We have have been discussing how writers, editors, commentators, and academics have embraced rising calls for censorship and speech controls, including President-elect Joe Biden and his key advisers. The erosion of free speech has been radically accelerated by the Big Tech and social media companies. The level of censorship and viewpoint regulation has raised questions of a new type of state media where companies advance an ideological agenda with political allies. The state media criticism was never more compelling than in the announcement of YouTube this week that it would now remove videos that question the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The election is over but YouTube will now scrub away any dissenting views that the election was marred by fraud. It now appears to be protecting history itself from things deemed disinformation — the ultimate calling of the corporate censor.
YouTube (which is owned by Google) announced “We will start removing any piece of content uploaded today (or anytime after) that misleads people by alleging that widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election.” The company used the end of the “safe harbor” period for counting votes to justify censor those with lingering doubts or those who want to post explanations of why the count remains suspicious, including presumable an array of members of Congress who have called for investigations.
For free speech advocates, the move is a raw example of corporate censorship but Democrats and many liberals applauded the action. Indeed, the Columbia journalism dean has lamented that these companies are not cracking down on free speech to a greater extent and blaming their own greed for not being greater censors. It appears that Big Brother is now being embraced as a protector of truth.
Like the “false facts” removed by China’s censors, the Biden victory is treated like a state fact that cannot be challenged or questioned. As someone who has stated for weeks that Biden is the president-elect and criticized conspiracy theories, I do not subscribe to the view that the election was stolen. However, millions of votes — both Republican and Democrat — hold that view. Indeed, some polls show up to 90 percent of Republicans believe that election was not fair and honest. Roughly half of the country voted for President Donald Trump and many of them hold this view.
The best way to address such views is to expose them to debate and challenge. That is the value of free speech. Otherwise, you end up on a slippery slope of censorship of any views that you deem harmful or misleading.
This action notably occurs just weeks after companies blocked discussion of the Hunter Biden story. It was only after the election that the CEOs then said it was a mistake. Biden is now under federal investigation and the laptop and its disturbing emails now appear to be legitimate. Yet, Democratic Senators demanded more censorship as the CEOs were apologizing for spiking a legitimate news story that was damaging to Biden. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal declared that he was “concerned that both of your companies are, in fact, backsliding or retrenching, that you are failing to take action against dangerous disinformation.” Accordingly, he demand an answer to this question:
“Will you commit to the same kind of robust content modification playbook in this coming election, including fact checking, labeling, reducing the spread of misinformation, and other steps, even for politicians in the runoff elections ahead?”
YouTube has eagerly embraced the call for censorship by Blumenthal and others. It is now protecting not the election but history from what it considers disinformation. It is the very Chinese model embraced directly or indirectly by some American academics and journalists. We are watching free speech drain away to the applause of those eager for less freedom.
YouTube censored more videos
YouTube blocked & deleted National Geographic videos, documentaries, & educational videos. The women & men in videos were not wearing proper clothing & could not read or write. At best these isolated tribes being show cased could count only to 5.
TJ: “The women & men in videos were not wearing proper clothing & could not read or write. At best these isolated tribes being show cased could count only to 5.”
YouTube deleted videos of protestors on college campuses?
The best way “to address such views” is to do a thorough check of matching eligible voter signatures with the ballots (not through discourse). Since this procedure was not done in the correct way, a new election should be held (with paper ballots and hand count).
coolcat, we can’t invalidate an election based on hearsay. Please cite court victories by Trump campaign to justify invalidating a national election. There are NONE!
Anon: “. . . cite court victories by . . .”
Or in the alternative, please cite your own judgment and the facts (which are, of course, ample, and available to all who choose to see).
Use your gobbley gook paper cutter spiel after SCOTUS rules on the nature of the fraud . Otherwise you are just typical demoratzi white noise.
Just Facts.com
Just Facts.com
Not true since JustFacts.com laid them out. Biden however has NOTHING but the opposite.
Not True. There is the JustFacts.com report that turns ;your comment upside down and back to front. But where is it read or printed? No where in commie media land.
I woud note that the one’s being hidden behind chains, not existing, or destroyed are those that violate federal election rules. Since the states decided to put PRes and VP on the ballot that puts it under federal rules which require storage of all ballots no matter what the states rules say. If counted and turned into a data sheet with no real ballot they are illegal votes.
“YouTube Declares It Will Censor Videos Questioning Biden’s Victory”
– Professor Turley
_______________
Read: CHINA Declares It Will Censor Videos Questioning Biden’s [un]-Victory”
“Supreme Court rules in favor of Muslims suing FBI officials for targeting faith”
“The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled unanimously in favor of three Muslim men suing FBI officials for targeting their religious faith.”
