Category Archives: Freedom

Liberty divorced from our obligations to each other is nothing more than selfishness.

As Ryan Lizza and Daniel Lippman suggested a few weeks ago, wearing a mask during the coronavirus crisis has become a part of our so-called culture wars.

Views on how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic have become increasingly polarized, yet another political issue that for many culture war combatants is filtered through an ideological lens. The left has been almost uniformly and loudly in favor of sacrificing many personal liberties in exchange for containing the virus spread. The right has been divided, but the vocal activist wing of conservatism that has enormous influence on social media and Fox News, has been far more willing to attack the various infringements on where people can go and what they have to wear.

The mask has become the ultimate symbol of this new cultural and political divide.

That divide was captured by this pair of photographs from Memorial Day.

In my home state of Minnesota, the clash took on a whole new level of confrontation when a local reporter showed up wearing a mask to interview people protesting the states restrictions.

No longer content to simply refuse to wear masks themselves, those protesters harassed the reporter with chants of take it off. While they insist that requirements to follow public health guidelines during a pandemic pose a challenge to their own constitutional freedoms, they demonstrated that they were also intent on controlling the behavior of that reporter. You wont find a better example of what freedom actually means to conservative right wingers. It is all about the freedom to impose their will on others.

The conservative obsession with freedom feeds into an argument that began with our founding fathers when John Adams warned about the perils of true democracy, proclaiming that they want equality more than they want liberty. In modern times, that cause of placing freedom over equality has been taken up by (primarily white) Republicans.

During Jared Kushners attempt to turn the Republican Party platform into a public relations document, the conservative emphasis on freedom came up.

Two sources said they recalled Kushner making a more sweeping point that they should rethink using the word freedom altogether in the GOP platform because polling showed it doesnt appeal to African Americans.

I have no idea what polls Kushner had seen that led him to that assumption, but he clearly has no sense of the history of that word in the African American community.

What Kushner was probably reacting to was the fact that African Americans are smart enough to reject the kind of freedom for me, but not for thee that has been the hallmark of this countrys denial of equality.

The rugged individualism that is often championed as freedom has long been one of the challenges we face in a democracy that requires us to come together to solve the challenges we face. But it takes a toll on a more personal level as well. One of my all-time favorite songs is Desperado, written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey. It includes this wonderful line in the third verse:

And freedom, oh freedomWell thats just some people talkingYour prison is walking through this world all alone

Many of those protesters who are claiming that their their freedom is compromised by wearing masks are the same ones Vivek Murthy wrote about in his book, Together, in which he identifies loneliness as a major public health issue.

As Murthy details, the leading researcher on the health impact of loneliness has shown that people with weak social connections are 50 percent more likely to die prematurely than people with strong connections. Stunningly, the health outcomes of social disconnection are akin to the impact of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

While Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his life advocating for freedom for all Americans, he understood that none of us can go it on our own.

In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to beThis is the inter-related structure of reality.

A freedom that is disengaged from the responsibilities we have to each other is not only destructive to our humanity, it becomes a pathway to anarchy. Here is what Barack Obama said about that in 2012.

We honor the strivers, the dreamers, the risk- takers, the entrepreneurs who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity that the worlds ever known.

But we also believe in something called citizenship citizenship, a word at the very heart of our founding, a word at the very essence of our democracy, the idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations

We, the people recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which asks only, whats in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.

As Americans, we should always cherish our freedom. But divorced from commitments to equality and citizenship, it rings hollow as nothing more than selfishness.

More here:

How Mask Protestors Distort the True Meaning of Freedom - Washington Monthly

Today U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) urged President Trump to award Hershel Woody Williams, Marine Veteran, West Virginia native, and Medal of Honor recipient, the Medal of Freedom for his incredible work through the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation advocating for Gold Star families while educating and inspiring many generations of young Americans.

The Senators said in part,We are honored to write to you on behalf of all generations of patriotic Americans to recommend Hershel Woodrow Woody Williams for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This great distinction is reserved for Americans who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the United States. We believe Woody Williams, who has dedicated his entire life to service to our country, is eminently deserving of this honor. The example that he set during and after the military is truly deserving of our nations highest civilian honor.

We have the distinct honor of being led as a family and as a foundation by a true servant leader, Woody Williams. Even now at 96 years young, he continues to make service to others his mission and purpose in life. His commitment to bettering the lives of his fellow Americans exemplifies the true spirit of our Nation and serves as an example to all of us. We are so grateful to those who support bestowing such a tremendous honor upon Woody, it is truly well-deserved. He is our patriarch, our friend, and our hero,said Chad Graham, President and CEO of the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation and Grandson of Woody Williams.

Hats off to the Senators from the great states of West Virginia and Mississippi for their outstanding efforts and initiative to have Woody Williams considered for the Presidential Medal of Freedom to recognize his 75 years of selfless service. Thank you also to the Marine Corps Veterans Association for their help and support along with Marines Top Hazlett (Ret), Mike Francis (Ret), and Clifton Addison of Mississippi,said Bernie Lyons, Marine Corps Veterans advocate and Vienna, West Virginia native.

The letter can be read in full below or viewedhere.

Dear President Trump,

We are honored to write to you on behalf of all generations of patriotic Americans to recommend Hershel Woodrow Woody Williams for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This great distinction is reserved for Americans who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the United States. We believe Woody Williams, who has dedicated his entire life to service to our country, is eminently deserving of this honor. The example that he set during and after the military is truly deserving of our nations highest civilian honor.

