January 9, 2021

"For a half-century, the trend in political culture has been inexorably in one direction: toward the steady loosening and eventually the near-obliteration of media filters...."

"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? 

272 comments:

1 – 200 of 272   Newer›   Newest»
Achilles said...

There is no pretense. They are not hiding it.

They are fascists.

Are you still pretending that a Biden presidency will bring calm Ann?

David Begley said...

I don’t resent the establishment news media. I HATE them because they are biased liberal liars. There was ZERO coverage of Hunter’s laptop and how the CCP bribed Biden. The Fake News gave zero coverage as to how the election was stolen.

They are the Enemy of the People.

iowan2 said...

70+million people are not going away on January 20,2021.

I don't know how many examples people need before the understand the government is not any part of a solution to what ails you.

I listen to a snippet of Biden talking. He said his goal was to aid small businesses in filing for federal aid.
Let that soak in.

Bidens goal is not to lift the obstacles that limit the ability of businesses to do business, but to "help" them file for aide.

tcrosse said...

That things are moving so quickly suggests that somebody is afraid of whatever Trump might have up his sleeve for his remaining few days in office. He could be dangerous when cornered.

Qwinn said...

The Left is going full Stasi, right now, blatantly, after stealing an election.

The stench of flop sweat is almost overwhelming. If they really thought they had defeated Trump, none of this would be happening, they'd just ignore him for 2 weeks and he'd be gone

They are utterly terrified that he has something overwhelming to reveal to the American people, and are doing everything they can to silence it. When it comes out, the censorship we'll see will make the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story prior to the election look open and transparent.

But I think the word will get out anyway. Get ready for the storm.

Francisco D said...

Those who think they like this new censorship really need to step back and take the long view.

The short view is plenty damning, but the long view is really the Soviet Union redux.

Who decides what speech is dangerous or "misinformation" and must be suppressed?

The college campus is the laboratory for the leftwing totalitarians who want to control our thoughts.

Readering said...

Cry me a river for Donald J Trump.

Achilles said...

It is funny that Ann calls the obvious voter fraud a "conspiracy."

We have mountains of circumstantial mathematical evidence, videos of people running ballots through machines in the middle of the night, videos of poll observers being violently removed from counting stations.

If it was a baseless conspiracy theory then they could easily prove that. But they didn't even try.

Instead they are banning everyone who speaks about these videos and evidence from the public square.

At this point you are an idiot or you are a part if the fascist movement if you think this election did not turn on fraud.

Readering said...

If it were up to me I would ask Apple to take back his cell phone since his mom is not around to do it.

campy said...

"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."

But Big Brother will be able to see them and will make the theorists disappear.

Achilles said...

Readering said...

Cry me a river for Donald J Trump.

You cannot have a free country when a sizable number of people like this are open fascists.

Readering said...

Imagine not giving him an easy way to communicate with Achilles.

Matt Sablan said...

It's a wholesome curative because Twitter doesn't care about being fair. They care about appeasing their political allies. Silencing dissent, while making sure to allow China to propagandize the forced sterilization of minority women as "liberating" them and the calls for a new Jewish Holocaust from Iran are given a platform, is more important to them than anything else.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I listen to a snippet of Biden talking. He said his goal was to aid small businesses in filing for federal aid.

Snort. We have friends who have a small business with four employees: husband, wife, grown son, daughter in law. Their business is entirely digital and was not affected in the least by covid; if anything they saw a boost in demand. They applied for and received a generous PPP loan. The used their existing payroll funds -- which remember were not diminished at all by covid response -- for "growth and investment" and used their PPP loan to meet their payroll, which also remember are all family members. And their PPP loan was forgiven. Free money! Wheee! Party!

Meanwhile, the Pants household has not received one thin dime of any kind of stimulus or payroll "loan" because though his compensation package has been reduced by a third for "business environment" he still makes over the threshold and we didn't think of starting some bullshit family-run consulting "business" in time.

It all makes me want to vomit. Fuck every last one of these grifters, and their enablers.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

(sorry my rant was a bit off topic.)

Original Mike said...

"Why is depriving them of their Twitter connection a wholesome curative?"

"Wholesome curative" does not accurately express their motive.

Gunner said...

The leftards are not afraid of anything Trump will reveal or do this last week. They just want to pile on and get revenge for all his "insults" to them for four years. Impeaching him a second time is the main pile on.

iowan2 said...

The premise of the article is a lie.

There is no media. Only a propaganda machine.

Matt Sablan said...

"Cry me a river for Donald J Trump."

-- And I did not speak out for Republicans, for I was not a Republican.

MayBee said...

If they aren't directly on Twitter, we'll be able to say things like "Trump support is really just an idea and ideas can't do any damage".
Right? Isn't that the rule?

chuck said...

really need to step back and take the long view.

What are the odds? The Democrats have been trending this way a long time. That is why Trump was elected, and also why the Democrats pulled out all the stops to stop him. The Democrats think they have the power to pull it off, but they may have gone full fascist a bit to soon.

steve uhr said...

Sure Ann - Convince yourself that you are part of the solution and have no moral responsibility for your decision to turn this blog into a forum for fomenting violence and even facilitating domestic terror.

Brian said...

The NRA will be next. Then probably the National Right to Life. Reactions to these two political organizations has in the past led to violence. Therefore, they should have no ability to utilize the dominant (some would say monopolistic) social media platforms to reach their audience. It would only lead to more violence.

And after that their ability to collect payments from the citizenry through the banking system. Visa shouldn't be facilitating domestic terrorism after all.

Kate said...

I've been on twitter for 12 yrs. I wrote an elegiac thread today, all the amazing personal stories I've witnessed, and then deleted my account. It used to be charming, friendly, combative, and weird. Twitter's become a one-note place, angry and sly.

I appreciate the posts that ask us to step away from politics. I don't want this place to stultify as twitter did.

Yancey Ward said...

They aren't really looking for a "wholesome curative", Ms. Althouse, though I suspect your question is completely rhetorical.

Achilles said...

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

(sorry my rant was a bit off topic.)

But it wasn't to far off topic.

Part of tearing apart our society is to change the nature of winners and losers. If you win by receiving government grift rather than producing something people wants that is a victory for government grifters who obtain power over the market.

It also has the added benefit of making people who do the right thing and work hard feel like chumps. Now you are angry at/with a potential friend for abusing the system rather than at the people who manipulate the system.

Division and tribalization is their goal.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cacimbo said...

Not just Trump and not just twitter.This is a united attack by the tech monopolies on right leaning voices across the board.I believe the Dems and Swamp Republicans fear Trump could start a serious third party which would disrupt their cozy arrangement.How else do you explain the silence from McConnell and his swampers on this assault on speech.

Yancey Ward said...

