Free speech is making a comeback – so saddle up!

Justine Bateman, 58, filmmaker, author, actress and recent graduate from UCLA in computer science and digital media management, feels like a “suffocating cloud” has been lifted since Election Day.

Lots of pundits and pontificators are still trying to figure out how Donald Trump trampled Kamala Harris at the ballot box in a landslide victory to become our next president. (More than 90% of America’s counties shifted in favor of Trump.)

Unlike many of her Hollywood peers, Justine agrees with those who are saying that among many reasons Trump won and Harris lost is that Americans are exhausted in particular over political correctness, public shaming, cyberbullying and cancel-culture mobs attacking people just for stating their differing opinions.

“Trying to shut down everybody, even wanting to discuss things that are going on in our society, has had a bad result,” Justine says. “And we saw in the election results that more people than not are done with it. That’s why I say it’s over.”

A few days after the election, Justine wrote on X, “Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years.”

The New York Post reported, “Bateman’s point is that, during the Biden administration and even before, America has been living under a ‘cloud that has been pressing down on society.’ She’s referring to, as she tweeted, the concept of mob rule on social media and how ‘any questioning, any opinions, any likes or dislikes’ – be it about hot-button topics from Gaza to trans athletes in women’s sports or any form of social justice – were held up to a very limited list of ‘permitted positions’ in order to assess acceptability.”

You know what she means and feels by a “very limited list of ‘permitted positions'” if you’ve ever been hindered, harassed or afraid to state your honest opinions about any of a host of “controversial” issues, like wearing masks, vaccinations views, gender orientation, reproductive rights, religious convictions, border problems, global wars, or even mentioning who you voted for.

Proof of social retribution came again immediately after Justine posted her thoughts above online.

She shared with the Post over the weekend some of the responses to her X posts, even from Hollywood friends, like: “Oh Justine, I didn’t know you were a Nazi.”

Bateman added, “I did have friends say, ‘I love you, call me anytime, but I have to unfollow you’ or ‘I have to distance myself from you online, publicly.'”

“‘Man, we just went “1984” on ourselves,’ she told The Post with an exasperated sigh.

“‘Reporting the surveillance, surveilling each other. Come on. Why? Don’t you want to relax? Do you always want to feel like you are testifying? Do you always want to feel like somebody is recording evidence that’s going to be brought into a court of law? Why do you want to live like that?’

The Post quoted Bateman as saying, “There’s room for everyone to feel exactly how they want to feel. But you don’t get to come at me and start accusing me of certain things. … Go live your life and feel your feelings, but get out of my face.”

She’s particularly concerned and “really feels” for younger people (as my wife, Gena, and I do) who have never known a time where they were able to express their own opinions, especially if they differ from others.

Noted Bateman, “Their parents need to tell them, ‘Freely live your life the way you want to, but never infringe on somebody else’s ability to also live their life as freely as they want to.'”

Justine is of course not alone in “Hollywood” (though it might seem like that) as dozens and dozens of other celebrities across the country join her in saying the era of “emotional terrorism” by mob mentalities has ended.

I’m not sure it’s completely ended, but I do agree that it has been dealt a devastating blow, simply because a majority of Americans voted (sided, if you will) against the polarizing woke, DEI and other secular progressive views.

However, it’s still going to take hundreds of millions of brave souls just like Justine (and those reading this column) to finalize the free speech victory by voicing theirs without fear, just like she does.

The Gateway Pundit just reported another great fearless stand for free speech, as UFC champion Jon Jones did the “Trump Dance” after winning the main event at Madison Square Garden, with Donald Trump in the front row. He then led the crowd in chants of “USA! USA!” before publicly saying before a global audience, “I’m proud to be a great American champion. I’m proud to be a CHRISTIAN American champion.” A must-watch here.

If what Justine (or anyone else) says irritates you, I encourage you to watch her inspiring and liberating film “Violet” and read her equally insightful and powerful books “Fame: the Hijacking of Reality” and “Face: One Square Foot of Skin.”

In her own words on X, “‘Violet‘ is a map to get from a fear-filled life to an instinct-filled life. ‘Fame‘ is about the life-cycle of Fame and how we put it on a pedestal and democratized the seeking of it. ‘Face‘ is about women’s faces getting older and why that makes people angry.”

It’s greatly alarmed me for years that Americans’ constitutional right to freedom of speech is being choked out of our culture, but, as Justine said, it might just have been resuscitated.

