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Aside from asserting they are a publisher and not a platform, what other steps can we take?
The metaphor of the frog in the pan of water is more than appropriate here. This week the burner was turned on high but not many noticed outside those who have been concerned about these developments. What began in earnest over a year ago with a multilevel attack on the right of self-defence has opened up to attempts by Socialist-Left in the suppression of free-speech. All of this from people who still like to pretend that they are ‘Liberal’. The question now is to develop plans to meet this threat on a number of different levels.
We are to be taken care of and controlled
There was a very prescient scene in an episode the original Star Trek series entitled ‘I, Mudd’. The crew had been kidnapped to a planet of androids. At a very dramatic point in the plot, the leader of the androids states that they will control humans by serving them.
SPOCK: I’m curious, Norman. Just how do you intend to stop them?
NORMAN: We shall serve them. Their kind will be eager to accept our service. Soon they will become completely dependent upon us.
ALICE 99: Their aggressive and acquisitive instincts will be under our control.
…
KIRK: The whole galaxy controlled by your kind?
NORMAN: Yes, Captain. And we shall serve them and you will be happy, and controlled.
[Our emphasis]
In essence, this is what the tech giants have brought us to. They have made social media ubiquitous to the point that everyone walks around staring at their telephones or gets their news from Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube. They have ‘served’ us to keep us under control.
It had to have been more than a coincidence that this threat from Socialist-Left became clear on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. That was a situation that clearly pitted Good Versus Pure Evil as Josh Hammer termed it over on the Daily Wire.
Some may say that was overly hyperbolic, but consider the threat we face. Google can alter it’s search results to favour the Socialist-Left by a few points. Facebook and Twitter can arbitrarily decide that the expression of the support of Liberty is somehow ‘racist’ or oppresses ‘marginalized communities’ and ban Conservatives for their Pro-Liberty viewpoint. YouTube can ban these expressions because they have harmed the broader community or whatever vague boilerplate they happened to be using at the time.
The Totalitarian Ten Percent
The Hidden tribes study highlighted the face that it’s really only a small portion of the population that verges into the insanity of the Far-Left. That study showed that those of that mentality comprise only 8% of the country. It was also indicated that only a small percentage have concerns over ‘Political correctness’ a figure that is trending downward.
These are the folks of the Far-Left imbued with the tyrannical ideals of collectivism. Granted they are only around 8%, we rounded up for the sake of alliteration. They are a small but extremely vocal minority that their incessant chatter and bleating drowning out the expressions of others of the rational majority. The fact is, most people have work to do or other things than to worry about than whether Steven Crowder insulted certain groups of socialists that worship the image of a mass murderer.
These are the folks with the media megaphone that try to tell the rest of the country what they should be concerned about on a daily basis, such as: Packing the Supreme Court, Abolishing the electoral college, Reparations and of course Late term abortion. Never mind that the rational majority has more important priorities such as limiting and already over-bloated government or merely getting through the day.
This has always been the case with the Socialist-Left. The self styled ‘Bolsheviks’ [Translated as ‘One of the Majority’] were a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party that labels their opponents as the ‘Mensheviks’ [Translated as ‘Those of the Minority’]. The nation’s Socialist-Left has a mindset that they are the moral and intellectual elite because they tell themselves they are the moral and intellectual elite. AOC excused being factually wrong in asserting something about being morally correct. They don’t have to care if they have to use deception or morally questionable tactics since they are trying to save the planet or something.
First, they came for the gun owners
We’ve talked about this before, but it should be pointed out that this is really phase two in the Left’s assault on Liberty. Recall that it was a little more than a year ago that the liberty grabber Left dropped finally drop kicked the mask into the next century, beginning a full on assault against the basic human right of self-preservation.
One finds it hard to believe this was a spontaneous movement inspired by a particular tragedy. These have taken place over the years without a similar result. The fact that it occurred at the same time that the Left also finally admitting the obvious truth of being socialists [Check the OED definition of Left] wasn’t a coincidence.
The fact is the collectivist faith of socialism requires the government to have a monopoly on the use of force. It also requires a monopoly on speech, which brings us to the main part of the discussion.