Woody Williams is one of only two remaining Medal of Honor recipients from World War II. As a young Marine in the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division, Woodys heroic act of storming four enemy pillboxes under tremendous fire, and continuing to fight through the entire five-week campaign on Iwo Jima earned him the Medal of Honor. His stories of service during and after the military have inspired future generations to serve our country and underscore why we call his generation the Greatest Generation.

Like many of the Greatest Generation, Woody came home from war to West Virginia and dedicated the rest of his life to service to others. For the last 75 years, Woody has committed himself to Veterans and their families and created the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. Through his foundation, Woody advocates for and recognizes the sacrifice of Gold Star families who have lost loved ones in the military. To date, Woody and his foundation are responsible for establishing 60 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the United States with more than 70 additional monuments underway in nearly every state.

Woodys unending energy and passion have been an inspiration to generations of young Americans across the country. He has spoken to numerous schools, universities, community events, and Veterans receptions promoting patriotism and the ideals of service above self. The West Virginia Legislature included Woody in the West Virginia Hall of Fame and named him a Distinguished West Virginian in 1980 and in 2013.

These achievements and many more illustrate a legacy that warrants recognition at the highest level. We sincerely appreciate your consideration of Woody Williams legacy.

Press Release

5/28/2020

Excerpt from:

Manchin, Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Capito urge President Trump to award medal of freedom to Hershel "Woody" Williams - Yall Politics

Steve Shaw reports on Beijings new national security law, approved today, to bring Hong Kong further under its control.

It was once known for its vibrant neon-drenched streets, bustling markets and unique merging of western values with Chinese culture. But walk down the streets of Hong Kong today and what stands out is the sense of fear and hopelessness that has taken hold of many of its residents.

Scrawled across towering concrete apartment blocks and sprawling office buildings are slogans that plead to the world for help against Beijings authoritarian rule. Others declare this the revolution of our time and quote British author Alan Moore, whose famous graphic novel V for Vendetta centres around a freedom fighter battling against a totalitarian government in futuristic London.

One such quote reads: People shouldnt be afraid of their Government. Governments should be afraid of their people.

But, after nearly a year of protests which have seen many of the citys streets stained with the blood of demonstrators and the air filled with tear gas, many believe that the time of resistance is over thanks to a new national security law thrust upon the city by lawmakers in Beijing who have lost their patience.

People might simply say that the Government is bad and then be arrested like in mainland China when they said it, I was shocked, I felt suicidal thoughts erupting like a volcano.

It will forbid secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference and terrorism a term many officials have used to describe the protests. It will also allow intelligence agencies from the mainland to set up on Hong Kong soil and block foreign judges from handling national security trials, despite there being 15 on the 23-person Court of Final Appeal, the citys highest court. Law-makers in the city are also debating a separate bill that would make it a criminal offence to insult the Chinese national anthem.

We are told that any protest against the national security law necessitates the national security law, said James, a man in his early 20s who lives in the city. All the protests in Hong Kong and the hope that the citys Government would listen to our demands pretty much scattered when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stepped in. The whole Hong Kong Government is not only without spine, they have no brain to act independently at all.

Hong Kong people have never had the right to decide for themselves, historically we have been manipulated by Britain and China constantly. I am disappointed to see we have never gotten out of this tragic fate, despite the fact we have proven we are capable of bringing a future and hope to the city.

The death of Hong Kong is destined when people with social status, political power and wealth dont resist at all. Instead they point the finger at the younger generations and blame them for causing the problems. I am disappointed many of those people have not stood up for justice and human dignity and instead are willingly allowing this to happen. They are the reason Hong Kong never got what it deserved, because they kneel to whomever gives them the most benefits.

China is attempting to force the national security law onto Hong Kong by September, despite it being a clear breach of the one country, two systems agreement that came into force when the city re-joined China in 1997.

Under that agreement, which is set to expire in 2047, the UK helped guarantee that Hong Kong would retain a degree of autonomy, including a separate legislature and judicial system, as well as some civil liberties. Hong Kongs mini-constitution created at the time, known as Basic Law, also states that the territory is required to implement a national security law but that it must do so on its own. Beijing does not have the authority to do it unilaterally.

In terms of the law, it is really ridiculous and we dont have any say on the issue, said Maria, a journalism student in the city. Hong Kong and China have different judiciary and legislative systems. This is why we are special. Chinas National Peoples Congress cannot just make this decision for us. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Chinese Governments keep trying to impose evil laws in Hong Kong. First it was an extradition bill, then an anti-mask law and now the national security law. Mass protests in 2003 had already shown strong objections to national security legislation but clearly the Governments havent learnt from that. These undemocratically elected officials dont listen to their people at all.

But Beijings lack of respect for one country, two systems and the CCPs willingness to violate it has come after years of the UK Government failing to properly stand up for it, often because its priority has been trade relationships, particularly after Brexit. In one instance in 2017, Chinas foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that the Sino-British declaration was a historical document that no longer has any realistic meaning. He went on to say Britain has no sovereignty, no governing power and no supervising power over Hong Kong. Around the same time, the then UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that the principle of one country, two systems was functioning well.

