Below is my column this week on the campaign to coerce Elon Musk to restore the censorship system at Twitter. The campaign against Twitter now involves the full allied forces of the anti-free speech movement: the government, corporations, Democratic politicians, the media, and, of course, celebrities. However, it is an alliance that has proven overwhelming in the past but this unstoppable force has met an immovable object in Musk. It is total war in the beltway but Musk has yet to fully deploy his greatest weapon: free speech.
Here is the column:
Washington this week is in full wartime footing. No, it’s not over the Russian invasion of Ukraine or North Korean missiles or even Chinese expansionism. It is about Twitter and the threat of Elon Musk to restore free speech protections to social media.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has emerged as the bellicose general rallying others to the “censor or die” pressure campaign against Twitter.
The problem is that citizens are flocking to Twitter and signing up in record numbers. They want more, not less, free speech. The over two million new sign-ups per day represent a 66% increase over the same period last year, according to figures released by Musk.
A reporter this week was so alarmed that she asked the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the concern that millions are still signing up at Twitter and demanded to know who is “keeping an eye on this” for possible federal action.
Unable to convince users to embrace censorship, Clinton and others are pressuring corporations and foreign governments to deter Musk from restoring free speech. Since users are embracing the new Twitter, the campaign has focused on preventing them from signing up by removing the app from the Apple and Google stores. In the meantime, Apple is joining the boycott by withholding advertising revenue to coerce Musk to reverse his free-speech pledge.
Musk, however, is sitting on the ultimate weapon to bring this war to an end: free speech itself. However, it will require more than rhetorical recriminations like Musk asking why Apple executives “hate free speech in America?”
The fact is that these media and political figures are becoming more and more alarmed as Musk threatens to release files on the past censorship of stories like the Hunter Biden laptop.
Musk has reason to wonder why Apple CEO Tim Cook would join this anti-free speech campaign. The reason is as obvious as it is craven. These boycotts are not about corporations or shareholders. If anything, they are more likely to diminish profits. It is about the executives themselves. Many are allies of figures like Clinton. Others are yielding to these demands to avoid being attacked or tagged by the left.
Cook is betting that, while the public wants more free speech, enough will also want Apple watches. Moreover, Apple has acquired the market power of a true monopoly. It does not have a serious competitor and, as shown with such attacks on sites like Parler, it can literally strangle the life out of competing or disfavored products.
The real question is why the political, business, and media establishment is ramping up this campaign. The answer is power. With President Biden and Democratic senators supporting investigations, the message could not be clearer: proceed at your own peril. That message was brought home by Politico’s Sam Stein when he warned Musk that it is “[a]lways risky to attack members of congress. Especially risky with Dems assured of Senate power.”
For years, Democratic politicians and their allies have exercised an enormous degree of control over political discourse through allies in the media and social media.
The problem is that censorship only works if it is complete. If there are alternative sources for information, free speech is like water . . . it finds a way out. That is why Democratic members pressured cable carriers to drop Fox News, the most popular cable news network on television. (For the record, I appear as a Fox News legal analyst). Having an echo chamber on every other news channel means little if alternative views or stories are just a click away.
The same is true for print media. With the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and a few other newspapers, the effort to kill stories like the Hunter Biden laptop could not be completely successful. The truth found a way out and now the same outlets that peddled the false “Russian disinformation” claim are admitting that the laptop is authentic.
The threat is an even greater on social media, the area of greatest success for those seeking to control political discourse. If Musk carries through on his pledge, the public will have a free speech alternative and they are already speaking loudly by signing up with the company in record numbers. Despite a creepy Facebook advertising campaign to convince the public to embrace censorship, it has not worked.
The public is not buying. They are buying Free Twitter.
So, the only way to regain control is to prevent people from getting the app or threaten to force Twitter into insolvency. The problem is Musk, an eccentric billionaire who is not easy to intimidate.
Musk now stands against a massive alliance of governments, corporations, celebrities, and politicians. He has only the public and free speech on his side.
He needs to use both.
Musk cannot remain on defense and just take political and economic hits. The campaign is growing because the risk is growing for these various interests.
