As heated as some of the political disagreements become on our talk show weekday afternoons from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm on WWL-AM-FM and the Audacy app, we should never fail to appreciate the freedom we have to disagree.
My right to harshly criticize the president, ex-presidents, or any politician - and a listener’s right to passionately disagree are an important part of America that we do not always appreciate. The heated passion of the political debates seem to shroud the precious right that we should be celebrating.
Putin cracks down on free speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to arrest and jail any Russians expressing negative comments about the country's invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, Russia’s parliament passed a law imposing up to 15 years in jail for spreading “fake news” about the military.
This is part of Putin’s war on information and his attempt to control the news that reaches the Russian people. As of Wednesday, over 6,400 Russians have been arrested for demonstrating or spreading “fake news” about the invasion and Russian troops.
This week, five children ages 7-11 were arrested for bringing flowers to the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow with signs that read, “No to War.” Russian police warned the mothers that they could lose their parental rights over the behavior.
Putin’s definition of “fake news” is similar to the false definition of “fake news” use by many Americans. Former President Donald Trump’s war against the media included the use of the term “fake news” to define any news that was negative about his administration. That set the precedent for Putin to apply the same meaning to the term “fake news.”
President Putin is using “special military operations” to maintain security in his country, and “fake news” is defined as any lies or statements that discredit the Russian military.
The actual definition of “fake news” is any news that is concocted for the sole purpose of generating attention that leads to profit or ratings. The new, commonly-used definition of “fake news” is news that reflects negatively on a president or anyone in power.
Our talk show welcomes opposing opinions; and as much as I disagree with some listeners, I am vocal about my appreciation of the right we have to disagree.
The First Amendment of the Constitution declares that Congress (the government) will make no laws “abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment guarantees our right to criticize the president, any politicians, or any political parties without fear of being jailed.
As we witness Putin’s heavy-handed tactics toward arresting citizens that express disagreement with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, let’s appreciate the fact that in America we are free to passionately disagree with the president or the government and that we have the right to even condemn our government’s decision to go to war.
As hot as the political debates have become in a deeply divided America, we should always leave the disagreements with great appreciation for the precious right we have to disagree.
