In the Department of Homeland Security’s new National Terror Advisory, we learn that the government believes that one of the most pressing terrorist threats to American life is unsanctioned speech:
(1) the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions;
It is, of course, the constitutional right of every American to undermine public to trust in the U.S. government. Oftentimes, it is well deserved. Even if it’s not, a person is free to misinform or theorize or simply spread outright insane notions about the world for kicks. If you want to claim that Russia stole the 2016 election, argue that the president of United States is a Manchurian candidate, believe that 9/11 was an inside job, spread misinformation about the government manipulating Covid data, sow doubt about the efficacy of Covid vaccines, or even preemptively undermine public trust in the next election, it’s not any of the DHS’s business. It’s un-American to conflate the actions of conspiracy theorists with those who act in violent ways. Speech that’s been labeled “misleading” or “false” or “fake” is often just political speech that has fallen into disfavor with those in power. And neither Kirstjen Nielsen nor Alejandro Mayorkas nor whoever comes next in DHS leadership has any business deciding what constitutes fact or fiction.