The way to end this is simple: release everything related to the company’s massive censorship operation. This is an effort to force Musk not only to resume censorship but to protect the censors. So, open the files. Allow the public to see not just communications on censorship (including subjects beyond Hunter Biden) but how Twitter may have used verification, throttling, algorithms, or other methods to control speech. The company does not have to release codes or potentially damaging information to reveal the back channel communications, deliberations, and targeting choices.
By embracing total transparency, Musk can force Apple and other companies to face the ugly realities of censorship. The anti-free speech alliance has declared total war on Twitter. It is time for Twitter to get into this fight and realize that free speech is not just its guiding principle but its greatest weapon.
When Musk threatened to restore free speech protections, Hillary Clinton and others went public to “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war.”
So be it.
The Musk purchase has forced people to pick sides in this fight for free speech. However, Musk can leave the dogs at home and just unleash the truth.
Mr. Turkey…Excellent article. And, we need to send a huge thank you to Mr. Musk, who has taken on a tremendous task to save this country, at possible great personal risk. God bless both of you and America!
Replying to MYSELF! This phone! That reference to Jonathan Turley was sadly changed by this phone. I added his name, after writing the comment, as a tribute… maybe even after proof, fate changed the salutation to draw attention to the FAVORABLE content to Messrs.Turley and Musk. I tried to change it…no luck 🍀!
Whenever I hear the wisdom and honest analysis from Jonathan who likely votes opposite of must of us I can’t help but admire his integrity and the juxtaposition between him and constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe who doesn’t respect the documents he studies but more scarier teaches to fight against.
Most Governments would prefer a “nanny state” with them in control. Whether “Elites” or simply long-entrenched bureaucrats/politicians, they are convinced this will maximize human happiness.
It will not.
I prefer an armed citizenry, with compulsory military (or medical) training between ages 15 and 17.5 yoa. Granted, there are other threats to “National Security” than someone bombing or invading our country, but rather than a huge, bloated bureaucracy, I think the best defense is an educated citizenry. We do not have that at the moment, and am unlikely to get one under the current circumstances. Restoring free speech is the most important first step.
Iwas brought under the proviso, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” LEARN TO DEBATE!
Freedom of fart you mean?
Washington goes to war with Russia. .. Twitter and free speech are collateral damage.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-s-zelensky-responds-to-elon-musk-s-widely-panned-peace-plan-telling-him-to-see-with-your-own-eyes-what-russia-has-done-and-then-say-when-we-can-end-it/ar-AA14L33w?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5c8e4baa5e9f48bab48619ee3d4826d9
“Elon Musk’s peace proposal to end the Ukraine War did not go over well with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.” ~ Story
You can tell the truth, just as long as I agree with it.
Hi Darren:
I think one of my comments is stuck in the Word Press filter. I don’t think I typed any verboten words, but maybe I ran it off too fast and missed something.
Ohhh, wait, I referenced the name of a famous Na$i publication. Maybe that’s what did it.
I restored the comment, Karen.
Awesome. Thanks, D.
Will there be a Committee formed to investigate Hillary Clinton, and all current politicians who use violent rhetoric, such as “unleash the dogs of war”, in their quest for censorship of conservatives? After all, Democrats’ position is that Trump telling his followers to go and make their voices be peacefully heard incited a riot.
Yet we are to believe that Chuck Schumer is not guilty of inciting the assassination attempt on Justice Kavanaugh when he told his followers to “unleash the whirlwind”.
One way for thee, another for me.
Option B: We can all enjoy free speech, and unless you actually call for literal violence, then everyone is equally allowed to get heated. No more bifurcated system, with different rules applied to Republicans and Democrats.
Hilary Clinton needs to be jailed. She’s a disgrace.
The First Amendment protects your right to free speech from government persecution. Some say that since Twitter is a private company, then its censorship does not infringe upon free speech any more than, for instance, prohibitions against harassing customers over politics in some workplaces. However, the public square is digital today. We talk with each other more often over the phone, through apps, and online, than we tend to do in person. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtubes comments sections, Snapchat, are all modes by which we communicate with each other.
Twitter’s censorship would be like the phone company employing operators to listen in to our conversations, and disconnect calls, interrupt calls, interject the company’s opinion of what you’re saying, or even barring you from using a telephone if they dislike what you say.