Ben Rogers, chair and founder of Hong Kong Watch, told Byline Times that it is time the UK takes a stronger stance: The UK should speak out very robustly and clearly, build an international coalition of like-minded Governments to do the same, and explore ways of legal redress for violation of an international treaty, perhaps via the International Court of Justice.

He added that he believes the threat of the national security law is a grave violation of one country, two systems which undermines the autonomy given to the city.

Meanwhile, Chinese state media has defended the move, claiming that it is the only way to guarantee the one country, two systems principle can function normally and for Hong Kong to enjoy a high degree of autonomy.

Global Times, a newspaper overseen by the CCP, said that the National Peoples Congress needs to shoulder the responsibility of introducing the law and help a lost Hong Kong find its position as a special administrative region of China.

As the political wrangling continues over who should have the ability to control one of the biggest financial centres in the world, it is the citys residents caught in the middle who are paying the price.

A study, organised by Hong Kongs Mental Health Month Organising Committee, found that the mental health of people over the age of 15 has deteriorated to its worst level in years, with 41% of survey respondents saying that their mental health had been negatively affected by social disputes. Multiple suicides have also been linked to the protests.

John, a 23-year-old struggling with depression, told Byline Times that Beijings interference in the city and his fears of living in a totalitarian society have caused him to regularly contemplate suicide.

Historically we have been manipulated by Britain and China constantly. I am disappointed to see we have never gotten out of this tragic fate.

I feel hopeless, like there is no way things will return to the way they used to be and no matter what we do, I feel like the CCP is going to take control of Hong Kong, he said. It is just a matter of time. Around late July or early August, I started having thoughts about suicide.

I, along with many Hong Kongers, have been trying so hard to stand up for ourselves but the Government keeps implementing tactics that are ridiculous as if they want things to get worse. This national security law is a turning point for Hong Kong. There are no boundaries for the way in which it can be applied.

People might simply say that the Government is bad and then be arrested like in mainland China. I feel like this has been the strongest move from the Government and when they said it, I was shocked, I felt suicidal thoughts erupting like a volcano.

Freedom and democracy are basically the two main things in a civilised country. I dont want someone else trying to control what I say, when I say it, where I say it and what I do. I also dont want to be isolated from the rest of the world with websites blocked and our culture and Cantonese language erased. What would be the point in living?

Byline Times asked the UKs Foreign Office to explain what specific measures are being taken over the potential breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, as well as whether any meetings have been called with Beijing to discuss the situation.

A spokesman provided a link to a joint statement from the UK, Australia and Canada which simply admitted that the national security law undermines the one country, two systems principle and states that the three countries are deeply concerned.

The spokesman added that concerns have been raised with the Chinese Government in Beijing, the Chinese Ambassador in London and the acting Chief Executive in Hong Kong. He did not address whether a meeting with the Chinese Government has been arranged.

Since the 1997 handover, the UK Government has published six-monthly reports on the implementation of the joint declaration and has not missed a single one so far, except for the period of June 2019 to December 2019 the height of the protests. Byline Times asked the Foreign Office why this had not been published and was told it would be in due course.

Names of residents have been changed to protect their identity

More here:

'Without Freedom and Democracy What's the Point in Living?' The New Law Presenting a Grave Threat to Hong Kong - Byline Times

Legendary, multi-grammy award-winning trumpeter, composer, record producer, artist, sculptor and philanthropist Herb Alpert speaks with WBGO's Doug Doyle about giving back during the coronavirus pandemic

Iconic trumpeter, A&M Records co-founder, painter, sculptor, philanthropist and past recipient of WBGO's Champions of Jazz Gala Award continues to give back during the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to WBGO's News Director Doug Doyle from his California home, Alpert talked about jazz, his foundation, the renovation of the Harlem School of the Arts and the 26th annual Herb Alpert Award in the Arts recipients.

Alpert says he and his wife Grammy-award-winning vocalist Lani Hall had to postpone their extensive tour schedule because of the pandemic. They haven't ventured out past his property for quite some time.

"You know I'm in that category where they scare you to death. If you're over 80 watch out, if it gets you, you're a goner. I'm afraid to go out of the house. I'm a lucky guy, married to an angel and my life has been a charmed life. I feel a little guilty. I'm doing what I would be doing last year at this time when nothing was going on with this virus. So here I am painting, sculpting, making music and being an introvert. I'm fine doing that. I'm in heaven. I can do my stuff. There are a lot of people out there that don't have that same situation. I feel sorry for the jam, the mess we're into right now. I hope it resolves nicely. It's a very frightening time for everybody. I think we're all wondering what the heck is going to happen in the futue. It's hard to predict what happens next month, next year or next week. We're just kind of hoping for the best."

Earlier this month, The Herb Alpert Foundation and the California Institute of the Arts held its 26th annual Herb Alpert Award in the Arts in the categories of Dance, Film/Video, Music. Theatre and Visual Arts. Five unrestricted $75,000 grants were presented to exceptional mid-career artists. The recipients were honored during a vitual ceremony hosted by Alpert and his wife on Friday, May 22.

"It turns out there were hundreds of people watching this ceremony. It was very real. The artists that won the awards were chiming in with sensitive and beautiful stories. You know there's something about when you're in a room, a chat room or a zoom room with people that are artists or respecting the arts there's a different energy."

