After the election, liberal pundits and media have attempted to rally the public in a shift from X to Bluesky, a smaller site that is viewed as a safe space for the left. I have been critical of the move as a retreat deeper into the liberal echo chamber after an election that showed how out-of-touch many of these writers were with the majority of voters. They would be better served engaging with a broader swath of public opinion. Today, one of the top Bluesky officials embraced Canadian-style speech controls and rejected more robust views of free speech as the model for the site.Bluesky has long been criticized as a site built on the concept of “safe spaces” in higher education for those triggered by opposing views. Many of those leaving Twitter long for the “good ole days” of when all social media platforms engaged in extensive censorship to exclude or marginalize opposing voices.This week, Aaron Rodericks, the head of trust and safety at Bluesky, confirmed the worst fears of the site. Bluesky has been hammered with complaints from conservatives and libertarians that they have been subject to not only death threats on the site but also blocked from posting.Some have demanded even more aggressive measures to block or suppress conservative or libertarian views deemed threatening or demeaning. Liberal pundits have heralded the site as allowing them to “breathe again” without hearing the type of opposing views allowed on X.
Rodericks espoused the type of anti-free speech rationalizations that are addressed in my recent book, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.” He insisted that there are alternative views of free speech than the type of “absolutism” supported by figures like myself.
Rodericks juxtaposed what he called “free speech absolutism” against the more enlightened Canadian model, adding, “I think it just comes down to philosophies of free speech.”
He explained:
“Being Canadian shapes a lot of my perspective. There’s enough of the American perspective in the world on a day-to-day basis. For example, in the Canadian constitution… you have rights and freedoms, but they’re not unequivocal.”
It was a chilling reference for many in the free speech community since free speech is in a free fall in Canada. As we have previously discussed, there has been a steady criminalization of speech, including even jokes and religious speech, in Canada. The country has eviscerated the right to free speech and association.
Yet, that is apparently the model for Bluesky. Rodericks repeats the doublespeak of the anti-free speech movement in claiming that he just wants to create a space where all are welcomed but excluding those who are not welcomed:
“I’m glad that [critics] consider it a safe space and ideally it can be a safe space for them as well. The whole point of Bluesky is for it to be safe and welcoming to all users. I think the issue is some people are defining their identity by opposition to others and how well they can harass others and deny their existence. Bluesky may not be the right place for them.”
Not surprisingly, Rodericks used to work at trust and safety for Twitter before he was fired by Elon Musk. He has also sued Musk over a tweet. At issue is Musk’s response to the criticism of his firing Rodericks’s team by noting, “Oh you mean the ‘Election Integrity’ Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they’re gone.”
That would seem clearly protected opinion under the First Amendment, but, of course, for the former censors of Twitter, it should not be allowed.
We have previously discussed the censorship standards at Twitter. For example, former Twitter executive Anika Collier Navaroli testified on what she repeatedly called the “nuanced” standard used by her and her staff on censorship. Toward the end of the hearing, she was asked about that standard by Rep. Melanie Ann Stansbury (D., NM). Her answer captured precisely why Twitter’s censorship system proved a nightmare for free expression.
Navaroli then testified how she felt that there should have been much more censorship and how she fought with the company to remove more material that she and her staff considered “dog whistles” and “coded” messaging. She said that they balanced free speech against safety and explained that they sought a different approach:
“Instead of asking just free speech versus safety to say free speech for whom and public safety for whom. So whose free expression are we protecting at the expense of whose safety and whose safety are we willing to allow to go the winds so that people can speak freely.”
Rep. Stansbury responded by saying “Exactly.”
The statement was reminiscent of that of former CEO Parag Agrawal. After taking over as CEO, Agrawal pledged to regulate content as “reflective of things that we believe lead to a healthier public conversation.” Agrawal said the company would “focus less on thinking about free speech” because “speech is easy on the internet. Most people can speak. Where our role is particularly emphasized is who can be heard.”
The same standard seems to be at play at Bluesky as controversial figures like Rodericks decide which views are deemed harassing or amount to a denial of the existence of others. They will be shown, Canadian style, why “Bluesky may not be the right place for them.”