Would we tolerate a phone company operator listening in, and interfering, with every phone conversation we have, with the excuse that it must be legal because the phone company is not the government?
Worse, the government coordinated with social media in order to censor content that was injurious to Democrats, or helpful to any other right of center political party.
It is de facto illegal to criticize Democrat policies such as the castration of kids too young to make life-changing decision, or discuss factual information that harms Democrats, including the Hunter Biden laptop story, if you will lose your job, lose your ability to communicate through a platform, get blackballed and be unable to work again, lose your income-making ability when your channel gets blocked, lose your application for a job or university, or otherwise get punished for speech the Democrats do not like.
Simply pointing out that it is impossible to change biological gender is treated by the Democrat hegemony in power equivalent to spouting from Mein Kampf. The Democrat grip on social media treats its users like imbeciles who must be prevented from reading, or hearing, or watching information that runs contrary to Democrat dogma. A child can decide that he’s really a girl, and set himself on the path to chemical and surgical castration, but an adult must not be allowed to read a variety of opinions online.
This level of censorship can alter election outcomes. One of the many ways in which Democrats meddled in the most recent elections were to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story, which implicated Joe Biden in selling political favors to foreign nations. Democrats claimed Trump violated the Emoluments Clause because foreign visitors paid the going rate to stay at a Trump Hotel, which was no longer under his control. Under that logic, business owners would have to impoverish themselves, and sell their businesses, in order to become President, because businesses sell to anyone, domestic or foreign. The same Democrats whistle vacantly and glaze over when presented with evidence Joe Biden and his family increased their wealth with pay-to-play schemes. I do not begrudge Chelsea Clinton for becoming sought after for various jobs, because she brings publicity and cache as the daughter of a former President. That is a legitimate benefit for the business, because she essentially brings fans. I do, however, take issue with the Biden family selling government favors to China, Russia, and other nations.
Jonathan: In your telling what we have here is just like WW1. Two armies facing each other . On one side is the “full allied forces of the anti-free speech movement”. On the other side of the trenches the “unstoppable force has met an unmovable object in Musk”. Outgunned and outmatched, in your view, Musk has the one thing his opponents don’t have–a piece of “kryptonite” that will smite his opponents. Musk, in your view, is “selling on the ultimate weapon to bring this war to an end”–“free speech”. You missed your calling. You should have been a fiction writer.
But you go on with this bit of fiction. As Musk’s commander in the field you think he should go “nuclear”–get off the defensive and unleash the Gods of Wrath by releasing all the Hunter Biden laptop tapes– “everything related to the company’s massive censorship operation”. You think this strategy “can force Apple and the other companies to face the ugly realities of censorship”. Well, maybe fiction is not your forte after all.
So let’s get back to some realities. For starters Bloomberg is reporting that Musk’s slash and burn method of getting rid of half of Twitter’s workforce, has resulted in a gaping hole in the part of the force that addresses the online threats to children. Lawmakers in the EU and UK are planning broad online safety rules to better protect children from sexual exploitation–even imposing fines for violators. If Musk wants to play in that market he is going to have to abide by European rules. How is Musk going to reconcile this policy to his “free speech absolutist” approach to Twitter?
Then Michael Hiltzik is reporting in the LA Times (11/28) that Musk “has openly and approvingly engaged with some of the most extremist far-right figures on the internet, including overt advocates if misogyny and white supremacy”. He points to a recent tweet by Musk attacking former Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vidman–you know the whistleblower who almost alone brought down Trump in the first impeachment. Trump never forgave Vidman, who is Jewish, for that treachery–and apparently Musk hasn’t either. In his tweet Musk uses an anti-semitic slur that depicts Jews as string pullers: “Vindman is both a puppet & puppeteer. Question is who pulls his strings?” Then, of course, is how Musk treats his critics. Not well. He has personally suspended the accounts of many. He has a thin skin. But there are others doing his dirty work. Far-right groups have deluged Twitter with fake accusations against critics to get their accounts suspended. (See Business Insider report [11/30] for a list of some of those banned).