And this right here is the mentality of the Left captured in a single comment:

Blogger steve uhr said...

"Sure Ann - Convince yourself that you are part of the solution and have no moral responsibility for your decision to turn this blog into a forum for fomenting violence and even facilitating domestic terror."

MayBee said...

steve uhr said...
Sure Ann - Convince yourself that you are part of the solution and have no moral responsibility for your decision to turn this blog into a forum for fomenting violence and even facilitating domestic terror


I think you've been doing a bit for years (I might be wrong and have you confused with another Steve, who used to link to his blog posts all the time here and on Just One Minute).

But I do need to understand this comment. What are you labeling "domestic terror"? Do you consider burning down police precincts and private businesses for months on end domestic terror as well? Why or why not?

Carol said...

Trump says too much loose shit. During the riot, when the mob was at the Capitol, he tweeted how Pence let him down and lacked courage. Then some of the rioters yelled Where's Pence? Who knows what could have happened. Look what happened to that poor cop crushed in the doorway, and that rage monkey gal who thought she was Wonder Woman.

I like to think that a president who is a lawyer would be more careful with his language, but then we get Lin Wood. Gah...

mezzrow said...

Man matures when he stops believing that politics solves his problems. - Don Colacho

Achilles said...

steve uhr said...

Sure Ann - Convince yourself that you are part of the solution and have no moral responsibility for your decision to turn this blog into a forum for fomenting violence and even facilitating domestic terror.

steve uhr is not hiding it Ann. For once he is being honest.

He is a fascist.

And he wants them to come for you. He is openly saying it. Why do you not believe them?

David Begley said...

I suppose if Althouse and her community express too much wrongthink, AMZN and PayPall will cut her money off.

That’s where we are headed. The Althouse blog is a Free Speech haven. If we can keep it.

We are totally and completely fucked since there will never be a fair Presidential election again.

David Begley said...

Fuck you steve uhr. Commie, Maoist fascist.

Readering said...

And I did not speak up for a narcissistic psychopath with the nuclear codes because....

Wince said...

Althouse asks...
Why is depriving them of their Twitter connection a wholesome curative?

It isn't. Quite the opposite, actually.

But it is indicative of how the government/corporate/media/education establishments have gotten so much wrong (at least when it comes to the overall national interest) over the last few decades.

Wince said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chuck said...


Important questions, Althouse. I've been thinking about them myself!

Matt Sablan said...

"And I did not speak up for a narcissistic psychopath with the nuclear codes because...."

-- Remember: I don't like Trump. I've made it clear many times, I'd sacrifice him if I thought the same rules applied to Trump would be equally applied across the board. I dislike when we have multiple sets of rules for "people we don't like" and "people we do like." If you'd treat everyone the same as Trump, I'd have happily gotten rid of him years ago, since the mass exodus of assholes from politics would have been worth it. But, no one ever wants to hold everyone to the same standards.

Owen said...

Pants @ 9:50/9:51: Not off topic IMHO. Absolutely relevant: ground truth.

We had all better brush up on our rendition of "Government Cheese." A classic.

MayBee said...

I want to add, because I haven't said it yet, that my heart breaks for Brian Sicknick and his family. He didn't deserve to be killed in all of this. I hope the people who did this to him are brought to justice.

Bob Boyd said...

Professor Althouse seems to think they just haven't thought it through.

pacwest said...

I listen to a snippet of Biden talking. He said his goal was to aid small businesses in filing for federal aid.
Let that soak in.


This is small potatoes compared to what the left really has in mind. There was a recent dust up between Pelosi and Wolf Blitzer when he questioned why she was holding up the last CV stimulus bill. It was very informative. Pelosi's last rejoinder was "Remember Wolf, we feed them. WE feed them. We feed them." They don't want to just control the means of production. They want the populace to be dependant on them for their daily bread. That is true power that any despot could only dream of.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Matt Gaetz speaks truth to power.

Owen said...

Achilles @ 9:58: "Part of tearing apart our society is to change the nature of winners and losers. If you win by receiving government grift rather than producing something people wants that is a victory for government grifters who obtain power over the market.

It also has the added benefit of making people who do the right thing and work hard feel like chumps. Now you are angry at/with a potential friend for abusing the system rather than at the people who manipulate the system.

Division and tribalization is their goal."

Excellent. I mean: insightful. But SO depressing to contemplate.

Wince said...

Blogger Readering said...
And I did not speak up for a narcissistic psychopath with the nuclear codes because....

He doesn't take office for two weeks?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

If you dare disagree with the corrupt democrat party elite - there will be consequences.

No consequences for Nazi Brownshirt arsonist thugs who call themselves Antifa and wave the flag of Nancy Pelosi.

Lucien said...

One of President Trump’s best lines was “They’re not after me, they’re after you — I’m just in the way.” Wish he’d turned it into more of a slogan.
Is it irony, hypocrisy, or both when Apple and Google deprive Parler of the same protection that §230 provides for them?

Achilles said...

Readering said...

And I did not speak up for a narcissistic psychopath with the nuclear codes because....

Don't talk about Obama like that.

Are you finally coming to terms with the fact that you are a fascist that has no moral agency whatsoever?

wendybar said...

The fascists are taking over. Enjoy the downfall....

Bob Boyd said...

You can't have two sets of rules. That perception was one of the biggest contributing factors to the volatile mood at the DC Rally.

Mr Wibble said...

What's going on is driven, I think, by two factors. First, a lot of people on the left have a high time preference. They want their sweeties now, not to wait for later. They fill the ranks of activists and as such they are in a position to push their demands on leftwing politicians. Second is that acceding to these loonies is a way for leftwing politicians and corporations to demonstrate their progressive bona fides, hopefully gaining social position over their competitors.

Readering said...

What does that even mean?

Bill Owens said...

It still surprises that your basic lefty non-thinker, including many commenters herein, do not understand that there is no amount of purity that could be proven about themselves to the new palace guard that will save them from the chop.

Bob Boyd said...

The Capitol incursion was a domino falling. Twitter banning Trump and his supporters is another.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The collective elite left, led by corrupt Nancy - want to silence, squish and punish all who do not obey and worship the corrupt leftwing machine.

Wince said...

Soon we'll have to wear masks and "filters"?

Treating free speech like a virus.

Browndog said...

Don't put this all on liberals.

When Alex Jones got unpersoned, conservatives cheered. "He's not one of us!". Laura Loomer--"She's unhinged! We don't act that way!". Milo--why, that fag is dangerous! Thomas Wictor--total nutcase! Good riddens!!.

I don't have a twitter account. I don't "follow" anyone. But, I read twitter pages. Why?

That's where all the real-time information is. That's the source for all legacy media.

