I have previously written about the European Union’s (EU) effort to use its infamous Digital Services Act (DSA) to force companies like X to censor Americans, including on postings related to our presidential election. This is a direct assault on our free speech values, and yet the Biden-Harris Administration has not raised a peep of objection. Now, the EU is threatening to set these confiscatory fines with reference to revenue from companies other than X, including Space X.
The EU has warned Musk that it is allowed to hit online platforms with fines of as much as 6% of their yearly global revenue for refusing to censor content, including “disinformation.” The inclusion of companies like Space X is ridiculous but perfectly consistent with the effort of the EU to use the DSA to regulate speech in the United States and around the world.
The EU is arguing that as a “provider” Musk’s entire business portfolio can be included in the fine calculation. It is ridiculous and chilling. Musk’s other companies have nothing to do with the platform policies of X. It is simply an unhinged coercive measure designed to break Musk.
X has objected:
“X Holdings Corp. submits that the combined market value of the Musk Group does not accurately reflect X’s monetization potential in the Union or its financial capacity, In particular, it argues that X and SpaceX provide entirely different services to entirely different users, so that there is no gateway effect, and that the undertakings controlled by Mr. Elon Musk ‘do not form one financial front, as the DMA presumes.'”
However, the abusive calculation is precisely the point. The EU censors are making an example of Musk. If they break us, no company or executive could hope to defy them. They are being cheered on in this effort by an anti-free speech movement that includes America politicians and pundits.
One of the lowest moments came after Elon Musk bought Twitter on a pledge to restore free speech protections, Clinton called upon European officials to force Elon Musk to censor American citizens under the DSA. This is a former democratic presidential nominee calling upon Europeans to force the censorship of Americans.
She was joined recently by another former democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry, who called for government crackdowns on free speech.
In my new book on free speech and various columns, I write about the DSA as one of the greatest assaults on free speech in history. As I wrote in the book:
“Under the DSA, users are ’empowered to report illegal content online and online platforms will have to act quickly.’ This includes speech that is viewed not only as ‘disinformation’ but also ‘incitement.’ European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager has been one of the most prominent voices seeking international censorship. At the passage of the DSA, Vestager was ecstatic in declaring that it is ‘not a slogan anymore, that what is illegal offline should also be seen and dealt with as illegal online. Now it is a real thing. Democracy’s back.’”
The pressure on Musk’s other companies has also been ramping up in the United States. Recently, the California Coastal Commission rejected a request from the Air Force for additional launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It is not because the military agency did not need the launches. It was not because the nation and the community would not benefit from them. Rather, it was reportedly because, according to one commissioner, Musk has “aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.”
It is all part of Musk mania and the need for the anti-free speech movement to break the only executive who has defied the pressure from this alliance of media, academic, corporate, and government officials.
As I have discussed previously, there is a crushing irony in all of this. The left has made “foreign interference” with elections a mantra of claiming to be defending democracy. Yet, it applauds EU censors threatening companies that carry an interview with a targeted American politician. It also supports importing such censorship and blacklisting systems to the United States. When you agree with the censorship, it is not viewed as interference, but an intervention.
Anti-free speech advocates like Clinton are now going old school. After trying to convince Americans to embrace censorship and blacklisting, they are now praising governments like Brazil and the EU for directly imposed speech regulations on American citizens.
The question is where is the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress. You have a foreign government forcing the censorship of speech of American citizens. We routinely impose reciprocal trade barriers on countries for interfering with our markets. Yet, when a government seeks to curtail political speech in the United States, our leaders are silent.
JT, you can stop the charade with your support of DJT for Prez. He is going to give the AG job to the judge that threw his documents case away. Yep, good ole DJT is paying back for a corrupt judge. Too bad JT, you would have been a terrible AG but perhaps not the worst, There is a near zero chance DJT wins the election so it worn’t happen. But it would probably be a good bet that Judge Cannon would be worse than you.
So give it up JT, time to start telling the truth about your Fascist wanna be dictator felon sex abusing trump.
The professor does not read student comments.
Its not a student. Its an ARBD afflicted old white dude known as Elvis Bug, the booger eating Lawn Boy.
Neither Cannon nor Turley are after the AG job.
But I am sure that Trump can find someone competent to end this nonsense.
“Trump” and “competent” in the same sentence? Dumb.
You may not like his personality but suggesting he is incompetent is delusional: secure border, 1.5% inflation, historically low unemployment, no new wars, Abraham Accords, violent crime under control, energy independence and exporting, and so on. These results don’t flow from incompetence.
“But I am sure that Trump can find someone competent to end this nonsense.”
You have not been paying attention. Trump couldn’t find competent people during his first term. It was a revolving door of failures throughout his term.
Right, the same failures you libtards like to quote now.
George, arent you the same bot that said that it is legal for non citizens to register to vote?
“I am sure that Trump can find someone competent to end this nonsense.”
I wouldn’t mind him appointed Ken Paxton. Some heads would deservedly roll after that.
Guys, its Lawn Boy Elvis Bug and he is having a nervous breakdown because of the polls. The closer it gets to election day, the worse it will be.
RCP poll averages, one snapshot. First number is advantage 2020, second number is advantage 2024, third number if spread:
Top battlegrounds – D+4.1, R+1.1, Trump+5.2
National Average – D+7.5, D+0.7, Trump +6.8
Favorability rating – D+17.7, D+3.8, Trump +13.9
The last number above shows the change from four years ago to now.
As a practical matter, if the EU bureaucrats go after Musk hard enough to REALLY piss Musk off, the EU being Woke and operating from double standards are not going to save the EU from Musk. For Musk, it will be about as hard as clubbing baby seals to crush the EU attacking him in their faux moral outrage.
Nothing from the EU goes into or leaves space on any of his rockets. The EU bureaucrats’ disinformation and inciting violence on his X platform? De-platformed; go open an account on Truth Social.
In all the technological arenas where Musk is at the head of the world, where is the EU going to find equal replacements if they find themselves on Musk’s Shyte List as they announce they have Musk in their sights?