There is so much more about the Musker that proves he is not the Superman “free speech absolutist” he claims to be. So I will reserve that to another comment. In the meantime, tell us again how Musk if going to smite his enemies with “free speech” and all that stuff.
“Vindman is both a puppet & puppeteer. Question is who pulls his strings?”
Where’s the lie?
Dennis McIntyre:
When Musk took over Twitter, it was losing $4 million every single day. Productivity metrics showed Twitter employees are far less productive than those in other social media companies. Twitter employees were still working remotely, even though Covid had evolved into a far milder disease, and there are multiple vaccines available. This remote work was less productive.
When someone pays billions of dollars for a money-losing company, he should get to make whatever staffing changes he wants so as to stop the company from hemorrhaging more of his money.
The Left relies upon tyranny. It always has. This is why you will always find an excuse to defend censorship, as long as it only targets the right. If the roles were reversed, and you were prohibited from finding information injurious to Democrats on Google, from voicing your Left wing opinions on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, etc, and if you were harassed in the workplace for your Democrat views, you would change your opinion on censorship tout de suite. Applying the Golden Rule is how you know that you are in the wrong here.
Dennis:
Elon Musk does not suspend Twitter accounts for criticizing him. The entire Leftosphere is howling on Twitter against Elon Musk. He suspended Kathy Griffin’s account for impersonating him, without prominently marking the account as parody. That’s prohibited.
Elon Musk has not removed the free speech of the Left. In fact, the Left is still well able to say anything horrible it wants about Musk.
Elon Musk actually never claimed to be a “free speech absolutist”, that I am aware of. From what I’ve read in interviews, he wants a more moderate approach.
Elon Musk is not the far right. He’s more like a Libertarian, although he’ll likely vote Republican until and unless a third party arises that is actually capable of winning a major election.
Censorship in the digital public square based on political affiliation is wrong.
I read somewhere he voted for Obama. He is a businessman, so his object is to make money. He is already at odds with the Biden administration, so I think if anything he has moved further to the center politically, but now will lean right. I don’t follow his politics and don’t care about it as long as he runs his business as a business and not a political machine.
I have heard his work force was being reduced to a third so he could be saving ~one-half Billion+ dollars while getting a lot more efficiency from the rest. I think he will do well and Twitter will be useful for his entire business model promoting earnings in other businesses.
Karen S: You have been one of the most vocal defenders of Elon Musk on this blog. So let’s untangle your claims that don’t stand up to close scrutiny. You categorically claim “Elon Musk does not suspend Twitter accounts for criticizing him”. Untrue. LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin reports that Chad Loder, an antifascist researcher, Vishal Pratap Singh, who reports on far-right activities in So Cal and Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, a group that provides security for LGBTQ+ events, were all suspended after Andy Ngo, a far-right writer reported these individuals/groups to Musk personally. In a public Twitter exchange on 11/25 Musk invited Ngo to report “Antifa accounts” that should be suspended. Other far-right groups have flooded Twitter with false accusations against Antifa and related groups. So it appears Musk is reworking his own content moderation policy, not eliminating it, to eliminate critics and in support right-wing players.
I don’t disagree that Musk is not a “free speech absolutist”–a claim Prof. Turley has frequently claimed in many columns. So what does Turley know you don’t? Is he mistaken in his assessment of Musk or are you? But claiming Musk is taking a “moderate approach” to Twitter is non-sensical. Musk has reinstated the accounts of Donald Trump, MTG and Matt Gaetz–not exactly “moderate” figures in political discourse. This whole thing that Musk is a “moderate” doesn’t pass the laugh test!
There are other indications that Musk is not a “moderate”. On 11/23 Musk quietly chucked out Twitter’s Covid-19 misinformation policy. That means there will be more misinformation about coronavirus and false treatments–things that Trump was promoting early on in the pandemic. That’s why MTG’s account was permanently suspended because she was peddling all sorts of mis and disinformation. Now she is back on Twitter! Musk’s concept of “free speech” collides with the public’s right to have accurate scientific information to protect their loved ones! Is this what you support? And It is bizarre to refer to Musk as a “Libertarian”. He is supporting Ron DeSantis for president in 2024. DeSantis is a far-right firebrand–even to the right of Donald Trump. Try again when you get your facts straight!
“LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin reports that Chad Loder, an antifascist researcher, Vishal Pratap Singh, who reports on far-right activities in So Cal and Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, a group that provides security for LGBTQ+ events, were all suspended after Andy Ngo, a far-right writer reported these individuals/groups to Musk personally.”
Correct – these people advocated for violence on twitter – left or right that remains a violation of the TOS, a violation of law, and it will get you banned. All that is new, the those on the far left no longer have immunity.
The REALITY in the US today is the ONLY domestic terror group is ANTIFA. Andy Ngo has been beaten up by these people innumerable times – often on video. He has been hospitalized by them multiple times. Ngo is NOT a far right anything. He is just a reporter who covers Antifa.
Antifa does not want reporters to cover what they do. They do not want their public acts of violence to make the news.
Antifa gets very little coverage – BECAUSE the beat up and hospitalize anyone who reports on them.
Ngo is one of very few people who continues to be willing to do so.
Antifa has very nearly killed him on atleast one occasion.
Most of his violent encounters with Antifa would result in aggrevated assault charges against them if they occured outside of the left wing nut cities in the US.
“In a public Twitter exchange on 11/25 Musk invited Ngo to report “Antifa accounts” that should be suspended.”
Correct – anyone is free to report other twitter accounts. If a review of the reported accounts exposes content that constitutes incitement to violence, which is a crime. The account will get banned.
No one is getting banned merely because someone reports them.
“Other far-right groups have flooded Twitter with false accusations against Antifa and related groups.”
A review of the content of the reported accounts found that the accusations were NOT false.
Actually defending Antifa here is completely idiotic – Antifa makes no secret about the fact that they are VIOLENT, and that they will initiate violence against political opponents. That is actually illegal. Real threats to initiate actual violence against others are NOT protected speech.
Antifa’s openly expressed position is that violence against political opponents they dislike is justified.
You are free to beleive that.
It is NOT the law.
It is NOT acceptable on Twitter.
It is NOT supposed to be allowed on any social media platform.
Is should result in criminal prosecution.
Exactly the same standard – and it is the standard of the LAW, applies to all of us – left, right, does not matter.
“So it appears Musk is reworking his own content moderation policy, not eliminating it,”
Correct, Twitter has published a new interim TOS as they work on something much better.
The goal is that the TOS will be clear about what is and is not permitted.
That said Musk has put everyone on notice:
Any speech that is not protected speech under the first amendment – such as threats to initiate violence, and child pornography will get you permanently banned.
Musk has separately stated a few specific uncontroversial criteria that will result in being banned.
Under musk it is hard to get banned, you will not get banned for disagreeing with him, or for your political position.
You will get banned for speech that is illegal, as well as a few other very specific and objectively verifiable conduct.
It is my expectation that as Musk revised to the TOS, it will become clearer, and that to the greatest extent possible Musk will be able to Automate content moderation – so that humans will not be making subjective decisions.
Regardless, decisions are rules based – not ideology based.
Musk is a near free speech absolutist – no one is a total absolutist. Musk refused to unban Alex Jones – because Jones was banned for exploiting dead children. That is actually protected speech, but beyond what Musk was prepared to tolerate.
That said for a variety of reasons Twitter is NOT likely to move to a near free speech absolutist set of content moderation policies.
Twitter is a business, Business factors will drive content moderation more than free speech absolutism. The EU has specific laws regarding content, that are different from the US. I strongly expect that Musk will work something out with the EU such that Twitter will Follow the EU requirements but as narrowly and clearly as possible.
Musk must also balance the wishes of twitter users – both left and right. Musks ownership has brought millions of users back to Twitter.
But many on the left – left. Though some returned. Regardless, Musk is not going to transform Twitter from a left wing h311 hole into a right wing one. While Musk certainly beleives he is performing a civic duty, I have zero doubt that it is his intent to make Twitter far more valuable than when he bought it. The chinese app WeChat has an estimated value of $1T.
Musk has already announced that he is actively working on adding the ability to better handle video content.
If you do not think Musk is going to be driven towards making money – you are certain to be mistaken.