Thousands of "lesser" accounts have been banned. My favorite was @Polish_Patriot that posted the goings on in Europe. Banned.

Francisco D said...

steve uhr said...
Sure Ann - Convince yourself that you are part of the solution and have no moral responsibility for your decision to turn this blog into a forum for fomenting violence and even facilitating domestic terror.

Thanks for answering my earlier question about who decides what speech is dangerous. I get it.

Ann better watch out.

Readering said...

Not too much silence around here.

wendybar said...

Supermodel Emily Ratajkowski-"Anyone else feel like proper amount of capital police being absent/letting Trump people in/providing insane visuals of MAGA dudes on the floor of the house was wildly convenient to justifying big tech’s rollout of censorship?

This gives Facebook/tech/Zuck THE MOST POWER. If he can shut the president up/off he can shut any of us up/off

My concern is that this gives big tech the opportunity to shut down “leftist extremists” who are important political organizers.

Yeah but what if our gov became a fascist one and the only tactic was to storm the capitol? Our tools (the internet/social media) to organize are being taken away from us"

Lucky for her, she is on the left so she has NOTHING to worry about. The Fascists will be in the White House 1.20.21, and she voted for them.

Achilles said...

Readering said...

What does that even mean?

If you read the Slate article I linked it was Obama bragging about how good he was at killing people.

Obama was the definition of a narcissistic psychopath you idiot.

The rest of the point makes itself.

Or are you going to pretend to be that stupid?

Wince said...

Browndog said...
Don't put this all on liberals.

Clarification: there's an illiberal left, and illiberal right.

Leland said...

I just want to note that "the President for all Americans" likened Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz to Joseph Goebbels. This wasn't written by a troll on a blog or over-the-top reactionary in a comment section or Twitter. This was the incoming President elect calling sitting Senators' Nazis for even suggesting an investigation be conducted into claims of voter fraud.

tim maguire said...

One of the reasons I think this will burn itself out and am not too concerned long term is that liberals always over play their hand. See, for instance Steve Uhr in this thread already moving on from the extremists and going after the moderates. He can't even wait till he's finished the job he's currently doing. And that is why he will ultimately fail.

n.n said...

Liberalism is divergent.

Qwinn said...

The latest new "filter": If you quote Patrick Henry saying "Give me liberty or give me death", Twitter bans you.

How long did it take from banning Alex Jones to banning the Founding Fathers? Less than 3 years?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hunter Biden Emails Reveal Founder of Facebook’s DC Office BANNED Accounts At Biden’s Request As Family Made Millions From “Silicon Valley Dems”

Joe Biden- top fraudulent and corrupt fake president.

Readering said...

Give me liberty or give me death.

DEEBEE said...

The lack of vehemence against the incremental steps of censorship by you and others who have the “mega”-phone, despite expressed extreme neutrality, is what makes this happen. It sort of is the impotent template that Repubs mostly use and Dems usually ignore.

The mid-year riots were “welcomed” by Dems either by dissembling or worse. Repubs on Capitol riots “dissembled” by pointing to Dem hypocrisy but making sure they condemned the Capitol riots.

It’s the impotent template of reasonable-ness that loses every time

Readering said...

I'll get back to you on that.

Mikey NTH said...

"Because I said so!" is awfully attractive no matter how terribly it works in real life.

Mr Wibble said...

Insty linked to another blog making the point that the left managed to take a conservative movement that had started to distance themselves from Trump after Wednesday's rally, and drive them right back towards him.

Sebastian said...

"reassert the notion that filters have a place in political communication"

IOW, restore the prog monopoly and solidify prog hegemony.

"resentment of the establishment news media and determination to make its filters obsolete.... "

IOW, resentment at oppressive condescension. and prog propaganda, and a determination to regain freedom.

"Those who think they like this new censorship really need to step back and take the long view."

They really need to, don't they. Then again, this is progland. So, no.

"Why is depriving them of their Twitter connection a wholesome curative?"

Who said anything about wholesome? Who wants to cure anything? Progs are seizing the moment to crush the deplorables. The culture war is entering its scorched-earth phase. Get used to it, Althouse. And be ready: they despise you just as much.

Temujin said...

Citizens Free Press is gone.
Parler is struggling- dropped by Google, threatened by Apple. Where do they go?
Books by conservatives are not going to be published.
Conservative professors and hence, views, are no longer allowed at the university.
The President of the United States has been silenced, amid applause from half the country. One wonders if they realize they're only half the country.
Hundreds of conservative commenters shut out of Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube.
Walk-away Facebook page has been purged because you know you cannot show lefties leaving the plantation.
Reddit removes Trump supporter subreddit because...well...no Trump or conservatives allowed.
Important and necessary news is now being censored as a standard operating method and this- to the Left in our country- is just a fine thing.

How did this become a standard? Do the highly degreed people on the Left think th
is is a good start? Did not one of them ever take a history course in their life? Too many gender studies courses, perhaps?

What cannot stand will not stand. Those of you- half the country including our media/entertainment/social media/political class think this is acceptable? It is not and it will not result in a submissive population. Just the opposite. It is throwing a massive can of gasoline onto a burning bonfire. Americans are not genetically predisposed to being told what to do, what to say, or what to think. It's just not in our nature.

America will not end with the likes of Jack Dorsey as the final say. I'd rather a 7 year old with a mouth full of gum make those determinations. Our lives and our country are not the decision of Tim Cook, Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, or Sundar Pichai. We are not your pawns or servants. And we are not going away. Even if you dress up as Communists.

Leland said...

Supermodel Emily Ratajkowski-"Anyone else feel like proper amount of capital police being absent/letting Trump people in/providing insane visuals of MAGA dudes on the floor of the house was wildly convenient to justifying big tech’s rollout of censorship?

I wrote at Newneo the day after that I thought it was wrong to suggest the crowd was a false flag. Ashli Babbitt is clearly a Trump supporter and literally was leading others when she was about to cross a barrier and was shot. Now, a couple of days later, it all seems rather convenient.

I listened this morning to an account by Rep. Troy Nehls, who was one of the last to leave the House floor and was there when the shooting occurred. He didn't notice nor see the shooting, because he was at a door on the House floor. The shooting occurred near the Speaker's office. I'd sure like an investigation into who gave the order to the Capitol officer that that particular barrier could not be crossed and deadly force was authorized.

pacwest said...

Interesting reaction from Althouse. Not that censorship of free speech is bad in and of itself, but that it could have unintended consequences. Very telling.

mockturtle said...

Think about this: How convenient to have a Trump-'instigated' riot just when Congress was voting on the electoral vote certification. Since most GOP members were looking for some excuse for voting to certify and get rid of Trump once and for all it couldn't have come at a better time, yes?

n.n said...