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
” Rodericks repeats the doublespeak of the anti-free speech movement………..create a space where all are welcomed but excluding those who are not welcomed.” Yes, that is doublespeak. And by coincidence, that is also a defining feature of the woke – Exclusion. It’s not a bug or unwanted side-effect. It’s a feature. It’s the whole point. How happy is TPTB when they can legally, morally, or institutionally cut out their opposition. Woke isn’t a philosophy of hippies. This isn’t the 60’s, free speech, free love, fight the man. Woke is a tool FOR and BY “The Man.”
Somebody one day, had to sit down with moderate, old-school Joe Biden, and explain that seemingly silly “woke” tools would give him more power than he ever dreamed of. Every President has day-dreamed of a quicker and easier way to “get things done” instead of going through this tedious, messy, democracy. Joe Biden was the first POTUS to have that dream come true. They told him, The Party can bypass everything. We’ll simply demonize anyone opposing us, and deplatform them, censor them, sue them, prosecute them, frame them, jail them, and rename all that saving democracy. And we’ll even have half the country on our side, if we handle it right! If we bake the cake just right.
And one day, on September 9th, in the Year of our Lord, 2021, that same man stood at a podium and told Free American Citizens, that his “patience was wearing thin,” and he would be force-vaccinating us. Nothing was said or done about that. Maybe, because free speech and free assembly was already destroyed.
After speech rights fail, other rights fall. Because obviously, if you can’t speak on one topic, you can’t speak on other topics. If you can’t speak on one venue (online) you can’t speak on other venues (offline). That’s the real problem. And that goes far beyond what BlueSky does.
“you have rights and freedoms, but they’re not unequivocal.”
YOU HAVE NEITHER IF THEY ARE AT THE SUBJECTIVE WHIM OF OTHERS
If ‘safe’ space means not simply the right to express one’s opinions without fear of physical violence BUT INSTEAD means merely that citizens should be ‘safe’ from having to hear ideas that they don’t like and don’t want to hear … then this ‘absolutist free speech’ bit is lethally and fundamentally opposed to genuine free speech and beyond that it is opposed to a citizenry that must be as widely apprised of vital ideas as possible in order to effectively exercise its responsibility to form decisions upon which they will exercise their ultimate political authority as voters.
” Many of those leaving Twitter long for the “good ole days” of when all social media platforms engaged in extensive censorship to exclude or marginalize opposing voices”
within days of the mass migration to BS, the platform was receiving over 3500+ requests for censorship every HOUR. I’ll repeat that 3500+ requests every HOUR. In 2023 when BS was barely known they received a little of 350,000 requests for the entire year. Meantime over on X community notes has become the way to correct tweets instead of censoring the OP
When the government ‘shutdown’ occurred in August of 2011 in the Obama presidency, a few things happened worth noting:
Standard & Poors credit-rating agency downgraded U.S. Treasury to AA+ which caused some real problems for institutional investors (e.g. Insurance Company general investment portfolios) who were required to adhere to the AAA credit rating standard, and thousands of government employees were instructed to stay home, without pay, at least until the ‘crisis’ was over.
Who can forget Ted Cruz reading on the floor of the Senate chamber for hours and hours?
Reagan set a standard in the 1980’s when he not only said he would fire air traffic controllers, but went ahead and fired them!
I see Trump as doing something similar once January 20, 2025 arrives.
The most significant item in the CR bill Republicans wanted to pass was $110 Billion for disaster relief. They also sneaked in a pay raise for themselves and other pork projects. It was not just things Democrats wanted on the bill. Trump made it clear that he didn’t want to have the debt ceiling raised during his administration because Democrats would make it difficult for Republicans to implement his plans. That’s an admission that Republicans have little room to maneuver with a one-seat majority in the House. If they want to pass anything, they will absolutely need Democratic support if the Freedom Caucus or moderate Republicans do not agree to specific policy provisions.
Trump is off to a bad start, and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. This mess is a precursor to what is to come: more chaos and financial turmoil.
Unless someone throws on the brakes, this nation and everywhere else in the world will drive off the cliff.
