NaturalPedia > Free Speech

Quotes about Free Speech from the world's top natural health / natural living authors

 Email this page to a friend   |  Click here for FREE email alerts

page 1 of 2 | Next ->

"Together with the advertising industry, drug companies also fought the FDA's restrictions on direct-to-consumer ads in the courts, by whittling away at legal distinctions between individual free speech and commercial speech. Companies claimed that their right to free speech was violated by restrictions on ads. A series of suits, culminating in a case heard before the Supreme Court in 1996, finally convinced the FDA that if pharmaceutical companies ever challenged its restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising, the agency might well lose the case." - Shannon Brownlee, Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer (Get the book.)

"The petition thus calls on FDA to proceed down that slippery slope to greater censorship invited by the court in Whitaker III, increasingly carving out of the free speech market whole categories of truthful content and rendering that content the exclusive domain of the drug industry. The real losers in this speech battle are consumers who—due to FDA's broad and expanding prior restraint on speech—are deprived of essential information concerning the therapeutic effects of certain nutrients they consume." - Jonathan W. Emord, The Rise of Tyranny (Get the book.)

"Together with the advertising industry, drug companies also fought the FDA's restrictions on direct-to-consumer ads in the courts, by whittling away at legal distinctions between individual free speech and commercial speech. Companies claimed that their right to free speech was violated by restrictions on ads. A series of suits, culminating in a case heard before the Supreme Court in 1996, finally convinced the FDA that if pharmaceutical companies ever challenged its restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising, the agency might well lose the case." - Shannon Brownlee, Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer (Get the book.)

"Now the big corporations are even trying to buy out the Internet, our last vestige of free speech. The government is threatening to use "terrorism" as an excuse to censor it! Personal-care product companies are also major players in the media industry, and of course they would be none too happy if the healing power of the raw diet ever caught on. Who would need drugs? Who would buy Coca-Cola? Who would even need deodorant or mouthwash after a few years of detoxifying?" - Susan E. Schenck, The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet (Get the book.)

"But Morrison was a crafty court watcher, and he intuited that the Court would be disinclined to buy an argument based on traditional free speech law. Increasingly, first in a 1972 case known as Kleindienst v. Mandel, then in a 1985 case known as Bigelow, the Court majority had articulated a new doctrine called "the hearer's right to know." In other words, it was not just the speaker who was protected by the First Amendment, it was also the potential hearer of information. Morrison boiled all of this down to one compelling case. "The hearer has rights!" - Greg Critser, Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies (Get the book.)

"We think that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees that every person has the right of free speech, which means that every person has the right, in any format, to express his opinions and beliefs even though the government or the majority may disagree with and dislike those opinions and beliefs. We believe as Americans that no one has a monopoly on the truth, that scientific facts are generally not facts at all, but merely theories and opinions that history has shown to change as new information becomes available." - Kevin Trudeau, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (Get the book.) "I am simply a journalist, a consumer advocate, an author, an activist, a future politician, and an investigative reporter exercising my rights of free speech. The interesting thing is that the Federal Trade Commission is taking an insane position. They claim that certain books are not books. The FTC claims that certain videotapes are no longer videotapes, that certain CDs are no longer CDs, that a certain tape of a lecture is not a lecture. They claim, at their discretion, that these things are "programs." Therefore, I am forbidden to market and sell them. I went to the dictionary." - Kevin Trudeau, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (Get the book.)

"To make matters worse, the Supreme Court has granted corporations certain "personhood" rights, such as limited free speech, which allows companies to advertise largely unhampered by government regulations. However, despite operating under the legal fiction of personhood, corporations do not bear the same responsibilities as people. In his excellent book and accompanying documentary film The Corporation, author Joel Bakan likens corporations to psychopaths, noting their freedom from the obligation to abide by the same moral and ethical constraints as everybody else." - Michele Simon, Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back (Get the book.)

"In 1995, the WLF also filed a citizen petition calling on the FDA to relax its regulations, citing "procedures [that] are inherently chilling and inconsistent with the First Amendment because they constitute a prior restraint on free speech." As Kamp recalls, "That got Kessler's attention." By joining with the WLF, Kamp got access to a growing cadre of conservative legal scholars. One of them, Dan Troy, also worked for the AAAA's law firm, Wiley Rein and Fielding, and that was an enormous advantage as well." - Greg Critser, Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies (Get the book.)