Trump's Internet Failure

The Digital First Amendment Enforcement Act

Let us bray, or not.

chuck said...

Don't put this all on liberals.

Getting to 100% is hard, but betting against liberals will get you the house odds.

Bob Boyd said...

Dat muddafuggin Zukabug. He don't give a shit.

wildswan said...

They were going to do these things anyway. But they thought that this was the moment so they pushed up the agenda. But silencing should be silent. This was a very noisy, "you have no rights any more." Mistake.

Readering said...

Leland, was Emily wearing a top when she posted that? Before I google....

Yancey Ward said...

"Readering said...
Not too much silence around here."


Not yet, but it is coming. What will you say, Readering, when Google deplatforms Althouse?

n.n said...

who gave the order to the Capitol officer that that particular barrier could not be crossed and deadly force was authorized.

Not only authorized, but unavoidable. There are definite rules for self-defense. This wasn't an abortion clinic, where they decapitate first, then sequester your carbon remains.

Readering said...

Mockturtle, do the math. Most GOP members voted to sustain the objection after the rioting ended.

Readering said...

Whatever I say, I guess no one will hear me.

pacwest said...

Now, a couple of days later, it all seems rather convenient.

The DC mayor rejected offers to beef up security going into Jan 6. Seemed odd at the time.

steve uhr said...

"One of the reasons I think this will burn itself out and am not too concerned long term is that liberals always over play their hand. See, for instance Steve Uhr in this thread already moving on from the extremists and going after the moderates. He can't even wait till he's finished the job he's currently doing. And that is why he will ultimately fail."

Moderates like Quinn who is constantly and sincerely talking about hanging from a lamppost everyone who disagrees with him? He was at the riot on Wednesday, though he won't say whether he took part in the violence ... presumably because he did.

You don't think your "moderates" may have slightly overplayed their hand on Wednesday? You still haven't a clue how the movement was irreparably damaged.

n.n said...

Trump's Internet Failure
...
PS: Going to Parler? Guess where the idiots who set that up host it?

On the infrastructure owned by the biggest monopolist on the planet -- who also happens to be the biggest benefactor, by far, of all the bull**** lefty crap that has been run over the last two decades including the Covid shutdowns.

Yancey Ward said...

It is OK these days, Readering, to say, "She deserved it." Nothing wrong at all.

roesch/voltaire said...

I am all for free speech; I helped start alternative newspapers and underground publications, some of which faced harassment form the establishment, but in truth we were libel for what we published. Social media, which for the most part I like, has no accountability and that has become a problem never anticipated by its creators. It is interesting to note that one solution is to ban posters; I believe even Althouse has done this, as is her right, to at least one person who was stalking her and harassing her.

n.n said...

16 trimesters of NYT 1619 fake reporting, WaPo's tall tales of Russian collusion, Yahoo sneering, Google steering, CNN et al spreading social contagion. In retrospect, a dysfunctional progression was inevitable.

Freeman Hunt said...

I'm concerned with the more general banning and censorship on Facebook and Twitter. I think banning extremists from the major platforms is dangerous. People can't argue with them if they're forced off into some extremist media ghetto, and if they're all together with no one there to argue and all feeling persecuted for being cast out, they're much more likely to be radicalized. Plus, the is America, and you're allowed to believe and say ridiculous things.

daskol said...

Howard, no pungent comments about whiney macho-men today?

Friedrich Engels' Barber said...

Should we start setting up our Samizdat networks?

n.n said...

Did she pose an immediate risk to the officer or other people's lives (e.g. bashing their heads on the ground)? Was she high on an elicit drug and posed a risk to her own life? With a month to prepare, why wasn't Congress prepared for around half a million Americans assembled, and several hundred, perhaps, who may or may not be "Trump supporters", to enter the capital, apparently through an open door?

Rabel said...

A major purge of conservative voices in ongoing right now. The Trump Twitter ban is just the most obvious.

But you won't know if the Times and the Post and their ilk are your only sources of news.

DavidUW said...

They removed all doubt they’re a publisher.
Now can an enterprising lawyer sue them as such, obviating their forfeited “protection” under section 230?

Freeman Hunt said...

For example, Facebook deleted some nutty anti-vaccine videos. That made the videos spread like wildfire through private messaging apps, but then with the imprimatur of "Look at what they're trying to hide from us!"

Chris Lopes said...

"Cry me a river for Donald J Trump."

Ann isn't talking about Trump specifically. His presidency effectively ended on Wednesday. She's talking about the idea of tech lords using their power to suppress ideas they don't like and whether that's healthy for a liberal democracy.

The anger that caused Trump will live on when he goes back to chasing eastern european super models. That anger needs a healthy outlet. The attempt to make it all go away is just asking for trouble.

n.n said...

they're much more likely to be radicalized. Plus, the is America, and you're allowed to believe and say ridiculous things.

Yes, the Fourth Estate bubble, the Ivory Towers rarefied air, the congressional isolation from the represented, and the single/central/monopolist solutions with progressive prices, progressive liberties, etc.

Readering said...

Next thing you know there will be 6MWE tee shirts everywhere.

mandrewa said...

"One of the reasons I think this will burn itself out and am not too concerned long term is that liberals always over play their hand. See, for instance Steve Uhr in this thread already moving on from the extremists and going after the moderates. He can't even wait till he's finished the job he's currently doing. And that is why he will ultimately fail."

But if that is true, why does China exist? Didn't they "over play their hand" a long time ago?

And even more so, how did Nazi Germany happen? Didn't they overplay their hand? Did they self-correct?

We don't know how to change China however much we want to. And Nazi Germany was transformed by us only at an enormous cost of lives and wealth and we never would have done it if they hadn't attacked us.

And again it was only because we were not them, that our victory mattered, and we were able to change things for the better.

I just don't see this natural self-correction that so many people believe in. I think the only reason that the United States has ever been a force for good in the world is that we have never been dominated by the left in the sense that we are being dominated by it now.

Temujin said...

It's funny, I've been saying the Left is turning into the Red Guard for a few years now. But it still happened so quickly over the past four years. This is what they've become. Red Guard destroying their citizens Not sure this will play well in America.

Readering said...

And now Josh Hawley is trying to silence someone from using the word Nazi.

n.n said...

Facebook deleted some nutty anti-vaccine videos

The problem is that vaccines are framed as magical elixirs with implied performance, without side-effects including progressive viability. There is a reason why they are part of a risk management protocol. People should have informed consent. In the case of Covid-19, there are alternative, inexpensive, lower risk, effective treatments to mitigate disease progression and normalize community immunity. Wear a mask, flip a coin, if you want to. The cargo cult science is there, it is intuitive.

Qwinn said...

