A few points. I read Kendi’s simplistic, silly book. He is hardly an “intellectual”. As I understand it “the oath keepers” are dedicated to their oath to the constitution. I am not sure why they are so reviled. The “proud boys” seem mostly willing to stand up to the violent antifa cadres.
I have objected to this entire ridiculous concern about “hate”. Hate crimes, idiotic. If you hit or kill me I couldn’t care less if you “hate” me. So very stupid.
The Oath Keepers is an organization of the very people who fight to keep this country free - soldiers, sailors, airmen, law enforcement. They are being maligned by a media that hates the concept of defending the Constitution.
The leader, and several senior officers, of which not only participated in the assault on the Capitol, but helped plan it. They didn't defend the Constitution on January 6, they defiled it. That they are military and police veterans makes it worse--they know better.
Except there really wasn't "an assault." More like vandalism. This thing smells "off." A real insurrection would look different. Not be led by a clown in furs.
Yeah, if you want to see some real wholesale destruction, death, and bodily harm, I've got a few vacation photos from various "mostly peaceful" cities last summer to show you. :)
Bruce — thank you for stating the obvious out loud. The hypocrisy of the Capital Riot Insurrection PROPONENTS stinks like a hole-in-the-wall bar in 1985 at 5am after 15 hours of drinking, smoking, puking and vomiting. I see the goofy guy wearing an antler hat and the so-called insurrection reminded me of the rowdy makeup-on, die-hard fans at Oakland Raiders home games (now Vegas) — ie - amusing to observe but harmless.
Those, for the most part, participates in the Peace March on Jan 6th are now facing jail. That sentence of jail , without trial, comes with a promise to not retaliate against an illegal court hearing.
I will vote in favor of the peace marchers, anytime, Anyhow, and Vote against any such court system that operates in such eccentric manor.
Protesters were tracked by using their "permits to protest".
Martin Luther Oathkeeper? My ass. MAGAs weren't marching for peace and love on January 6. They marched to and through the Capitol to demand Congress throw the election to Trump.
They had a right to "demand" that. Mere demand should bring no charges or arrests--MAGAs have as much right as I do to tell government off when they feel like it. But anyone who went beyond mere demand to blood and destruction became a violent criminal needing arrest and trial.
Here's how I would treat them were I the attorney general:
--Red Hats who marched, yelled, and protested without committing violence against property or people--the bulk of the MAGA crowd on January 6--should be neither arrested, charged, nor given anything but a pat on the back for the peaceful exercise of their Constitutional rights.
--Peaceful Red Hats who followed the rioters into the Capitol but didn't do anything violent themselves? Pay a fine for trespassing, then go tell your story to your breathless friends at the bar.
--Red Hats who rioted, broke things, and hurt people--particularly during the orgy of violence on the Capitol steps--should be fined heavily or carted off to prison, depending on the severity of their attacks.
--The actual insurrectionists in the crowd--the minority who actively hunted Pence and Pelosi, who tried to find the ballot boxes in order to steal them, who carried handcuffs, bear spray, and batons to physically "stop the steal" by rioting, property destruction, and battering people till they bled? Those human viruses need a long stretch in a real prison. That they were foiled by the brave policeman who tricked them into chasing HIM up the stairs so they wouldn't spot Pence and congressmen being escorted to safety does not make their insurrection any less real. They intended to seize Pence, Pelosi, and any other politician, and they intended to stop the count. That is an insurrection by its very definition. That they failed to pull it off makes them no less accountable for the crime.
We the People demand accountability for the insurrectionists and rioters, and we also demand those who didn't harm people or break things be left alone.
Go look at the videos. Are you kidding. People really do see only what they want to see. Dennis Prager says it was a bunch of guys taking selfies. Unbelievable how some people willfully blind themselves to reality.
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, has been an FBI informant. Thomas Edward Caldwell, the leader of the Oath Keepers was an FBI section chief after he left the Navy in 2009. That doesn't necessarily mean that Tarrio and Caldwell are still working for the FBI but it wouldn't surprise me.
The FBI has been known to use informants to help orchestrate terrorist activities. An FBI informant was a key conspirator in the Gov Whitmer kidnapping plot from last year. The FBI provided them with materials, funding, personnel, coordination and encouragement. There is a good chance that the same occurred for J6. It is part of the playbook.
I've not done that research personally, Scott, so I can't say whether Tarrio and Caldwell were working for the FBI on January 6. Assuming they were, though, what would be the point of the FBI using them in this role? The goal of FBI infiltration is to prevent things like January 6 from occurring at all, by launching dramatic arrests and perp walks a day or two before the event, and thus diffusing it. There is no upside for the FBI to allow this uprising to continue--their failure to prevent it makes them look bad. The FBI hates above all else to look bad.
My conclusion is that if Tarrio and Caldwell were FBI informants before, they were not on January 6--rather, they participated in order to show "their boys" that they were still relevant, that they were not traitors to the cause but "warriors for Trump and Our America."
The Whitmer kidnapping was stopped before she was kidnapped, which would be the point of the FBI inserting informants into groups.
>> "what would be the point of the FBI using them in this role?"
This comment appears deliberately naive.
Do you hear anyone, ANYONE (including yourself) blaming the FBI for 1/6? For their failure to prevent it? No.
They are blaming "white supremacists." They are blaming rednecks. They are blaming conservatives. They are blaming "Qanon truther conspiracy crazies." THEY ARE BLAMING REPUBLICANS. The orchestrated 1/6 "insurrection"- a bunch of morons wandering around taking selfies as Capitol Police hold the doors open for them- was an outstanding propaganda piece for sowing division. No one was killed by protestors (NO, they weren't; please, please debate that with me, I beg you. I've got links ready and they're warmed-up), virtually no property damage, no innocent bystanders hurt- NOTHING like a real "insurrection" or "riot."
