Eight Values of Free Expression

Free expression is one of the most valuable rights we have in the United States. Having the power to voice our own opinions toward those in high-ranking government positions is huge when it comes to keeping our governmental system as corruption-free as possible. That in and of itself is almost impossible, politicians always have a personal agenda no matter what they say or what party they're in. We as a people, MUST be vigilant and be sure to always keep the politicians who represent us on their toes. 

Having said that, I feel the most important values of expression are to Check on Governmental Power and Protect Dissent. They both serve as shields from Government overreach and give the American people the tools and the freedom to criticize, and judge their elected officials, and make changes if need be. 

Check on Governmental Power value is the one that resonates with me the most personally. I'm a big movie and show watcher, and anything involving government corruption intrigues me. Every time I watch them it makes me wonder how corrupt our government actually is at any given time. The scary thing is we will never truly know unless we're part of it.

It seems like as time goes on, the true motivation for more and more politicians is to get re-elected and stay in power. The Check on Governmental Power value combats that motivation. Additionally, some journalists around the country feel the need to try and get cozy with the government and/or news sources to peddle whatever they say. Vincent Blasi, in his article The Checking Value in First Amendment Theory, mentions that the Checking Value helps people crack down on false stories and get to the truth.

 

I feel as though Protect Dissent is one that occurs the most in the world today. When watching networks like CNN or Fox News, you always see people that are criticizing the government in some way. It's the job of those networks to criticize the government and provide their viewers with as accurate news as possible. The same goes for everyday people as well. Everyone has their own opinions, agreements, and disagreements with the government. 

I, and I'm sure every other U.S. citizen, wants a government in which we have a say and we can change it in a multitude of ways through the first amendment. Especially with the use of the eight values of free expression. Since there are always people questioning the government and showing concern, there are changes that occur due to those people speaking out. The ways that these people speak out can be as harmless as the use of Twitter or in the form of protests, peaceful or in some cases, violent. 

In conclusion, the use of the eight values of expression and the first amendment is crucial for sustaining the free and democratic lifestyle we have grown to love so much. But we must not get too greedy because when we do, we take for granted the lives we have and the politicians can turn their backs on us and follow the money.

The Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most interesting and sometimes scary topics to talk about. After watching the "In the Age of AI" documentary, I realized how great and how dangerous AI could potentially be. The documentary dove into all the different aspects of life that AI is being implemented in, like security surveillance, automated jobs, websites, and much more. 

There are a bunch of positive aspects of more and more complex artificial intelligence and machine learning. Some of them include improved accuracy and precision, better decision-making, increased efficiency, and personalization. 

When AI is implemented into certain areas it will learn and recognize patterns and become more and more accurate and precise. AI is also more efficient than humans, there is no such thing as human error in AI. Specifically, in the fields of Finance and Business, AI can analyze huge amounts of data and make the best decision possible for its user. AI can also adapt to its users' personalities and habits, giving users more personalized experiences.

Privacy is something that should be everyone's top priority, and in some cases, AI can intrude and violate our privacies. Take Facebook for example, during times of elections, its AI targets people trying to sway them to vote a particular way. Keep in mind that their AI was being used by those at Facebook, it wasn't just thinking and acting on its own. This just shows a dangerous aspect of AI if used in a poor way. 

Right now all AI is run by people with agendas and agendas change. Those people don't always have the user's interests at heart, they will do what is best for themselves above everyone else. 

Companies like Amazon and Google are coming out with spoken interfaces that we can all interact with and give commands to. These things learn who we are and how we act and keep that information saved in their company's database where it can be seen by those who have access. 

National security is another big aspect that is at stake when it comes to controlling AI. AI can pretty much do anything given the right opportunity. It's not impossible for someone to design AI software to hijack information that is sensitive to national security. 

In the documentary, Taiwanese computer scientist Kai-fu Lee spoke about how there are only two dominators of AI, the United States, and China. He believes that they should work together in the advancement of AI in order to have the best chance to get it right.

Kai-fu Lee

In conclusion, AI can be used for good and for evil, and we must be careful in its advancement because if we are wrong, it has the potential to end us all.

The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act

The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, also known as the Smith-Mundt Act, is a piece of legislation that was passed by the United States Congress in 2012. The act was designed to update and modernize the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act, which had established a legal framework for the U.S. government's overseas propaganda efforts. 

The original Smith-Mundt Act was passed in the aftermath of World War II and was designed to create a legal basis for the United States government to engage in public diplomacy efforts, including the spread of information to promote American values and interests abroad, or propaganda for short. The act was also designed to counter propaganda and disinformation from foreign countries, particularly the Soviet Union.

Before the act was modernized, the United States government was not allowed to peddle propaganda directly toward its citizens. But after, they have full reign to do whatever they feel is necessary to make the public feel how they want them to. The main way they now push propaganda toward us is through news outlets. 

The first attempt by the United States Government to persuade us into a certain way of thinking was during the Cold War. It lives in infamy known as "Operation Mockingbird." It involved the U.S. Government and the CIA recruiting journalists and making them write pro-government propaganda pieces. Initially, this was an attempt to counter Soviet propaganda, but it escalated to the point where the government was just spooling out pro-US propaganda even if what they were saying was false or misleading. There was an investigation into "Operation Mockingbird" and it was concluded that what had transpired was wildly illegal and was considered a violation of the first amendment and more importantly a violation of public trust. 

Interestingly enough, this modernized act was a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX). That surprises me but also doesn't at the same time. It surprises me because as a conservative, I find it hard to believe that Republicans would vote in favor of the manipulation of the media for their political gain. On the other hand, they're all politicians, so they will do everything in their power to remain in power. 

This act affects every single person in this country. It does not discriminate at all. If you have access to social media, news outlets, or any other source of media, you will be targeted with pro-government propaganda. Some news outlets, specifically ones that side with the political party of the current president, will peddle incredible amounts of that kind of propaganda. The opposite also takes place, those news outlets that are not in the party of the sitting president then they will peddle a lot of anti-government propaganda. 

In conclusion, this act, in my opinion, is a violation of our first amendment rights and we should not trust our news outlets fully. We never know when we are being swayed to think a certain way and we must be vigilant and thorough when collecting information about government action.