– Washington Examiner
___________________
Supreme Court rules for Muslims and against honest, fair and uncorrupted elections in America.
George says, “Supreme Court rules for Muslims and against honest, fair and uncorrupted elections in America”
No. The Supreme Court rules for Muslim’s religious liberty. They ruled against government overreach and for religious freedom. Funny how that seems to be ignored when it comes to non-christian religions. You don know that religious liberty is not just exclusive to Christian denominations, right?
Yes Svelaz, we know that the Jewish lawyers and test case participants like Michael Newdow and the ACLU have been banning Christmas trees and prayer at football games for decades
they’ve even gone after “under God” in the pledge of allegiance!
http://old.forward.com/articles/7057/
I don’t mean to insults my Jewish friends, as individuals, but the group as a whole and generations of its leadership here, have pursued a clear strategy of suppressing public expressions of any remote Christian identity among the people whatsoever. This is just a fact./
saloth sar
Anonymous, “under god” was never part of the original pledge. It was added much later. That is why it is contested. Prayer at football games over the PA system is actually illegal. But not if individuals want to to do it on their own. But if there are to be prayers spoken on the PA system Muslim prayers are to be allowed as well..
Nobody is suppressing Christian identity. They are just pushing back against pushy Christians who think they have a right to lord over their religion on everyone else. FYI chritmas trees are not Christian. They are pagan in origin. No mention of Christmas trees in the bible either . In fact the first pilgrims in American BANNED christmas trees for two decades before they became a “tradition”. This is just fact.
Why do these anti-social media companies want to censor speech?
Because in the would of ideas they are LOOSERS. These are the same little pissants who were always chosen last at the playground, or told to go play right field and now they see a chance to get even with their superiors.
Anti-social media? I case you haven’t noticed, these are private companies. Not the government. They can do whatever they want when it comes to who they choose to let on their platforms. Every single person who uploads to these platforms SIGNS an agreement acknowledging that their content can be censored or demonetized if they fail to meet their standards. These “losers” got YOU the peon, to SIGN away your right. Nothing crazy about that.
You could see that Washington was ready for this as soon as McCain-Feingold was passed. The goal was to censor speech, soft money was the excuse. But once Citizens United killed the Dems hopes, Facebook gives them a gift. Now, all Washington has to do is threaten to shut it down if it doesn’t do the censorship that the First Amendment forbids by the government. Pretty neat, huh?
And this is how liberty dies
We should deprive this illegitimate regime and its billionaire manipulators our income tax money
it’s the only nonviolent effective means of resistance that we have left
Saloth Sar
God Bless private property rights, where is Professor Turley on that?
YouTube is private property and it has the right to set the rules under which its platform is used.
After all, we are not Communists.
Exactly, Wildbill99, I refuse to listen to liars like Trump and his enablers, and I welcome YouTube to scrub its site of their patent lies and conspiracy theories just like it scrubs its site of child pornography and snuff films.
+10
Elvis Bug
Now that we all agree, let’s sue the tech monopolists on anti-trust and really treat them to the same standards everybody else has to live by. I’m really looking forward to your full-throated support to protect free markets from predatory practices by Beijing’s buddies.
Liberals support breaking up big tech. Elizabeth Warren even had that as part of her campaign platform.
Hear, hear!!
Now let’s ask Joe Biden and Kamala Harris what they think about breaking up tech monopolists and Wallstreet banks that are “too big to fail”… (crickets)
Correction: they used to. Now that it’s counterproductive to their machinations, expect things to revert to the Obama years, where during his second term, Google had set up shop INSIDE the White House. Let’s not forget the tech ceo breakfasts, either. Sorry, but you all are lemmings. This issue will never see the light of day again at the DNC. Count on it.
We first have to eradicate 230.
Go for it. First thing that Twitter will do if they’re judged to be a publisher is delete Trump’s account.
You are comparing people with different political views than yours to “child pornography and snuff films”?!
How much is the rent on the dream world you live in, Jeffrey?
Yes Gollum, embrace your corporate overlords. You’re a good little goblin.
Government must retain a certain degree of power over the private interests or surrender to them and offer us all up as slaves to the billionaires. This is not “communism” this is nationalism and the RULE OF LAW.
Some of you daft fools think that would be swell. You crave to be the playthings of your billionaire idols.
You will not be the ones who decide.
Saloth sar
Wild Bill,
That may be so, except, how does the Patriot Act, now ironically called The Freedom Act, fit into the concept of private property, and, the First Amendment?