I already said, on the 6th, that I never entered the Capitol, Steve, you lying sack. I was just in front of it as it was all going down though. I was in position to counter Inga's blatant lies that an American flag was replaced with a Trump flag - complete slander. The March brought tens of thousands of American flags to the Capitol, including a gigantic one that completely covered an entire set of bleachers.

And since I know you've been insinuating I'm some sort of coward *unless* I went in, I had family with me that I was not going to leave.

But your tactic is noted: I'm a terrorist if I went in, and a coward if I didn't.

If that isn't incitement to violence, what would be?

n.n said...

A major purge of conservative voices in ongoing right now.

A major purge of the conservative center. The libertarian right. While the left-right nexus is leftist progresses.

pacwest said...

And now Josh Hawley is trying to silence someone from using the word Nazi.

And now Readering is trying to silence anyone who objects to being called a Nazi. Contrary to what you believe they won't eat you last.

tcrosse said...

Are mimeograph machines still available?

loudogblog said...

The problem I have with the Twitter ban on Trump is that when they suspended his account for 12 hours, they implied that they would reinstate it if he behaved himself. Which I think he did. If they were so afraid of him Tweeting something that might incite violence, they could have assigned people to constantly monitor his Twitter uploads and delete anything that they felt was dangerous. Instead they pre-emptively deactivated his account because they were afraid of something that he might do rather than something that he did do. Also, even if you don't agree with what Trump Tweets, or find it offensive, it is still news worthy and of value to history because he is the President.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Welp, I deleted my Twitter account moments ago. It was no great sacrifice-- I hardly ever used it. It always seemed like a dumb idea to me anyway, celebrities announcing what they had for breakfast, etc.

Facebook is going to be harder to quit. Lots of communication with family and friends that at the moment still seems indispensable. I'm not sure it works for me to protest the silencing of my allies by silencing myself, but fills me with disgust to log in and tacitly approve the Orwellian actions of Zuckerberg and his little Nazis.

Legally, if not ethically, the platforms are free to exclude/include whom they wish, but it is terrifying beyond expression that they are now effectively stifling any other platform that doesn't kowtow to their Stalinist view of public speech. Something's gotta give, folks, and I hope it doesn't end in shooting. I believe it will, however.

Lurker21 said...

From the Babylon Bee:

Trump Sneaks Back On Twitter By Disguising Self As PR Rep For Chinese Communist Party
January 8th, 2021

Chongald Xrump
@Chongald Xrump ✔
PR person for glorious China country. Communism very good! Trump bad!


But there's also this:

After Being Kicked Off Social Media, Trump Forced To Go Door To Door And Shout 'RIGGED ELECTION!'
January 9th, 2021


And there's this:

Antifa Accuses Trump Supporters Of Cultural Appropriation
January 9, 2020
U.S.—Antifa leaders are condemning the storming of the Capitol in D.C. as an egregious act of cultural appropriation. Antifa representatives report being "hurt deeply" by this insensitive display.

"My culture is not your protest!" said Portland Antifa organizer Vantrixie Dirpot in a New York Times column. "Antifa has a proud cultural heritage of surrounding government buildings, businesses, and homes while the occupants hide in terror. We're pros at this. We burned down D.C. last year because, you know, fascism. These posers have stolen our cultural heritage for their own purposes!"

Qwinn said...

Again, note Steve's tactic, which he has been trying to get me to respond to for days: If I didn't enter the Capitol, I'm a coward.

Deliberate, explicit goading to participate in violence. Could not possibly be more direct or explicit.

mandrewa said...

"I'm concerned with the more general banning and censorship on Facebook and Twitter. I think banning extremists from the major platforms is dangerous."

Careful with that word extremists. You know our modern Nazis define extreme as anyone that is not a Nazi.

It's not really the extremists that are being banned. It's the Americans.

For instance, WalkAway has just today been banned on Facebook. I don't know if you've ever seen a WalkAway testimony but if you have, you know there is nothing extreme about this. It's basically former Democrats explaining why they've left the Democratic Party.

It is still on YouTube. See WalkAway Campaign

There are 518 videos. Some of it is powerful stuff.

Lurker21 said...

Hawley objects to Biden and others calling him a Nazi or implying that he is a Nazi. He can't stop them from doing so. And I don't think he's actually trying to prevent anyone from doing so. He can't "de-platform" Biden. Facebook and Twitter have "de-platformed" Trump. That's not the same thing as just objecting to name calling.

Inga said...

“I was in position to counter Inga's blatant lies that an American flag was replaced with a Trump flag - complete slander.”

Trumpists removing American flag, replacing it with Trump flag

Freeman Hunt said...

Facebook deleted some nutty anti-vaccine videos

"The problem is that vaccines are framed as magical elixirs with implied performance..."


No, no. I meant *nutty* anti-vaccine videos. Someone sent me a video with a woman saying that the vaccines would contain microchips that would allow people to be controlled like automatons via 5G.

Francisco D said...

Tyrone Slothrop said... Facebook is going to be harder to quit. Lots of communication with family and friends that at the moment still seems indispensable. I'm not sure it works for me to protest the silencing of my allies by silencing myself, but fills me with disgust to log in and tacitly approve the Orwellian actions of Zuckerberg and his little Nazis.

I have never had a Facebook or Twitter account, but I stay in touch with relatives the new old fashioned way - phone calls, emails and texts. In the old old fashioned way we had letters and phone calls charged at high rates.

Think of Twitter and Facebook as drug dealers trying to get you hooked before they lower the boom.

mockturtle said...

Readering says: Mockturtle, do the math. Most GOP members voted to sustain the objection after the rioting ended.

Lawmakers in the House voted 282-138 early Thursday against Republican objections to Pennsylvania’s electoral vote for Biden. The Senate shut down the same objection 92-7 at about 12:30 a.m.

The House similarly rejected an earlier challenge to Arizona’s Electoral College results 303-121. The Senate did the same on a 93-6 vote.

Readering said...

Had never heard of Walkaway. Just looked and the first video headline is about walking away from the "Democrat" Party. Really? I think the Dilbert guy would have something to say about that under the category of persuasion.

Readering said...

Mockturtle, you realize those numbers include Democratic House members, right?

Readering said...

Or maybe you are having trouble with the words objection and sustain?

Michael K said...

I have never had a Facebook or Twitter account, but I stay in touch with relatives the new old fashioned way - phone calls, emails and texts. In the old old fashioned way we had letters and phone calls charged at high rates.

The principle reason for Facebook is baby photos. MeWe is an alternative, at least until the left gets it shut down.

Clayton Hennesey said...

https://www.aleksandreia.com/2021/01/09/capitol-stormers-of-the-left/

https://www.aleksandreia.com/2021/01/09/big-tech-and-its-vulnerabilities/

Inga said...

Here’s a slightly longer version

Ken B said...