And to double down: how is this going to turn out for the EU, going after Americans (of which Musk is only one) when Trump is the president again?
The taxes the EU levies on Americans like Musk? Double those taxes, countervailing tariffs, technology sanctions, etc on everything EU. Trump wouldn’t do that to protect Americans from EU totalitarians, would he?
Well, at least Kamala Harris wouldn’t, there is that. That should be a comfort to the EU.
The EU is an entity that resembles and operates pretty much like the Soviet Democrats since Obama scammed and lied his way into the presidency to ‘fundamentally change America’ with his phone and pen.
SpaceX just celebrated the 14th consecutive flight of one of its Falcon 9’s.
That is a HUGE deal Musk is looking to bring the cost of getting things to space down by a factor of 1000,
It is already down by a factor of about 100 – For SpaceX.
It is not for the EU’s rockets, for NASA’s rockets, for Boeing’s rockets, for China’s rockets, for ….
Right now – either you fly SpaceX or you pay more ALOT more.
Further Musk now likely has more than 50% of the total capacity to orbit.
Again he does not need to build a new rocket for each launch.
Everyone else does.
And Starship has only just started flying commercially – Starship is a HUGE economic step – far larger payloads for far lower cost per pound in orbit.
Get your popcorn ready! The woke EU is heading for the wall and nobody bumped them into it. Let’s hope for a fiery one in turn three.
@mespo
Yep. That goes for the *entire* modern left. Anyone who is affiliated with it, globally, at this point. What happens after November is going to set the precedents of all precedents in litigation, hoo boy, from Silicon Valley to the bowels of Washington. Lawsuits galore.
We are not going to stand by and just take this s**t. No way. And given that, we can very safely ignore the EU idjits we established this country against in the first place – 😂. They can bite me, and us. Amazing how they have learned nothing whatsoever in 300 years. Unlike the recent videos of unskilled leftists shooting guns for the first time and hurting other people: we actually know how to use our 2A. And we will vote for the continued right to do that, and we will exercise that right if need be.
And again, I am most decidedly NOT a conservative, but I’m also not a generationally, privileged, idiot, wet noodle that has learned nothing during their time on earth, no matter what elevators to ‘success’ they may have ridden through their genealogy. Enough. Let’s do it at the polls.
I agree: take ten people with you that will not vote ‘dem’, or more specifically, Kamala/Obama. Vote for Jill Stein if you must.
James,
There is another way we can voice our displeasure, close our pocketbooks. My wife asked me about Christmas. Harris wins, it is canceled. We dont spend a dime. We dont dine out. We dont spend any money on anything other than the essentials, food, gas. Get half of the country to do the same. Great way to send the message.
However, reading some reports from economists are saying the American consumer is tapped out. Some are expecting only 2% growth this holiday season, when the norm is more like 4%. Some retailers are very dependent on holiday shopping.
As it has been noted, under the Biden/Harris admin, corporate bankruptcies are up to 2008 GFC levels.
Spend on Christmas, Upstate, regardless. Spend locally, though. Perhaps give most to local charities than in past years. They’ll need the extra support if Kackle-Doodle-Doo allegedly “wins”.
I remember the days when Bill Gates was King of the Money Hill, and they came after Microsoft.
Making the Forbes’ List of Billionaires is a kin to being placed on the F.B.I.s most wanted list.
His Money (Realized or Projected Value) is the Target.
The question arises:
How does Fiat Money equal Democracy?
(How do they equate?)
I don’t see it – Musk’s ‘perceived dollar value’, won’t ‘Buy My Vote’,
But Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness and IRS’s raised ‘standard deduction’ will,
putting more Fiat Dollars in the pockets of Ignorant Voters.
(Standard Deduction rises to $15,000 for 2025, an increase of $400 from 2024.)
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2025
It’ s the same-ole Election Year faux promises.
When will they learn their lesson.
When X was shut down in Brazil for not complying with a court order they lost a sizable number of users. Brazil represented a sizable potential market for future revenue and subscribers. While revenue-wise Brazil was not significant enough. Its potential for future revenue growth was indeed important. After defying Brazil’s court order for months it finally agreed to abide by their laws and pay a fine. Turley got unusually quiet.
It seems X was forced to acknowledge that it does have to abide by a country’s rules if it wishes to operate within its borders. What a shocker. So why would the EU threatening fines against Elon for not moderating content on X be any different?
There is a certain level of arrogance about the whole thing. Turley bristles at the idea that other countries (the EU) have laws a bit stricter than ours about free speech. That it’s suddenly fascist to demand moderation of speech used to incite violence and harm to others. Speech-inciting violence is also a crime here. Intentionally encouraging someone to commit a crime is also a crime. The EU views speech as conduct as well and their criminal justice system views speech inciting hate and violence as prosecutable offenses. That’s the way it is over there. But Turley is wondering. Why Congress or the Biden administration are not doing anything about it? He’s supposedly a constitutional scholar and a lawyer, but he doesn’t understand that the Constitution does not extend beyond our borders. The EU is not fascist because they are a bit stricter on the definition of free speech. They still have freedom of speech. The only difference is they believe in holding those who use speech to incite, encourage, and promote violence accountable. They recognize that the right to free speech is not absolute.
@George
When George posted the same old communist drivel . . . seriously, man, enough already. There are tiny digital tears coming from the pixels on my display at the thoughts of your poor, brainwashed, brain.
I am actually truly sad that you do not seem to understand what it means to live a free life. That kind of fear inside a human mind must be torture everyday, particularly if one is doing it for a dollar. Prostitutes likely suffer less at the cognitive dissonance. Nobody with two brain cells to rub together or an ounce of human compassion cares. 🤷🏻♂️ We will stand for our freedom, and the irony is that the same freedom enables you to ingrate us every day. Pfft. Go blow, dude. Bet you are fun at parties.
James, you don’t grasp the point I’m making. Nothing that the EU is thinking about doing with Elon is going to affect you. Not a single thing. You will still enjoy all the freedom and privileges that this country has to offer.