Mild collateral damage and an excuse to militarize the capital, pass anti-gun legislation, talk about an epidemic of white supremacy for the next two years, change election rules, ban Trump from everything... yeah, I'd say it went just fine!
The FBI does not hate, "above all else to look bad." The FBI- like every intelligence agency firmly in the pocket of permanent authorities- hates to lose power. No one gives a crap that the FBI didn't prevent 6/1, just like no one cares the CIA didn't prevent 9/11- they just want the bad people on the videos punished as hard as possible, which is why people charged with misdemeanor trespass have been in solitary confinement on psychiatric medication since January.
Those are my thoughts. Whitmer was Entrapment The Practice Run. This was The Main Event.
That is a valid criticism of the theory. Personally, I believe that these para-military groups (if you can call them that) are kind-of a joke. They seem to prey on people who have legitimate concerns about the deterioration of civil liberties with a focus on 2A. I question their legitimacy including what they claim to stand for.
For those that were directly involved in the planning of these events, I fully support criminal penalties. For those who simply wandered into the Capitol after tensions died down, I believe that it is a travesty of justice to seek penalties that are above and beyond a fine.
First, it is worth noting that Tarrio (a well known Afro-Cuban White Supremacist) wasn't at the Capitol on J6. He was arrested about a week before the event for stealing a BLM flag and burning it. He stepped down as the leader of the Proud Boys shortly after his history as an FBI informant came out in February 2021. Caldwell was there but he was released on his own recognizance because of his history with the FBI. I mentioned Caldwell because of his documented history with the FBI but the story behind Stewart Rhodes, another senior leader of the Oath Keepers is even more interesting. He hasn't been charged with anything related to J6 even though he is a senior member and the founder of the Oath Keepers. Much like Caldwell, he never entered the Capitol. He was on the periphery coordinating events. The Oath Keepers may have more FBI informants than they have members. Here is a detailed write-up on Rhodes if interested:
Secondly, this isn't exactly a kidnapping plot or blowing something up. Perp walking them for planning to disrupt a congressional session and trespassing may not have the same impact. Can you even arrest people for premeditated trespassing and disrupting a congressional session? I honestly don't know the answer to that but it is my assumption that they wouldn't be able to.
Lastly, the legitimate protest event was going to occur one way or another. In theory, they would have known that the actual risk was minimal. No one was armed with lethal weapons. They went out of their way to make sure that they were following DC law regarding open carry. Most of their tactical planning involved a counter-insurgency from antifa. The FBI may have believed that they could nullify violence if they were present and they could arrest conspirators after they entered the Capitol.
>> "Personally, I believe that these para-military groups (if you can call them that) are kind-of a joke."
My general theory is not to take organizations like this very seriously. I see them mainly as social clubs for people with unpopular political views- they're so visible and popular targets of the media that the idea that they'd pull off clandestine acts of domestic terrorism seems silly.
I've read the Rhodes report. My sort-of tinfoil-hat theory is that groups like these are deliberately-created honey pots for political "extremists" to congregate so intelligence and law enforcement can keep an eye on them, much like the Klan these days.
It's worth mentioning- since this rarely makes it into the mainstream media discussion of 1/6- that so far absolutely no one arrested in connection with the protest has been charged with anything like insurrection, terrorism, or any of the actual criminal charges behind the media hyperbole of their conduct. Criminal trespass seems to be the most common charge, which I was picked up for as a teen for drinking with friends in an abandoned bowling alley. Not exactly the Weathermen.
"For those that were directly involved in the planning of these events, I fully support criminal penalties. For those who simply wandered into the Capitol after tensions died down, I believe that it is a travesty of justice to seek penalties that are above and beyond a fine."
That's my view as well, which I just posted as a reply to someone. Justice demands that different levels of crime--from none to mere trespassing to rioting to insurrection--be treated appropriately, not as a Bag of Prison.
They've attacked absolutely no one. They have certain strong opinions that some strongly disagree with. They're also thoroughly infiltrated by the FBI at the level of their founding members, so I wouldn't take them too very seriously as an example of anything ("Greetings fellow conservative patriots!")
Kendi (nee Henry Rogers) is no more an intellectual than Richard Spencer or David Duke, though he is every bit as racist and hateful. At least the white racists seem to embrace that their ideologies are divisive while Kendi and his ilk spew bitterness and contempt at white society while lamenting, "Why can't we call get along?".
A true intellectual like Thomas Sowell would make mincemeat out of this shallow poseur in a New York minute.
Yes. All racism theories that are based on, “this is why my life is hard - black people took my job/white people are why black kids can’t perform” all rest on intellectually vacant arguments. Kendi is a racist, period. His talking points are the KKKs talking points from days gone by “black people cant perform equal to whites, blacks shouldn’t be around whites” etc. it’s bananas.
That’s exactly y first reaction to the author calling Kendi an intellectual. I was like, have you heard him talk about his theories? I mean, his answer to the question, “what is racism (or was it, “define racism”)? Was a bunch of nonsensical jargon - word soup strung together to sound deep. More disappointingly, not one media personality there, to include the cat that asked the question, said, wait…what? It was farcical. And this is setting aside the obvious lack of intellectual spirit within his cult - you can’t question it, you can’t deny it, you can’t try to intellectualize it. According to critical theory Kendi can’t be an intellectual because that’s a sign of “whiteness.” The entire theory hinges on unwavering a zealous faith that CRT is real, simply because he/they said so. This is as far removed from intellectual dialogue as you’re going to get outside of something out of an actual cult.
I agree with what you write about Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. I've checked their web sites, and they are not hate-filled authoritarians. They are opposed to the cancel culture and the leftist authortarians, so Democratic Party propaganda outlets lie to us about them.