Have you ever asked “Who would Big Mike be if he were a liberal?”
He would be Steve Uhr.

Clyde said...

Niemöller 2021
First they came for Trump, and I said nothing because I didn’t like him.
Then they came for the right-wingers, and I said nothing because I didn’t like them.
Then they came for the mainstream Republicans and I said nothing because I didn’t like them.
Then they came for the libertarians and I said nothing because I didn’t like them.
And then they came for me, and there was nobody left to speak for me.
What does a ‘tenner” mean, comrade?

(Reposted since most of you probably didn’t see it at the tail end of last night’s cafe post.)

Qwinn said...

Anyone notice how neither of Inga's videos establish that the American flag in question was there before the protesters got there? People had brought tens of thousands of flags, both Trump and American flags. Everyone had them. They were set up all over the place. Why would an *official* American flag have been set up on a bit of rickety scaffolding? It's very obvious to me that that flag belonged to them, they had brought it, and the drop below was to people below to set up that flag somewhere else.

n.n said...

WalkAway has just today been banned on Facebook... . It's basically former Democrats explaining why they've left the Democratic Party.

Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
"Relax," said the night man
"We are programmed to receive
You can check-out any time you like
But you can never leave!"

- Hotel California

Skeptical Voter said...

Temujin is correct; We are heading off into Red Guard territory with this rampant Cancel Culture nonsense.

The Russkies had Samizdat and that may not be far away here in the USA.

DarigoldVanilla said...

It might save a few lives, as no more putschs can be directed but I feel you.
Where will millions of MAGAts find their direction. How will they know who wronged them? Know what politician is to chased through an airport. How will they know which conspiracy theory to focus on?
Look what happened to the Manson family when they locked up Charlie.

walter said...

"Democracy dies in darkness"

Original Mike said...

"For instance, WalkAway has just today been banned on Facebook. I don't know if you've ever seen a WalkAway testimony but if you have, you know there is nothing extreme about this. It's basically former Democrats explaining why they've left the Democratic Party."

I found it hard to believe when I first heard this. It speaks volumes for what's really going on. It's shocking how much they no longer care about the optics.

Bob Smith said...

If the lefties were capable of long term thinking they wouldn’t be lefties.

walter said...

Blogger Readering said...
And now Josh Hawley is trying to silence someone from using the word Nazi.
1/9/21, 10:56 AM
--
Thread winner..

MayBee said...

Shopify has now banned Trump and trump related merchandise stores

mandrewa said...

Reading the comments of our resident lefties I'm reminded of the book, The Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt, whose thesis was that Adolf Eichmann was "an extremely average and mundane person who relied on clichéd defenses rather than thinking for himself" (paraphrased quote from Wikipedia).

Anyway they don't seem to be disturbed by any of this. I would think at some point they would think, "Stop, this is to far," and object to what the people of their faith are doing.

I keep waiting for that to happen. But I'm a fool, it will never happen. For I really don't get the left wing mind.

steve uhr said...

Quinn -

I'm sorry that your family prevented you from entering the capitol or otherwise engage in violent activity. I question your judgment in dragging them to what you knew would likely be a dangerous event. Perhaps you did it to provide an excuse if you were ever accused of being a coward. I don't claim to know how your mind works.

I assume you know the names of some people who did break the law on Wednesday. The FBI has a tip line for such information. 1-800-225-5324. You should do your civic duty and give them a call.

steve uhr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Readering said...

This is to far.

And Steve this is too many.

mockturtle said...

Mockturtle, you realize those numbers include Democratic House members, right?

Of course. Out of the Senate, only 6-7 GOP members stuck with Trump. Sad.

Readering said...

But you figured that out first!

DarigoldVanilla said...

Good luck with that.
We keep waiting for MAGAts to wake up and realize how they have utterly used and exploited by a carnival barker, who pretends to love America, while he sucks it dry. He is the embodiment of the swamp, bit someone he’s tricked lot of you rubes into sucking up his bullshit.

pacwest said...

I enjoy the new influx of leftists on the blog. Hopefully they stay past this initial we won you lost na na na phase, into the actual policy discussons, when Orange Man Bad won't be a valid argument anymore. It's going to be tough to defend Harris/Biden. If you don't believe that just listen to your 'elected' leader. "We're in for a dark winter."

Readering said...

Yeah, I thought we were only discussing House. Working from memory it was a little higher total in Senate because of single state objectors. The House number was truly astounding. (Or gratifying, depending on perspective.)

Readering said...

But Orange Man Bad will always be fun to say in many situations.

pacwest said...

As far as the twitter and facebook bans go they are smart decisions from a pure business standpoint. You're losing half of the American market in exchange for a market four times it's size in China. Stupid to do otherwise. And they can most likely crush any competition under a Dem administration. $

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Readering said...
But Orange Man Bad will always be fun to say in many situations.


Give it ten years or so. Inevitably Democrats will resurrect Trump as they did Reagan, once the object of insult, now revered. Liberals' memories are very short.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

Andrew Torba welcomes you to Gab

I'm Full of Soup said...

If it has not been said already, it seems the media filters have gotten stronger not weaker. The embargo of Hunter Biden news is proof.

Browndog said...

pacwest said...

As far as the twitter and facebook bans go they are smart decisions from a pure business standpoint. You're losing half of the American market in exchange for a market four times it's size in China. Stupid to do otherwise


Not sure not knowing Twitter is banned in China is stupid or not.

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
walter said...

Will Chamberlain
@willchamberlain
·
15h
Apple is demanding that Parler be held responsible for the content posted by its users OR it will take it off iOS

So basically Apple is demanding that Parler waive its section 230 protections while lobbying to maintain its own 230 privileges

FullMoon said...

I like to think that a president who is a lawyer would be more careful with his language, but then we get Lin Wood.

Commenters Steve Uhr,Chuck and Readering are lawyers.
Steve a laughinstock among peers , known as Mr.Happy Hour due to frivoulous class action

Chuck, in comments, has threatened women and children. Affectioately called "titty twister" for his fantasies regarding former Fox newswoman Greta Van Sustern.

Readering Federal Government employee for decades. Minimally imaginative but tries hard.

Chuck is most fun of the trio, as he is likely to lose control while drinking and respond to teasing from regulars with childish retorts, as well as appeals to Althouse, (a mother figure )

effinayright said...

I'm wondering if Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple et al are engaging in group boycotting, illegal under the Sherman Anti-trust Act.

Anyone know if that could be a possible way to strike back?

Private parties can sue under the act, as long as they can prove economic damages.

Inga said...

“The Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt, whose thesis was that Adolf Eichmann was "an extremely average and mundane person who relied on clichéd defenses rather than thinking for himself".

“Stop the Steal”, who invited his supporters to repeat this endlessly and internalize it?

pacwest said...

