"The erosion of traditional establishment filters — first by such mediums as direct mail, talk radio and cable, later and most powerfully by social media — has been a primary factor in the rise of potent ideological movements on right and left alike.... [T]he decision Friday night by Twitter to permanently ban Trump from its platform... represents an effort to reassert the notion that filters have a place in political communication....
Twitter’s announcement was made with a righteous air, as the company said it was acting 'due to the risk of further incitement of violence'.... The moves comes [sic] at precisely the moment that his movement looked like it had been fatally punctured, due to the cumulative effects of Trump losing the 2020 presidential election, Democrats winning the Senate in Georgia special elections and even once-loyal Trump Republicans expressing disgust with his culpability in Wednesday’s insurrection.... If there is any unifying thread of the conservative movement from Nixon to Rush Limbaugh to Matt Drudge to Newt Gingrich to Trump, it is its resentment of the establishment news media and determination to make its filters obsolete.... "
Those who think they like this new censorship really need to step back and take the long view. Conspiracy theories about taking down Donald Trump will go on for 100 years. All of these efforts at suppression will be woven and rewoven into these theories. Driving the theories off the front pages of social media will make them wilder and crazier, and we won't be able to see them or argue with them. How many millions of serious devotees does Trump have? What will they do now? Why is depriving them of their Twitter connection a wholesome curative?
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272 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 272 of 272BUMBLE BEE: I'd like to think we're more like the French Resistance, the good guys. The French Revolution got pretty ugly but, having already stormed the Bastille, we're on our way. ;-)
Maybe the account was suspended because you never tweeted a word for years.
Per Bob Boyd: Next week's internet meme: Trump didn't kill himself!
DJT would never commit seppuku, of course. But, then, neither would Jeffrey Epstein. They would claim some kind of accident or, as with Seth Rich, a mysterious assailant taking nothing of value and leaving 'nothing' in the way of evidence. :-\
It's the 'Dems/GOPe' who burned the Reichstag and who want civil disorder. Something like that would make us downright murderous.
Bob Boyd said...
Maybe the account was suspended because you never tweeted a word for years.
That's not an uncommon maintenance procedure. I got a notice the other day from my ISP that my step-daughter's mail box on my account was being suspended due to a lack of use. She moved out a couple of years ago and primarily uses a Gmail account now, no biggie. People need to calm down!
Mockturtle keeps digging because the voices planted in her head by her smart phone tell her so.
Blogger Bob Boyd said...
What's the real reason for silencing Trump?
If this was about Trump they would have started and stopped with Trump. Trump is as good as gone, yet the "silencing" is just getting started.
Trump is as good as gone, yet the "silencing" is just getting started.
They don't want assholes starting conspiracy theories about it.
"NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
People need to calm down!"
So when you incredulously asked who banned Trump from emailing, and I gave you the evidence, you still think we're overreacting?
The Election Wizard
@Wizard_Predicts
·
1h
I wish we could clean up the voter rolls as quickly as Twitter purges their customers.
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
That's not an uncommon maintenance procedure. I got a notice the other day from my ISP that my step-daughter's mail box on my account was being suspended due to a lack of use. She moved out a couple of years ago and primarily uses a Gmail account now, no biggie. People need to calm down!
Are you serious?
Do you think Trump's email service was shut down because of lack of use?
Why was Walk Away deleted off of Face Book?
Why is Parler being kicked off of the Google platform and soon the Apple platform?
You are just sticking your head in the sand.
Do you think Trump's email service was shut down because of lack of use?
We were talking about wendybar's twitter account. See her comment at 1:37pm.
What is Politico if not an effort to reassert the filter role? And not successfully.
Cry me a river for Donald J Trump.
It's not just Trump, you dumb shit.
Why can't you see that?
In the meantime at National Review...
Painful.
Qwinn said...
So when you incredulously asked who banned Trump from emailing, and I gave you the evidence, you still think we're overreacting?
I'm a bit suspect of anyone who throws Gateway Pundit links around as proof.
Achilles said...
Are you serious?
Do you think Trump's email service was shut down because of lack of use?
As BobBoyd said; that's not what we were talking about. But I'll cut you some slack, you're probably all tired out from spending the morning digging foxholes and planting claymore mines in your back yard.
Anyone who denies it, who claims it was, has "no evidence" and at this point is rima facia complicit and guilty of treason.
Once again, this makes me smile. Anytime I think about hunkering down and letting things blow over, fucks like you come in and kick me in the teeth.
You're an inspiration to me. Keep it up.
You have no idea what's coming. None.