I am not confident these actions are solely due to the discretion of the owners and/or Board of Directors.
Marketing 101.
What was once new and fresh and exciting eventually becomes old and stale, and the consumer will gradually gravitate towards something that is new and fresh and exciting.
Thanks to the internet, gradually becomes quickly. How many brick and mortar record stores do you see anymore?
Google (YouTube), Facebook, Twitter, are now the online version of brick and mortar record stores just as P2P MP3 file sharing was taking off.
Marketplaces, like water, always seek their own level. So, by attempting to enforce censorship, Google/YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are engaging in the same idiocy that the major record labels stupidly attempted to employ by suing their own customers for “illegal file sharing”.
Therefore from a consumer marketing perspective they are now sowing the seeds of their own descent into irrelevance. How are Tower Records or Sam Goody doing nowadays?
So I applaud their censorship of their own customers. Keep it up!
Turley: I’m with you on principle, but the thing you’re yelling “but free speech!” about is something trump’s own lawyers couldn’t produce evidence on. If you’re at all concerned about truth…, well, where is your truth?
In other news, 3054 people died of Covid yesterday in the U.S., the largest daily death toll since the pandemic hit the states. Largest daily death toll in the world to date. More people died *yesterday* of Covid than did on 9/11. More people died of Covid *yesterday* than did in the San Francisco 1906 earthquake.
The president does nothing while restaurants and colleges far surpass the effort of anything passing for a federal response to the pandemic. And you, Jon, navel gaze and point off to whatever daily distraction afforded to you from your academic loft and commentary role at Fox news. Are you going to feel good about your efforts somewhere down the line? Or even today?
Elvis Bug
Are you daring to say that universal mask wearing is not stopping the spread of the virus?
But all the Progressive politicos have told us it will.
One thing always missing from the blamelayers’ attacks is CHINA. It is China’s fault these people are dying.
There isn’t universal mask wearing, and no one says that masks can totally stop the virus.
No it’s not. It’s your president’s commitment to doing nothing in terms of a federal response to the pandemic, actively doing whatever he can to undermine mask wearing or any other other cohesive public health response to Covid. But hey, you get to spank the kid to Apprentice reruns so it’s all good, right?
Elvis Bug
“3054 people died of Covid yesterday”
Did you get those numbers from the CDC?
How about checking for yourself, Rhodesy?
Elvis Bug
You’re the one who made the claim that “3054 people died of Covid yesterday”.
Yet, as per usual, you can’t provide a source with any actual real verifiable data to back-up your BS claim.
That’s because you’re a hack and a troll. You’re also a rank amateur. A bush leaguer, with no game whatsoever.
Oh okay you lazy f&8k…
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/09/944844088/u-s-hits-highest-one-day-death-toll-from-coronavirus-with-3-054
Elvis Bug
National Peoples Radio…. but of course that is your go to source….lmao
👍🏽
Look it up anywhere not published in Trumpland you doofus.
Love me some multiple source fact checking before publishing, yes.
Elvis Bug
NPR is not the CDC.
Here is how the CDC admits to counting Covid deaths:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/about-us-cases-deaths.html
“Confirmed & Probable Counts”
A confirmed case or death is defined by meeting confirmatory laboratory evidence for COVID-19.
A probable case or death is defined by one of the following:
* Meeting clinical criteria AND epidemiologic evidence with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19
* Meeting presumptive laboratory evidence AND either clinical criteria OR epidemiologic evidence
* Meeting vital records criteria with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID19″
So by the CDC’s own admission it is attributing deaths to Covid even though there was “no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19”.
That is not science. That is propaganda. Which is further proven by the fact that the CDC does not provide any follow up data stating how many of the deceased it is attributing to Covid were ever tested for “COVID 19”.
Which is why the average annual US death count in 2020 is no higher than the average annual US death count.
Now put on your mask and get back under your bed, Braveheart.
Refresh my memory, Rhodesy…, what administration stepped in to keep the CDC from reporting their data directly before running it through the ministry of disinformation???
You’re so easy, Rhodesy.
Elvis Bug
I just provided you a link to the CDC and its own methodology for reporting “confirmed and probable” deaths the CDC is attributing to Covid.
Are you saying that the Trump administration encouraged the CDC to attribute deaths due to Covid even though there was “no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19”?!
Not that this is news. But you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Maybe not the sharpest, but clearly the most effective in the context in this discussion, Rhodesy.
I’m saying the trump adminstration scrubs their data before releasing it. Look it up on the google machine. Hint…, that wouldn’t entail only reading newsmax and listening to fox and oan.
