Ron Paul Liberty Report The War On Speech, With Guest Nico Perrino
Apr 23, 2025
Nico Perrino, Executive Vice President of The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), delves into the alarming threats to the First Amendment, particularly on college campuses. He shares personal anecdotes about the struggles for free speech and highlights the paradox of power affecting civil liberties. The discussion includes insights from a national survey on free speech attitudes and critiques how political biases influence acceptable dialogue. Perrino emphasizes the urgent need to protect expression rights in an era dominated by financial and political pressures.
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Massive Libertarian Event at IU
- Nico Perrino and Young Americans for Liberty once organized a Libertarian event at Indiana University growing from few attendees to 4,000 showing sold-out interest.
- They promoted it creatively by chalking the Constitution and running a Nearly Naked Mile with event details displayed.
Campus Intolerance Shaped FIRE's Fight
- At Indiana University, an evangelical pastor was shouted down, illustrating a campus intolerance for diverse opinions.
- Nico realized this opposed true educational values and led him to fight for free speech at FIRE for 13 years.
Public Opposes Speech-Based Deportations
- More than half of Americans oppose ideological persecution and speech-based deportations happening under the Trump administration.
- Deporting lawful residents for speech contradicts American ideals of freedom and welcoming oppressed students.