"Finally, I reminded him that there were laws that protected free speech and political activity. Mr. Finkelberg filled page after page of yellow pads with notes, then dismissed me. An Illegal Request? The next day, on September 22, 2004, Mr. Finkelberg sent a second letter to Jon. The letter said that "Since your client told us that he plans to continue ... his public appearances, we . . . insist that Mr. Rost provide the Company with sufficient advance notice . . ." - Peter Rost, The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman (Get the book.) "One writer believed in free speech, but not in me. "While I support your right to speak (I saw you on Fox News today), I have to tell you. I think you are an angry, misguided individual." Another point of view was held by a director from a competing drug company—in the corporate communications department, of all places. He wrote, "As a pharmaceutical industry employee myself who holds similar views, I can only hope that your faith that 'Pfizer is an equal-opportunity employer' that accommodates a 'diversity of opinions,' is justified. I doubt it, though, and wish you luck." - Peter Rost, The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman (Get the book.) "After all, they'd look bad if they didn't support democracy, free speech, and a citizen's right to appear before Congress, wouldn't they? They just don't want me to work so hard anymore. Things could be worse—I could be working weekends." What I didn't expect was the reaction I got. The New York Times even sent over a photographer to take new pictures." - Peter Rost, The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman (Get the book.)

"Under current FDA repression of free speech, we aren't supposed to tell someone with Candida what the problem is or how supplements can help. Those with MDiety syndrome deny the problem even exists! People with Candida frequently have various symptoms that come and go and could easily be considered adverse, simply due to the nature of their problem." - Byron J. Richards, Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America (Get the book.) "This will undermine free speech on the Internet, placing large companies in control of Internet content. It would be like a phone company controlling what you say in a phone conversation, blocking "undesirable" communications and allowing the most expensive communications to be heard easily. This is a current and ongoing issue, requiring constant vigilance by all Americans. Why Controlling Supplements Is Important High-quality nutritional supplements are a threat to globalization for several reasons: 1. They are a health-freedom issue." - Byron J. Richards, Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America (Get the book.) "This is a fundamental right of free speech. Health Is Energy By restoring energy function in cells, health can be returned to normal and disease can be prevented. Today, excessive pollution and poor-quality food that is devoid of important nutrients are deteriorating the energy-producing ability of human cells. People are being affected to the point where they may enter chronic illness at an early age. The only beneficiaries of this situation are pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, multinational food companies, and their elite-wealth friends." - Byron J. Richards, Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America (Get the book.)

"It seems sensible to this old-fashioned supporter of democracy and free speech that the governments of the world should be making real efforts to protect children - and all of us - from virtual crime through the United Nations or a similar international body. There are moves afoot to protect economic interests on the net (although at the moment the UN and the US are, as usual, locked in disagreement about it) and since 2003 a Virtual Global Task Force has been working to prevent paedophile activity. So why can't we do more to close down other dangerous sites?" - Sue Palmer, Toxic Childhood: How the Modern World is Damaging Our Children and What We Can Do About it (Get the book.)

"Exercise your right to free speech; otherwise, you risk losing it. Stand up and say what you believe. I honor and respect your right to say whatever you feel passionate about, even if I don't agree with it. In fact, especially if I don't agree with it, because I honor the principle of freedom of speech, and I believe that all people, even if their views differ from mine, should have the same rights to express those views. I also urge you to hold our public representatives and officials accountable for their actions." - Mike Adams, Natural Health Solutions (Get the book.)

"Networks such as LIME, Current, free speech TV, Noggin (for children), Women's Entertainment, Oxygen, The Learning Channel, National Geographic, and others are filling the void with programming that lifts the soul. Their success is a strong indicator that people are seeking a higher ground when it comes to their viewing choices. You'll have to be a discerning viewer to find the right shows for you. On the movie front, every year there are a handful of wonderful movies produced by the major Hollywood studios and dozens more by independent filmmakers." - David H. Rippe, Jared Rosen, The Flip: Turn Your World Around (Get the book.)

"The First Amendment, which protects both free speech and Religion, offers no real protection against the criminals at the FDA, who have for decades attempted to suppress alternative philosophies that actually help people heal. Although I'm not a member of Scientology, I've used the E-meter machine as well as many other biofeedback devices (I own quite a collection of them). In my experience, the E-meter is a completely safe, yet intriguingly effective tool for self-discovery and the exploration of "hot spots" in your own emotions and beliefs." - Mike Adams, Natural Health Solutions (Get the book.)

"Now, in all of the above informational publications and venues where I will be expressing my right of free speech, including my newsletter, I intend to do exactly what I told the FTC I was going to do and that they agreed to. I intend to be a journalist, an investigative reporter, a consumer advocate, an author, an activist, and politician. In all of these venues, I am going to talk freely about anything I want and express my opinions about any subject I choose. 6. Buyers guides." - Kevin Trudeau, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (Get the book.)

"It is through free speech that we may be able to actually reverse some of the evil going on in society today and establish a genuine grassroots movement in support of health freedom that could result in legislative changes, reining in the power of the FDA, and setting a new precedent for honoring health freedom and giving consumers the right to know about the healing properties of foods, herbs, and supplements." - Mike Adams, Natural Health Solutions (Get the book.)