Turley wrote a piece that seems to imply that is a defense of Elon Musk and more generally about free speech. But in doing so he also opened himself to criticism and ridicule and silliness of the argument he’s making. Because it is indeed silly and nonsensical.
He’s complaining the EU is “attacking” free speech because its laws require social media platforms operating within the jurisdiction of the EU to moderate violent speech and content. That’s just a requirement that X or any other social media company must meet if they wish to operate in the EU. How is that communist?
We do the same thing. We demand TikTok observe OUR laws if they want to keep operating within our borders. Am I wrong? Congress is threatening to ban TikTok if they don’t comply with our rules and by banning them they are also censoring Americans. That’s the same view Turley has and he’s made it clear he opposes that. But he is not talking about Tiktok because he doesn’t care about free speech as much as he claims. He’s pushing articles like these to gain “street cred” among conservatives for defending Elon Musk because he’s a free speech advocate and nothing builds up his “street cred” with Republicans and conservatives than bashing the ‘anti-free speech bullies’ in the EU and wondering why they are not conforming to the principles of the first amendment. Perhaps it’s because the EU is not the U.S. and it’s a sovereign governing body that has its own rules and laws. Why would that be controversial to point out?
@George
Blah, blah, blahbedy blah. and your point is, if you have one, other than to defame???
Sigh….the right’s level of ignorance never ceases to amaze.
It explains why real legal experts and serious academics don’t populate Turley’s blog. It is pure peanut gallery riff-raff. So sad.
Well, thank you George. That explains a lot. Apparently, you come here multiple times daily because you chance that your comments and opinions might ring true with the “peanut-gallery riff-raff,” -certainly not with any “real legal experts and serious academics!” Now I get it.
Turley bristles at the idea that other countries (the EU) have laws a bit stricter than ours about free speech.
Curious George can lecture us on this because he’s actually read and studied the EU’s laws, particularly their laws concerning free speech! That’s how he knows!
Alternately, Curious George has added Lies Of Insinuation to his toolbox, beside his Lies Of Omission and Lies of Commission.
We’re supposed to believe George that the EU has stricter laws on free speech – while they allow Mad Mullahs in the EU to trumpet anti-Semitic hate speech and howl “Death to Israel, death to the Jews”.
Musk’s X platform allows inciting violence and disinformation – but those Mad Mullahs and hajjis screaming for Jew Blood in the EU don’t do anything like that.
Sure George, we believe you on the EU having stricter laws – not double standards almost identical to Biden, Harris and the Soviet Democrats that you pimp here for.
As Kamala Harris told Christians on the weekend, “You’re at the wrong gathering” to get away with peddling that shyte here, Curious George.
George – Economic warfare goes both ways.
Brazil’s economy does not depend on Musk. The real losers to shutting down Musk nationwide were Brazilian conservatives – and even that was less of a big deal
Censorship is always a losing game. The EU had to lie to grab the CEO of Telegram.
All that has done has been to get those who will not play ball with the EU to stop traveling through the EU.
Telegram is still running as is Signal. There are many other alternative means to communicate free from censorship.
And that is just on the open market – make things diffiult enough and more people will move to the dark web.
Nor are we limited to that
PGP has been used for secure communications by disidents through the world for decades – it is not as easy as Telegram or Signal
But it is open source – you can not stop it.
It has ALWAYS been a lie to claim that nations want to thwart terrorists or criminals.
The reason that Israel’s pager attack on Hamas was successful is that the terrorists moved off the internet – because they knew that NSA was tracking them.
Regardless, nations can play games trying to restrict the speech of their own people – but they can not stop anyone with the least intelligence, and ultimately they can not make the censorship regime work.
China has been playing this game for over a decade – and they still can not successfully censor their population.
The only thing that censorship does is undermine trust in official sources and amplify trust in underground sources that may not be reliable.
Brazil has for the moment gotten Musk to KowTow – but they have lost ground in their efforts to control the media.
Like in the US – Brazil has LOST the support of the center, and even the moderate left.
Glenn Greenwald was threatened with Jail by Bolsanaro and even HE is an enemy of the Lulu fascist state.
While I strongly suspect that Trump will end all of this – even if he does not.
This idiocy is self destructive.
It does not work.
John Say,
“Censorship is always a losing game. The EU had to lie to grab the CEO of Telegram.”
Do you have evidence to back up your claim? I doubt it.
“Brazil’s economy does not depend on Musk.”
Correct. Musk depends on the Brazilian market more. It has huge potential and he was harming that potential because he was too arrogant to admit that even he is not above the law.
“Telegram is still running as is Signal. There are many other alternative means to communicate free from censorship.
And that is just on the open market – make things diffiult enough and more people will move to the dark web.”
Well DUH! The EU is not trying to censor all speech or even controversial speech. Telegram and Signal will always be available, but they are still required to moderate and/or remove speech that incites violence and encourages violence against others. That’s also against policy on X and Facebook. Turley’s blog moderates and removes openly racist posts. It’s protected speech here. According to Turley’s views, even that is anti-free speech.
Brazil has not lost trust in the center. Brazil has a long history of political dirty tricks and feuds that predate the internet. Nothing is going to significantly change.
“While I strongly sus the internet. Nothing is going to significantly change.”
He won’t. Trump has already demanded that the licenses of broadcasters be pulled because they are critical of him.
Censorship or moderation is always going to be around. Speech can be regulated and we know that the right to free speech is not absolute.
It is unbelievable that the EU wishes The U.S.A. to protect them from the Russians, yet they try to take away the rights of Americans. It is primarily mindless rhetoric, but I would remind them of who the essential power in NATO is. If the EU wishes to go down the drain, let them, but don’t go with them.
S. Meyer,
Great comment.
“It is unbelievable that the EU wishes The U.S.A. to protect them from the Russians, yet they try to take away the rights of Americans.”
Yeah, crazy that there are other sovereign nations with their own laws and expect those who wish to do business within their borders to follow them. How dare they.