The 2020 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts recipients are Karen Sherman - Dance, Sky Hopinka - Film/Video, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Music, Phil Soltanoff - Theatre and Firelei Baez -Visual Arts.

"I've always loved the artists that travel the road less traveled, those are the artists that touch me."

Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah is the nephew of legenadary jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison.

"He had a really interesting horn, kind of a take-off of Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet. It's beautiful. He's a sensitive, wonderful giving musician."

Alpert, who stressed he is not involved in the selection of the winners of the highly competitive awards, was asked about his thoughts on jazz.

"I think music in general is the heartbeat and soul of our country and I think we need that. Jazz is about freedom. I think what's the interesting part of these five art forms are that they're all the same for the most part. It's all about freedom of expression and imagination and being totally honest with what you say or do and we need more of that. I think that's why jazz kind of points the way. I think we're all looking for freedom in the United States and around the world. It's the one thread that binds us all."

When the creative trumpeter became a sensation in the 1960's with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, he decided he wanted to make visual music. He wants to make music that takes you someplace.

"I think all they really good artists that appealed to me through the years, let's talk about jazz. Miles Davis had that ability. That Kind of Blue album that still sells to this day and the enormous amount of records that were sold, he was a major jazz artist, but he touched, he had something. He knew a good song. He knew who to present it. He understood the art form probably better than most other great jazz musicians."

What does Herb Alpert think about when he playing his trumpet on his upcoming album.

"I think about all the people I've spoken to, all the great jazz musicians I've run across. Stan Getz was a dear friend of mine. He was like my brother for the last four years of his life. I'd ask Stan that question. He always told me if you're playing a great song make sure you do justice to the melody of the song. And before you start improvising and turning it into something that it didn't want to be."

Alpert, 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and nine-time Grammy Award winner, came to the rescue when the Harlem School of the Arts was in desperate need of funds to survive. The result became The Renaissane Project, a 9.5 million dollar renovation of the school. Alpert says the project's completion has been pushed back because of the coronavirus crisis, but he anticipates the groundbreaking will now take place in the spring of 2021.

"We just felt it needed to be upgraded. I got involved in 2010. I saw this article in the paper that it was about to close. They were out of funds and they were not being supported."

With the 2020 tour of hold because of the pandemic, Alpert has been painting and sculpting at an elevated pace. He says he can barely move in his arts studio because there are so many paintings. One of his works, a painting, has been inspired by the current situation. He calls it Corona City.

"My wife was not crazy about that title, but when it came out that's what it looked like to me. It's in the abstract. It looks like city but not a city you could every recognize. This is one of the things I like about the mystery of art, you really can't indentify it. There's no way to actually put words on something that you feel."

Did the musician and composer know he had the ability to create art before he picked up the trumpet?

"I didn't. Little by little I started making sense out of the trumpet and people were responding to the way I was playing. That's the first time I got a glimpse that maybe I'm okay. I had this wonderful Russian teacher who was the 1st player with the San Francisco Symphony. One lesson I was 12 or 13 years old. I played this tune and when finished and he had tears running down his cheek. He said 'that was beautiful'. This was a guy who really didn' show his emotions. So I felt like maybe I do have something"

Alpert would then go onto make his first album that he released on A&M Records calledThe Lonely Bullin 1962. In all, Alpert has 15 Gold Albums, 14 Platinum albums and over 72 million records sold.

Click above to hear the entire conversation between Herb Alpert and Doug Doyle.

Link:

Herb Alpert: "Jazz is All About Freedom and Points the Way" - wbgo.org

CADILLAC Judging from the feedback he's received so far, Derek Anderson believes that not only is there enough support in the community to hold the Cadillac Freedom Festival, but given that most other summer festivals have been cancelled, it may be even more important this year that the event happens.

Anderson who is one of the two main organizers of the annual Independence Day celebration said they recently made a post on social media that announced their intention to go ahead with the festival if at all possible. Within hours of the post being made, Anderson said it had spread to thousands of people; as of Monday, Anderson said around 26,000 people had seen it.

Subsequently, Anderson said they made a post asking for donations to help pay for the fireworks and a day later, a number of donors already had contributed about $600 to the event. And it wasn't just individual donors who stepped up: several vendors and other businesses contacted him and offered to donate a portion of their revenues back to the festival.

"It was unbelievable," Anderson said. "The community wants, needs this to happen. They want to help us make this happen."

Anderson said that considering it's a Fourth of July celebration, he thinks it's even more imperative that it be held at a time when so many personal liberties and freedoms are being curtailed to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Of course, whether or not they'll be able to hold the event isn't something they alone can decide; Anderson said they'll still need approval from the state in order to host a large public gathering such as the Freedom Festival something that may or may not happen.

"We don't know what the situation will look like," Anderson said.

If they are able to hold the festival, Anderson said it will look a little different this year.

Due to complications surrounding booking, insurance costs, and other factors, several events held in past years of the festival likely won't happen, including carnival rides (although they still plan to have inflatables), beer and wine tasting and the BBQ rib contest.

Depending on how things stack up, Anderson said they may end up holding the event over the course of two days instead of three.

There should be food vendors at the festival but Anderson said even this aspect of the event is in question, since there are a number of professional vendors that travel from city to city during the summer months that may not be able to attend this year.