"The answer is under the free speech laws they can pretty much get away with anything as long as they prove that they "thought it was true when they made the statement and did it without malice"; therefore, I would have to prove that they did this maliciously! Now that is pretty hard to prove in court. This is how the news media gets away with lies. You can go to www.kevinfightsback.com and I will soon have all of the Nightline, 20/20, and various pieces that have been put out, and I give you fact by fact rebuttals, showing you how these organizations are full of crap, mislead, and lie to you." - Kevin Trudeau, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (Get the book.)

"Companies claimed that their right to free speech was violated by restrictions on ads. A series of suits, culminating in a case heard before the Supreme Court in 1996, finally convinced the FDA that if pharmaceutical companies ever challenged its restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising, the agency might well lose the case. In 1997, it issued a draft rule, finalized two years later, permitting companies to boil down the brief summary to a few seconds for broadcast advertisements, thus opening the gates to Zoloft cartoon ads during prime-time sitcoms and Ambien ads on the nightly news." - Shannon Brownlee, Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer (Get the book.)

"The media, while trying to hide behind "freedom of the press" and "free speech" shields, has some culpability in this case. Consider that media is controlled by five behemoth corporations—each with a corporate mentality of first and foremost providing for their shareholders. Many of the press releases and reports they support as newsworthy and beneficial for public consumption are little more than propaganda. Though these news reports originate from such "trustworthy" agencies as the NIH, CDC, FDA, USDA, HHS, etc., they are little more than a money-making front for Big Pharma." - Brent Hoadley, Ph.D., Too Profitable to Cure (Get the book.)

"It is difficult indeed to imagine that the same free speech guarantees that allowed the New Tork Times to publish the Pentagon Papers should also be extended to advertisements for Cap'n Crunch and Count Chocula cereals. Why We Can't Sugarcoat a Sugary Mess One of the more frustrating aspects of talking about food marketing aimed at kids is how the dialogue has been completely twisted to benefit industry. What started out as complaints being leveled at companies for how they are marketing the wrong kinds of foods has turned into talking about how they can market the "right" kinds." - Michele Simon, Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back (Get the book.) "To make matters worse, federal government officials disinclined to rattle corporate cages also perpetuate the legend of free speech protection. For example, current FTC chairperson Deborah Piatt Majoras set the stage quite starkly in her opening remarks to a 2005 FTC meeting on food marketing to children: "We are well aware that some are already calling on government to regulate rather than facilitate. From the FTC's perspective, we believe a ban on children's advertising is neither wise nor viable."15 By "not viable," Majoras meant that such regulation wouldn't pass First Amendment muster." - Michele Simon, Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back (Get the book.) "Also, even individual freedoms that are expressly guaranteed by the Constitution (such as free speech) are not absolute and are always balanced against the greater interests of society. (Whether access to truly nutritious food should be a basic human right guaranteed by the Constitution is another discussion altogether.) When they say: Big Brother is taking away your rights. They assume: Government is not already involved in our food choices." - Michele Simon, Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back (Get the book.)

"Bahraini blogger "Chan'ad Bahraini" explains how Bahraini bloggers have "broken the government's news monopoly"; Hong Kong's Yan Sham-Shackleton, aka Clutter, discusses blogging for Chinese human rights and free speech; Iran's Arash Sigarchi, who did prison time for his blogging, reflects on the importance of blogs in Iran as an outlet for nongovernment-approved speech; and American Jay Rosen points out that even in the United States, blogs are a revolutionary new way for writers to circumvent various powerful "gatekeepers." - Alex Steffen, Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century (Get the book.)

"Suppresses free speech on the internet by pressuring search engines like Google to require "pharmacy licenses" from advertisers before they can post online ads for medications of any kind. Defrauds states and the federal government of hundreds of millions of dollars due to "price fixing" and monopoly drug pricing enforced by the FDA. Distorts science to create any outcome desired through fraudulent clinical trials and cherry-picking trial results." - Mike Adams, Natural Health Solutions (Get the book.)

page 1 of 2 | Next ->

FAIR USE NOTICE: The research quoted here is provided under the protection of Fair Use provisions and published by the 501(c)3 non-profit Consumer Wellness Center for the purposes of public comment and education. Authors / publishers may submit books for consideration of inclusion here.

TERMS OF USE: Read full terms of use. Citations of text from NaturalPedia must include: 1) Full credit to the original author and book title. 2) Secondary credit to the Natural News Naturalpedia as a research resource and a link to www.NaturalPedia.com

This unique compilation of research is copyright (c) 2008, 2009 by the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center.

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of NaturalPedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.