Does that mean you agree tik tok shouldn’t abide by our laws as well?
Are you advocating fascism among our NATO partners? If they act like fascists, they are fascists. Maybe the EU government can use their non-military to protect themselves. In the past, many, you included, on the left were accusing Trump of having Russia interfere in our elections (untrue). Still, today, you are happy to see the EU engaging in election interference. That is your hypocrisy in the world of a brainless dingbat.Are you advocating fascism among our NATO partners? If they act like fascists, they are fascists. Maybe the EU government can use their noxxn-military to protect themselves. In the past, many, you included, on the left were accusing Trump of having Russia interfere in our elections (untrue). Still, today, you are happy to see the EU engaging in election interference. That is your hypocrisy in the world of a brainless dingbat
Here is dum dum Svelaz doubling down on his ignorant claims about EU laws. As if EU is even a sovereign and they all have the same laws. Idiot.
“Do you have evidence to back up your claim? I doubt it.”
Prove it, Svelaz. Prove any of what you claim.
From NATO’s website: Deterrence is a core element of NATO’s overall strategy: preventing conflict and war, protecting Allies, maintaining freedom of decision and action, and upholding the principles and values it stands for – individual liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Free societies and the rules-based international order need to be backed by credible transatlantic defence.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_133127.htm
It would seem that the EU’s DSA is in direct defiance of NATO’s mission. NATO countries, whether they know it or not, are at that “house divided” moment. As Lincoln said: I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.
Olly, no the DSA is not in direct defiance of the NATO mission. All EU citizens enjoy individual liberty, freedom, civil rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The EU voting for a law that requires social media platforms and search engines to moderate content they define as speech inciting violence and enouraging harm to others is well within their mission and their right.
“ NATO countries, whether they know it or not, are at that “house divided” moment”
No, they are not. Where do you get the idea that they are divided on this issue? The commission is made up by members and representatives of member nations. They all agreed on it.
NATO is not the only organization that outlines their values. There’s the EU charter of fundamental rights.
“article 11,
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.
2. The freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected.“
https://fra.europa.eu/en/eu-charter/title/title-ii-freedoms
Just a cursory reading of the charter shows they have a lot more rights than we do and they are more thorough in what they entail.
Article 52 allows for the DSA to exist,
“ 1. Any limitation on the exercise of the rights and freedoms recognised by this Charter must be provided for by law and respect the essence of those rights and freedoms. Subject to the principle of proportionality, limitations may be made only if they are necessary and genuinely meet objectives of general interest recognised by the Union or the need to protect the rights and freedoms of others.”
The EU has very robust protections for personal liberty, religion, freedom, and expression.
“The EU has very robust protections for personal liberty, religion, freedom, and expression.”
Prove it.
Well, if I didn’t like the song I wouldn’t listen to it. Now if I didn’t like the speech, I wouldn’t read it. Simple!
“It is all part of Musk mania and the need for the anti-free speech…”
It’s all about a premature attempt of the left to take control of our constitutional republic and create a one-party system that is fascist at its core.
S. Meyer– “It’s all about a premature attempt of the left to take control of our constitutional republic and create a one-party system that is fascist at its core.”
Seems like they have already taken most control.
I am beginning to worry that our election will be as democratic as the last Venezuelan election.
The only question is how far they can go cheating and lying.
“The only question is how far they can go cheating and lying.”
Trump likely won in 2020. Trump will win in 2024 if most of the cheating by the left is prevented. Your question is the most pertinent one involving this election.
Young, S. Meyer,
I would say they need the election close enough the cheating is not too obvious. However, as it looks they are desperate they might go overboard and make it truly obvious. Then things really could backfire on them and there becomes a real movement for voter integrity laws, voter ID. That would stop their plans for their one party state.
Upstate,
The Democrats cheated in the Nixon/Kennedy race. Nixon actually won but didn’t contest it because he thought it would hurt the Republic. The Democrats were convinced that cheating was perfectly acceptable.
Funny that they have gotten so used to it that they even cheated themselves by staging a coup against Biden and foisting a candidate not truly chosen by the normal procedures onto the dais.
Now many are thinking they would have been better off with Biden since Kamala is so annoyingly terrible.
True, Biden is out of it but the Deep State could run the country with a mannequin in the Oval Office. They have already demonstrated that.
Young,
I agree the Deep State ran the country with the empty suit that is Biden but they sure did not do it well, e.g. inflation, new wars, illegal alien invasion.
Upstate, the Regime ran this administration exactly how they intended. Every policy decision was made to collapse our country. Their orchestrated coup against Biden and installing Harris was well played. The choice of Walz suggests Shapiro was going to be a problem for them.
Upstate,
“e.g. inflation, new wars, illegal alien invasion.”
What do you think They do all & every day at Langley?
cha·os
/ˈkāˌäs/
noun:
complete disorder and confusion.
Looking at the EU one wonders if Hitler or Stalin really won the war after all.
How did they fool us for so long?
No X.
No wonder they want to destroy it.
And the left wonders why Musk is supporting Trump ?
Brazil started this nonsense.
The legal construction of a corporation exists for ONE reason, to sheild investors from liability that extends past their investment in THAT corporation.
It is increasingly evident how desparate the left is – that Trump lose, and that Musk is silenced and FORCED to come to heel.
It is also likely that when elected Trump will use the massive power of the united states – Just as Brazil and the EU and UK have – except AGAINST the enemies of free speech.
And that doing so would be consistent with centuries old US principles.
The president can restrict access to US markets to countries that violate the free speech rights of not merely americans – but their own people.
The US has for 250 years been the voice of freedom in the world.
It is reprehensible that those in this country on the left have sold that out for political power.
At long last – have you no shame ?
The left ranted about alleged Russian interference in US elections, right now we are seeing Brazil, the UK, and the EU interfering in US elections.
It is interesting to note that in all these cases the lefts has but a fingernails hold on power.
Starmer has the largest left majority in Parliment in UK history – but he did not win even close to a majority of british votes.