This is not as much in Reply to Madjack but in reply to a lot of the replies to Madjack:
Wow, you get caught up in who he picks as examples as opposed to his point that people are using cancel culture in the financial sector?
So, your bank checks your online media and says, "We don't agree with your posts in Facebook. What you think is right and wrong is not per our policy, so we are going to cancel your account, credit cards, and your ability to get a loan. Oh, by the way, you are want to know about your mortgage you applied for? We are rejecting it."
Are you okay with that? At what point do we stay that its okay or not okay? It is done legally btw if they think you are getting money from illegal means, laundering money for others, or sending money to sanctioned people or countries.. But you are totally legal. You have an IT job for a local library and you send money to your mother in Ohio who is retired and likes the extra cash each month. You have been living in an apartment and finally saved up enough money to put a down payment on a house.
So, you okay with this?
I don't think so, but you get caught up in his examples. And maybe, that is the point? These companies are labeling you based on their opinion. Do you support or not support the reasonable discourse peaceful victims of the FBI from Jan 6? Or do you support or not the the insurrectionist thugs who were committing attempted murder on members of Congress. Doesn't matter what you think or how you view it; it is how you are being labeled based on your belief and then how that label affects your ability to live.
I like Sacks but he copped out by naming two conservative groups and not accusing BLM and Antifa and their terrorist activity last summer. He is new to writing I suspect and doesn’t want to go out on too long of a limb. I hope he will do better.
They're not going just after "deplorables," but everyone. I'm a liberal who has been thrown in Zuckerberg Jail a half-dozen times for posting things deemed "violation of community standards" by the bots but were, in fact, historical events, points of view not out of mainstream political thought, and, the last time, 30 days for a violation they would not explain or allow an appeal to humans. Next time, I could be banned permanently. This has happened to a number of liberals I know personally, and none of them are radical bomb-throwers, just normal people.
I find this appalling, because censorship is poison to a democratic republic. The social media, PayPal, and the like are not just "private businesses" any more. They have become our postal service, telephone system, and the nearly exclusive choice of political speech and communication in this nation. The definition of fascism is the marriage of government and corporate power. We let the corporations walk right in and take over.
Took the words out of my own mouth. How is being liberal working for ya? Yesterday's liberal is today's moderate, and yesterday's moderate (me) is today's conservative.
Indeed. Everyone is going to suffer. It never stops just targeting the people you disagree with. They’re all powerful now, arguably more powerful then the federal government which is why I felt the shutdown of Parlor was so significant. They can do to the masses what the constitution prevents the government from doing. They can create tyrannical actors that control your life and liberty, and they did just that.
I agree with this, and perhaps you would go further and agree with me that it is now too late. There is nothing democratic people can do to save freedom; we are going to have corporatist, authoritarian culture and a government to go with it. We can still read critiques like this, but they are being squeezed into ever-smaller accessibilty and they are increasingly regarded with hate.
I am a liberal who got my Nextdoor account canceled without any explanation. I suspect I expressed an opinion someone in my neighborhood didn't like. That kind of censorship undermines the whole idea behind Nextdoor.
If a baker is considered a "public accommodation" such that he/she/it has to sell to all comers, why isn't PayPal and the general banking system? This is just redlining under another category.
But bakers don't have to sell to all comers according to Colorado's courts, just to people in the Left's protected categories. There's problem denying service to people who hold the odd belief that the US Constitution should be adhered to according to the plain meaning of its words, or who think that the Supreme Court erred in redefining marriage to make the notion of "gay marriage" sensible as a matter of law, or who voted for Donald Trump, for that matter.
"The left's protected categories . . ." That would be "people we no longer allow you to discriminate against because they're black or female." There, fixed it for you.
If that fixes it, how is the that Colorado ruled against Jack Phillips when it was neither on the basis of race nor sex that he denied service, but on the basis of the content of the message he was asked to convey in a custom cake, an objection which the Colorado authorities twisted into denying service on the basis of the sexual orientation (original instance) or gender identity (the more recent instance) to provide a basis for persecuting the baker for extending his free exercise of religion into his workplace?
If you really wanted to fix my post, you'd have suggested adding the word "no" between "There's" and "problem" which I had meant to include.
Brilliantly written. Best line IMO, “Silenced voices and empty stomachs are fuel for the very extremism you claim to oppose. “. Like Mr. Sachs, I, too, live and work here in Silicon Valley but was raised in a Midwestern town. The single track way of thinking among Coastal elites is killing this country. I truly believe my neighbors have no regard for “flyover” states & low vaccination rates.
Deplatforming these people is the means to justify the end. This has to be how it begun during the Holocaust too. While I hate to make that comparison, the parallels seem real.
You aren't wrong. If you would like to know it is not difficult to find filmed performances of this play. It recounts the experiences of two survivors. And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank. By James Still. The thing that struck me, as different from other plays I had seen regarding the Holocaust was its detailing of the steps taken to get there.
More than a little ironic that the ADL is making common cause with the very people who support the kaffiyeh-wearing thugs cruising the streets and crashing restaurants looking for Jews. News flash to the ADL, the biggest supporters of Israel and the rights of American Jews are conservatives. The very people you curse as nazis or worse. The progressives are all in on throwing Jews under the bus. And when the thugs come looking for you, do you really think your wokeness will protect you?
As with the entire cannon thus far of essays on Bari's substack, this one was worth my time to read. I don't post much, but a couple of thoughts came to my mind reading this one. I make no pretense to connected these random thoughts into a single essay--just random thoughts:
I am a statistician by training. I see the world as a bell curve with those lovely, pinched, asymptotic tails on into infinity on each end. We live in a world where most people are the silent middle. The loudest voices at each end are the ones we can hear too much of---but they are always the smallest groups. I remind myself of this when mass media attempts to gin up hysteria for the next wave of disaster.