Elvis Bug
Also a record number hospitaliized –
https://twitter.com/COVID19Tracking/status/1336837356343607297
You get your scientific data from Twitter?!
Stupid is, as stupid does.
You clearly didn’t look at the source of the data for the tweet. “Stupid is, as stupid does” indeed.
Free Speech doesn’t hinge upon “truth”…if it did….the American Media would be out of business due to all of the stories they got wrong, provided false information about, and just plain spiked. Spiking a story out of political bias or in far too many occasions out and out collusion with politicians and political campaigns and groups is just as much an issue as that which gets published.
As the Professor tells you….Free Speech is what leads to debate and the forming of consensus.
Much as it looks like a sausage factory at times….the end product is what matters.
Grind no meat and do not add some spices and there is no sausage.
That is the point of it all…unless we set out our differences and find a way to persuade others to see it our way….nothing good will come of it all.
That is exactly what the Left overlooks in its campaign to stifle free thought and open discourse…..as it fears its facts are lacking to persuade others thus dissent must be quashed by every means possible to include ending Free Speech unless it conforms to the Leftist views.
Study Marx and Mao…..read Alinsky….remember the German and Italian’s National Socialists and it is right there to be seen what the American Left are doing.
Yes, but at some point for it actually to be a ‘debate’ there must be some shared factual recognition. Indeed, it is someone’s right to put their hands over their ears and make noise to block anything they don’t want to hear…, but if debate is to be a dialectical procedure on any level there needs to be valid reasoning.
Of course dialectics have always been weak in recogniizing he fox in the hen house.
Elvis Bug
It’s fine. When we defeat the billionaires we are going to censor them. Losers get censored, that is the lesson of history. All this free speech stuff is an Enlightenment fantasy.
Saloth Sar
+10
Elvis Bug
Is the federal government supposed to stop sales of soda, chips, and pizza and hand out green tea, vitamin D, magnesium, and zinc and stock everyone’s homes with fresh food?
Like a lobster in a pot that hasn’t realized yet he will soon be boiling, America has not realized Communist China’s grip tightening around the freedoms we used to enjoy. The vehicle of media and Big Tech have simply sped up the process began in our education system decades ago. We shall reach a point of no return if those who make our laws are not challenged by Republicans (possibly rewarded for their silence). The hate for Trump can be directly attributed to his disdain for for their ideology.
I hate trump because he’s a straight up scoundrel con man who a) ripped off an old boss of mine, b) has taken every opportunity to rip off the country and personally benefit from his job as president, c) who has watched idly doing nothing as a pandemic has ripped up the country, d) has done even less about the pandemic (or anything) since enterring into a completely petulant reaction to losing an election.
And he’s orange and wears a rat pelt on his head. He curates a fly over voting base he rips off while they rave about him. Trump is an idiot who will rave on from Mar a Lago about perceived grievance but will fade completely gracelessly as the media that put him in power sloughs him off.
Let’s get this party started.
Elvis Bug
I hope you feel better after that rant. At least over 74 million of us disagree with you.
And Phyllis Rogers, 80 million disagreed with you. The Trump cult lost. Better luck in 4 years!
“ And Phyllis Rogers, 80 million disagreed with you”
Where did the Democrats put the dead bodies after they voted?
Better luck next time Phyllis. Try not running an a..hole.
I’ve scoured every piece of evidence available and compared it to my own experience, and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt our number is much greater than that, and that isn’t going to change because the media and big tech ‘says so’.
“has taken every opportunity to rip off the country and personally benefit from his job as president”
Yet you provide no proof that Trump has personally benefited from his job as President.
Barack and Michelle Obama’s net worth was $1.3 million when Barry took office. Their net worth is now more than $40 million.
Obama’s work as a Wall Street shineboy paid very well.
Interesting that your ex-boss got ripped off by Trump. How much did that cost you?
“I hate trump”
You hate yourself, then.
Are you allergic to Google???
My guess is you may already know this but are in a full state of denial over it…
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/17/20870192/air-force-donald-trump-turnberry-scottish-resort-more-money-losing-billions
Elvis Bug
“c) who has watched idly doing nothing as a pandemic has ripped up the country,”
You wouldn’t know this but….every “plan” old Joe Biden says his administration will be doing? Trump is already doing it. Trump created Operation Warp Speed and got funding to the companies and challenged the team to get a vaccine faster than at any time in history. And they did it. There already is a mask mandate for federal facilities, etc. There already is a vaccine distribution plan, there already is a vaccine b/c of Trump, there already is a plan for schools to reopen but for the teachers unions blocking it, there already is a covid plan of action. Pelosi blocked covid relief in Congress for her political gain. Joe Biden proposed nothing more than Trump has already done. The only thing Trump has done different is not wear a mask every where he goes. And if you heard Fauci and other experts from the start they all admitted masks do little to nothing. Trump IS following the so-called science while Biden is a virtue signalling fool.