There are massive government inefficiencies and financial abuse abounding, especially in military projects. It’s time to crack down.
For the sake of personal gain and stockholder pressure, many U.S. companies outsourced our manufacturing sector to a rogue nation that spends their spare time plotting to overthrow us.
This nation is in deep trouble and it will take chemotherapy to attempt to bring true stability. I do not foresee “happy days” for the foreseeable future, but it requires a tough, no nonsense leader to carry out the necessary steps to set things right.
We may not have whipped cream on our strawberries for a while.
Too many years, the government and politicians (all sides) have spent the people’s money like drunken sailors on shore leave.
The brakes
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/12/sen-rand-paul-calls-elon-musk-be-named/
WTH ?. You are madder than a mad hatter. Trump is not even POTUS yet and the failings here are all on the briben bitler stage of do NOTHING. The dems all want a porkulous bill of ginormous spending or bust !. Its sick to see people like you just vomiting out party line rhetoric and you cant see the forest for the trees. Govt needs to be reigned in and sized down…and you must first start with its appetite for insane needless spending – aka corruption.
“more chaos” is a leftist buzzword. It’s repeated on every legacy news outlet for the past several years. Your slip is showing.
So Musk is demanding the government be shut down and the good old GOP is complying.
Wait, who elected this multi billionaire to any position in government? Oh that’s right, nobody, he is just the buddy of DJT whom many on here supported.
How’s that working out for elected government? You all just made the Richest man on earth the oligarch of the U.S. pulling puppet strings on your demented djt.
Good going former repos.
No, Mush is demanding that Republicans NOT vote for this pork and poison pill filled CR intended to handcuff the Trump administration.
Regardless, I am fine with “shutting down government” – in reality most of government continues through a shutdown.
Thought eh president does get to decide how to screw his political enemies the most in a shutdown.
Except in this case Biden and Democrats look weak and corrupt.
There is ZERO doubt that the Election of Trump AND A GOP sweep means that voters want government spending Cut DRAMATICALLY.
So you really think this is a winning fight for democrats ?
“ There is ZERO doubt that the Election of Trump AND A GOP sweep means that voters want government spending Cut DRAMATICALLY.”
Raising the debt limit is not about cutting spending. It’s about increasing spending. Trump wants to increase the debt ceiling so he has room to spend more without having to make cuts bigger than they will be. Musk isn’t calling to raise the debt limit. Trump is. If Trump needs room to implement his agenda, he must cut spending without increasing the debt limit.
Will the Freedom Caucus simply roll over and accept raising the debt ceiling? I don’t think so. Plus, Republicans absolutely need Democrats to pass any new bill, and they can make it very painful for Republicans to pass anything within a 48-hour time frame. A government shutdown will be blamed on Trump and Republicans. Trump is already laying blame on Democrats to “soften the blow” for Republicans, who will ultimately be responsible for any damage or consequences of failing to pass a bill in time.
ATS – this is not about Musk – though I would note that voters elected Trump and a GOP Senate and house specifically to CUT spending.
Do you honestly think that ordinary people are going to support a pork ridden CR loaded with poison pills AFTER they clearly voted in November to Cut Federal Spending ?
Do you really thjink most ordinary people are effected by a “government shutdown”
You are making this about Musk – as if Trump and Republicans were NOT perfectly clear BEFORE Nov. 5th that Musk was being brought into a Trump adminstration to take a scythe to the federal government.
ATS – this is just Round one. Reigning in federal spending is a difficult task and it STARTS NOW.
We will see how this plays out politically – but I think you are smoking whacky weed if you think that the majority of voters want congress to pre-emptively hand cuff Trump and republicans – WHO they elected.
The honest politicians and media are already having a field day pork shaming democrats over this bill.
Whether you like it or not – on Nov 5th Voters elected Trump KNOWING that he was going to have Musk take an axe to the federal government.
As has been noted many times before – Trump has been defacto president since Nov 5th.
He is once again proving that.
Whether you think Trump is demented or not – whether you think that Musk is pulling Trump’s puppet strings – both absurdly stupid claims.