In a related vein, I de-platformed myself in January. No more social media. I call or text friends and family I want to talk to. I seek out authors I want to read. I seek out very long articles and book length treatments of topics instead of sound bites. It takes longer to read and that time gives me time to process things instead of reacting to things.
I found an Amish farm to buy fresh vegetables. Such sweet and kind people, and it fits my slower and quieter and less connected life.
So: let the loud people on the coasts fight over social media and online shopping and the high tech world. I love small town life and we need more of it.
To paraphrase Joe Louis: You can run, but you can’t hide. When you concede the power to establish political norms to authoritarians, eventually their rules will touch you no matter how far you recede from society to Amish farms.
As Martin Niemoller said: “First they came for the [Communists/Proud Boys/Oath Takers] and I did not speak out because I was not a [Communist/Proud Boy/Oath Taker].”
I agree with you 100% regarding bell curves, the silent majority and the dangers of social media. I disagree, however, about making this a a coast vs middle, urban vs rural, democrat vs republican sort of dichotomy. Rational and nuanced individuals across the political spectrum should join forces and speak up against polarization and radicalism.
Great stuff. When I was watching the capital riot, I wasn’t all that concerned. It was an angry mob for sure, but there was little else. If you could have photoshopped the capital out of the picture and replaced it with Target, it would have translated as a rather benign riot, comparatively speaking - no opting, “target” was still whole and the subject of a lot of wondering and selfies, right along with conversations with some of the internal security. So I wasn’t at all concerned.
However, when Parlor was shut down, completely, by all the supporting actors in Big Tech, my blood literally ran cold. Not since the twin towers fell on 9/11 had I thought that the potential for massive shifts in government powers - going off to war to combat an idea - until I witnessed Parlor’s near destruction. The potential for abuse, i felt, was beyond the pale. If the government, or those ideologically aligned with the government, could engage in activity that would be deemed wildly unconstitutional by the most powerful government in world…we were all headed down a very, very dark and totalitarian path. And in my arguments to friends on FB (I explored my friends to leave SM as it’s pretty clear you’re giving money to those who abuse you), I stated that if the banning of Parlor receives no serious pushback, next step is payment systems. You will be unable to use your credit cards, PayPal, all that when you engage in activity that ALL of tech dislikes. Want to buy a gun with your credit card? Nope. Want to use paypal to organize funds for a anti gun lobby group? Nope. Worse, you, as a private citizen that joins said activity would be banned forever from those systems - to include Amazon services, or streaming services. Everything that we know that is a digital service would deny you service because you’ voted for Republicans, or espoused anti-progressive ideas. Do you think CRT is racist? Sorry, no Disney+ for you. And nobody would know because your voice is also silenced in SM. You become unseen and unheard.
When I first made these arguments at the turn of the New Year my friends, these that remained on SM, told me that it was crazy to assume any of that would happen. It only took about 6 months to become true. What I did not predict was just how bold the government would be in regard to these ideological relationships with Tech. I always assumed they’d just keep it on the down-low. It is not at all comforting to see just how nonchalant Psaki is when she announced the teaming and the demands for censorship. It was further unsettling to hear crickets by the corporate media. And of course, Congress is doing relatively nothing about it. Even Republicans seem mute about totalitarian actions here in the States while screening about freedom and internet access in Cuba!!
I would see combat and lose so many friends during the war on terror. There are signal events throughout history - 9/11, Pearl Harbor, The Declaration of Independence, The Dred Scott ruling - that portend great social and political upheaval. Believe it or not, the total de-platforming of Parlor by the most powerful companies in the world is on that list. It means you’re fucked, no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, you’re fucked if you don’t act as responsible citizens and voters and demand that Congress draft laws that make this sort of censorship illegal in the digital space.
Mr. Sacks - You express common sense. Big Tech and our government overlords are lacking any of it now. They are fools who have never read a history book.
So yet again, we tumble towards totalitarian governance and all of the blowback it will surely provoke.
The very people these assholes want to de platform are the ones who use them the most. If the deplorables stop watching professional sports, stop ordering off amazon and stop using PayPal we can make them hurt. The left always wants a boycott so why not us? I can live without any of it, just think about the business we could generate in small town America. They say they don’t want us but they definitely want our money so why give it to them. I’m closing my PayPal account right now. F**k them!!!
I am trying to wean myself off of Amazon. Someone stole my American Flag over the July 4th holiday and rather than give Amazon the business, I bought the new one from the United States Flag Store, an independent. I do try to support independents but it's not always possible.
I quit Amazon last winter after they enraged me by deplatforming Parler. I wrote them a very frank Dear John letter. I used to think I couldn't live without Amazon products and services. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I haven't purchased anything off their site in about four months. There are so many alternatives. And their electronic products suck anyway. At least their Kindle Fire, which craps out after one year.
It often costs the same or less to purchase something from an independent retailer as it does to purchase it from Amazon with a prime account. That is because retailers on Amazon have to jack up their prices because of the free shipping they have to offer Amazon Prime members, which erases the savings you get with a prime membership.
This is already happening. A bank, one of the biggest ones, closed all the accounts for a conservative bundler I know, personal and business, soon after the election. The only thing he was ever able to find out was that it was "political". Conservatives are being targeted by campaigns to deprive them of legal representation, which is a civil rights violation to my mind. What's next? Pressure campaigns to keep doctors from treating Republicans?