“there already is a vaccine b/c of Trump, there already is a plan for schools to reopen but for the teachers unions blocking it”
I do not trust that vaccine. Coronaviruses mutate easily, attempts to make vaccines against them get stopped because of adverse reactions and antibody-dependent enhancement problems.
Teachers unions are not blocking schools from reopening. Maybe in some districts they are, but that is not the case in my area. We have teachers out sick or in quarantine and not enough subs to fill their spots. People are nervous in my area (justified or not) because of the rising tally of cases. The School Board decided to have kids start learning compleyely remotely. There is a fear not just of the virus but also of litigation. There is a perception that people want to be completely protected from the virus by the government, and then, if anyone gets sick or worse then there will be a lawsuit(s). The fear is causing worse damage than the virus, as far as I can tell. Lots of kids are failing 1 or more classes, lots of kids are depressed and are worried about their future, too many are getting abused, too many are spending all their time on video games.
The state government and the media and people like Fauci aren’t helping matters.
Ignore the media folks. It ain’t doing you a d@mn bit of good; you’re getting saturated in a good dose of manipulable fear. Turn to your communities, talk to your neighbors, talk to your representatives, get outside and get what sun you can, eat real food, take some extra Mg, D, and zinc.
Trump is not already doing everything he can.
If he were serious, he wouldn’t have been having rallies with massless people sitting/standing close together for hours on end and he wouldn’t be having indoors celebrations with massless people like the one for Barrett’s nomination.
The companies that were mainly responsible for the vaccines didn’t take the Warp Speed money. How about you think the scientists instead of Trump?
Pelosi didn’t block Covid relief. The House passed two bills that the Senate refused to consider.
You got so much wrong in just a few sentences.
Agree. If Georgia goes Marxist, I really do wonder if Professor Turley will delete this comment board to protect those of us who dared to question the coming tyranny.
Except it is just as bad for us to censor as it is for them. The answer is chipping away the disgusting practice by exposing their naivety and belief in the lies spoon fed to them. Our voices must be filled with truth and void of retribution…and never allowing ourselves to be censored.
Until you wear pink hats you will never be taken seriously. If in the shape of a vagina on butt ugly womyn…bonus!
Written by someone who clearly doesn’t know the shape of a vagina.
Forgive my pessimism, Phyllis. I’ve been gently admonished a couple of times for it on this comment board. It’s been a trying year. Never thought I would need to fear some of my fellow Americans.
There is currently a promo ad on INSP for “ The Virginian.” In it James Drury makes the statement “ If you see wrong do something about it; if you don’t you are part of it.” It is something like that that always motivates me out of depression at what is happening and burn the email and phone lines up contacting Louie Gohmert, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn who represent my district here in Texas. Along with voting, My power lies in making sure their butts stay on fire to fight for us.
People like you, Phyllis, give me some hope for the Republic.
Thanks for those kind words. I hope the generations replacing mine will maintain morality. I’ve done all I can to pass it on to those kids who are lost and used by those with evil intentions. But ultimately I know who is in charge even though they don’t and it’s not me. It is the One who I’ve seen work miracles in my life and indeed is still working them in the world.
Phyllis, unless you speak up against it, you are an immoral person who thinks it’s OK for your party to try to erase the votes of millions of fellow Americans because you don’t agree with the outcome of the election, all the while accusing them of being in bed with communists. Cut the cheap moralizing, stop the only organized party trying to end democracy in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – it’s not the CCP – and show some principle and spine.
You mean the way the Dems didn’t like the outcome of 2016 election? And instead of accepting the results, they accused Trump, without evidence, of being in bed with Russians, and they resisted, obstructed and sabotaged Trump’s administration every step of the way, while they relentlessly and arrogantly called Trump’s supporters racists and deplorables? But now you think it is Trump voters who are “immoral” and tring to “end democracy”?? Try again, man.
“You mean the way the Dems didn’t like the outcome of 2016 election?”
Not even close, Boris. Dems were shocked they lost DESPITE their cheating that time – not a one uttered a word about fraud because it would only lead back to them.
No the answer is regulating the big tech gateways as utilities and reigning in their monopolistic practices.
We either reign them in or they own us as slaves. The socalled debate over free speech is just an illusion.