The source was David Lee of the Financial Times, and the company (Campaign Monitor) that itself confirmed the banning.
Hilarious that you think a information is discredited based on who repeats or aggregates the information. I can think of no better bubble maintenance strategy.
Achilles said...
Are you serious?
Do you think Trump's email service was shut down because of lack of use?
And for the record; it's Trump's campaign, not Trump that lost email service. They use 'Control Monitor', an private company who can shed a client any time they want to. Nothing illegal about it. You act like Nancy Pelosi snuck into the White House server room and pulled the plug.
Personally, I think it's a shit move. But only a loon would want to go to the mattresses over that.
"Campaign Monitor", not "Control Monitor".
It is a metaphysical certainty that you would consider a mistake like that from any Trump supporter to be permanently disqualifying as a valid source of information.
Qwinn said...
It is a metaphysical certainty that you would consider a mistake like that from any Trump supporter to be permanently disqualifying as a valid source of information.
I voted for Trump twice Qwinn, so fuck you!
mockturtle said...
Howard, if you think microchips are only for tracking, you're way behind the curve. Ever hear of nanobots?
They don't have those in people yet. That is not what you should be talking or worried about.
The issue is data retention/collection and internet tracking.
Your phone and your pattern of life is all they need to predict where you will be within 10 meters 90% of the time in any given week if not more.
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
Achilles said...
Are you serious?
Do you think Trump's email service was shut down because of lack of use?
And for the record; it's Trump's campaign, not Trump that lost email service. They use 'Control Monitor', an private company who can shed a client any time they want to. Nothing illegal about it. You act like Nancy Pelosi snuck into the White House server room and pulled the plug.
Personally, I think it's a shit move. But only a loon would want to go to the mattresses over that.
In a vacuum no.
But when they are taking every public Trump supporter off of Youtube. They are removing the entire Parler platform. Facebook just deleted thousands of accounts. Twitter permanently banned thousands of accounts. Over 2 days.
Because they were Trump supporters.
North: No, fuck you, or back up why linking Gateway Pundit discredits me. Every single time I've seen them make a mistake, they've posted an update promptly.
The issue is data retention/collection and internet tracking.
They've been doing that for years, Achilles.
"The issue is data retention/collection and internet tracking."
I'm currently being pressured to load Zoom on my devices and am really reluctant. It's not a well fleshed-out fear, just seems like a bad idea.
Heather McDonald. Always a good read:
"...Pragmatist Trump supporters [in the 2016 election] made the calculation that he was the lesser of two evils. His vindictiveness and narcissism had to be balanced against the alternative of an increasingly militant Left that seeks to tear down the accomplishments of Western civilization in the name of equalitarian identity politics. Trump did not drive the Left into its current apoplexies; the momentum from the previous four decades of academic-generated hatreds was moving to this point regardless of who was in the White House.
It is the case, however, that the Trump demise will give even more fuel to the ongoing desecration of our heritage by the Left, a desecration that will prove more momentous than what occurred on Wednesday.
Now, any cause championed by Trump, whether border enforcement or color-blind public policy, will be discredited in the view of whatever remains of a moderate, non-woke establishment. The brief interregnum from the dominance of the Left provided by the Trump presidency will be followed by a frenzy of revenge on greatness and meritocracy..."
https://www.city-journal.org/trumps-exit
For some reason inside the heart of too many lefties, there is a little goose-stepping fascist yearning to get out. But instead of jack boots, it is wearing Birkenstocks. If one's first reaction to hearing someone say something you don't like is, "Wow, that is dangerous he needs to not be able to say that," then reevaluation of principles is needed. A Free society functions off of everyone being able to say their piece whether it is ultimately right or wrong.
Josh Caplan
@joshdcaplan
· Jan 8
AP: Mexico president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemns Facebook, Twitter for blocking Trump
Howard said...
Mockturtle keeps digging because the voices planted in her head by her smart phone tell her so.
Mock is pretty smart. She knows that Howard is an annoying little twit and will ignore his jibes.
We should do the same for all the trolls who are not interested in substantive discussion.
AP: Mexico president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemns Facebook, Twitter for blocking Trump
A wall to mitigate transnational deaths and direct men, women, and children to safe audit points. A plan for emigration reform to mitigate the progress of immigration reform and collateral damage at both ends of the bridge and throughout is in the best interests of Americans, Mexicans, and every other people harmed through avoidance.
serious question
i'm no lawyer, so i wouldn't know; what is the definition of a "frivolous lawsuit"?
is that the sort of lawsuit, where THE JUDGE says something like THIS?