@Browndog

Stupid.

narciso said...

There isnt any doubt the elections were stilen, in order to impose widespread suppression of economic and political liberty,

Jane mayer is the trash you cant properly flush, because of the sewage spill.

steve uhr said...

I’ve never brought a frivolous lawsuit. Pretty disgusting that you post anonymously and then google and slander those who don’t conceal their identity.

As for the group boycotting question, possible claim if you can show an agreement. The mere fact they all took similar action around the same time isn’t enough. It was prob in each firm’s independent business interest to cut ties with Trump.

Original Mike said...

"Steve a laughinstock among peers , known as Mr.Happy Hour due to frivoulous class action"

And a former federal prosecutor. Wrap your head around that.

effinayright said...

MayBee said...
I want to add, because I haven't said it yet, that my heart breaks for Brian Sicknick and his family. He didn't deserve to be killed in all of this. I hope the people who did this to him are brought to justice.
**************

Does anyone have the FACTS about his death? He is said only to have died "from injuries", at home and well after leaving the Capitol. I've heard that he was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, but if so, wouldn't he at least be "under observation" at a hospital?

I've also read that he died of a stroke.

Has anyone seen an official account of what happened?

Qwinn said...

The election was stolen. It is easily proven a dozen times over. Anyone who denies it, who claims "no evidence" at this point is rima facia complicit and guilty of treason.

Original Mike said...

"So basically Apple is demanding that Parler waive its section 230 protections while lobbying to maintain its own 230 privileges"

Since they now control everything, they are under no risk from the inconsistency.

Qwinn said...

When Bill Clinton purged literally every single Republican AG from the DOJ on his first day in office, Steve's position in it was entirely secure. He actually seems to think that proves something positive for his side.

DarigoldVanilla said...

The election wasn’t stolen. It is easily proven a dozen times over. Anyone who denies it, who claims it was, has "no evidence" and at this point is rima facia complicit and guilty of treason.

Fixed this for you, little buddy.

Leland said...

Had never heard of Walkaway. Just looked and the first video headline is about walking away from the "Democrat" Party. Really?

I'm sorry your worldview was shattered with the realization that people talk about walking away from the Democrat Party. Good thing Facebook is protecting you from such violent speech. Now you'll never have to hear from them again.

Qwinn said...

We don't even need to prove the theft, Darigold. Between the completely open and illegal dismantling of ALL voter integrity measures by judges and governors, and the withholdings destruction of all requested data that could validate the vote, the doctrine of spoilation is obviously applicable. When you withhold or destroy evidence, it is presumed to be incriminating and the destroyer assumes the burden of proof that they did not commit the crime.

I've asked half a dozen times now for lefties here to explain why the doctrine of spoilation does not apply to them. Not one reply yet.

Howard said...

Twitter not fascist, just foolish.

Joe Smith said...

Went to read Scott Adams on Twitter (in a browser...I don't have an account) and it showed that #TwittersNextBan is trending.

Curious, I went to look. Hundreds of people posting their suggestions of who should be banned next.

All of the targets are conservative in some form, mostly media or political types.

They are gleeful about it, and I am certain every one of them would vehemently deny being a fascist of any kind.

Just fucking wow. I'm guessing Amazon will be having a flash sale on brown shirts any minute now.

Also in the sidebar is news about the capital 'riot' that has been stuck there for two days now.

I told you they are going to milk this motherfucker.

FullMoon said...

Marjorie Taylor Greene
Flag of United States
@mtgreenee
·
1h
It happened to Laura Loomer first, a Jewish American Republican woman.

After Twitter, she was banned by:

Facebook
Instagram
Paypal
Venmo
GoFundMe
Cash app
Periscope
Medium
Uber
Uber eats
Lyft
Chase bank online banking
Teespring

Is this the plan to silence us?

Qwinn said...

That said, we HAVE proven the theft a dozen times over. Even down to video of leftists running the same stack of ballots through the machines multiple times, and Dominion error logs showing 80%+ error rates when the maximum error rate allowed by the FEC is 0.008%, and every one of those errors was "adjudicated" by a leftist with no Republican observers present, and a Dominion machine accepting 50 Trump ballots and 50 Biden ballots and returning a 16% lead for Biden (repeatedly), and a thousand witness affidavits to other fraud, and even those things Re just a fraction of the evidence,

There has been no debunking of any of this. Not one. There is no argument, just contradiction. The Left has consolidated now, though, and provides Argument and Abuse in the same office.

Balfegor said...

If they really want to clamp down on dissent from their preferred narratives, they're eventually going to have to crack down on peer to peer communication as well. China is already a leader in this space, but the technologies they've developed could probably be deployed easily over any free messaging service, e.g. Whatsapp (Facebook), Instagram (also Facebook), Douyin/Tikdok (Bytedance), Gmail (Google), etc. They're all free services too, so they could strip away privacy with a change in terms of service and a mandatory update. If Google and Apple have indeed coordinated to suppress Parler on the grounds that they aren't engaging in active moderation/censorship of user discussions, then you could also envision that opening p2p communications to this sort of "moderation" could become a requirement for inclusion on the appstores.

Qwinn said...

They have even banned Trump from emailing his supporters now.

I think the move to impeach Trump is to take his Presidential Emergency Broadcast away from him. Then the silencing will be complete.

If that fails, watch for an update coming to your phone soon that will turn the PEB off.

DarigoldVanilla said...

What a sad little bubble of Qanon crazy you live in, my friend.
If any of the drivel you’ve just held up as “evidence”, was worth even one kernel of shit, then one of the 50 judges who reviewed the cases wouldn’t have laughed it out of court.
Why aren’t we claiming fraud in any of the races Republicans won?
Time to own up to the fact that you belong to a cult. I understand the rage that simmers in you. It’s hard to admit you’ve been had by a 2
-bit charlatan. So keep doubling down on the insanity.
Peace.

Balfegor said...

Re: Qwinn:

When Bill Clinton purged literally every single Republican AG from the DOJ on his first day in office,

I assume by AG you mean US Attorney. But that's . . totally appropriate. DOJ is an executive branch, exercising power delegated by the President, not an independent institution. President is 100% entitled to put his people in charge. That's critical to the democratic legitimacy of DOJ's law enforcement function -- that they ultimately be answerable to a democratically elected official -- because there's basically no mechanism by which they can be held accountable by the public otherwise.

FullMoon said...

steve uhr said...

I’ve never brought a frivolous lawsuit. Pretty disgusting that you post anonymously and then google and slander those who don’t conceal their identity.


That's your opinion, and you are entitled to it. At least you are honest enough to not deny being a laughingstock among peers.

