The Gab social media site has been muzzled on grounds that its policy of permitting unfettered speech is somehow related to the Pittsburgh atrocity. Actually, the shooter's posted rant gave at least a potential warning, though unfortunately it went unnoticed. There is not however one scintilla of evidence that muzzling the deranged man from social media would have prevented him from losing control and killing people.
There seems to be a goody two shoes theory that if only we could get everybody to speak "appropriately," nothing would go wrong. The psychology is ridiculous. But the logical fallacy is being promoted by those who wish to exercise control over the "bandwidth" of public speech, getting it back into the nice, narrow parameters of pre-internet days. American oligarchs are following a path well-trod by autocrats, and most recently re-blazed by the Chinese communists.
The Big Tech, Big Finance conspiracy to throttle back speech is aimed not at the worst instances of terroristic rants but at the alt right, that sector of the media that does not follow the liberal party line. The oligarchs were horrified that the alt right helped boost Trump into power, and their aim is to curtail that group's influence on voters.
That statement from Gab was flagged as coming from a poor security site by Web of Trust, which rates sites according to user experience. So either Gab was forced to use a risky site, or it was sandbagged by people giving false ratings.
A Washington Post story today noted that Democrats on Sunday said Trump’s "incendiary" attacks on rivals have created fertile ground for those inclined toward extremism, while Trump and his allies defiantly blamed the media and liberal activists for fomenting unrest. We might point out that use of the adjective "incendiary" implies that Trump is lighting fuses in deranged minds. One might have made the same charge against Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was known for rough talk against his adversaries.
An earlier version of the Post story said Trump hadn't heeded the Anti-Defamation League's warnings to tone down his rhetoric, which the league said was whipping up anti-Semitism. That version omitted the point that Trump's son-in-law is Jewish and that Trump is a strong supporter of the state of Israel.
Here is a Post column which sees Trump as responsible for episodes of insanity by individuals.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-washington-saw-america-as-a-safe-place-for-jews-trumps-america-isnt/2018/10/28/e21ea6e6-dade-11e8-b3f0-62607289efee_story.html?utm_term=.f073af855637
There seems to be a goody two shoes theory that if only we could get everybody to speak "appropriately," nothing would go wrong. The psychology is ridiculous. But the logical fallacy is being promoted by those who wish to exercise control over the "bandwidth" of public speech, getting it back into the nice, narrow parameters of pre-internet days. American oligarchs are following a path well-trod by autocrats, and most recently re-blazed by the Chinese communists.
The Big Tech, Big Finance conspiracy to throttle back speech is aimed not at the worst instances of terroristic rants but at the alt right, that sector of the media that does not follow the liberal party line. The oligarchs were horrified that the alt right helped boost Trump into power, and their aim is to curtail that group's influence on voters.
Gab.com is under attack. We have been systematically no-platformed by App Stores, multiple hosting providers, and several payment processors. We have been smeared by the mainstream media for defending free expression and individual liberty for all people and for working with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for the horrible atrocity committed in Pittsburgh. Gab will continue to fight for the fundamental human right to speak freely.
As we transition to a new hosting provider Gab will be inaccessible for a period of time. We are working around the clock to get Gab.com back online. Thank you and remember to speak freely.
That statement from Gab was flagged as coming from a poor security site by Web of Trust, which rates sites according to user experience. So either Gab was forced to use a risky site, or it was sandbagged by people giving false ratings.
A Washington Post story today noted that Democrats on Sunday said Trump’s "incendiary" attacks on rivals have created fertile ground for those inclined toward extremism, while Trump and his allies defiantly blamed the media and liberal activists for fomenting unrest. We might point out that use of the adjective "incendiary" implies that Trump is lighting fuses in deranged minds. One might have made the same charge against Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was known for rough talk against his adversaries.
An earlier version of the Post story said Trump hadn't heeded the Anti-Defamation League's warnings to tone down his rhetoric, which the league said was whipping up anti-Semitism. That version omitted the point that Trump's son-in-law is Jewish and that Trump is a strong supporter of the state of Israel.
Here is a Post column which sees Trump as responsible for episodes of insanity by individuals.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-washington-saw-america-as-a-safe-place-for-jews-trumps-america-isnt/2018/10/28/e21ea6e6-dade-11e8-b3f0-62607289efee_story.html?utm_term=.f073af855637
An example of what the oligarchs really want to suppress:
Scaramucci, Palin on blue collar populism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3SFMPKHhaY
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