Saloth Sar
Phyllis, your party – at the highest levels – is trying to take away the votes of millions of Americans because you don;t like the result. GTF out of here with your Communists plots. When the Chinese show up and at start trying to nullify state run elections, I’ll agree they are as bad as the GOP.
These moves by YouTube/Google serve to draw attention to the problem. For what purpose?
Is this a move made solely by Big Tech?
The good news is that they are openly declaring they are the new Stazi, at war with the truth. The bad news is that unless this election is overturned we will never see free speech again.
They’re not warring with the truth.
The truth is that Biden won.
By cheating. They stole the election. They know it. We all know it.
The courts don’t agree with you.
The facts don’t agree with you.
“The courts don’t agree with you.
The facts don’t agree with you.”
The facts prove cheating. The dismissals so far by leftist “judges” did not allow the merits of the case to be discussed. SCOTUS will hear the cases. We only need to win one, and your heroes will all start being perp walked to prison. Justice.
The dismissals have been by conservative judges too.
SCOTUS won’t hear these cases. You’re dreaming.
Xiden won nothing – he is no longer even mentally present.
The election fraud will be thrown out, and President DJ Trump will be inaugurated again. You will cry, again.
Jonathan Galt, I got news for you: this election will not be overturned. You will have to live with that fact I’m afraid. Not to worry. You will have free speech. You’ll see. Cheer up!
“You will have to live with that fact I’m afraid. Not to worry. You will have free speech.”
Yes, if the election is overturned we iwll have free speech. If the fraud is allowed to stand, not so much. Bow to emperor Xiden, your new Chinese sock puppet.
Indeed, Jonathan. I wonder if the loud beating on my front door right now is You Tube.
Bahahahahaha!
Elvis Bug
Turley: “Indeed, some polls show up to 90 percent of Republicans believe that election was not fair and honest.” What do you expect when the Fox News bubble promotes these conspiracy theories 24/7 with little pushback by the likes of you. The Germans believed that the Jews were untermenschen on account of Nazi propaganda. I suppose that 90% belief justified the Nuremberg laws…
+10
Do you have any concept of how few of us even subscribe to Cable TV?
On the other hand….how many like you take for Gospel what CNN and MSNBC put out?
The gratuitousness of it and the amount of manpower they have to devote to these activities is what amuses and rankles. It was a grave error to allow Alphabet – a company run by malevolent people – to buy up so many properties without the anti-trust authorities smacking them upside the head. Time to change the regulatory environment.
What we’re actually seeing here is the downstream emotional upset of the old media. They lost their gatekeeper function in 1995 or thereabouts and they want gatekeepers back so someone of similar kidney is controlling public discourse. What’s interesting is that Alphabet and other companies are willing to act on their behalf. NB, you read old issues of Wired and what not, what strikes you is that IT types ca. 1997 were basically libertarian in their outlook (as a rule) and not emotionally invested in topical political controversies. You have to ask why that changed. The whole question is rather underdetermined.
Another question you have to ask is why there was no Antifa in 1985, when the country was less affluent and the labor market more sclerotic. You also have to ask why public officials (in Los Angeles, in Chicago, in Philadelphia, in New York) are quite deliberately trashing the social order – throwing away hard-won advances in social renorming which have improved the quality of life in core cities greatly. It doesn’t make any sense until you realize that Alphabet is not the only locus of malevolent people in this world.
You are absolutely correct, and the time to address it was at LEAST 10 years ago.
Art, generally agree but two things
1– they devote less manpower than you think. Robots in the form of artificial intelligence tools review and flag content for deletion. They even have some tools which block. Not just wordpress type lists of verboten words, but sophisticated content reviewing routines. There is a lot of information on these tools available online if you want to verify it. The power of money is being used to censor us
2- the billionaires owned legacy media, they still do, and now they all own the social media. They act and think like billionaires. They seek to disenfranchise us a thousand ways. They are the enemy
Deny them your income taxes is one of the few doable tools we have to fight them left. To any degree, whether it is tax avoidance, or tax resistance they claim is illegal, will be besides the point. We must protest and that is how they will notice. And not much else
Saloth Sar
In philosophy there is a distinction between reasons and causes. Human thought and action has reasons as motivators while strictly physical events have causes which determine the outcomes. Reasons may urge a person to act or say something , but, usually the person is responsible for their actions which is also a responsibility for choosing which reasons to use. Information on youtube can be wrong and indeed stupid but cancelling all perceived disinformation wrongly assumes that it is the cause of bad actions rather than just some reasons among many. Better to have a panoply of thoughts and opinions and then making a considered judgment. Consider climate change views, where one could argue that being on the wrong side could harm people- kill them possibly. So maybe ban views that we think “cause” disaster. But, again, the disinformation is not a determination of what follows. It’s merely, a set of reasons that one chooses to believe or not.