What are our options in dealing with Leftist censorship of social media?
What do we do with a situation where a small minority controls the technology and their media echo chamber that asserts they are somehow the majority and even if they aren’t their ‘political correctness’ imbues them with the ‘right’ to rule over everyone else?
Their media echo chamber is rapidly shrinking with alternative voices and sources such as this site replacing their propaganda machinery. They cannot abide this loss of control, one of the last lifelines in holding onto their last vestiges of power. Their last strongholds are corporate entities steeped in the Kool-Aid of collectivism. It is at this point it time that we all must consider our options in meeting this threat.
A multi-level response
First, let’s take a page from the enemies of Liberty on the Left in how they went after the right of self-defence in phase I of their assault on freedom. In going after a fundamental human and civil right, they took at multi pronged approach: Demonetising the NRA a top defender of Liberty whilst also attacking our rights on a Federal, state and local level. This means meeting this threat to Liberty from the Left in the same manner.
The Local level means transitioning over to other media sources as well as alternatives to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google. These are a few examples:
Minds instead of Facebook
Parler instead of Twitter
Bit Chut or Full30 instead of YouTube.
Duck Duck Go or Start page instead of google
It means we need to start organizing, such as joining the American Conservative Movement.
Options on the Federal level: Platform or Publisher?
This is the primary question in this whole situation, for reference, this is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: 47 U.S. Code § 230. Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material
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Provides for the protection of platforms as opposed to publishers:
(c) Protection for “Good Samaritan” blocking and screening of offensive material
(1) Treatment of publisher or speaker
No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.
The corporate behemoths are taking advantage of the situation in that they want to be treated as ‘platforms’ while the acting as publishers. A decision has to be made, if they are merely platforms, they aren’t supposed to be censoring content no matter what kind of vague guidelines they create.
If they are publishers, legal actions can be taken against them. Clearly the situation in which they enjoy the best of both worlds has to stop.
Antitrust actions or breaking them up
While the Libertarian mindset chafes at this kind of option, there is something about monopolistic practices that are equally abhorrent. This type of option may be needed if the Platform or Publisher question is not resolved or doesn’t result in an optimal outcome.
Monopolies tend to discourage innovation and competition, something one has to consider in contemplating this course of action.
Finally, We do not want to have the government ‘regulate’ them
Most likely the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu never felt that he had to write down obvious truths of war such as not shooting yourself with Bow or doing what the enemy wants you to do. However, we are at a point where there are those who want to do this. The social media behemoths claim they want to be regulated, why is this the case?
Why are the corporate behemoths are clamouring to be regulated? As many have stated, this should be easy to understand since they have a number of reasons for this. One, most likely they would be in on writing the regulations to their advantage. Two, they would have the means to deal with the red tape and regulatory burden while upstart concerns would not, yielding them with a continued monopoly for years to come.
No, we don’t want the wolf regulating the hen-house and we don’t Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google regulating themselves and everyone else.
Make no mistake, these are difficult options
All of this brushes up against one’s libertarian sensibilities, but the publisher or platform question needs to be clarified. There is the question of monopolies not being healthy for Liberty and of course regulation of these behemoths should be off the table.
Consider one more point in all of this. These private entities are using ostensibly public infrastructure, created with taxpayers’ dollars. As well as all of this being akin to a public square of sorts, albeit with a private overlay. In essence, these entities brought this on themselves, pushing out competitors while enjoying special privileges in the Law. If the Platform or Publisher legal question isn’t resolved other considerations will have to be made.
The Takeaway
It has been said that the founding documents aren’t a suicide pact. Letting these essentially corporate monopolies run roughshod over our Liberty will mean an end to freedom. That dreadful result is not desirous of the Conservative or Libertarian mindset, no matter how principled the path leading up to it.
These are just some ideas and opinions on what we can do moving forward. It was not meant to be all-inclusive, rather is meant to ‘start a conversation’ on the Left’s incessant attacks on Liberty. These items may not be all we can do, but we must do something. It’s not hyperbole to say our freedom depends on it.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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