Plaintiff Steven Uhr is a man on a mission. Some years ago, he discovered the existence of what he believes to be a vast nationwide conspiracy - involving literally thousands of entities and individuals - to bring an end to "happy hour" and other drink promotions and thereby increase the profit margins of bars and restaurants. Since discovering this conspiracy, Uhr has brought multiple lawsuits - first as an attorney representing others, now as a pro se plaintiff representing only himself - seeking to recover damages from the alleged conspirators.
Uhr has not been discouraged by the fact that, to date, all of his lawsuits have been dismissed. Nor has Uhr been discouraged by the fact that he has no evidence that he personally has ever paid a penny more for a drink because of the alleged conspiracy. Nor has Uhr been discouraged by the fact that many of those who he alleges are involved in this conspiracy - including medical doctors, police officers, educators, scientists, and charitable foundations dedicated to improving public health - would have no reason to join a conspiracy to help bars and restaurants increase their profits on liquor sales. Nor has Uhr been discouraged by the fact that some of those who he alleges are central to the conspiracy - in particular, distillers, wholesalers, and distributors - would lose money if retailers raised drink prices and thereby lowered alcohol consumption. Uhr plows ahead, filing lawsuit after lawsuit, seeking to force defendants who appear to have caused him no harm to pay him millions of dollars in damages.
even though he had to recognize this travismockasham, he understands how the establishment conspires to undermine outsiders,
Alexey Navalny
@navalny
1. I think that the ban of Donald Trump on Twitter is an unacceptable act of censorship
1:13 PM · Jan 9, 2021·Twitter Web App
2. Of course, during his time in the office, Trump has been writing and saying very irresponsible things. And paid for it by not getting re-elected for a second term.
Alexey Navalny
3. The election is a straightforward and competitive process. You can participate in it, you can appeal against the results, they're being monitored by millions of people. The ban on Twitter is a decision of people we don't know in accordance with a procedure we don't know.
4. In my opinion, the decision to ban Trump was based on emotions and personal political preferences.
5. Don't tell me he was banned for violating Twitter rules. I get death threats here every day for many years, and Twitter doesn't ban anyone (not that I ask for it).
6. Among the people who have Twitter accounts are cold-blooded murderers (Putin or Maduro) and liars and thieves (Medvedev). For many years, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been used as a base for Putin's "troll factory" and similar groups from other authoritarian countries
7. Those who denied COVID-19 exist freely and communicate on Twitter. Their words have cost thousands of lives. And yet, it was Trump who got banned publicly and ostentatiously. Such selectivity indicates that this was an act of censorship.
8. Of course, Twitter is a private company, but we have seen many examples in Russian and China of such private companies becoming the state's best friends and the enablers when it comes to censorship.
9. If you replace "Trump" with "Navalny" in today's discussion, you will get an 80% accurate Kremlin's answer as to why my name can't be mentioned on Russian TV and I shouldn't be allowed to participate in any elections.
10. This precedent will be exploited by the enemies of freedom of speech around the world. In Russia as well. Every time when they need to silence someone, they will say: 'this is just common practice, even Trump got blocked on Twitter'.
11. If @twitter and @jack want to do things right, they need to create some sort of a committee that can make such decisions. We need to know the names of the members of this committee, understand how it works, how its members vote, and how we can appeal against their decisions.
Poweerline blog cuts through a lot of the bullshit:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/enough-with-the-outrage.php
" Do you remember when President Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017? Leftist Democrats rioted in Washington that day. That riot was arguably worse, more violent and more destructive, than what happened in D.C. yesterday. The liberal rioters destroyed stores, set vehicles on fire and battled with the police. Six police officers were wounded.
Over the ensuing four years, Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioted countless times, bringing devastation to cities like Portland, Seattle, Kenosha and Minneapolis. Did any Democrats denounce these riots? Not that I remember. Many Democrats endorsed them, or seemed to do so. Kamala Harris, for example, said about the riots in June:
They’re not going to stop. They’re not going to stop. This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not gonna stop. And everyone beware because they’re not gonna stop. They’re not gonna stop before Election Day and they’re not going to stop after Election Day. And everyone should take note of that. They’re not gonna let up and they should not.
This was after 12 people had been killed in Democrat-sanctioned rioting, and billions of dollars in destruction committed. Have any Democrats denounced Black Lives Matter for its role in the riots? Not one. Has any Democrat denounced Antifa? Not that I know of, and some, like Keith Ellison, have specifically endorsed Antifa’s political violence."
It's bullshit, bullshit all the way down.