the difference in humans and other life forms is suppose to be our ability to reason while all other life forms rely on instinct alone. For instance money the root of all evil is needed ONLY by humans. All other lifeforms coexist in many different ways. Let’s take climate change. Of course there is climate change but the question is what effect do humans have on climate change? Debatable? If you are paid to do research by a far left leaning school then you WILL by demand come to a conclusion that keeps your job and the school happy oh like humans are destroying the planet very very fast and we will all be dead in 3-5 years. Now that’s just ridiculous! One natural disaster like a massive volcano or earthquake will do more damage in seconds than mankind will do in hundreds of years.
Lots of species reason, and anthropogenic climate change is occurring. Learn more science.
Scientists do not all agree re Climate Change….which ones you choose to cling to is your choice…..perhaps I see it differently based upon other data or challenges to the data sets you offer up.
And before you clam to be so…..it is not “settled” not by a long shot.
BS Ralph:
“…Nearly all actively publishing climate scientists (97–98%[1]) support the consensus on anthropogenic climate change,[2][3] and the remaining 2% of contrarian studies either cannot be replicated or contain errors.[4]….
National and international science academies and scientific societies have assessed current scientific opinion on global warming. These assessments are generally consistent with the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Some scientific bodies have recommended specific policies to governments, and science can play a role in informing an effective response to climate change. Policy decisions, however, may require value judgements and so are not included in the scientific opinion.[26][27]
No scientific body of national or international standing maintains a formal opinion dissenting from any of these main points. The last national or international scientific body to drop dissent was the American Association of Petroleum Geologists,[28] which in 2007[29] updated its statement to its current non-committal position.[30] Some other organizations, primarily those focusing on geology, also hold non-committal positions…..”
A description of the position of each scientific organization at the link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus_on_climate_change
Chuckles. The revelations about the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia pretty much put paid to the notion that climate modelers are engaged in a rigorous pursuit. And if there were a ‘consensus’, they wouldn’t have to corrupt the peer review process, which is one thing we learned they were doing.
Well CHuckles, it looks like you’ve caught on to the huge plot by the world’s scientists to trick you. In fact, we’ve all been in on it – your Mom and Dad, neighbors, teachers, all of them, – and I’m part of it too. But you’re too smart!
Not apparently smart enough to know that there were ……. Well, here – look at this:
“….Eight committees investigated the allegations and published reports, finding no evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct.[17] The scientific consensus that global warming is occurring as a result of human activity remained unchanged throughout the investigations.[18]….”
You can read all the details at the link, all footnoted, dumb a.s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climatic_Research_Unit_email_controversy
Joe, the moment you spoke to 97% theory, we all know that you are not informed and not worth discussing this with.
the problem with global warming is, if true, the statue of liberty would be a beautiful 21 year old swimsuit model wearing a sexy bikini…your laugh for the day
I guess…
But in order for it to be funny it would require not believing everything the fossil fuel lobby has pushed for the last 40 years, so no, I ‘ll just take it as a lame joke about the statue of liberty.
Elvis Bug
yes I do not deny climate change. it is real
i just dont like what theyre planning to do about it
which is:
1. reduce the living standards of westerners with fierce restrictions (such as staring with “lockdowns” ) so that we have our carbon emissions cut by a factor of 10. ie, impoverish us so we stop emitting carbon
2. wipe out maybe half the world population of carbon emitting useless breathers. yes, depopulate radically, is in their plans.
hear listen to an MIT physics professor lay it out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzT4EwaHl0w
for my part, I would rather survive in a hotter and wetter world than die off so that the billionaires can have their way
since 1880 the earth has warmed about 1 degree Celsius…wow I guess we will all die next year…with warming would we also produce more vegetation, more oxygen, more food necessary for the worlds very poor?…with your argument the only way to stop global warming is to DECREASE population growth. Look at history…World Wars are by far the most effective way…a lot of blood, sweat and tears but very effective. This biowarfare is also very effective unless it’s your family member. Was this just a trial run by China? What if the next one they release is 10 times more deadly. Since China controls Biden and Harris we may find very soon.
proof of what harry alludes to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzT4EwaHl0w
depopulate the world and impoverish the west are the two precise aims of the “climate change advocates”
very wicked! and I do not deny that climate change is real.
but billionaires are even more dangerous than CO2
Saloth Sar
RD, a good comment. But the only philosophy in play here are three points.
