Google just made a big move that matters to all of us who value free speech. They’re letting people back on YouTube who were banned for talking about COVID-19 or the 2020 election. This is a big win for the First Amendment, and it’s long overdue. As someone who has worn the uniform and fought for our freedoms, I can tell you this kind of censorship never should have happened in the first place.
Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley called it “a huge development for the free speech community.” And he’s right. For too long, tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter acted like they were the final authority on truth. If you said something that didn’t line up with the Biden administration’s narrative, you got silenced. That’s not how America works.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, YouTube banned people just for sharing different opinions about lockdowns, vaccines, and masks. These weren’t just random people either. We’re talking about former government officials, doctors, and military veterans. Folks like Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka, and Steve Bannon were shut down for daring to question the official story. That’s not science—that’s control.
Now we’re learning that Google didn’t act alone. According to documents seen by Fox News, the Biden administration pressured them to take down anything they called “misinformation.” That’s straight-up government censorship, and it violates everything the First Amendment stands for.
The military teaches you to stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard. And what happened here was dead wrong. They didn’t just silence people—they blocked important conversations. Turley pointed out that other countries handled COVID-19 differently. Many didn’t shut down schools, and their kids didn’t suffer the same mental health problems ours did. Why? Because their leaders didn’t block honest debate. We lost that chance because YouTube and others blacklisted people who didn’t toe the line.
This is the kind of thing we fought against during our time in service. Freedom of speech isn’t just a right—it’s a core American value. When tech companies team up with the government to silence people, it’s a betrayal of everything this country stands for.
Turley also warned about the danger coming from overseas. The European Union passed something called the Digital Services Act, and it’s loaded with rules that limit speech online. Hillary Clinton pushed hard for it back in 2022, and the Trump administration was right to oppose it. We don’t need Brussels deciding what Americans can say. We need strong American companies that stand up for our freedoms, not ones that cave to pressure.
There’s a bit of good news here too. Elon Musk, love him or hate him, made a real difference when he bought Twitter. He made free speech a priority again, and that put pressure on other platforms like Google to do the same. When one company stands tall, others take notice.
This move by Google doesn’t fix everything, but it’s a start. They’ve admitted their mistake, and they’re letting people back on the platform. That means voices that were silenced are finally being restored.
But we can’t let our guard down. The fight for free speech is never over. We’ve got to keep pushing back against censorship, whether it comes from tech giants or the government. And we’ve got to support leaders who believe in the Constitution and the rights it protects.
We served this country because we believe in freedom. That includes the freedom to speak our minds, ask hard questions, and challenge those in power. That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes it worth fighting for. And we’ll keep fighting for it—no matter what.