He has a majority only because the majority of the vote was split between Reform and the Tories.
When the Tories finally make peace with Nigel Farage they will have commanding Control of UK.
But more importantly there is Zero doubt which way the people in the UK lean.
The EU is in danger of falling about – the German left is in danger of losing power – possibly to the far right. Regardless, Germany, Poland and the neatherlands have entirely abandoned EU immigration and border policies – and much of the rest of the EU is likely to follow.
Make no mistake: we are dealing with fascism. Pure and simple fascism, and unlike the last time this was the scourge of the world, we have an unelected elite largely pulling the strings. Very nearly ALL of them hail from the modern and generational left.
They absolutely want to remove any agency we have over our own lives whatsoever. I never fully bought into the DNC’s image as the party of the little guy (I’ve always thought largely they were arrogant a-holes, not half as smart as they believed, just more privileged), but they are now actively the enemy of anyone or anything non-elite. They pretty much just represent misery and despair for the human race, and they want us yo shut up and take it, disenfranchisement, wealth, and raw power are the only things motivating the modern left. Though I think this piece is a bit hyperbolic, it definitely paints the picture, and it has been decades in the making. Still think those of us that were crowing about Google or Facebook 15 years ago were just ‘crazy’?:
https://www.techspot.com/article/2908-the-zero-click-internet/
Really. Vote accordingly. So much could be said about all of this and how it interlocks it could be a conversation that lasts for days. Giving Silicon Valley immunity at the dawn of the web era was beyond foolish (but, $$$. It boggles the mind that kids were making millions doing basic HTML back then), and people that think Soros is a humanitarian seriously need to have their heads checked.
We had all damn well better vote accordingly and demand transparency, and then be prepared for the fallout of those actions, because there WILL be fallout. This is NOT the time to get cocky.
James,
Great comment!
The “. . . they were arrogant a-holes, not half as smart as they believed, just more privileged” part made me think of Clinton and Obama.
@Upstate
Ditto. Things shifted rather remarkably in 2008 within the DNC and its allies (and God, I hate to tarnish that term after WWII), and at this point, with all that has been revealed, I do not believe for a second that was without intention, this really has been the long game for them.
I am absolutely an asshat that voted for Obama the first time, and to my countrymen and women: I am sorry. I knew not what I did. Never voting dem again, as long as I live. I hope it makes a difference, because we cannot as a country take four more years of this elitist, racist, classist, create a caste society where the ‘poors’ just obey without question, straight up ignorant (yes, ignorant. I would wager after all the favors and generational pandering the average IQ on the left is below 100) and absurd boosheet.
We cannot continue this way, and that is a fact.
* James, vote 😂 in a few generations the gods of Gates, Clinton etc as they see themselves will have receded to the mountaintops and the little people will roam the earth freely with their digging sticks unaware of their oppression.
It’s not new. There is nothing new under the sun.
* It’s global for the big shots but China doesn’t seem to be cooperating. It’s busy building dams and hiring Italian engineers etc. Xi wouldn’t give these guys the time of day. He’s busy tanking up on trade mkts. He did pull out of Africa for a time. He got tired of having to import Chinese labor.
It’s just a matter of time. Enjoy the rest of the day. The net has an on off switch you know.
Nice space program you got there, EU. Be a shame if you couldn’t find rockets to launch your crap.
* Is the 90 day quiet time federal or State law? DOJ so it must be fed. Apparently no waiver was given. What’s the upshot? After the election no candidate can examine ballos for non citizens voting? Shouldn’t it be on a pipeline to scotus. What are the dates on this? Clearly some DMV registered non citizens? That is crime whether the non citizens vote or not. I’d think the registrants have a personal interest to step forward asap if they receive an erred ballot. They’ve are in jeopardy of a fine and jail. The DMVs are in one or multiple locations? It’s not to be taken lightly.
* oh look, my comment in the wrong article! I did not mean to commit a crime. Pardon
The American designers of the Internet poo-pooed the whole idea of sovereign nation states with their own laws.
It’s been a losing battle against cyber crime mounted from abroad ever since. And deep down, Americans know that a “Pearl Harbor” level cyberwar will be mounted against the United States by our enemies. Russia, China, Iran, NoKo?….they will unplug their nations from incoming global internet packets to defend themselves from counterattack.
The U.S., and our Western allies, lacking this ability, will suffer devastating disruptions.
Europe should be able to have the Internet work the way they want. The same for the U.S., and for every nation. But,
that’s not how the brilliant techies of the 1980s thought it should work. They were revolutionary libertarians, or what a historian would call “stupid”.
* I can telephone anyone in the world. Well, there is that iron curtain.
pbinca – the internet was not “designed” as you claim – it is just the natural consequence of the growing individual freedom hat technology provides us.
Those countries that are trying to constrain free speech are pissing into the wind. It should not be surprising that they are getting drenched in urine.
While I hope that Musk wins this fight NOW, the outcome is inevitable. Even China can not supress free speech within china – it just goes underground. China finds itself playing a game of whackamold against inoccuous phrases that people have overloaded with meanings that have been censored. But even When China is successful as censoring speech – all that does is undermine further Trust in the chinese government.
The EU has been falling behind the US economically for my entire lifetime – Economic growth has been about 1/3-one half less than the US.
The 3rd quintile in the EU has a standard of living the same as the 4th quintile in the US. This is precisely the problem that brought down the USSR – seeing that life was improving faster in the west than in the USSR
Regardless, the FACT is that supressing the speech of thoseyou do not like – FAILS, it even fails when you are right an that speech is bar speech.
The speech you do not like is like the canary in the coal mine – it is a warning – information about where things are overall.
It is like short selling in the stock market – one of the causes of the 2009 financial crisis was the SEC stopping the market from shorting bank stocks. Short sellors sent a message to the market about the strength of each and every bank stock. Without the short sellors the market rapidly assumed ALL bank stocks were in trouble and the market collapsed.
