Big Tech censors are at it again

Ironically making the case for why there must be guardrails put on Big Tech censorship of political speech, last week YouTube took down a video of a Governor Ron DeSantis’ roundtable in March with premier national doctors and epidemiologists from Harvard and Stanford. These actual experts, not the self-anointed Silicon Valley types, substantiated the unnecessary damage caused by lockdowns and the need for in-person schooling. And YouTube refused to allow such dissenting opinions to stand and deleted the video.

So Governor DeSantis came right back at them Monday and held another roundtable with the same experts discussing the same topics.

“YouTube’s decision to remove the video of our previous roundtable is just another example of unabashed overreach and bias by Big Tech,” the Governor said. “Silicon Valley and the corporate media have drawn a line in the sand: they don’t care about the facts. They only care about pushing their agenda and will do so by whatever means necessary, the truth be damned. That’s why we are taking action here in Florida to hold Big Tech accountable and call out their hypocrisy.”

The three health care experts hit hard on the issue of authoritarian-style censorship and the damage it is causing to honest scientific inquiry.

“There’s nothing more dangerous than being able to censor what is said in a country, because then you are simply not ever going to even hear the truth,” said Dr. Scott Atlas, Robert Wesson Senior Fellow in health care policy at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. “And you are entering into a phase of countries that we used to criticize severely like the USSR, like communist China.”

“For science to work, you have to have an open exchange of ideas,” said Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor of medicine at Stanford University and research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. “If you’re going to make an argument that something is misinformation, you should provide an actual argument. You can’t just take it down and say, ‘Oh, it’s misinformation’ without actually giving a reason…Science works best when we have an open debate.”

“When we do censoring and slandering, even if we are willing to continue to speak out, there are many other scientists that I know, including junior scientists, who do not want to speak out because they see what’s happening to us,” said Dr. Martin Kulldorff, biostatistician, epidemiologist, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “They don’t want to have to go through the same thing. So, we really need a debate.”

You can watch the roundtable here, as long as YouTube deigns to allow it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBjstx_IhoM

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The Wall Street Journal published a guest column from Dr. Jay Bhattacharya titled, Masks for Children, Muzzles for Covid-19 News. Dr. Bhattacharya wrote that in the guise of combating “misinformation,” YouTube censored scientific debate. He discusses multiple studies showing masks do more harm than good in school children.

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The Sarasota Herald-Tribune published a guest column from Julio Fuentes, CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce under the title, Florida Lawmakers Right to Reign in Big Tech, in which Fuentes agrees with the Governor and Florida Republicans legislative actions:

“Freedom of speech is one of our most important rights as Americans. Unfortunately, it is also a right that’s increasingly under attack, especially online where Big Tech companies control everything we see and do. It may not be government censorship, but it amounts to the same thing when just a handful of companies hold so much power and influence…

“Florida lawmakers should be commended for working to enhance transparency and accountability by Big Tech companies. Their efforts will help to shift the balance of power back to consumers – and help to provide much-needed clarity regarding the specific standards, regulations and practices that impact our lives both online and offline.”

COVID-19 Update

The Florida Department of Education has issued emergency orders continuing the orders from last year that resulted in the successful opening of Florida public schools, and expanding the statewide testing windows to ensure that every student can safely complete their state assessments.

“Over the past year and beyond, Florida has led on prioritizing the education and wellbeing of our state’s students,” Governor DeSantis said. “This emergency order will empower students, families and teachers with data on students’ progress and growth and provide them with the necessary tools to create the best educational experience for each individual.”

“Similar to last year, this Emergency Order protects our high school seniors and empowers local school districts and schools to make the important decisions on graduation, promotion and whether to opt-in to school grades and improvement ratings,” Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said. “This is the ultimate flexibility and reinforces the compassion and grace we have used throughout this pandemic in making these decisions.”

Florida Update

Governor DeSantis has directed the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a long-term plan to close the Piney Point site.

Governor DeSantis was joined at the Piney Point facility in Manatee County by Senate President Wilton Simpson, Senator Jim Boyd, Representative Tommy Gregory, Representative Will Robinson, DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein and the entire Manatee County Board of County Commissioners.

“The longstanding problems at Piney Point must end,” the Governor said. “I am directing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan to close Piney Point to ensure this never happens again. I am redirecting $15.4 million for innovative technologies to pre-treat water at the site.”

DEP’s team of engineers and scientists, who are critical to response efforts, will develop a plan for site closure, which moves the state forward with a science-focused and thoughtful approach. This plan will ensure this closure is the last chapter in the long history of Piney Point.

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House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, made revamping Florida’s education and career training programs to help people get meaningful jobs is a top priority. Speaker Sprowls challenged the House to create an Opportunity Agenda that zeroes in on working-class families.

Aakash Patel, the founder and President of Elevate, Inc., praised the Speaker for his leadership in a recent Tampa Bay Times column title, This is the Ideal Moment to Redesign Florida’s Workforce

“If there is a right time to improve how Floridians can learn about the best opportunities for new jobs or about job training to learn new skills, a pandemic that has upended the state’s economy is it…The bottom line: This is the ideal moment to redesign our workforce and education systems to efficiently serve Floridians and prepare them to succeed in a redesigned economy. We are fortunate that Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, are making this overhaul a priority during this legislative session.

“This is an ambitious effort, and it’s critical for Florida’s economic future. As the state recovers from the pandemic, we have to ensure Floridians have a solid grasp of new job opportunities and access to the training needed to learn the skills to succeed in those jobs.”

Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez

Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez was on the Bob Rose Show on News Talk 97.3 The Sky in Gainesville to discuss the Florida response to Covid-19 and the strategy of focusing on seniors first. She also was able to point out the strong economic growth that Floridians have been able to enjoy because of the decisions to keep the state free and open.

Listen to her interview here: https://www.facebook.com/LtGovNunez/videos/491627008689382

Social Media Highlights

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