What leverage does Musk have over Trump ? Do you really think that an uber billionaire can blackmail a mere billionaire ?
Regardless – This is Trump keeping his campaign promises that Voters elected him for.
“ ATS – this is just Round One. Reigning in federal spending is a difficult task, and it STARTS NOW.”
This isn’t about what Musk wants. Trump wants to increase the debt limit before his administration comes into power so he won’t be blamed for increasing the debt. He needs to increase the debt ceiling so he can spend more and support his upcoming agenda.
He’s blaming Democrats instead of Republicans because if the debt ceiling is raised during his administration, he can’t blame Democrats since they won’t be in the majority.
I thought Republicans were vehemently against raising the debt limit because it means more spending. Now Trump is demanding they raise it so he can have room to implement his goals, and Republicans roll over and comply? So much for fiscal responsibility.
Democrats can agree to a simple CR and keep government open.
I propose a simple one:
No new programs or rules or grants of power as part of the CR.
A 5% Cut to all federal spending not otherwise mandated by law – SS and Medicare as an example are mandated. You must pass new legislation to change them.
I will even give Biden the authority to shift spending arround as he choses to preserve budgets he thinks are critical – if he finds the funds from matching cuts elsewhere.
Have the CR expire on Jan 21, 2025 + 100 days.
Have the CR include a debt limit increase to cover any deficits during the CR period.
That is it – nice and simple.
What we are learning is we have a 1500 page CR loaded with Pork and IEDs to make 2025 spending cuts impossible. And more money for congress critters while exempting Congress from PPACA.
Regardless americans who have had to scrimp to get by in the past 4 years are not likely to be sympathetic to this boondoggle.
Pork? Republicans are demanding Billions on the CR for disaster relief in Republican states. A clean bill should not include disaster relief. That is the problem Republicans have. If they want disaster relief money, they must compromise on what Democrats want. Because Republicans absolutely need Democrats on board to pass any CR bill. Trump stupidly threw a wrench into a carefully negotiated bill at the last minute without realizing just how precarious the Republican majority in the House is. Democrats can totally screw over Trump before he even starts, and Republicans know this. Trump wants a massive debt ceiling hike so he has room to spend more so his proposed programs can be implemented, and he doesn’t want to raise the debt ceiling during his administration and when Republicans are in the majority because it will look really bad and make hypocrites of them.
This is the first battle of the Trump administration.
It is a fight that was coming no matter what.
The only question here was, whether Republicans would start trying to impliment the mandate from the election immediately or wait until after the inauguration.
Trump decided to start implementing HIS campaign promises BEFORE taking office.
We will see shortly whether this was a brilliant move or a stupid one.
I would bet heavily on the former.
I would further note that While Trump would have more votes after Jan 21, 2025, this was going to be a fight no matter what.
Trump and republicans can afford to move now.
This is what they promised.
This is what voters voted for.
If a fight against pork right now can not glean public support – it is not going to fair better in March.
Huh, Republicans can’t afford much. They will have a one seat majority in the House and can’t pass this “clean” CR bill without Democrat support. Republicans voted themselves a raise on this bill, and they demanded billions in disaster aid for republican states affected by the hurricanes earlier this year. But, to have that money, they HAD to compromise to have Democrats’ support to pass the bill. That is how things work in Congress. That is why it takes months of negotiations to come up with a bill funding the government. Trump just crapped all over it at the last possible minute because he does not want to raise the debt ceiling during his term and when he can’t blame Democrats for any failings of his policies. This isn’t going to end well for Republicans, and they know it. But they also don’t want to blame Trump for making such a demand so late in the game. Democrats can simply let Republicans end up with a shutdown and leave Republicans with sole responsibility to figure out how to clean up the mess Trump made.
“So Musk is demanding the government be shut down . . .”
You’re lying. Imagine that.
George says: December 18, 2024 at 3:33 PM Dennis McIntyre, you hit the nail on the head!
The Babylon Bee should be afraid. Very, very afraid.
Yes audience, it is now official! We have a trifecta! The self-licking Democrat ice cream cone is complete: the three legged fetid stool that is the Three Democrat Stooges are now together!
