Americans used to think of the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point as a great American institution. Unfortunately, West Point’s leaders now seem to love a little unconstitutional authoritarianism. A year after forcing cadets to get the COVID-19 vaccine, West Point is promoting a call for unconstitutional government efforts to quash free speech.
West Point’s Modern War Institute (MWI) published a piece on Nov. 15 by Maj. Nicholas Dockery, a USMA alumnus, Purple Heart recipient, and military policy advisor, titled, “THE URGENT CALL FOR A BIPARTISAN DISINFORMATION COMMISSION.” And why would we supposedly need such a blatantly anti-constitutional body? Because, allegedly, “disinformation has significantly escalated protests and violence across the ideological spectrum, as evident in events like the Pizzagate conspiracy, the January 6 Capitol protest, and some Black Lives Matter and Portland protests.” His one link argues that poor, innocent BLM protesters faced violence from “right-wing groups,” by the way, and all his sources are government or leftist media; he’s nothing but a partisan political hack, trying to cover up Democrat crimes while attacking conservatives’ free speech.
It gets worse. Dockery cited the “Disinformation Dozen” report used to justify censorship of COVID-19 “false” information, much of which actually turned out to be true. The report was from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a radical group that has spent years demanding censorship of COVID-19, climate realism, and pro-life speech. Dockery scaremongered:
[The] the case of the “disinformation dozen”—twelve social media influencers identified by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as spreading false information about COVID-19 and vaccines—exemplifies these challenges. Despite some account suspensions and bans, ten of these users remain active and influential on major platforms, collectively reaching an audience of over six million followers. Even with concerted efforts from platforms like Facebook to mitigate misinformation, these individuals persist in adapting their strategies, continuing to sow doubt about vaccines and COVID-19.
OH NO! People who rightly pointed out serious dangers from the vaccines have not been universally silenced!!! The horror!
Dockery mourned that congressional efforts to squash “disinformation” have not been “cohesive” and that multiple bills failed to pass. “These legislative shortcomings indicate the urgent need for a more robust and comprehensive strategy addressing the immediate effects of disinformation and its underlying causes,” he declared. He even mentioned the federal court ruling limiting Biden administration censorship efforts as an added “complexity”! Again, it is a gross violation of the First Amendment for the federal government to work to censor free speech. This West Point contributor wants the U.S. government to trample the Bill of Rights!
Indeed, Dockery went so far as to describe with gloom the defunct Disinformation Governance Board, which was shut down after only a few weeks of public existence due to backlash and revelations, including the George Soros ties of more than one affiliate (see my previous reporting at Media Research Center).
The vast federal Censorship Industrial Complex isn’t good enough for Dockery. He wants the “underlying causes” of this supposed “disinformation epidemic” addressed with “transparency,” more fact-checking, and educating all us ignorant peasants in what leftists define truth to be this month. “A holistic approach, encompassing education, collaboration, regulatory measures, and technological innovation, is essential in this fight,” Dockery lectured.
The West Point piece closed with Dockery pointing out previous government investigative commissions and urging one on “disinformation.”
It is absolutely shameful that West Point, one of our iconic U.S. institutions, should publish a piece pushing violations of one of our most sacred Constitutional rights.
