When I was growing up I was taught in school that the United States was the greatest nation on earth because of our freedoms. During the Cold War our press made fun of the state controlled press of the former Soviet Union. I was taught that in other countries protest against the government was forbidden. We were different, we were free. We had rights and our Constitution guaranteed them.

Here is the text of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It is short and sweet. “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.

All through my childhood education I was taught that freedom of the press was an American institution that differentiated us from totalitarian governments such as China and the Soviet Union and protected us from becoming as they were. That protection is eroding. According to the Press Freedom Index published in January by Reporters Without Borders, the United States now ranks 46th in the word. Ahead of the United States in that survey were countries such as Finland (the most free), Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Uruguay, Ghana, Lithuania, Latvia, El Salvador, Botswana, South Africa and Romania. Russia and China are ranked 148th and 175th respectively, but we’re heading in their direction dropping 14 spots from 32nd in 2013.

Could the Press Freedom Index be off base? In a recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal Ajit Pai voiced his concerns. Mr. Pai is currently a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission. In his op-ed, Pai wrote the following:

“The American people, for their part, disagree about what they want to watch. But everyone should agree on this: The government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories. Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission, where I am a commissioner, does not agree. Last May the FCC proposed an initiative to thrust the federal government into newsrooms across the country. With its “Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs,” or CIN, the agency plans to send researchers to grill reporters, editors and station owners about how they decide which stories to run.” Public outcry convinced the FCC to reconsider conducting the study. It is currently on hold.

In academia, progressives are calling for outright censorship. In an opinion piece entitled The Doctrine of Academic Freedom - Let’s give up on academic freedom in favor of justice published in Harvard’s Crimson Magazine Sandra Korn wrote the following: “…why should we put up with research that counters our goals simply in the name of ‘academic freedom’? Instead, I would like to propose a more rigorous standard: one of ‘academic justice.’” One rebuttal referred to Korn’s piece as “academic totalitarianism”.

Here in West Virginia, at West Liberty University, billed as our state’s oldest institution of higher learning, Stephanie Wolfe, visiting assistant professor, banned any references to Fox News in citations in academic papers presented in her class. Apparently MSNBC and CNN were OK. After an outcry by parents, the ban was subsequently rescinded by the University’s President.

In addition to our freedom of the press, freedom of association and expression is also under attack. The IRS has admitted to discriminating against certain groups based on their political beliefs. In addition, HR 347 passed by congress in 2012 makes it a felony to demonstrate or conduct a protest whenever and wherever the secret service is present and in operation. So much for the right to peaceably assemble.

In the current legislative session in Charleston, HB 4354 has passed the House of Delegates and has been sent on to the Senate. Originally the bill contained language that would require grassroots groups to be treated as if they were lobbyists. In other words, if you passed out flyers advocating for a certain bill or issue you could have been construed to be a lobbyist and have to register with the state for permission for “trying to influence” your elected representatives or face a $250 fine. Due to a public outcry, the objectionable language was stricken from the House version of the bill, but rumor has it that the Senate is looking to put it back in. If you believe in your right to be an activist, or simply to express your beliefs and “redress grievances”, I would humbly and earnestly suggest that you contact your State Senator and tell him or her to vote no on HB 4354 if that language is been reinserted.

It seems that everywhere we turn our First Amendment rights are under attack. Back in the 1950s this type of behavior was referred to as a “witch hunt” or “McCarthyism”. Today it is referred to as “academic justice” or “social justice” or some similar euphemism or slogan. However, it is simply “I don’t agree with you and I’m going to use government power to shut you up-ism”. It is censorship, pure and simple, and it leads us down the road toward totalitarianism.