No longer will George cosplay the role of the independent, impartial fair-minded commentator. Dennis McIntyre as the straight man ringleader, playing Moe. George is now officially all in with Dennis to play the support role of Larry, while Gigi self-presents as the other supporting clown, Curly.
A unified Democrat trolling effort presented every single day to attack the traitorous Professor Jonathan Turley for straying off the Democrat reservation. Democrat vaudeville comedy, with every post presented as another Democrat farce.
What a truly magnificent display of carefully choreographed – but failed – Democrat political performative theater on Professor Turley’s blog!
Old Airborne Dog
OAD that was, shall we say, awesome 😊
Just like the parachute drop into raging combat, right, Airborne Puppy?
Being Canadian shapes a lot of my perspective. There’s enough of the American perspective in the world on a day-to-day basis. For example, in the Canadian constitution… you have rights and freedoms, but they’re not unequivocal.”
OTOH, being a Democrat means you have privilege and wealth. Everyday Americans, not so much
Nancy Pelosi is soooooo Marie Antoinette sans guillotine. Would that the MSM covered her living in largesse at the expense of struggling Americans
Nancy Pelosi Profited as Luxury Napa Resort Won COVID-19 Bailout
The Auberge du Soleil investment, held for decades by Paul Pelosi, has rarely turned a significant profit, according to Nancy’s financial disclosure forms. In some years, he has recorded a loss or a profit of between $50,000 to $100,000. But the year of the bailout money stands apart. In 2021, Pelosi’s ethics forms show that her family’s income from the resort surged to a range of $1 million to $5 million.
The French Riviera-themed resort may not be most people’s idea of a struggling business in need of a government bailout, yet the Auberge du Soleil – which shuttered briefly at the outset of the pandemic before swiftly rebounding – received about $9 million from a series of special taxpayer-funded emergency relief programs.
The previously unreported windfall is among several COVID bailouts that flowed to Pelosi-backed restaurants, hotels, and properties, including several Courtyard Marriott hotels.
A RealClearInvestigations analysis found that Pelosi’s profits spiked from a variety of holdings that won significant government rescue funds – which amounted to $28 million, a total more than previously known
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/12/18/nancy_pelosi_profited_as_luxury_napa_resort_won_covid-19_bailout_1078263.html
Democrats do seem to be the party of censorship. I’d rather they form their own niche media with censorship, than keep trying to censor all forms of social media. Just a few short years ago, all media was under the control of Democrats, who then proceeded to discriminate against conservatives. We’re lucky Elon Musk bought X, and loosened censorship. It shouldn’t have taken a billionaire to restore public discourse.
If a platform will discriminate against viewpoints, it should be required to be disclosed at signup, and on the homepage. They should then be treated like publishers under the law.
Karen I believe that history will eventually record that Elon, by buying Twitter, saved civilization.
Totally agree. The powers that be were totally caught off guard by Musk and they rallied their filth machine too late and out of funds and Musk wone out, which means directly the people won more than Musk did !. America for one is a better place for Musk’s endeavors in opening up twitter and deactivating the Orwellian govt run in the shadows Censorship.
Canadian styled speech limits: Explain to me how Canada’s constitutional monarchy is substantially different from that which our ancestors left some 400 years ago? That said, what the Net has repeatedly proven over the last twenty years, actually it begins about the time of the Obama presidency, is that the online political forum that lacks sufficient tension cannot attract enough interest to sustain itself. Concerns over Bluesky censorship then is merely mindful misemployment.
betuadollar asks: Explain to me how Canada’s constitutional monarchy is substantially different from that which our ancestors left some 400 years ago?
Certainly! The British monarchy has had SFA to do with governing, laws, and policies of the elected British and Commonwealth Parliaments since the first King Edward had his head chopped off his shoulders for daring to attempt to assert The Divine Right Of Kings over the elected Parliament.
After The Glorious Revolution, the British Parliament made the surviving Royal, Mary, an offer she couldn’t refuse. Sign the English Bill Of Rights and you get to live in whatever castle the elected Parliament of the day allows you and your descendents to live in and serve as a representative of the elected Parliament. Like military regiments, tradition matters to a lot of people, after all.