At this point, Anderson said they're still tentatively planning to hold the Thunder on the Lakeshore motorcycle show, kids movie at the Rotary Performing Arts Pavilion, Fire on Water tribute to veterans, 5K run, flea market, parade through downtown and fireworks to cap it all off.Anderson said they've also booked two bands to perform during the festival 44 North and Dc True.

During a typical year, Anderson said they would have started their fundraising efforts several weeks ago but due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19, they're getting a late start, which means they need to raise around $10,000 between now and July.

Anderson said donations are even more important this year because they won't be able to make any advertising promises to sponsors, since they're not sure if the state will allow the event to happen.

If for some reason they're unable to hold the event in July, Anderson said the money they collect may go to next year's festival or they may decide to shoot off fireworks later in the year, perhaps to complement Christmas-time festivities going on in the city.

They've set up a PayPal account to collect donations toward the festival. To donate through the PayPal account, go to cadillacfreedomfestival.com. Donations can also be mailed to the Cadillac Freedom Festival, PO Box 853, Cadillac, MI, 49601.

Tentative schedule of events

Friday, July 3

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Carnival, vendors, food

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free Kids Activities

4 to 5 p.m. Landing Dance Academy

6 to 8 p.m. "Splash Dance"

5:45 to 6:30 p.m. 5K Registration

7 to 8 p.m. "Freedom 5K Run"

9 p.m. "Fire on Water" Tribute presented by Honor Guard

10 p.m. Community Movie at the Rotary Pavilion

Saturday, July 4

9 a.m. to 7 Flea Market

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Carnival, vendors, food

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. "Thunder on the Lakeshore" Motorcycle Show

Noon to 1 p.m. Irish Dancers at the Rotary Pavilion

1 to 2 p.m. "Freedom Festival Parade" (Downtown Cadillac)

2 to 3 p.m. Watermelon Eating Contest

6 to 10 p.m. Live Music.

Note: Cold beverages will be served at the Beer Tent from 5 to 10 p.m.

Sunday, July 5

9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Flea Market

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Carnival, vendors, food

11 a.m. to noon Community Church Service at the Rotary Pavilion

5 to 6 p.m. Clark the Juggler

7 to 10 p.m. Live Music

10 p.m. Fireworks.

Note: Cold beverages will be served at the Beer Tent from 5 to 10 p.m.

Follow this link:

Organizers of Cadillac Freedom Festival plan to go ahead with event July 3-5 - Cadillac News

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano told America's Newsroom Wednesday that President Trump is right thatsocial media platforms showbiasagainst conservatives, but added that as a private company,Twitter has the right to control speech on their platform.

The president is ...understandably not happy about his being fact-checked. I mean, nobody would [be], said Napolitano, who emphasized thatTwitter is a privately owned and publicly held company, and the First Amendment only applies togovernment-regulated institutions.

The government does not regulate Twitter, Napolitano said.

TWITTER EXEC OVERSEEING FACT CHECK EFFORT HAS HISTORY OF ANTI-TRUMP TWEETS

Earlier Wednesday,Trump warned social media giantsthat the federal government could strongly regulate or close them down if they continue to silence conservative voices, his latest salvo in a running battle with Twitterafter the platformfact-checkedone of his tweets for the first time this week.

It is unclear what authority, if any, the president was citing in his threat, but the tweets surely were meant to escalate pressure on the platform that hosted them.

Napolitano stated thatTwitter can take down, modify, or correct any user [of its platform] at once, including the president of the United States."

As for his threat to regulate or put Twitterout of business, that, of course, would require legislation which is somewhat unlikely between now and November," he added."There also would be legal issues if the effort were aimed at silencing someone who has the freedom of speech."

"Look, I dont like what they say, but Ill defend to the death their right to say it," he went on. "Under the Supreme Court's opinion that the president likes called 'Citizens United,' Twitter has freedom of speech just like you and I and the president himself.

Twitter slapped a warning label on one of Trumps tweetsfor the first time Tuesday, cautioning readers that despite the presidents claims about mail-in ballots, fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in voting would increase fraud risks and that experts say mail-in ballots are very rarely linked to voter fraud.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Within minutes, the presidentaccused Twitter of interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post, while adding that the platform is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and vowing that I, as President, will not allow that to happen.

Twitters new warning label was issued even though a Twitter spokesperson acknowledged to Fox News that Trumps tweet had not broken any of the platforms rules, and even though some other experts have raised fraud concerns surrounding mail-in voting.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Read this article:

Judge Napolitano: 'Twitter has freedom of speech just like you and I and the president himself' - Fox News

The Italian national aerobatic team, the Frecce Tricolore, flies over the Piazza Duomo of Milan on May 25, 2020 in Milan, Italy. Restaurants, bars, cafes, hairdressers and other shops have reopened, subject to social distancing measures, after more than two months of a nationwide lockdown meant to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Pietro D'Aprano

Italians are embracing their freedom from a strict coronavirus lockdown by heading to the country's beaches and piazzas, but officials are warning that too little thought is being paid to the danger of a second wave of infections.

Footage broadcast on Italian TV at the weekend showed young Italians partying and drinking in groups in both northern and southern Italy. The resumption of Italy's "movida," or nightlife, has prompted the authorities to warn citizens to behave more cautiously.

Regional Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia told La Stampa newspaper Monday that the government will not open up travel between Italian regions, expected as part of its "Phase Two" lifting of lockdown restrictions and due to take place on June 2, if mass social gatherings continue.