” But claiming Musk is taking a “moderate approach” to Twitter is non-sensical.”
No, it is quite accurate. Despite disparate political and institutional power in this country – left wing nuts are a small minority.
“Musk has reinstated the accounts of Donald Trump, MTG and Matt Gaetz–not exactly “moderate” figures in political discourse.”
You are clueless. Musk is not seeking to make Twitter a place for ONLY moderates – however you define that.
He is seeking to make twitter a space where the largest possible number of people are ALLOWED to be and WANT to be.
Regardless, you choose who you want in your feed. If you do not want Gaetz, or MTG or Trump, do not follow them.
“This whole thing that Musk is a “moderate” doesn’t pass the laugh test!”
Only because you have no idea what a moderate is.
Your posts make clear you are neither moderate nor a critical thinker.
” On 11/23 Musk quietly chucked out Twitter’s Covid-19 misinformation policy.”
A good move. Musk should entirely get rid of any efforts by Twitter to brand anything “misinformation”
Users are free to reply to the posts of others and provide links if they beleive some post is misinformation.
It should NOT be twitters role to decide what is and is not misinformation.
Covid itself provides the perfect reason for this. Virtually everything the CDC, FDA, NIH and WHO have told us about Covid has turned out to be “misinformation”. The overwhelming majority of content on Social media blocked or flagged as “misinfirmation” has proven true.
I would note that even Youtube has stopped blocking content based on Covid claims, and is flagging less content as misinformation.
YOU do not seem to iunderstand that when you put your corporate impramatur on something – by flagging it as misinformation.
You are betting YOUR trust and institutional reputation that you are correct.
That is a dangerous thing to do.
The lefts weaponization of instutions using misinfromation tags has damaged the credibility of those institutions.
Musk is trying to rebuild twitters credibility – and as I noted – he is NOT alone.
The left wing nut o spheres co-opting institutions in this country and banning and labeling political differences has not just undermined the credibility of the left – no great loss, but that of our institutions.
“That means there will be more misinformation about coronavirus and false treatments”
Nope. The prime source of misinformation on Covid has been the CDC, FDA, NIH, WHO.
“things that Trump was promoting early on in the pandemic.”
What YOU forget is that everything Trump said was information he received from Faucci or Brix.
HCQ was considered to be potentially significant early on, and remained the most effective treatment for many months.
It is still about 20% effective in preventing death, and 50% effective in preventing hospitalization. But today there are better choices.
“That’s why MTG’s account was permanently suspended because she was peddling all sorts of mis and disinformation.”
Which was a stupid mistake on the part of Twitter.
You also do not seem to understand that Twitter actually lost lawsuits over banning people for Covid misinformation – because those people proved to be correct, and because Twitter was being driven by government officials with is a violation of the 1st amendment.
“Now she is back on Twitter! Musk’s concept of “free speech” collides with the public’s right to have accurate scientific information to protect their loved ones!”
There is not and can not be such a right. Science is a process of discovery – not certainty.
That should be crystal clear from Covid.
Our governments and the “experts” have made two MAJOR mistakes with Covid.
The first is using FORCE to turn their advice into Commands.
The 2nd is using FORCE to suppress dissent.
Note I did NOT mention that they constantly proved wrong – that is because that is NORMAL.
Science is rarely certain until after it no longer matters.
The list of things that the allowed experts – there were plenty of Silenenced experts who proved correct,
were wrong about is enormous – in the end it is really “everything”.
The Government response to Covid was disasterous and the direct cause of all the problems we have been having the past year.
It is responsible for inflation, supply chain disruption. The destruction of small businesses.
“Is this what you support?”
Yes. It is what you call disinformation that actually enables us to know whether we have found the Truth.
“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion… Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them…he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
“And It is bizarre to refer to Musk as a “Libertarian”.”
Musk is pretty libertarian.
“He is supporting Ron DeSantis for president in 2024. DeSantis is a far-right firebrand–even to the right of Donald Trump. Try again when you get your facts straight!”
You are correct in identifying Trump and DeSantis as similar. Neither are libertarians. But both are part of the libertarian wing of the GOP.
I would further note that YOUR diatribe against free speech establishes that.