Free speech – even BAD free speech works the same. The more voices there are out there opposing whatever the status quo is, The more obvious that status quo is weak. Silencing those opposing voices does not make the problem go away, it just makes the status quo WEAKER.
Adam Smith may not have been thinking about Free Speech when he penned.
Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things. All governments which thwart this natural course, which force things into another channel, or which endeavour to arrest the progress of society at a particular point, are unnatural, and to support themselves are obliged to be oppressive and tyrannical.
Adam Smith
* There really is the idea of trespass. A nation can decide to employ x political system and constant trespassing into the physical boundaries or the ideological boundaries has led to wars. Trespass is in general recognized.
You sound like a globalist when that suits you, and a nationalist other times. I was around in the ’80s in Silicon Valley. There were many voices who balked at a “borderless” internet, and how that would hand criminal cartels major new advantages. Those voices were drowned out. So much for rule-of-law.
The hundreds of American IT managers whose companies will today be hit with ransomware demands (typically $30 in bitcoin) agree with me.
* The game goes to the most violent gang of dogs , mam.
pbinca says So much for rule-of-law.
So much for your credibility when you regularly defend your Democrats crushing the rule of law as you spout their “Trump’s Big Lie” crap as though the 2020 election actually followed the rule of law and our Constitution.
Your own malfeasance makes readers suspicious that you’re handing us a turd sandwich while assuring us we can pick it up at the clean end.
* you are what you eat. Consumers are so easily controlled.
The EU including NATO have been sucking on America’s Tit since WWI and WWII all while are esteemed Political weasels jump for joy telling us all along that we need the buffer of the EU to protect us from the Bear. Mr. Musk surely has the upper hand if he refused to include any EU member from Space X’s journeys into space. The EU has elected fools for so long it’s hard to see a bright future for any of them; maybe Italy will be the exception.
* The loser is the common man. When the common man is deprived of freedom it’s very difficult to improve his lot.
And, sadly, most Democrats heartily support the persecution of Musk. Apparently, Leftists see Hitlers everywhere they look now: very convenient excuse for twisting the law to suppress your critics. We were told it was just about Trump, but actually… it’s never been just about Trump.
I would advise swing voters to beware of Barack Obama. He’s an expert practitioner of talking out of both sides of his mouth. He’ll praise free speech while using his pawns to subvert the government and torment his critics. Hillary is just more ham-handed in her tactics (which explains why she couldn’t weasel her way into the Oval Office).
Every Western democracy is facing this same crisis from the Left. There’s just something about the liberal/left mentality that gloms onto totalitarianism. The minute they think they’re ascendant, they drop the pretense about defending political minorities. I wish somebody could explain this. I wish somebody could cure it.
Diogenes,
If only Musk stayed on the Democrat plantation he would not be facing this kind of persecution. Sure, they are trying to send a message to not step out of line but it only confirms what we know to be true, they are the fascists they accuse everyone not them of being.
In more crazy lies spread by leftists, Democrat strategist James Carville declared on MSNBC that if elected Trump would “He’s gonna arrest all of ya,”
He also said, “When the Republic was threatened, people picked up arms and answered the call.” in reference to pre-WWII and pre-Civil War times.
Sounds like he is calling for an insurrection.
Yep. Any wonder that they keep trying to kill Trump. They’ve normalized these dog whistles.
Ya, true fascism
Hitler too saw threats everywhere – and exactly like the modern left used the threat caused by the freedom of others as a justification for the supression of their rights.
James called the left fascist – and he is right.
We will all come to heel with the left or the boot of left government power will be on our neck.
Fascism is not an ideology. It does not have a left or right.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/magazine/robert-paxton-facism.html
“Fascism does not rest explicitly upon an elaborated philosophical system, but rather upon popular feelings about master races, their unjust lot, and their rightful predominance over inferior peoples.”
Fascism is best thought of as a political behavior, one marked by “obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood.”
Most importantly, fascist movements value action above thought, the instincts of the blood above reason, duty to the community above intellectual freedom, and national particularism above any kind of universal value.
These align with Trumpism today. It has nothing to do with left-right policy alignment.
Funny that you would substitute a contemporary, cleverly-crafted and tailored definition designed to fit Trump, rejecting the classic, traditional, and academic definitions. NYT-sourced, of course. truly laughable you are.
“Fascism does not rest explicitly upon an elaborated philosophical system . . .” (NYT)
The NYT is ignorant about German history and philosophy. Its road to fascism was paved by its poets and philosophers.
“. . . the instincts of the blood above reason . . .”
In philosophy, that is called determinism. (Which in fact is a philosophic idea embraced by the Left.)
“. . . duty to the community above intellectual freedom . . .”
In philosophy, that is called collectivism. (Also part of the Left’s underlying philosophy.)
That’s Philosophy 101 knowledge. That the NYT does not know it disqualifies them as experts on fascism.
When leftists gain control the first thing they do is forget everything they said before and then go after supporters.
Jonathan: Elon Musk is not the only person facing problems. Anyone know who are the following:
Raymond Santana
Kevin Richardson
Antron McCray
Yusef Salaam
Karey Wise
If you answered the “Central Park Five” you get a little gold star on your MAGA hat. These five Black and Hispanic teens (14 to 16 yrs) were falsely accused, prosecuted and convicted of the brutal rape of a White jogger in Central Park, NY on April 19, 1989. Under duress they initially confessed but at trial pled not guilty and maintained their innocence ever since. They were exonerated in 2002 when another inmate admitted to the crime and his DNA matched that found at the scene. The jogger survived the attack. After their exoneration the “Central Park Five” sued the City of NY and recovered $41 million in damages.
This is where DJT comes in. During the trial of the teenagers he took out bold ads in several newspapers calling for the return of the death penalty–at a time when there were heightened public concerns about crime in NY. Even at this time DJT was trying to stoke racism in NY.
Now you would think DJT would think twice about defaming people–especially after the EJ Carroll was awarded nearly $89 million in her two defamation cases against the former president. I guess not because at his debate with Kamala Harris DJT repeated his false statements about the “Central Park Five”. He said: “They admitted–they said–they pled guilty. And I said, well, if they pled guilty–they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately”.