We live in a very bad comic book. I just want to know why these tech giants ban anything that can be remotely linked to “racism” through revisionist history generations ago giving them justification to cancel and destroy anyone EXCEPT the Democrat party that was and is the party of racism from the KKK to Jim Crow to destroying Black families in the “great society” to the modern day bigotry of low expectations being forced on minority kids with school closures abd victim hood mentalities? I mean if racists systems must be torn down, the Democrat party should go first. 🤷♀️
I wonder, is anyone familiar with the work of @johnrobb? A former military analysts, he's been warning about this collusion between government and big tech for a while. He's usually 2 years ahead of events, and it is scary. IN his latest report (titled: The End of Freedom, btw) he highlights how corporate computers can effectively de-platform an individual to the stone age; and how there's no recourse to this, as these are corporations, they don't have to respond.
Big tech's censors are definitely overreaching. And now they're beginning to affect and irritate even the most ordinary, harmless, unobjectionable people -- people like little old me. Last week I received my first "warning" from Amazon for a review I posted about a dreadful new Amazon movie, The Tomorrow War. Here's the charming message Amazon sent:
"Hello. One or more of your posts were found to be outside our guidelines. In order to help our customers make informed choices, we encourage them to review the product and contribute information about it. However, Community content that violate our guidelines or Conditions of Use will be removed.
"Please consider this a first warning.Before submitting your next post, please refer to our Customer Guidelines. Failure to comply with our policies may result in your account being banned from taking part in Community features. Thanks for your understanding in this matter."
And what, Dear Reader, was my sin? Amazon didn't say. But I'm sure I know what happened. My review contained a "verboten" phrase. Was this phrase the N-word? No, Dear Reader, it was not. The phrase I used was the not quite slur adjacent "Magical Negro," a phrase first used by Spike Lee, the Oscar winning black movie director in a presentation he gave to film students back in 2001. Since this phrase is listed in Wikipedia and describes a supporting black character who saves he day for the white lead, I figured it was fine. But apparently Amazon's algorithm or some young woke fool on their payroll didn't think so.
In the past, I've written dozens of reviews for products I've purchased (books, art supplies, furniture, beauty products, etc.) and have likely helped move tens of thousands of dollars worth of stuff. And what was the reward for all my unpaid labor? An obnoxious, high tech slap on the wrist.
Amazon, your actions have consequences, and you have just shot yourself in the foot. I now solemnly swear, on a stack of defaced Amazon Prime boxes, I will never write another review for your greedy, ungrateful company again. Let those revenues sink until your company drowns in red ink.
Your not writing reviews for the products they sell won't affect them one bit. On the other hand, not buying the products to review....Now that is a trend I can get behind.
I've cut WAY back on my Amazon purchases (and I live pretty rurally). I opened a Barnes and Noble account and purchase all of my books there. The only things I buy from Amazon are things I can't find anywhere in a 60 mile radius.
>> "As with the censorship of speech, financial deplatforming often begins as something that seems narrow and reasonable — who wouldn’t want to ban the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys?"
Quite a few of us wouldn't, Mr. Sacks. Would you like to be unpersoned for having written this article? I'm sure I can find someone it seems narrow and reasonable to. Maybe make sure you're permanently delisted from employment, ineligible for ACA marketplace plans- guess you'll be paying that tax penalty every year... let's see what else we can do.
Well-said! I don't want to deplatform or ban anyone, even those I vehemently disagree with. We need to hear all views, not just the ones we agree with. And your point is spot-on--when they have the power to ban one person or group, they have the power to ban them all.
I intend to survive this descent into madness in my beloved country, and if I do, I'll be delighted to repay the new "them" when they don't have jackbooted thugs to hide behind.
A few points. I read Kendi’s simplistic, silly book. He is hardly an “intellectual”. As I understand it “the oath keepers” are dedicated to their oath to the constitution. I am not sure why they are so reviled. The “proud boys” seem mostly willing to stand up to the violent antifa cadres.
I have objected to this entire ridiculous concern about “hate”. Hate crimes, idiotic. If you hit or kill me I couldn’t care less if you “hate” me. So very stupid.
The Oath Keepers is an organization of the very people who fight to keep this country free - soldiers, sailors, airmen, law enforcement. They are being maligned by a media that hates the concept of defending the Constitution.
I quite agree. Most people know nothing about them, so they're easy to malign- a bunch of often white, often armed, American males.
The leader, and several senior officers, of which not only participated in the assault on the Capitol, but helped plan it. They didn't defend the Constitution on January 6, they defiled it. That they are military and police veterans makes it worse--they know better.
Except there really wasn't "an assault." More like vandalism. This thing smells "off." A real insurrection would look different. Not be led by a clown in furs.
Yeah, if you want to see some real wholesale destruction, death, and bodily harm, I've got a few vacation photos from various "mostly peaceful" cities last summer to show you. :)
Bruce — thank you for stating the obvious out loud. The hypocrisy of the Capital Riot Insurrection PROPONENTS stinks like a hole-in-the-wall bar in 1985 at 5am after 15 hours of drinking, smoking, puking and vomiting. I see the goofy guy wearing an antler hat and the so-called insurrection reminded me of the rowdy makeup-on, die-hard fans at Oakland Raiders home games (now Vegas) — ie - amusing to observe but harmless.
Ok puking & vomiting are the same. Retraction: replace with puking and pissing
Those, for the most part, participates in the Peace March on Jan 6th are now facing jail. That sentence of jail , without trial, comes with a promise to not retaliate against an illegal court hearing.
I will vote in favor of the peace marchers, anytime, Anyhow, and Vote against any such court system that operates in such eccentric manor.
Protesters were tracked by using their "permits to protest".
Of the people, by the PEOPLE...oh my.
Martin Luther Oathkeeper? My ass. MAGAs weren't marching for peace and love on January 6. They marched to and through the Capitol to demand Congress throw the election to Trump.
They had a right to "demand" that. Mere demand should bring no charges or arrests--MAGAs have as much right as I do to tell government off when they feel like it. But anyone who went beyond mere demand to blood and destruction became a violent criminal needing arrest and trial.
