— Benjamin Franklin, The New-England Courant, July 9, 1722.
"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable."
— U.S. Supreme Court, Texas v. Johnson (1989).
"The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed — would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper — the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you."
— George Orwell, 1984.
"Free speech is neither a privilege nor a partisan luxury. It's the oxygen of democracy. Without it, elections are hollow, dissent is branded illegitimate, or worse, and truth becomes whatever those in power decree. History shows that silencing speech is both the path by which authoritarians rise and the tool by which they endure."
— Jon Hyman, September 18, 2025.
"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable."
— U.S. Supreme Court, Texas v. Johnson (1989).
"The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed — would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper — the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you."
— George Orwell, 1984.
"Free speech is neither a privilege nor a partisan luxury. It's the oxygen of democracy. Without it, elections are hollow, dissent is branded illegitimate, or worse, and truth becomes whatever those in power decree. History shows that silencing speech is both the path by which authoritarians rise and the tool by which they endure."
— Jon Hyman, September 18, 2025.
Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.
Stephen Colbert Defends Jimmy Kimmel: "This Is Blatant Censorship" By An "Autocrat" — via Consequence
Jon Stewart Goes Full North Korea with Effusive Praise of Trump on The Daily Show — via Consequence
Dolly Parton's 9-to-5 Song Taught Us Everything We Need to Know About How to Have a Fair Workplace — via Improve Your HR by Suzanne Lucas, the Evil HR Lady
The problem of "religion" — via SCOTUSblog
The Perils of Using AI to Replace Entry-Level Jobs — via Harvard Business Review
Act Now! Anonymous Reporting Hotline Can Strengthen Legal Defenses and Mitigate Risk — via EntertainHR
The six words that helped turn a layoff into a lawsuit — via Eric Meyer's Employer Handbook Blog
Training Young Lawyers In The Age Of AI: A Riddle Wrapped In A Mystery Inside An Enigma — via Above the Law
Courts Crack Down on AI Misuse in the Legal Profession — via The D & O Diary
Act Now! Anonymous Reporting Hotline Can Strengthen Legal Defenses and Mitigate Risk — via EntertainHR
What Do People Use ChatGPT For? OpenAI Studied 1.5 Million Chats To Find Out — via Boy Genius Report
The six words that helped turn a layoff into a lawsuit — via Eric Meyer's Employer Handbook Blog
Kroger faces FMLA, PUMP Act lawsuit after allegedly transferring employee returning from parental leave — via HR Dive
Breaking Orbit: SpaceX and the Constitutional Challenge to the NLRB — via The L•E•Jer
Why Gen Z Isn't Drinking Your Beer (And What You Can Do About It) — via Brewers Association
The Beer Business Has Changed More in the Past Three Years Than It Has in Decades — via VinePair
The Beer Business Has Changed More in the Past Three Years Than It Has in Decades — via VinePair