As a result of DJT’s continued racist, false and malicious defamatory statements the “Exonerated Five” have filed a defamation lawsuit against DJT in the Eastern district of Pennsylvania. This case will be relatively easy to prove. The only issue will be the amount of damages.
In the era of Trump damage awards in defamation cases have gone through the roof. Besides the EJ Carroll damage awards, Rudy Giuliani got hit with $150 million for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The problem for DJT is that he just can’t help running his mouth. If the “Exonerated Five” are successful DJT is going to face another big payoff!
South Carolina GOP alerts state officials of alleged Democratic ballot harvesting operation
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/south-carolina-gop-alerts-state-officials-alleged-democratic-ballot
* Is that the OJ glove? Tampered evidence? Did Bailey do something? What about those glasses?
The glasses…
Detroit Muslim leader removed from Harris campaign rally says Muslims feel ‘unwelcome in this party’
“There are hundreds of Muslims who saw that, and they feel like they are unwelcome in this party, so why bother?” says Ghanim, who has been outspoken about his opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel for the war in Gaza
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/detroit-muslim-leader-removed-kamala-harris-campaign-rally-says-no-reason
* I can’t sit on the jury. I was attacked by the 7th street 3. Could pick them out of a line up.
Jonathan: These five Black and Hispanic teens (14 to 16 yrs) were falsely accused by Elon Musk, then prosecuted and convicted of the brutal rape of a White jogger in Central Park, NY on April 19, 1989.
Elon Musk was involved? You’re on drugs again Dennis. Jonathan, your fake parasite friend Dennis is lying to you by omission again.
OMG! Years before Michael Brown was murdered by police while on his knees with his hands up in surrender, pleading “Please don’t shoot!” – this was the template for how police murdered Michael Brown!
Will this run like the defamation lawsuit against Rachael Maddow? Maddow and her network were sued for defamation after she specifically told her audience a competing network was run by Putin. The Obama judge didn’t even let that lawsuit get into court. Threw it out and said there could be no defamation because Maddow’s audience KNEW she lied as part of her show every day.
Dennis, why did you not mention the woman they beat and gang raped was just one of their many victims in that night’s spree of violent attacks? Instead of insinuating that they were only accused and convicted of the gang rape?
These are the thugs who confessed to carrying out that brutal gang rape during an all-nighter of gang attacks on random people they encountered. There’s a reason Dennis and the Democrats don’t mention that woman wasn’t the only one these rapists attacked that night…
Dennis hopes you believe they were innocently walking home from Bible study that night when the police swooped in and arrested them and set them up. Insinuating police swooped in, dragged them off to an all night interrogation without sleep, parents involved, etc.
Except their involvement was only discovered when one arrested and questioned about another crime gave up details of the gang rape to detectives who weren’t even aware that was also being investigated due to a Jane Doe in the hospital. How do you provide details to a crime you supposedly had nothing to do with when trying to get a deal from detectives investigating you for another crime.
Dennis: isn’t it amazing how they could know details of a crime they absolutely had nothing to do with!!!! So amazing that neither Dennis nor a “free the super predators!” DA like Alvin Bragg (or his predecessor who freed these thugs) can explain how that works!
Odd that their slip and fall tort lawyer isn’t including Kamala Harris who during her career as a DA bragging of how she was prosecuting “black super predators” made reference to these gang rapists. Her pockets aren’t deep enough to pay damages along with Trump?
Also not including in the lawsuit New York Democrats who continued to insist they were guilty and gang rapists after they were released? Wouldn’t these free as bird violent thugs and their lawyer want to reach into as many wallets as possible? Rather than just Trump’s?
Maybe that would queer the deal with the famous New York juries who hope somebody can give them an opportunity to convict Trump and throw him in jail? They wouldn’t find in favor of the thugs if there were some New York Democrats included with Trump that would get the same treatment?
In the era of Trump damage awards in defamation cases have gone through the roof.
In New York, not in the rest of America Dennis. Those decisions by judges like Merchon have to survive appeals that go outside of New York, that New York judges and juries can’t control.
You never did mention how Elon Musk is involved in this Dennis…
Dennis – while you are correct that Trump took out adds against the Central Park 5,
You seem to miss the point. The Central Park 5 were NOT prosecuted by Trump.
They were not even prosecuted by angry mobs of people in NYC.
They were investigated by NY Police – who suppressed evidence of these kids innocence from the start.
They were prosecuted by Manhattan DA’s who also suppressed evidence of their innocence.
I KNOW that those of you on the left like to beleive that private citizen Trump has magical mezmoratic powers,
But the FACTS are that the NYC law Enforcement, prosecutors, and Government lied and railroaded the Central Park 5.
Trump was falsely persuaded of their guilt – EXACTLY like most of the rest of Manhattan at the time.
That would be LEFT Manhattan.
There are people who should go to jail over the Central Park 5. People who burried or lost evidence, who lied under oath.
People acting with the power of Govenrment.
Trump was not one of those. Trump at best was another deceived private citizen with a bigger voice than most.
If you wish to question his judgement on the Central Park 5 – be my guest – he made a mistake.,
But he did not abuse power.
As you wish to dredge up the Past – While Trump was NOT a huge voice yelling stop with regard to invading Iraq, he WAS one of the earliest voices highly suspicious of what we were doing.
As the Bushies, Chenies, Grahams, Clinton’s Crystals, Pelosi’s, Schummer’s all drug us into a war in which we killed hundreds of thousands of innocents, Trump was opposed.
None of us gets it right all the time. Very very few of us get it right as often as Trump. Certainly not any on the left who were wrong BOTH about Iraq, AND the Central Park 5.
Dennis,
This article is about Free Speech – not the supression of speech.
Trump was WRONG about the Central Park 5.
He was WRONG because there was no Musk, no Twitter, no FaceBook, No X
where the voices challenging the narrative of a LEFT New York Government.