"Be careful, if it goes on like this we won't be able to reopen regions," he told the newspaper. "I understand the young people, but we cannot cancel the efforts (made): at the end of the week the government will evaluate the situation based on the number of infections."

"We must not forget that we are still facing Covid-19 and so those who fuel a movida are betraying the sacrifices made by millions of Italians," he warned.

The green light to socialize last weekend was a breath of fresh air for Italians who have endured more than two months of strict lockdown rules, told to stay at home unless they had to go out for essentials such as food and medicine.As of May 18, bars, restaurants and museums were allowed to reopen, as well as shops, hairdressers and beaches.

Beaches were a popular destination for many Italians making the most of the good weather, with some coastal towns, like Castiglione della Pescaia, noted for how busy they were at the weekend. Lorenzo, who works at Bar La Fronte in the Tuscan coastal resort, told CNBC that his bar was busy but that most customers were respecting social distancing rules.

"This last weekend there were a lot of people everywhere, on the beaches, in the parks, in the streets of the center ... and also in the nightlife clubs like ours," he told CNBC Tuesday. "People had respect for (social) distances except in a few cases."

But Lorenzo said he believed it would be "impossible" to maintain social distances during the summer season, "when the country is really full and not only in terms of nightlife, but also on the beach and streets, the seafront etc, which are crowded in summer, like all seaside resorts."

Having witnessed crowds gathered at the weekend, some Italians shared their concerns over the apparent lack of social distancing on Twitter, especially given Italy's experience of the virus that has led to the deaths of almost 33,000 people.

Italy's city mayors are not happy either and have taken to social mediato implore locals to abide by the rules, or risk a return of restrictions.

Vincenzo Napoli, the mayor of Salerno, said he'd seen too many crowds and traffic in the southern Italian city at the weekend. "There seems to have been some sort of psychological repression of what has happened so far, just like an emotional release. This is the worst that can happen," he said, according to the Gazetta di Salerno newspaper. "Lowering your guard at this stage means returning to the terrifying action of the virus," he warned.

Meanwhile, crowds heading to mountains around Turin prompted both hopes of a recovery for the local economy, but also concern over thenumber of people gathering to enjoy the outdoors. The mayor of one local commune, Usseglio, described the scenes of crowds there as "disastrous."

Beppe Sala, the mayor of Milan, the capital city of Lombardy which became the epicenter of Italy coronavirus outbreak in late February said on Twitter Monday that "we cannot imagine having a second weekend like the one just ended."

On Sunday, Sala said on Facebook that he had spoken to other mayors of major cities and, "there is frustration in us because we all agree that with the available law enforcement agencies it is not possible to manage the gatherings and that the call to common sense works only up to a certain point."

Luca Zaia, the governor of the Veneto region, also posted a video on Twitter Sunday under the title "Happy hour" showing Italians socializing interspersed with images of intensive care wards.

Some mayors have closed their main squares, and bars, to discourage mass gatherings, including the mayors of Brescia and Perugia.

Regional Affairs Minister Boccia had said that 60,000 people could be employed to help enforce social distancing and the wearing of masks in public places, but the plan has met with opposition.

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La dolce vita? Italians embrace their freedom but crowded beaches and nightlife worry officials - CNBC

If the ravages of COVID-19 in this country havent shocked you enough, perhaps youre asleep at the wheel.

Most deaths have occurred in long-term care homes, the elderly and vulnerable unable to defend themselves against the virus. Quebec has the highest number of casualties while Ontario is not far behind.

The inadequate monetary support from all governments all political parties that have formed those governments over many decades is at the root of the tragedy. Lets be clear: not all these facilities are grossly substandard or in poor shape.

The release of new information from Canadian military personnel who worked in these homes to help with the COVID-19 crisis is absolutely appalling. It is disgusting and inhumane.

Reports of residents being force-fed while lying down, not being taken out of bed for weeks, not being fed, positive COVID-19 cases not isolated, abuse, neglect, the list goes on.

Apparently one death is attributed to force-feeding and choking as a result.

It took the Canadian military to unearth this evil underbelly of some care homes. They were possibly caring for veterans who fought for this country, who are now penned up like the animals in puppy mills.

The operators/owners of these places should be charged and thrown in jail.

Most homes operate to provide the best care possible with the resources they have. But operating with inadequate funding can only lead to the myriad of issues some of these homes are up against.

But the ones that are failing to meet standards have caused Canadas COVID-19 death rate soar. Images of four beds to a room, separated by a curtain, do not fall into even the most basic infection, protection and control protocols.

Its a crime and governments need to regulate and do routine checks on all homes, improve working conditions and pay, then concentrate on building modern facilities.

None of this should come at the expense of the residents these measures are intended to protect. They pay a fortune to stay in these places as it is, so hammering more debt upon them is taking the vulnerable and forcing them into bankruptcy.

These are the people who have paid taxes, worked, raised families, volunteered, and ultimately went to war to save our freedoms from the Nazi occupations. Their brothers died over there; many came back with PTSD as a result of the horrors.

They gave birth to the boomer generation and now we are warehousing them in places we ourselves would likely never consider going to. A blame game should not evolve from this, but instead positive and concrete plans need to be put in place with enough money to make them come into fruition; soon.