Here's how I would treat them were I the attorney general:
--Red Hats who marched, yelled, and protested without committing violence against property or people--the bulk of the MAGA crowd on January 6--should be neither arrested, charged, nor given anything but a pat on the back for the peaceful exercise of their Constitutional rights.
--Peaceful Red Hats who followed the rioters into the Capitol but didn't do anything violent themselves? Pay a fine for trespassing, then go tell your story to your breathless friends at the bar.
--Red Hats who rioted, broke things, and hurt people--particularly during the orgy of violence on the Capitol steps--should be fined heavily or carted off to prison, depending on the severity of their attacks.
--The actual insurrectionists in the crowd--the minority who actively hunted Pence and Pelosi, who tried to find the ballot boxes in order to steal them, who carried handcuffs, bear spray, and batons to physically "stop the steal" by rioting, property destruction, and battering people till they bled? Those human viruses need a long stretch in a real prison. That they were foiled by the brave policeman who tricked them into chasing HIM up the stairs so they wouldn't spot Pence and congressmen being escorted to safety does not make their insurrection any less real. They intended to seize Pence, Pelosi, and any other politician, and they intended to stop the count. That is an insurrection by its very definition. That they failed to pull it off makes them no less accountable for the crime.
We the People demand accountability for the insurrectionists and rioters, and we also demand those who didn't harm people or break things be left alone.
You still sound like some left wing lawyer.. "intended"...what an ass hole, sounds more like you, again..
Go look at the videos. Are you kidding. People really do see only what they want to see. Dennis Prager says it was a bunch of guys taking selfies. Unbelievable how some people willfully blind themselves to reality.
Matt Mullen you are apparently a minority vote on this. So, no, I'm not kidding. This "insurrection" narrative smells.
Doubting you're the old Raiders LB.
I'm used to being a minority here. Go look at the videos. All I'm asking you to do is believe your eyes.
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, has been an FBI informant. Thomas Edward Caldwell, the leader of the Oath Keepers was an FBI section chief after he left the Navy in 2009. That doesn't necessarily mean that Tarrio and Caldwell are still working for the FBI but it wouldn't surprise me.
The FBI has been known to use informants to help orchestrate terrorist activities. An FBI informant was a key conspirator in the Gov Whitmer kidnapping plot from last year. The FBI provided them with materials, funding, personnel, coordination and encouragement. There is a good chance that the same occurred for J6. It is part of the playbook.
Reichstag Fire, anyone?
I've not done that research personally, Scott, so I can't say whether Tarrio and Caldwell were working for the FBI on January 6. Assuming they were, though, what would be the point of the FBI using them in this role? The goal of FBI infiltration is to prevent things like January 6 from occurring at all, by launching dramatic arrests and perp walks a day or two before the event, and thus diffusing it. There is no upside for the FBI to allow this uprising to continue--their failure to prevent it makes them look bad. The FBI hates above all else to look bad.
My conclusion is that if Tarrio and Caldwell were FBI informants before, they were not on January 6--rather, they participated in order to show "their boys" that they were still relevant, that they were not traitors to the cause but "warriors for Trump and Our America."
The Whitmer kidnapping was stopped before she was kidnapped, which would be the point of the FBI inserting informants into groups.
Your thoughts?
>> "what would be the point of the FBI using them in this role?"
This comment appears deliberately naive.
Do you hear anyone, ANYONE (including yourself) blaming the FBI for 1/6? For their failure to prevent it? No.
They are blaming "white supremacists." They are blaming rednecks. They are blaming conservatives. They are blaming "Qanon truther conspiracy crazies." THEY ARE BLAMING REPUBLICANS. The orchestrated 1/6 "insurrection"- a bunch of morons wandering around taking selfies as Capitol Police hold the doors open for them- was an outstanding propaganda piece for sowing division. No one was killed by protestors (NO, they weren't; please, please debate that with me, I beg you. I've got links ready and they're warmed-up), virtually no property damage, no innocent bystanders hurt- NOTHING like a real "insurrection" or "riot."
Mild collateral damage and an excuse to militarize the capital, pass anti-gun legislation, talk about an epidemic of white supremacy for the next two years, change election rules, ban Trump from everything... yeah, I'd say it went just fine!
The FBI does not hate, "above all else to look bad." The FBI- like every intelligence agency firmly in the pocket of permanent authorities- hates to lose power. No one gives a crap that the FBI didn't prevent 6/1, just like no one cares the CIA didn't prevent 9/11- they just want the bad people on the videos punished as hard as possible, which is why people charged with misdemeanor trespass have been in solitary confinement on psychiatric medication since January.
Those are my thoughts. Whitmer was Entrapment The Practice Run. This was The Main Event.
Gutter..."deliberately Naive"...so very funny, good one.
That is a valid criticism of the theory. Personally, I believe that these para-military groups (if you can call them that) are kind-of a joke. They seem to prey on people who have legitimate concerns about the deterioration of civil liberties with a focus on 2A. I question their legitimacy including what they claim to stand for.
For those that were directly involved in the planning of these events, I fully support criminal penalties. For those who simply wandered into the Capitol after tensions died down, I believe that it is a travesty of justice to seek penalties that are above and beyond a fine.
