Western governments are in a race to crush civil liberties. Only the Bill of Rights (certainly not the inclinations of U.S. politicians) puts the U.S. towards the back of the pack. Canada, Australia, and the EU are neck-and-neck-and-neck out in front. From Jonathan Turley at jonathanturley.org:
We have previously discussed the unrelenting attacks by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his allies on free speech. There has been a steady criminalization of speech, including even jokes and religious speech, in Canada. Now, the Canadian parliament is moving toward a new change that would allow the imposition of life imprisonment on those who post views deemed supportive of genocide. With a growing movement calling Israel’s war in Gaza “genocide,” the potential scope of such a law is readily apparent. That appears to be its very draw for anti-free speech advocates in the country.
The Online Harms Act, or Bill C-63 increases the potential penalties from five years to life imprisonment. It also increases the penalty for the willful promotion of hatred (a dangerously ill-defined crime) from two years to five years. The proposed changes constitute a doubling down on Canada’s commitment to reducing free speech for citizens despite criticism from many in the civil liberties community.
When stupid can’t give an answer they forbid you to talk. That’s the same reaction communist governments had to their citizens arguments. Don’t mess with the stupid in power!