have revealed all manner of government efforts to get around the Constitution by using media and social media entities to deny Americans “disinformation” and their First Amendment liberties. As we’re now discovering the January 6 Committee’s primary purpose was to suppress the truth. And the media propaganda arm of the D/s/c Party continues to suppress any information they don’t want Americans to have, while constantly lying to them, spreading the kind of “truth” McQuade would limit Americans to knowing.

But what is “truth?” We can be certain whatever McQuade and her ilk label as “disinformation” is virtually certain to qualify.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.