First, it is worth noting that Tarrio (a well known Afro-Cuban White Supremacist) wasn't at the Capitol on J6. He was arrested about a week before the event for stealing a BLM flag and burning it. He stepped down as the leader of the Proud Boys shortly after his history as an FBI informant came out in February 2021. Caldwell was there but he was released on his own recognizance because of his history with the FBI. I mentioned Caldwell because of his documented history with the FBI but the story behind Stewart Rhodes, another senior leader of the Oath Keepers is even more interesting. He hasn't been charged with anything related to J6 even though he is a senior member and the founder of the Oath Keepers. Much like Caldwell, he never entered the Capitol. He was on the periphery coordinating events. The Oath Keepers may have more FBI informants than they have members. Here is a detailed write-up on Rhodes if interested:
https://www.revolver.news/2021/06/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-missing-link-fbi-unindicted-co-conspirator/
Secondly, this isn't exactly a kidnapping plot or blowing something up. Perp walking them for planning to disrupt a congressional session and trespassing may not have the same impact. Can you even arrest people for premeditated trespassing and disrupting a congressional session? I honestly don't know the answer to that but it is my assumption that they wouldn't be able to.
Lastly, the legitimate protest event was going to occur one way or another. In theory, they would have known that the actual risk was minimal. No one was armed with lethal weapons. They went out of their way to make sure that they were following DC law regarding open carry. Most of their tactical planning involved a counter-insurgency from antifa. The FBI may have believed that they could nullify violence if they were present and they could arrest conspirators after they entered the Capitol.
>> "Personally, I believe that these para-military groups (if you can call them that) are kind-of a joke."
My general theory is not to take organizations like this very seriously. I see them mainly as social clubs for people with unpopular political views- they're so visible and popular targets of the media that the idea that they'd pull off clandestine acts of domestic terrorism seems silly.
I've read the Rhodes report. My sort-of tinfoil-hat theory is that groups like these are deliberately-created honey pots for political "extremists" to congregate so intelligence and law enforcement can keep an eye on them, much like the Klan these days.
It's worth mentioning- since this rarely makes it into the mainstream media discussion of 1/6- that so far absolutely no one arrested in connection with the protest has been charged with anything like insurrection, terrorism, or any of the actual criminal charges behind the media hyperbole of their conduct. Criminal trespass seems to be the most common charge, which I was picked up for as a teen for drinking with friends in an abandoned bowling alley. Not exactly the Weathermen.
"For those that were directly involved in the planning of these events, I fully support criminal penalties. For those who simply wandered into the Capitol after tensions died down, I believe that it is a travesty of justice to seek penalties that are above and beyond a fine."
That's my view as well, which I just posted as a reply to someone. Justice demands that different levels of crime--from none to mere trespassing to rioting to insurrection--be treated appropriately, not as a Bag of Prison.
Thanks for this, Scott. I appreciate your answering my question with information and civility.
At least one of the people you mentioned- and possibly all of them- are FBI agents.
https://youtu.be/k5HzNajTfd4
They've attacked absolutely no one. They have certain strong opinions that some strongly disagree with. They're also thoroughly infiltrated by the FBI at the level of their founding members, so I wouldn't take them too very seriously as an example of anything ("Greetings fellow conservative patriots!")
If they ban Proud Boys I wonder if they're going to also ban the "hate group" BLM. Ya think?
Kendi (nee Henry Rogers) is no more an intellectual than Richard Spencer or David Duke, though he is every bit as racist and hateful. At least the white racists seem to embrace that their ideologies are divisive while Kendi and his ilk spew bitterness and contempt at white society while lamenting, "Why can't we call get along?".
A true intellectual like Thomas Sowell would make mincemeat out of this shallow poseur in a New York minute.
Yes. All racism theories that are based on, “this is why my life is hard - black people took my job/white people are why black kids can’t perform” all rest on intellectually vacant arguments. Kendi is a racist, period. His talking points are the KKKs talking points from days gone by “black people cant perform equal to whites, blacks shouldn’t be around whites” etc. it’s bananas.
That’s exactly y first reaction to the author calling Kendi an intellectual. I was like, have you heard him talk about his theories? I mean, his answer to the question, “what is racism (or was it, “define racism”)? Was a bunch of nonsensical jargon - word soup strung together to sound deep. More disappointingly, not one media personality there, to include the cat that asked the question, said, wait…what? It was farcical. And this is setting aside the obvious lack of intellectual spirit within his cult - you can’t question it, you can’t deny it, you can’t try to intellectualize it. According to critical theory Kendi can’t be an intellectual because that’s a sign of “whiteness.” The entire theory hinges on unwavering a zealous faith that CRT is real, simply because he/they said so. This is as far removed from intellectual dialogue as you’re going to get outside of something out of an actual cult.
I agree with what you write about Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. I've checked their web sites, and they are not hate-filled authoritarians. They are opposed to the cancel culture and the leftist authortarians, so Democratic Party propaganda outlets lie to us about them.
This is not as much in Reply to Madjack but in reply to a lot of the replies to Madjack:
Wow, you get caught up in who he picks as examples as opposed to his point that people are using cancel culture in the financial sector?
So, your bank checks your online media and says, "We don't agree with your posts in Facebook. What you think is right and wrong is not per our policy, so we are going to cancel your account, credit cards, and your ability to get a loan. Oh, by the way, you are want to know about your mortgage you applied for? We are rejecting it."
Are you okay with that? At what point do we stay that its okay or not okay? It is done legally btw if they think you are getting money from illegal means, laundering money for others, or sending money to sanctioned people or countries.. But you are totally legal. You have an IT job for a local library and you send money to your mother in Ohio who is retired and likes the extra cash each month. You have been living in an apartment and finally saved up enough money to put a down payment on a house.
So, you okay with this?
I don't think so, but you get caught up in his examples. And maybe, that is the point? These companies are labeling you based on their opinion. Do you support or not support the reasonable discourse peaceful victims of the FBI from Jan 6? Or do you support or not the the insurrectionist thugs who were committing attempted murder on members of Congress. Doesn't matter what you think or how you view it; it is how you are being labeled based on your belief and then how that label affects your ability to live.
Extremists on both left and right are doing it.