Dennis wants to talk about prosecutors and defamation today on his blog!: Jonathan: Elon Musk is not the only person facing problems. Anyone know who are the following:
Anyone know why the name “Kamala Harris” ISN’T at the top of Dennis’s list of people with problems? Dennis, let’s talk about a corrupt and malevolent prosecutor named Kamala Harris and the resulting defamation awards from her malicious prosecutions and withholding exculpatory evidence as you want to go off topic here with your blog as usual.
Five times prosecutor Kamala Harris’s malicious prosecutions got the wrong guy!
Kamala Harris has been facing criticism from fellow Democrats over her criminal justice record during her time as a top California prosecutor. During last month’s Democratic debate, for example, Tulsi Gabbard slammed Harris for blocking DNA testing that would have exonerated death row inmate Kevin Cooper while she was district attorney of San Francisco.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/1491942/five-times-prosecutor-kamala-harris-got-the-wrong-guy/
One of Kamala Harris’s victims, a black American man named Jamal Trulove was awarded $13 MILLION in damages. Damages not paid by Harris, but by taxpayers instead.
Kamala Harris Sent This Innocent Man To Prison To Serve A Life Sentence For Murder. Now He’s Talking
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jamal-trulove-wants-kamala-harris-to-talk-about-his-wrongful-conviction/
Another black American man named Caramad Conley was another victim of Kamala Harris trying to get a record of jailing “black super predators” (Biden the racist invented the term – Harris just used it).
Conley was also awarded millions in damages for Harris’s prosecutorial malfeasance. Again, Harris didn’t pay the damages for her malfeasance – taxpayers did.
Dennis, Kamala Harris is one of those persons you forgot to include on your list of people with problems. Do you think you and Gigi can keep Harris’s prosecutorial record hidden long enough to get her elected?
I would not be bragging about the weaponization of Defamation lawsuits as means of supressing free speech.
Almost no one would have heard of EJ Carroll but for Trump. Most everyone who has accutally listened to her story have concluded she is a liar – just as it is likely regarding Blaseley -Ford.
The two election workers you note – were NOT defamed – But for their own lawsuit – almost no one knows who they are.
Frankly very few do even now. I would further note that Guiliani introduced the video of them pulling suitcases out from under the table at the Atlanta Convention center – something that has clearly STILL not be established as not a crime, inside of a legal proceeding.
In the real world – not that of the left, defamation by lawyers in the context of a legal proceeding is exempt from defamation law – something that Nut Job Justice Beryl Howell ignored in the Guilliani case – just as she ignore his right to present a defense – as Kaplan also did in the Trump case.
Most of this left wing weaponized lawfare is patterned after the Alex Jones case – which is a massive travesty of law where left wing nuts acrross the country have massively abused the law – just as we saw in the Trump enmoron and Trump merchan case.
I would further note the two people allegedly defamed by Guiliani were election workers – who have ZERO ability to make a defamation claim with respect to their work in elections.
This is a ludicrously nonsensical legal argument by those on the left.
If you can not raise allegations of criminal conduct by those in government whithout proving them beyond a reasonable doubt BEFORE alleging them – those in govenrment can get away with murder.
It will take a long time for these cases to work through the courts. But if you are expecting these decisions to hold up – your NUTS.
It is self evident – whether the jones case or the guiliani one, or the Trump one, that the purpose of weaponized left defamation cases is to SILENCE voices you do not like. Nothing else.
Being as kind as humanly possible to the plantiffs in these cases – NONE of them – even if they were 100% correct about everything has a reputation would a tiny fraction of the awards they received.
Defamation is a TORT, its sole purpose is to make whole those who were harmed by knowingly false statements of fact.
Absent real harm there is no tort. Even with real harm – there are no damages possible greater than the value of the reputations of the plantiffs.
While Fox should not have settled the DVS case, Fox did have the problem that DVS Stock plummetted based on the claims against them – it also recovered, but it was still possible to make a claim of real harm approaching $1B dollars. This is still a weak claim – as you can not blame all volatility in stocks on a single allegation. Nor can you blame it all on a single voice when many are making the same allegation.
Dennis – All of the Central Park five confessed to the crime – as well as other crimes – Trump’s statement is correct.
Regardless, your own allegation is that Trump took out a full page add seeking to bring back the death penalty to New York.
What is your allegation regarding Trump ?
That he should not have advocated for restoring the death penalty ?
That he is someone guilty of defaming 5 people for Repeating What THEY said of themselves ?
That Manhattan Juries can not be trusted – I am sure Trump will agree ?
Trump had nothing to do with any of these confessions – all of which occured WEEKS before his Death Penalty add.
All of us – including Trump should be more careful about the weight we give to allegations, to confessions, to guilty pleas.
Trump atleast had those confessions to rely on – those of you on the left reach abysmally bad conclusions with far less in the way of evidence.
The Central Park 5 can not and will not ever have a defamation claim against anyone – they ALL confessed.
While those confessions were false, and they were improperly obtained, and the CP5 have – and won a judgement from NYC regarding NYC’s handling of the case, there will never be a CP5 related defamation case.
You can never claim defamation for repeating statements you have made of yourself – not even false ones.
The events and arrested occured when Ed Koch – Democrat was mayor and he convictions occured with Dinkins – Democrat was mayor.
It is amazing how you can excuse likely racism under Democrats – including a black mayor, and or magically blame it on Trump.
The confessions of all 5 occured within hours of the even. Probably before Trump heard of the crime.
In actual news that is relevant – in addition to the 20 or so examples of plagarism in Harris’s book,
it has now been found that she plagarized under oath testimony before congress.
And we have incontrovertable proof that Shiffty Schiff fraudulently obtained mortgage discounts and tax deductions by claiming two residences concurrently as his primary residence for over 20 years.
This is far worse than the Enmoron claim against Trump – as this is actual fraud – taxes were not paid, and mortgage companies were actually defrauded.
How much do you want to bet Schiff is not prosecuted ?