People will continue to flee from blue states and the Democrat party will implode. Who would want to live in the world they are creating? Even the most ardent leftist is going to revolt.
I did a rough calculation and at most, .02% of the people at the protest were involved in violence or property damage, yet some insist on punishing millions of Trump supporters. Up is down and down is up.
David Begley says:We are totally and completely fucked since there will never be a fair Presidential election again.
Does your statement presume that other federal state and local elections will be fair? Having stolen a big election with impunity, why would dems hesitate to do so whenever and wherever they want?
"It's bullshit, bullshit all the way down."
Which is what the cancelling/de-platforming is all about. Scott Adams talks about how a one-sided narrative always sounds persuasive. Wait until you hear the other side. The left is in the process of eliminating the other side. Which is remarkable considering they already owned the professional news media.
But the logic of this age we live in is clear enough, and it's not going to work. What's happening is scary and ugly and unpleasant and will beget more the same and worse, but the discourse-masters are out of their element. They're going to discover a new property of the digital age, something like the Streisand effect, but bigger. And meanwhile they're scaring and pissing off a lot of people who are suddenly paying attention.
Gilbar @ 3:49 - Yeah. He's a real piece of work.
How many time do folks need to be reminded that twitter is a private company that can whatever business model it wants? The type of business is vulnerable to ruinous litigation, so laws have been passed, like section 230, to enable it to stay in business, just as they have been passed to allow all businesses to survive over-litigation. The fact that they do such a good job (as demonstrated indirectly by the mess that is Parler) does not mean that other companies cannot accomplish something similar. Perhaps Trump supporters will find the way.
But the idea (i assume a theme of the book looking for a publisher by Hawley) that a private company choosing not to publish someone equates to censorship is just batty after 400 years of press operations in America.
How many time do folks need to be reminded that Masterpiece Cakeshop is a private company that can whatever business model it wants? The type of business is vulnerable to ruinous litigation, so laws have been passed, like the 1st Amendment, to enable it to stay in business, just as they have been passed to allow all businesses to survive over-litigation.
fify!
Scott Adams talks about how a one-sided narrative always sounds persuasive. Wait until you hear the other side.
Bunking. Debunking. Reconciliation of facts to realize a truth, perhaps the truth.
Narcissism, sure. Most people in entertainment, real estate promotion and certainly politics are narcissistic, and Trump takes that farther than many others. But vindictiveness? I don't see it. Trump liked having enemies, and he certainly had enemies whether he wanted them or not, but he liked playing with them. He liked the back and forth. He could not stop caring about what the Times or the Post said about him, and I don't see that he ever tried to harm or punish reporters for disagreeing with him. He had his feuds, sure, with appointees that didn't work out for him, but he also forgot about his quarrels relatively quickly. I don't see the cold vindictiveness in him that other politicians are capable of. Pelosi, for example. Another impeachment? Really? What's up with that?
230 gave them protection so they DON'T need to censor.
Every single leftist here is perfectly cool with conservatives being relegated to third class citizen status (far below illegals). The only thing that upsets them is the notion that conservatives could be treated by any institution with any modicum of respect or decency, or that they could benefit from equal protection of the laws.
Nothing will change until we return the sentiment. Cancel them, mock them, humiliate them. Sue them for every violation of our civil liberties. Make the process the punishment.
They are the most contemptible people in history, and the world will only improve when their ideology is considered lower and more vile than Nazism. It frankly should always have been considered such.
Twitter, Facebook, and other social media are privately owned businesses, and, as such, they are not violating their users' First Amendment rights by removing posts, or blocking access.
However, I think it's good for dumb asses to reveal themselves, so that non-dumb asses can see just who is who and what they think. In short, Twitter should un-ban Donald Trump.
Also, while this is not a First Amendment matter, we must never forget this crucial principle expressed by Thomas Paine:
“He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.”
“He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.”
Exactly so, Cookie!
"Do you remember when President Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017? Leftist Democrats rioted in Washington that day. That riot was arguably worse, more violent and more destructive, than what happened in D.C. yesterday. The liberal rioters destroyed stores, set vehicles on fire and battled with the police. Six police officers were wounded."
What evidence suggests those black-clad rioters were "Democrats?" The interchangeable and indiscriminate use of the terms "democrats," "liberals," "leftists," "radicals," etc., are intentional by liars who want to erase distinctions among very distinct cohorts, thereby smearing members of one of America's two major political parties with the objectionable actions of groups with whom they are not aligned.
Alternatively, others who use these terms in the same grossly imprecise manner are simply stupid.