Increasingly today the GOP is the party of individual liberty, and democrats are the party of censorship, and restraint of liberty.
Some recomended reading on free speech and liberty by John Stuart Mill – one of the most respected “experts” of the 19th century.
https://heterodoxacademy.org/library/all-minus-one/
Are you supporting the people that almost killed Andy Ngo? Violence is not accepted anywhere, but maybe you accept violence as a way of stopping people you don’t like.
DeSantis. in the opinion of Florida voters, is not the “fire-brand” you say he is.
Only those who know little could call him an agitator, “fire-brand”. DeSantis is cool, focused and careful. Whether one likes him or not, he is one of the best politicians around, maybe the best.
What government does best is grow. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger till it sucks all the air out of the room.
What government does best is grow. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger till it sucks all the air out of the room.
Our laboratories of democracy (states) were doing gain of function research and the progressive virus escaped their labs sometime in the early 20th century.
Sounds like you are describing Svelaz.
Great Swamp Fight 2.0
What I forgot to put in my comment about all five of the NNC, NETWORK NEWS CABAL, They will not run stories / articles but! Tucker Carlson was when I was banished, from TWATTER. And he still does! and he still points out how they have yet to get in the game of running stories that are highly, important. I kept posting articles by Tucker with, his video segments. Lol. They definitely didn’t like that! Ha! I’m back!!!!!!
Civility Rule Violation Here
Ban For Life
Communists, by definition, are globalists.
Globalists are the direct and mortal enemies of patriotic nationalists; they hold allegiance to the world rather than to their country (i.e. traitors).
Globalist communists are the direct and mortal enemies of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, free Americans and America.
If one opposes and subverts aspects and facets of the Constitution, one is the enemy of the Constitution.
Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Cook, “Washington” et al., who oppose and subvert the freedom of speech, have become the direct and mortal enemies of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, free Americans and America.
If one is “…adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort…,” one becomes the enemy.
Lol They kicked me off TWATTER Juuuuuust about, 3 1/2 years ago. What was my crime??? Telling the truth. Showing, the truth. By putting up articles / stories from Tucker MY MAN!!😆Carlson!! When All 5 fake-ass-so called news channels and no! They are not! and I call all of them the NNC! “NETWORK NEWS CABAL”!! ABC / CBS / NBC / CNN / MSDNC!
All five of them are the propaganda mouthpiece for the Democrat party and the direct / in-direct mouthpiece for Joe “DINGLE—BERRY” Biden. Well. Elon is, He is following through on letting millions of us back on that was banished.
I received an email last night informing me that I can not only sign-back-up, they took the liberty and did it for me!!
FREE AT LAST FREE AT LAST! THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I’M FREE! AT!! LAST!!! PRAISE JESUS!! LMAO!!!
It gives me great pleasure, to see the demoncrap libs, and the msm, meltdown, and collude with foreign tyrant governments. They want to stifle free speech. hillary is swinging for the fence, but elon isn’t throwing anything for her to hit. Elon is disrupting their plans for the great reset, and nwo.
I found a great description of Chesterson concerning the reality we live in today. “The great march of mental destruction will go on. Everything will be denied. Everything will become a creed. It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them. It is a rational thesis that we are all in a dream; it will be a mystical sanity to say that we are all awake. Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer. We shall be left defending, not only the incredible virtues and sanities of human life, but something more incredible still, this huge impossible universe which stares us in the face. We shall fight for visible prodigies as if they were invisible. We shall look on the impossible grass and the skies with a strange courage. We shall be of those who have seen and yet have believed.” We are seeing and we still believe.
Will become an even worse source o falsehoods.
If you leave Twitter it will increase its credibility
Lombardy, I never do Twitter. It is incredible as it is.
Will become an even worse source o falsehoods.
Ah, but as a free speech site, it will also become a great source of facts and evidence (truths) to counter the lies and deceit (falsehoods).
OLLY, I am reminded of a song:
“When the idle poor become the idle rich,
you’ll never know just who is who or which is which!”
Aldous Huxley wrote in ‘Collected Essays’, “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach”.
Additionally, Hubert Humphrey said in a speech to National Student Association: “The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”