It truly sickens me in particular that young people – and I’m talking millennials to Gen Z, on down – are in so much fear of stating their opinion, especially when it differs from others. And those who aren’t in fear often do so with vitriol and vengeance. Both extremes are un-American.

One of the geniuses of America’s Founding Fathers was to provide and secure the religious and free-speech liberties of every American as stated in the firm foundation of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

These liberties were what made America different from England where a king ruled.

Are we now trying to turn back the clock and abolish those liberties?

Indeed, modern progressives have tried to restrict them by social pressure (via accusations of “intolerance” and “hate speech”) and proposing legislation under the guise of “hate crimes and laws” – one more facet of lawfare.

But the American Library Association explained, “Under current First Amendment jurisprudence,hate speech can only be criminalized when it directly incites imminent criminal activity or consists of specific threats of violence targeted against a person or group.”

Yet, even that definition can and has fallen down some deep cracks and crevasses in legal interpretation and application.

While hate crime legislation purport to target crimes of brutality, not speech, they could very easily end up (even inadvertently) restricting First Amendment rights to speak freely against any practices or beliefs with which we don’t agree. As with other laws of this type, once enacted, local justices could easily expand its interpretive enforcement to encompass a wider meaning than originally conceived.

If our policymakers understood and followed the constitutional government our founders laid down for us, they never would advocate any so-called hate-crime speech bill.

That is why the great libertarian congressman Ron Paul once explained years ago:

Hate crime laws not only violate the First Amendment, they also violate the 10th Amendment. Under the United States Constitution, there are only three federal crimes: piracy, treason and counterfeiting. All other criminal matters are left to the individual states. Any federal legislation dealing with criminal matters not related to these three issues usurps state authority over criminal law and takes a step toward turning the states into mere administrative units of the federal government.

To clarify, contrary to many misconceptions today (especially among younger generations), the United States does not have hate speech laws, because the Supreme Court has ruled that laws criminalizing hate speech violate the First Amendment’s freedom of speech guarantee.

The First Amendment protects hate speech because the government should not shield people from ideas they find offensive, and because it’s important to allow for debate on public issues.

But agreeing to disagree agreeably is not exactly how the First Amendment has played out in modern America, has it? One glance at social media posts will prove that.

There is no doubt a double standard has proliferated in our land when it comes to free speech: Shall certain belief and opinion camps be expected not to offend while others are free to do so?

What’s so “free” about speech that is limited or burdened by societal pressure?

If the First Amendment is not also there to protect anyone’s “offensive speech,” no matter how much it is disliked, then what type of speech is it protecting?

And if it protects even “hate speech” as well, yet our culture remains intolerant of contrary opinions, then have we not abandoned the First Amendment?

I commend and thank Justine Bateman (and all those like her) for a host of things: for standing by her convictions and basic American right of free speech, for not bending to the politically correct, for not fearing public scrutiny, for not yielding her principles and especially her First Amendment rights.

It’s simply un-American and unconstitutional to impede, harass or persecute (online or in person) anyone who is guilty of nothing more than sharing their opinion or even exercising their right to vote.

This is America – not Iran!

Our founders cry out from their graves and heaven for us to remember what they established – a nation free from tyranny and oppression, where one can express his or her opinions without fear of repercussions.

Thomas Jefferson was particularly passionate and eloquent at this point with these words that are now indelibly inscribed on the memorial in Washington named after him. Whether to the dominance of religious sectarianism or the prohibition of free speech, his words apply: “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility toward any tyranny over the mind of men.”

So have I. Have you?

America, when free speech is restricted or punished, we can be certain that we’ve drifted from our roots.

Isn’t it time we all returned home to the entirety of all our rights in the U.S. Constitution?

Remember what my hero John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway!”

(Please watch Elizabeth Farah and Jeffrey Tucker’s recent outstanding broadcast on “The Death of Free Speech,” in which they expose the ongoing threat to free expression. Again, I encourage you also watch Justine Bateman’s film “Violet” and read her books “Fame: the Hijacking of Reality” and “Face: One Square Foot of Skin.” Last, to encourage your kids and grandkids this Christmas, I encourage you check out and buy from “Brave Books,” which reflect more American traditional values – contrary to those restrictive progressive books often found now in the children’s sections of major book stores and public school libraries.)