As I have said before, I admire people with courage to post their true identities, being unconcerned about the mob contacting your employer or harassing your family. Probably easy to find "Steve Uhr, Attorney" . You got more balls than fellow travelers Readering and Chuck.

Qwinn said...

"then one of the 50 judges who reviewed the cases wouldn’t have laughed it out of court."

Here's two just in Pennsylvania, with the appeals judge saying Trump was likely to win on the merits, gaslighting asshole

Fernandinande said...

They have even banned Trump from emailing his supporters now.

Yeah, "Campaign Monitor" being the culprit.

Trump should hire a couple of people to create and run his own email server and website.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

wholelottasplainin' said...

Does anyone have the FACTS about his death? He is said only to have died "from injuries", at home and well after leaving the Capitol. I've heard that he was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, but if so, wouldn't he at least be "under observation" at a hospital?

I've also read that he died of a stroke.

Has anyone seen an official account of what happened?


Hit with a fire extinguisher, apparently went into cardiac arrest and was revived using CPR, then taken to a hospital. He died died early Thursday morning, although he was apparently in good enough shape Wednesday to text his family.

Qwinn said...

I assume by AG you mean US Attorney. But that's . . totally appropriate. DOJ is an executive branch, exercising power delegated by the President, not an independent institution. President is 100% entitled to put his people in charge. That's critical to the democratic legitimacy of DOJ's law enforcement function -- that they ultimately be answerable to a democratically elected official -- because there's basically no mechanism by which they can be held accountable by the public otherwise.

Sure, that's all true.

So explain the two year long "scandal", front page headlines nearly every single day, when Bush tried to fire seven lawyers in the DOJ.

On December 7, 2006, the George W. Bush Administration's Department of Justice ordered the unprecedented[1] midterm dismissal of seven United States attorneys. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage. Allegations were that some of the attorneys were targeted for dismissal to impede investigations of Republican politicians or that some were targeted for their failure to initiate investigations that would damage Democratic politicians or hamper Democratic-leaning voters.[2][3] The U.S. attorneys were replaced with interim appointees, under provisions in the 2005 USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization.[4][5][6][7][8]

A subsequent report by the Justice Department Inspector General in October 2008 found that the process used to fire the first seven attorneys and two others dismissed around the same time was "arbitrary", "fundamentally flawed" and "raised doubts about the integrity of Department prosecution decisions".[9] In July 2010, the Department of Justice prosecutors closed the two-year investigation without filing charges after determining that the firing was inappropriately political, but not criminal, saying "Evidence did not demonstrate that any prosecutable criminal offense was committed with regard to the removal of David Iglesias. The investigative team also determined that the evidence did not warrant expanding the scope of the investigation beyond the removal of Iglesias."[10]


Do you know the reason he wanted to fire them? What they mean by "their failure to initiate investigations that would damage Democratic politicians or hamper Democratic-leaning voters."?

They refused to prosecute voter fraud.

effinayright said...

DarigoldVanilla said...
What a sad little bubble of Qanon crazy you live in, my friend.
If any of the drivel you’ve just held up as “evidence”, was worth even one kernel of shit, then one of the 50 judges who reviewed the cases wouldn’t have laughed it out of court.
**********

Yet another idiot who thinks any of the judges reviewed any of the evidence.

What a low-info buffoon.

mockturtle said...

After four years of trying everything except assassination to take down our elected President, our opponents now have the audacity to call us insurrectionists. Has any political group ever had more unmitigated gall? Ever in history? Honestly, I'm going to spend the next few months studying the French Resistance.

Original Mike said...

Blogger DarigoldVanilla said..."If any of the drivel you’ve just held up as “evidence”, was worth even one kernel of shit, then one of the 50 judges who reviewed the cases wouldn’t have laughed it out of court."

Please feel free to post on any cases which actually examined evidence as opposed to issues of standing, laches, etc. I'm willing to be educated.

mockturtle said...

But if we are indeed faced with a Red Guard-type situation, we'll be headed into re-education camps and implanted with microchips. If this sounds fantastic to you, you're not paying attention to either the political or the technological forecasts.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Qwinn said...

They have even banned Trump from emailing his supporters now.

Who has banned Trump from emailing supporters?

BUMBLE BEE said...

Mockturtle... Funny you should mention.Two years ago my financial man said that it would "do the democrats well" to study the French Revolution.

Qwinn said...

BTW, for the record, I don't think Bush actually wanted them fired. I think he wanted to establish the precedent where future Presidents (Republicans only to be held to it, of course) would not be permitted to fire lawyers in the DOJ. He could have made the same argument you did about executive control of the DOJ, but he purposefully failed. Bush was always part of the Swamp.

Howard said...

Mockturtle has transcended to embody a Trumper parody archetype. They don't need no stinkin microchip, girlfriend. You already volunteered to purchase and carry and utilize your own personal tracking and reeducation smart devise.

Qwinn said...

"Who has banned Trump from emailing supporters?"

Trump Campaign Banned From EMAILING Supporters After Being Suspended By Mail Service Provider

BUMBLE BEE said...

Trolls by definition do not substantiate their claims. It is to Althouse's credit that she has been assigned so many more trolls. She's worrying somebody. Any one smelling bacon?

Browndog said...

Has anyone seen an official account of what happened?

Hit with a fire extinguisher


That report has been retracted as not accurate. Nothing forth coming, from what I've seen, as to the nature of his initial injury.

Browndog said...

It happened to Laura Loomer first, a Jewish American Republican woman.

After Twitter, she was banned by:


Alex Jones was first. Not sure if Loomer beat out Milo for 2nd.

wendybar said...

I joined twitter years ago and I NEVER tweeted a word. Today I went there to see what was going on, and I was suspended. Why?? Because I voted for Trump?? Because I go there to see what people are tweeting?? No reason. No problem...I am getting rid of all the Fascistic pages.

DavidUW said...

Is this the plan to silence us?
>>
Yes.

mockturtle said...

Howard, if you think microchips are only for tracking, you're way behind the curve. Ever hear of nanobots?

Bob Boyd said...

What's the real reason for silencing Trump? Trump must know a lot of stuff they don't want him to blurt out. Or they believe he does. They probably assume he collected dirt on people because that's what they do. Maybe he did. And now he's pissed. Really pissed.

Oh shit. I just had a terrible thought. If they can make the threat of impeachment or removal seem real, they can claim humiliation drove him to it.

Next week's internet meme: Trump didn't kill himself!

I love a good conspiracy theory. You can't always just wait for one to come along. Sometimes you have to create your own. Nobody mistake this for anything else.

Original Mike said...

Blogger wendybar said..."I joined twitter years ago and I NEVER tweeted a word. Today I went there to see what was going on, and I was suspended. Why??"

My question is 'How??' do they know?

My surprise lever is wearing out.

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