Since that first monarch, Queen Mary, bent the knee to the elected British Parliament, there has never been an instance where a British monarch dared to interject themselves into the affairs of the elected Parliament of the UK or Commonwealth country.
They sign what is put in front of them by the elected Parliament, much like the President signs what the elected Legislative Branch puts before him. Except of course, unlike the British Monarch, the President does have the option to veto what the Legislative Branch puts before him.
Aside from that, the monarchy serve under a general expectation to produce offspring that will serve the colors and swiftly head off to war when Parliament announces there is a war on. The now deceased Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were both WWII veterans; she as an enlisted NCO and he as a naval officer. Their parents and uncles served in WWI (and some like Mountbatten in WWII as well). The latest version of King Edward who succeeded his mother, served primarily in the Navy but also in their air force. One of his brothers was a Navy helicopter pilot attempting to decoy incoming Exocet missiles with his helicopter. The other brother spent some brief time in the Royal Marines after passing selection The Warrior Prince (who served a tour as footborne calvary outside the wire and then another piloting an Apache helicopter a decade ago) now known as The Gelded Prince is not the first “Royal Spare” in royal family history… The older brother, the heir apparent, spent several years flying search and rescue helicopters out over the North Sea; not entirely risk free.
Back to your question: When we booted our fellow Brits to become the original Americans a century after the Glorious Revolution destroyed the Divine Right Of Kings, we eventually decided we needed a similar position of head of state to represent the government to the people and foreign nations.
Voila! Meet the new American government position of Secretary of State, a role so ably filled in recent years by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and now Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
You could discuss whether a hereditary head of state that is not chosen by an elected government is better or worse than the choices that can be made by elected governments formed by Democrats.
Meanwhile, we did NOT fight our Revolutionary War against that ol’ Evil King George. The lesson of history which we have not learned is we fought that war against a government made up of our countrymen elected by our fellow countrymen. King George just signed whatever paperwork Parliament put in front of him concerning taxing the Colonists or orders to make war on those rebellious Colonists. (Whether or not that is better than Secretary of State Clinton deciding to take out Qaddafi as her Libyan democracy project to give ISIS a kick start is somehow better than having a hereditary monarch is an interesting thought!)
So the question you can ask yourself: Do we have a more trustworthy elected government ruling us today with the elected Democrats using the FBI as the party STASI than we did when the Colonists had a government of their fellow Brits and elected by their fellow Brits passing bills to tax them and make war on them?
I’m not sure there’s all that much difference.
Old Airborne Dog
I appreciate and agree with your treatise…especially as to the quislings that propagate our government ranks. The bureaucracy has become a cancerous monster wherein it sacrifices the people to grow and metastasize before our very lives.
Amusing that a discussion about an editorial questioning Bluesky’s lack of diversity and descent into a mere echo chamber has devolved into the usual Trump is Hilter debate.
Myself, I find this reassuring. I think it is best for the nation that the Left fails to learn from its looniness and keeps along its familiar path.
As long as we can clean up our election systems the Lefty echo chamber will yield fine results🤣🤣🤣
Censorship is a form of control exercised by a fearful subgroup desperately afraid that they may be wrong. Fear based choices delve one deeper into the abyss of despair. It is a choice to go to this bleak space, if it’s all the same to the censors, I chose to not accompany them.
* It’s all lies… Biden is a bad dude, corn pop. He’s got hairy legs…
Where’s the radioactive waste being dumped? Appears to be from NJ , the Hudson River…
Merry Christmas…
I wonder what the prez-elect orange re*ard thinks?
Words of wisdom…
^^ orange man bad cult member ^^
I wonder what the prez-elect orange re*ard thinks?
Could it possibly be worse than the pasty faced Prez Big Guy, the one who had Inappropriate Incest Showers with his daughter?
While he was generating over 170 Suspicious Activity Reports from Banks reporting bribes paid to the VP’s office and the sale of access to that office?
Inquiring Democrat minds want to know!!!!
That would be the current acting president.
Clouds are the missing link, one of them, in the Democratic seance of CACC.