US military to restrict free speech among personnel

+ teaching slavery in schools US Edition - Today's top story: Faced with a rise of extremism within its ranks, the US military has clamped down on racist speech, including retweets and likes [View in browser]( US Edition | 11 August 2022 [The Conversation]( As one of the nation’s most cherished fundamental rights, free speech is considered sacrosanct in American law – except within the U.S. military. Alarmed by the spread of white nationalism and other extremist ideologies within its ranks, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin clamped down on what enlisted personnel can and cannot say, even on social media, where liking or retweeting anti-government or extremist messages may be cause for dismissal. Federal courts have supported such restrictions. The “right to speak out as a free American” must be balanced against “providing an effective fighting force for the defense of our Country,” a federal judge noted in one case. University of Southern California law professor Dwight Stirling [writes that the new rules will probably be upheld if challenged on First Amendment grounds](. As a military judge observed in a 1972 decision, service members are free to discuss political issues when off duty, but the “primary function of a military organization is to execute orders.” Also today: - [Russia’s history of persecuting Jews]( - [Why Bruce Springsteen tickets are going for $5,000]( - [Your brain is built to prevent you from changing your mind]( Howard Manly Race + Equity Editor Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at a news briefing at the Pentagon on July 20, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images [Faced with a rise of extremism within its ranks, the US military has clamped down on racist speech, including retweets and likes]( Dwight Stirling, University of Southern California For civilians, free speech is protected by the First Amendment. 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