The following are some reflections on the Canadians we are housing in these care facilities. They made our life of freedom possible. This is the thanks we give?

May 5, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands from the Nazi occupation in the Second World War. Most of the Canadians who fought and returned home are in their nineties now and every year there are fewer of them left.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of the incredible courage of the Canadians and Newfoundlanders who fought and gave their lives to liberate the Netherlands from the tyranny of Nazi Germany.

He went on to say that the surrender of the German forces 75 years ago was accepted by Canada and marked the end of the suffering of the Dutch people from years of unspeakable cruelty, misery and hunger.

January 20, 2020, marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest Nazi extermination camp, by the Soviet army. Of the 1.1 million murdered there, most were Jews.

These extermination camps were government sponsored and enforced. Survivors came to the ceremonies from all over the world, the youngest was 75, the oldest 101,and their concern for these killing factories was similar.

They worried about the rise of anti-Semitism in the world and they returned so their memories of the torture they endured was once again fresh and alive. One man said he didnt want the world to get amnesia and forget the Nazi plan to murder on mass, European Jews.

I remember seeing the ceremonies at Auschwitz, the visitors having had to go through the infamous gait, bearing the words, Work will make you free. Their freedom was death.

The looks on their faces was heartbreaking. They were weeping, knowing they would never be back and fearing their suffering and the Holocaust, itself, would become footnotes in history.

Last summer, June 6, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy, or D-Day, was celebrated with many elderly veterans making their way to France.

The Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy and the losses were devastating. There were 14,000 Canadians landing at Juno Beach, and 5,000 died there. It was a very urgent invasion in order to drive back the Nazi occupation.

Indigenous Canadians, First Nations, Inuit and Metis, have been an integral part of every conflict. They celebrate and are proud of their contributions, bravery and recognition. According to Veteran Affairs Canada, thousands enlisted for the First World War, Second World War, the Korean War and many also served with the American military. Women were active on the home front, some enlisting.

In many instances during the conflicts, and certainly after in peacetime, they were not treated equally as far as benefits supposedly available to all veterans. Some struggled to repatriate. R. Scott Sheffield wrote in an article that appeared in the Canadian Encyclopedia that many found return to societal racism and marginalization hard, especially after the acceptance they had in uniform.

A Veteran Affairs website article published in February describes the exemplary second to none service black Canadians gave during the worlds major conflicts. The Second World War saw a considerable increase in their enlistment numbers.

They fought side by side with their white counterparts and, on the home-front worked in factories. However, many found the return to societal racism and marginalization hard after the acceptance they had while in uniform.

But many immigrants to Canada, before and after both world wars, particularly Japanese, Germans, Italians and Ukrainians, were treated as criminals. They were discriminated against, arrested, detained, deported, incarcerated and had their properties and belongings sold because of their ethnicity. They were considered internal enemies and a threat to their own country.

Former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau said in 1969 that, We must never forget in the long run; a democracy is judged by the way the majority treats the minority.

So, 51 years later, many of these Canadians have died or are in care homes.

We can thank COVID-19 for nothing. It has ravaged the globe, but it did expose the challenges elder care homes are up against. First and foremost, it has revealed the conditions many of the residents of these homes endure as a normal way of life.

It is believed that a society is judged on how it cares for its elders. We have failed. The irony is years in the making and the solution should be based on productive and swift action by all levels of government.

Leave the blame game behind because it will only waste precious time.

Patricia Baker is a Sault Star district correspondent

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They fought for our freedom and this is how theyre honoured? - Sault Star

I used to have a strong conviction about the essence of human nature: it was that the strongest motivating factor in us is the yearning for personal freedom. The freedom to choose our path in life, to choose how we want to live and think, to determine our own destiny. The opposite, in fact, of being enslaved by totalitarian governments and totalitarian belief systems. Im sure this conviction sprang from my beginnings as a child refugee of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which demonstrated that human beings will fight any battle, whatever the odds and however great the risks, in order to win those freedoms.

Tragically, the Hungarian people lost that fight against the Soviet tanks many thousands were killed, imprisoned, executed. The Revolutions mild-mannered leader, Prime Minister Imre Nagy, was hanged on Khrushchevs orders as a lesson to all other leaders in socialist countries.

My father Peter Halasz was a Hungarian writer who witnessed his countrys momentous events of 1956. He later wrote that, despite the crushing of the uprising, the truths proclaimed by Nagy survived hid in office corners, in the winding corridors of public buildings, in the cracks of walls. No ideological spring cleaning could root them out. Truth, like a faithful dog, cannot be banished; once it has found a home and affection, truth clings to its owner, despite occasional kicks.

This truth, the fact of Mans powerful desire to be free of the shackles imposed by others, was further reinforced by my schooling in America. I was taught that our greatest national heroes were the leaders of the American Revolution, and the Founding Fathers of the most freedom-loving nation in the world. Men like Patrick Henry, who famously declared: Give me liberty, or give me death! Powerful words like that are engraved in your psyche forever.

Communism was therefore bound to fall in Europe, sooner or later.

But over the past decade or two Ive had to reconsider my ideas on this theme. Because you cannot have seen the goings-on in the world without noticing another, equally powerful human instinct: tribalism. The primitive urge to belong to a particular grouping and adhere to its strictures, no matter how egregiously they limit personal freedom, and to accept unquestioningly the abhorrent notion that the grouping is most clearly defined by its perceived enemies.

