The Spirit of Radio II: Dr. Yaron Brook, Free Speech, the 'Charlie Hebdo' Shooting, and Radio in the Internet Age

On the first episode of The Yaron Brook Show, Dr. Brook illustrated with wit and solemn power the atrocity of the shooting of some of the Charlie Hebdo staff. In the five years since that vicious attack, where is free speech? America just eliminated a player in the Iranian military that might prove to be rather inconsequential. But the rhetoric and the outcry against America and its allies has not emboldened Americans to write, draw, paint, direct, act, sing, or produce works that decry and denounce authoritarian dictatorships like Iran and celebrate life. No. Some people of the United States and other countries have constructed signs that attempt to placate Iran. Shrieks in the streets consist of the “innocent” people of Iran (neglecting to mention the scores of people yelling “Death to America” in that region). Shouts of “Oh, we’re for Iran, not Trump” have arisen throughout American cities. While Mr. Trump is certainly no noble figure in all of this, he represents the nation and ought to be recognized for at least doing one (albeit small) thing right. With one vicious figure out of the way, this does not mean that Trump’s incompetence is excused. It just means that we might have time to refocus on how nefarious the current Iranian regime actually is….

Five years ago, the clarity and emphatic denunciation of the murderers of twelve men and women that Dr. Brook displayed is just as relevant and stimulating today. In just over an hour, he delineated the various examples of American appeasement from the government to the people. He explained how a “haven” like Sweden is actually corrupt for its role in harsh “hate speech” laws. Dr. Brook talked about how the now late President George HW Bush condemned The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. He quoted the then milquetoast president then Dr. Leonard Peikoff concerning the “end of free speech in America.” From the vantage point of someone who knows the crucial bits of history, Dr. Brook arrived on the Internet radio scene on a bloody day. Yet he remained calm and thoughtful throughout. From the Danish cartoons in 2005, to South Park to the events in Paris, Dr. Brook broke down each and every detail and illuminated the savage threats and attacks that have occurred in the name of Islam.

The shooting came from impotent jihadists who couldn’t deal with their emotions and felt that they had to take the lives of people for the sin of thinking. The journalists’ and artists’ ability to pick up pencils and pens still won against the abuse of firearms and the threat of grenades. Images of Mohammad sketched by the slain and the living still remain available on the Web and elsewhere. Instead of being able to color in portraits, they fell due to the unthinking brutes. Dr. Brook honed in on the idea that freedom of speech is the “cornerstone” of the West. He stated that without free speech, there wouldn’t have been an Industrial Revolution and America would not have flourished through the centuries.

Speech is the expression of a conceptual being. In its many forms, people have been able to show the contents of their minds in paintings, sculptures, plays, novels, films, television shows, video games, and yes, cartoons. Something so seemingly innocuous provoked savages to gun down people. Dr. Brook said that, “There is no more important issue than free speech.” He said that, “It implies thought.” Such is the truth. These cartoonists represented the mind. Now, it is irrelevant to say that the actual cartoons are “offensive” or “in poor taste.” This especially should not have been on the lips of the abomination, former President Barack Obama. Like the first Bush and terrible Bush Jr. who decried the 2005 Danish cartoons, these government officials must have no say in how these images are printed, shown, sold, or consumed. It is ugly to know that people like Hillary Clinton spoke against the cartoons. Why? The only role that politicians should play is in protecting the lives and property of the creators of such works.

Dr. Brook’s courage should instill in more people the bravery to speak. While most radio shows dissolve into shouting matches and broadcast little or no substance, Dr. Brook took the time to tell his audience the truth from day one. He advocated that Ayn Rand was “radical.” He showed that there is a difference between an artist and thinker such as Miss Rand, who challenged the status quo in an “extreme” way, and the total opposite found in Islamic fanatics. Her speech in her written works embodies the glory of the mind. The barbarians who stole the lives of journalists and artists showed cowardice in the face of a few strokes of a pen on a page.

The impact that Dr. Brook has had is exemplified in his current show on YouTube. He continues to carry the torch for free speech. The chance to exhibit one’s thoughts remains paramount within the context of rational thinking. He is a bastion in a wasteland for presenting the ideas of reason, individualism, and capitalism. So in the name of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting and Dr. Brook, let the liberty of expression forever be a mainstay on Internet radio and beyond.