"They are the most contemptible people in history, and the world will only improve when their ideology is considered lower and more vile than Nazism. It frankly should always have been considered such."
Really.
What a dumb ass. But, I'm happy you are free to be you!
Cook: Bullshit. Practically every high profile Democrat is on the record approving of those same riots. You can't possibly have missed the quotes from Pelosi, Waters and Kamala Harris actively sanctioning and supporting the protests, riots and all. They even raised fucking bail money for them. To act as if there's any distinction that matters in the face of that is the true bullshit.
Nazism: 30 million dead
Communism: Over 100 million dead
It's not even close.
Robert Cook said... I think it's good for dumb asses to reveal themselves, so that non-dumb asses can see just who is who and what they think. In short, Twitter should un-ban Donald Trump.
It is always refreshing to see a lefty encourage the free expression of ideas.
We are going to need you Cookie. Free speech is under assault. First the colleges, now the public square.
If you absolutely have to stay on Facebook for some reason, get it off your phone. Delete Instagram, Messenger, and all of the associated fleet of programs. Only use the Web interface on a computer with a safe browser with ad blocking turned all the way up, and shut the tab the moment you're done. Move every inch of contact you can off of Facebook. Tell people to text or call you, and you will not respond on Messenger.
Facebook only makes money if they can sell your views. Get off if you can, use it the least possible if you must.
And I love all these leftists suddenly defending corporate supremacy. Fucking hilarious. Your hypocrisy could blot out the sun.
Zuckerberg spent far far far far more money on the 2020 federal elections than the federal government did, but hey, Facebook is a private corporation so it's totes okay!, says the Left. As if they wouldn't be apoplectic if a right wing billionaire had done that and then Trump won.
Blogger Bob Boyd said...
"What's the real reason for silencing Trump?"
To silence you.
Tim Pool
@Timcast
Holy fuck........
Quote Tweet
BuzzFeed News
@BuzzFeedNews
· 1h
NEW: Amazon is booting Parler off AWS, its web hosting service, knocking the pro-Trump social network offline until it finds a new host. https://buzzfeednews.com/article/johnpa
Bye-bye to Amazon.
How is this any different from Google or Apple terminating your phone calls or texts because they don't like what you are saying on one of their phones?
Phone companies are utilities and regulated as such..
Twitter is not a utility. I never joined.
There is an antitrust case pending against Amazon being prosecuted by the top law firm in US. Refusal to deal by a monopolist can be an antitrust violation.
Hey Readering, were they born that way, the utilities? You know how they got to be regulated?
I'm with Tim Pool. Holy fuck, this is kinetic information warfare, not even plausibly deniable, just knock out their fucking comms and sow chaos in the enemy shit. Makes me wonder if some of that crazy Q stuff may be real, because this isn't just kicking Trump in the ass on his way out the door.
Like, what are they getting ready for? Something they plan to do, or something they're worried Trump may do?
"Nazism: 30 million dead
Communism: Over 100 million dead
It's not even close."
Qwinn, the Nazis and the Communists were not opposites they were almost the same thing. Most American Communists supported the Nazis for the first two years of World War II. French Communists supported the Nazi invasion of France.
It's only after Hitler stabbed his ally, Stalin, in the back in June of 1941, that Communists everywhere began to oppose Nazi Germany.
That's one kind of evidence. Another that is deeper and more profound, but difficult to access in this day and age because Google and others have been burning the evidence, is read Nazi texts, I mean more than just Hitler. The state media and the ideas that are articulated, it's amazing how similar it all is to what appeared in the Soviet Union's state media.
gilbar, the masterpiece cakeshop type litigation is different in several respects, just to name a phew. The issue is antidiscrimination based on protected categories. The area of the law is dominated by the experience of discrimination on the basis of race starting with the post civil war amendments to the constitution. Under the jurisprudence as it developed in the face of massive resistance in the south, you cannot say you don't want to deal with someone based on race because your religion tells you to. Other protected categories followed from that precedent. But there are still first amendment protections involved, and Masterpeace Bakeshop ultimately won. Trump was not taken off twitter based on discrimination for being an old fat fuck.
I have never been on twitter but it would not surprise me if they have an inactivity policy.
In fact, it appears they do.
https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/inactive-twitter-accounts#:~:text=We%20encourage%20people%20to%20actively,removed%20due%20to%20prolonged%20inactivity.
Readering said...
"Phone companies are utilities and regulated as such.."
Yep. And you'll be right there helping to wright the legislation to ban wrongspeech from our phones and internet. C'mon, man.
"Media filters"? Open sewers, as I see it.
You think twitter has no record when you use their site????
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