This is nothing new. Take Iran, for example. The overthrow of the oppressive regime of the Shah in 1979 could have heralded the dawn of a more egalitarian, democratic society in which people could breathe freely. Instead the population embraced, seemingly en masse, an even more tyrannical theocracy. I found it hard to understand the mindset of those vast crowds of young men and women mostly of student age frenziedly ushering in an era of Islamist repression. Wasnt youth supposed to favour the liberalising of social and cultural norms? And have they still not had enough, after four decades of brainwashing by the ayatollahs, to do something about it?

More recent events have reinforced my view that, to the detriment of civilisation, the rush to tribalism often trumps a desire for freedom. Take those teenage girls and young women living in our free western societies often very bright and with good prospects who chose to abscond to the Middle East, don the burka and throw in their lot with murderous jihadists. Youd have thought they might at least be squeamish about all that beheading, but not a bit of it. There are still tens of thousands of unrepentant ISIS brides/widows in camps in Syria.

But all is not lost. The one shining beacon in the world today is provided by the democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Young people risking everything to hold on to their cherished freedoms, taking on the might of the Chinese Communist Party as it moves to extinguish one country, two systems. I have followed them with admiration. A video of a recent anti-government rally shows a protester shouting at the massed ranks of riot police: You call us cockroaches thats what Hitler called the Jews before he massacred them! He went on to quote Martin Luther King: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, before ending on that well-remembered line from my school days: Give me liberty or give me death! which put a knot in my throat.

These courageous Hong Kongese are going some way to restoring my faith in our better human nature. I only worry that, as with Hungary in 1956, taking on your communist overlords in this fearless manner will end in a bloodbath. China is more than capable of another Tiananmen Square.

Id like to think that students here are following the events in Hong Kong and learning vital lessons from them. So often our student societies in alliance with craven university administrations are more intent on curtailing free speech than protecting it, with their no-platforming of anyone whose views they dislike, and their diktats on which words and expressions are permissible. Thats all just another form of that alarmingly retrograde thing: tribalism. There should be no place for it in todays Britain.

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For the love of freedom - TheArticle

The writer was the last British governor of Hong Kong

Chinas assault on Hong Kongs freedom and its outrageous breach of its treaty obligations to this great city are matters of global concern. More than 200 politicians and senior policymakers from 23 countries from every side of politics have alreadysigned a statement denouncing Beijings action. The UK must ensure that Chinas efforts to impose a new national security law on the territory are on the agenda for the G7 meeting next month.

After the handover of Hong Kong by Britain to China in 1997, the territory by and large survived with its freedoms intact on the basis of one country two systems until Xi Jinping took over in 2013. Since then, Mr Xi has basically reversed policies pursued by his predecessors. He has reasserted Communist party control and cracked down on civil society and on any dissident activity. He has locked up Uighurs in Xinjiang and has now turned the screw on Hong Kong.

Mr Xi has instructed government and party officials to attack every sign of liberal democracy and its values, clearly a reason why he has targeted Hong Kong. His reign has been characterised by mendacity and a blustering disregard for international law and agreements. He has reneged onpromises to the former US president Barack Obama over the militarisation of the South China Sea. Countries that question his communist regime as Australia has done over coronavirus arethreatened with economic punishmentdespite international trade rules.

Now Hong Kong has felt the full weight of his bruising methods. While the rest of the world is preoccupied with fighting Covid-19, he has in effect ripped up theJoint Declaration, a treaty lodged at the UN to guarantee Hong Kongs way of life till 2047.

Last year,millions of Hong Kongers protested against an extradition bill that would have destroyed the firewall between the rule of law in Hong Kong and what passes for the law in China. Partly because of heavy-handed policing and government by tear gas and pepper spray, there was inexcusable violence by a small minority on the edges of these huge demonstrations. Even so, the majority of Hong Kong citizens showed where their sympathies lay by voting overwhelmingly for those who had supported the demonstrations in last NovembersDistrict Council elections.

Terrified that elections for a new Legislative Council in September may produce a democratic majority, Beijing has decided to introduce by fiat (bypassing Hong Kongs own parliament) national security legislation that includes laws on sedition and subversion. It will give Chinas Ministry of State Security the right to operate there. With its well-earned reputation for coercion and torture, it will not be there to sell dim sum.

Britain must take the lead in standing up for Hong Kong and for honouring the treaty obligations. We have a political and moral obligation to do so. We owe it to the people of Hong Kong whose only crime is that they want to live with the freedoms they were promised.

If China destroys the rule of law in Hong Kong it will ruin the citys chances of continuing to be a great international financial hub that mediates abouttwo-thirds of the direct investment in and out of China. Many great companies that have prospered in Hong Kong are important to Britains wellbeing. With China itself, the UK has had a large trade deficit for years.

Britain needs to have a relationship with China to deal with global problems, including Covid-19. We can trust the people of China, like the brave doctors who tried to blow the whistle on the cover-up in the pandemics early stages. But we cannot trust Mr Xis regime. The UK and its friends, starting with the G7, must take a firm stand against a regime that is an enemy of open societies everywhere. If we fail to do this, where will we be in five or 10 years time, politically humiliated and morally compromised? Nothing gained but honour lost.

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The G7 must stand up for Hong Kongs freedom | Free to read - Financial Times