The Censorship Regime Is Real—And the Constitution Is Our Only Shield
- Rich Washburn
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
There was a time—not long ago—when saying the federal government was censoring American citizens would earn you a “fact-check” or a suspension from social media. Now, we know it’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s cold, hard reality.
In the name of fighting “disinformation,” the Biden administration actively worked with social media giants to muzzle dissent, label inconvenient truths as threats to national security, and suppress speech that didn’t align with their political agenda. Even groups as harmless and patriotic as the 917 Society—whose only mission is to educate 8th graders about the Constitution—were not spared. We were censored by Meta. Our content was blocked by Google. Why? Because we teach young Americans the truth about their rights.
Let that sink in: a nonprofit dedicated to giving away pocket Constitutions was treated as a threat. This isn't just political overreach—this is authoritarianism, plain and simple.
The First Amendment: America’s Firewall Against Tyranny
Our Founding Fathers placed the First Amendment first for a reason. Free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion—these aren’t luxuries. They’re the very foundation of a free society. When government seeks to control the narrative, monitor its citizens, and punish speech it deems unacceptable, it ceases to be a servant of the people and becomes a threat to liberty.
That is exactly what happened under the Biden administration. As Senator Marco Rubio recently revealed in a bombshell statement, the U.S. State Department had an office specifically tasked with monitoring American citizens’ social media activity—including political opponents. They compiled dossiers. They tracked posts. They used taxpayer dollars to silence and smear Americans whose only crime was expressing a different opinion.
And now the evidence is pouring in—from the Twitter Files, to whistleblower testimony, to official government documents showing efforts to implement “digital literacy” programs that, in truth, were Trojan horses for political indoctrination.
This wasn’t about national security. It was about controlling what Americans see, hear, and believe.
From the “Ministry of Truth” to the Twitter Files
Remember the so-called Disinformation Governance Board? The Biden administration actually tried to formalize censorship with an Orwellian federal office—led by Nina Jankowicz, a government-backed TikTok performer who pushed false narratives about the Hunter Biden laptop story. Her job was supposed to be monitoring "misinformation." In reality, it was about policing American thought.
When public outrage forced them to shut it down, they didn’t stop. They simply went dark—partnering with nonprofits, outsourcing censorship to third-party organizations, and using government agencies to pressure platforms behind the scenes.
The Twitter Files confirmed what many of us suspected all along: there was direct coordination between federal officials and social media companies to suppress conservative voices, medical dissenters, and independent journalists. This was a full-scale assault on free expression, executed by unelected bureaucrats and rubber-stamped by political elites.
Let’s be clear—this wasn’t a policy disagreement. It was a blatant, coordinated attack on the First Amendment.
Constitutional Education Is More Urgent Than Ever
At the 917 Society, we exist to educate young Americans about their constitutional rights—especially the First Amendment. Because if we don’t, they may never learn what freedom really looks like. And if they don’t know what it looks like, they won’t know when it’s being taken away.
When our organization was censored, it wasn’t just an attack on us. It was an attack on the idea that American citizens have the right to speak freely, ask questions, and challenge their government.
That's why our mission matters now more than ever.
We must put a pocket Constitution in the hands of every 8th grader in America—not just as a historical document, but as a living reminder of their God-given rights. We need to raise a generation that understands freedom, defends it, and never allows it to be compromised again.
Because the truth is this: if we don’t teach them the Constitution, someone else will teach them to forget it.
This Must Never Happen Again
The Biden censorship regime wasn’t a blip. It was a warning shot. A test balloon. And it must be exposed, repudiated, and legislated against so that no future administration—Republican or Democrat—ever tries it again.
America was founded on the principle that truth does not need to be policed—it needs to be protected. And the Constitution is the firewall that ensures it stays that way.
Join us. Support our mission. Share this article. Most importantly—teach your children what it means to be free.
Because freedom isn’t inherited. It’s taught, cherished, and defended.
And that’s exactly what we intend to do.