1- using the tools of formal logic in the form of artificial intelligence programs to censor content
2- the billionaires engaging in the monopolistic practice of suppressing dissent to their desired political and social outcomes, which is revealed by economic analysis
and
3. “will to power” as the billionaire class silences, crushes, and enslaves us
Fight back by refusing the US its income taxes, this April, is the last nonviolent thing we can do which will work. And not much else. Voting surely has been revealed as a false hope against them, that’s for sure
Saloth Sar
smart people find alternatives when their rights are taken away. Fox is losing to Newsmax and OAN. Facebook and Twitter are losing to Parler.com. YouTube is losing to Rumble.com. Of course the presidential election is over. The issue is, was the election free, honest and fair. Over 80 million American’s are 100% sure this election was stolen. Now many have just accepted the fraudulent results but many are fighting mad. If someone stole your house, car, land. pets, money, job or children would you just accept it and move on down the road? What does a 2 year old child do when someone takes away their favorite toys? They pitch a fit. Well- millions of us conservative patriots are mad…very mad…fighting mad. And that usually ends badly for everybody.
So then run headlong into the population centers and take us all on before we lose our patience and storm flyover.
Huh?
hahaha…the population centers are the problem…that’s why we have an electoral college system to prevent these far left ugly filthy cities from turning the whole country into a ghetto…why are businesses and people fleeing CA for Texas and fleeing New York for South Carolina and Florida?…and throw in Chicago and Detroit and St. Louis too high taxes and liberal politics…I live next to Parris Island and the largest marine military base on the planet…come on down and try a flyover here!!!…
Yup. Wyoming getting 2 senators while California gets the same number sounds totally fair to me.
Elvis Bug
dude study the constitution…3 branches…president, house/senate. supreme court…all equal…checks and balances so one branch would never dominate and take over the other 2…even amendments take 38 states to ratify…take a class online in the constitution…you need it badly.
dude, I’ve actually read it and it doesn’t have much bearing on population discrepency…, are there good reasons for why that might be?…, sure, but they aren’t the only valid reasons to be taken into account…, the fact Wyoming’s population gets more representation for its taxation than California’s is problematic at best.
Elvis Bug
then get elected and fight to change it DUDE…I think your doctor has told you to watch your drinking and all you do is drink in front of your mirror…now that’s funny!
Ha. That is funny! I’ve been sober and clean for 37 years. LMAO!!!
Elvis Bug
Connecticut Compromise – July 16, 1787
I suggest the States enact their own version of the Electoral College and even out the playing fields within each individual state…..our Founding Fathers were far smarter than we give them credit for.
“smart people find alternatives when their rights are taken away. ”
True, but when the masses of dumb people buy into the propaganda you may still find yourself oppressed.
Harry J Fondren: “Fox is losing to Newsmax and OAN.” And Newsmax and OAN will lose to Glenn Beck and Alex Jones. The nonsense will only escalate as each “news” purveyor attempts to grab larger market share at the expense of the more “establishment” outlets. It never ends.
10X this.
It’s a race to the bottom for whacko right wing “news” organizations.
Don’t count InfoWars out, they’re absolutely nuts.
Pot, meet Kettle. Left-wing “news” organizations overwhelm right in numbers and influence.
Word!
Elvis Bug
we may rebel against this infamy by withholding our income taxes
it is a moral and nonviolent means and it hits at the weakness of the billionaire controlled regime’s weak spot, it’s massive debt and constant need to issue more debt securities, ie treasuries. a signficant dip in collected income tax revenues will cause the Treasury risk premium to rise and it may hasten the day of default
the day of federal default is the day of our FREEDOM as the beast will no longer have the mercenaries to oppress us as they do now
Saloth Sar
not a bad idea but we all would go to jail but then everything is free…room and board…free TV…free gyms…free books free entertainment…free sex…free healthcare…white collar crime so probably a golf course near-by…so you’re a felon…now even crooks can vote so all GOOD! and society cannot discriminate so also a good high paying job awaits when you come out…you may have a few tattoos but they are free too…dang sign me up!
Turley says: “As someone who has stated for weeks that Biden is the president-elect and criticized conspiracy theories, I do not subscribe to the view that the election was stolen.” Nonsense! You are a paid contributor to Fox News. You appear on the Hannity and Tucker Carlson shows with your staged insouciance to the obvious fact that these are the main purveyors of such conspiracy theories! Shameful.
conveniently does not address the part about censorship, which is, uh, the point of the article and the whole blog.
fail
I do not read Facebook. Call it “utBay Book”.
The progs will line up in lock step on this site to applaud the censorship and blame it on Trump.