Sticks and stones
I like Sacks but he copped out by naming two conservative groups and not accusing BLM and Antifa and their terrorist activity last summer. He is new to writing I suspect and doesn’t want to go out on too long of a limb. I hope he will do better.
They're not going just after "deplorables," but everyone. I'm a liberal who has been thrown in Zuckerberg Jail a half-dozen times for posting things deemed "violation of community standards" by the bots but were, in fact, historical events, points of view not out of mainstream political thought, and, the last time, 30 days for a violation they would not explain or allow an appeal to humans. Next time, I could be banned permanently. This has happened to a number of liberals I know personally, and none of them are radical bomb-throwers, just normal people.
I find this appalling, because censorship is poison to a democratic republic. The social media, PayPal, and the like are not just "private businesses" any more. They have become our postal service, telephone system, and the nearly exclusive choice of political speech and communication in this nation. The definition of fascism is the marriage of government and corporate power. We let the corporations walk right in and take over.
We need to stop it.
Add to this list the Gofundme cancellation of fund raisers for terminated conservative or otherwise heterodox professors who are suing the universities that terminated them or for political groups it disagrees with: https://dailycaller.com/2021/04/01/open-conspiracy-rights-gofundme-terminates-fundraiser-for-unwoke-parents-targeted-loudoun-county-critical-race-theory/ and there was another one suspended for a Canadian professor but I can't find it now.
Maybe you should stop being a liberal. Your friends treat you like shit. ❤
Not my friends. We're sensible liberals, not left-wingers.
Too damned few of you nowadays.
I know, right? The wings of the right and left suck up all the media attention, and that's bad for us normal Americans liberal-center-conservative.
But we do like to give each other shit :-)
Took the words out of my own mouth. How is being liberal working for ya? Yesterday's liberal is today's moderate, and yesterday's moderate (me) is today's conservative.
Indeed. Everyone is going to suffer. It never stops just targeting the people you disagree with. They’re all powerful now, arguably more powerful then the federal government which is why I felt the shutdown of Parlor was so significant. They can do to the masses what the constitution prevents the government from doing. They can create tyrannical actors that control your life and liberty, and they did just that.
I agree with this, and perhaps you would go further and agree with me that it is now too late. There is nothing democratic people can do to save freedom; we are going to have corporatist, authoritarian culture and a government to go with it. We can still read critiques like this, but they are being squeezed into ever-smaller accessibilty and they are increasingly regarded with hate.
I am a liberal who got my Nextdoor account canceled without any explanation. I suspect I expressed an opinion someone in my neighborhood didn't like. That kind of censorship undermines the whole idea behind Nextdoor.
If a baker is considered a "public accommodation" such that he/she/it has to sell to all comers, why isn't PayPal and the general banking system? This is just redlining under another category.
That's a good way to describe it, "redlining." Thanks for that.
This is quite good and could be the precedent required for a lawsuit.
But bakers don't have to sell to all comers according to Colorado's courts, just to people in the Left's protected categories. There's problem denying service to people who hold the odd belief that the US Constitution should be adhered to according to the plain meaning of its words, or who think that the Supreme Court erred in redefining marriage to make the notion of "gay marriage" sensible as a matter of law, or who voted for Donald Trump, for that matter.
"The left's protected categories . . ." That would be "people we no longer allow you to discriminate against because they're black or female." There, fixed it for you.
If that fixes it, how is the that Colorado ruled against Jack Phillips when it was neither on the basis of race nor sex that he denied service, but on the basis of the content of the message he was asked to convey in a custom cake, an objection which the Colorado authorities twisted into denying service on the basis of the sexual orientation (original instance) or gender identity (the more recent instance) to provide a basis for persecuting the baker for extending his free exercise of religion into his workplace?
If you really wanted to fix my post, you'd have suggested adding the word "no" between "There's" and "problem" which I had meant to include.
Brilliantly written. Best line IMO, “Silenced voices and empty stomachs are fuel for the very extremism you claim to oppose. “. Like Mr. Sachs, I, too, live and work here in Silicon Valley but was raised in a Midwestern town. The single track way of thinking among Coastal elites is killing this country. I truly believe my neighbors have no regard for “flyover” states & low vaccination rates.
Deplatforming these people is the means to justify the end. This has to be how it begun during the Holocaust too. While I hate to make that comparison, the parallels seem real.
You aren't wrong. If you would like to know it is not difficult to find filmed performances of this play. It recounts the experiences of two survivors. And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank. By James Still. The thing that struck me, as different from other plays I had seen regarding the Holocaust was its detailing of the steps taken to get there.
Great reference. And that is exactly what is happening. They, the woke totalitarian mob, will come for everyone. Everyone.
More than a little ironic that the ADL is making common cause with the very people who support the kaffiyeh-wearing thugs cruising the streets and crashing restaurants looking for Jews. News flash to the ADL, the biggest supporters of Israel and the rights of American Jews are conservatives. The very people you curse as nazis or worse. The progressives are all in on throwing Jews under the bus. And when the thugs come looking for you, do you really think your wokeness will protect you?
I don’t think the ADL cares about those kind of Jews.
As with the entire cannon thus far of essays on Bari's substack, this one was worth my time to read. I don't post much, but a couple of thoughts came to my mind reading this one. I make no pretense to connected these random thoughts into a single essay--just random thoughts:
I am a statistician by training. I see the world as a bell curve with those lovely, pinched, asymptotic tails on into infinity on each end. We live in a world where most people are the silent middle. The loudest voices at each end are the ones we can hear too much of---but they are always the smallest groups. I remind myself of this when mass media attempts to gin up hysteria for the next wave of disaster.
In a related vein, I de-platformed myself in January. No more social media. I call or text friends and family I want to talk to. I seek out authors I want to read. I seek out very long articles and book length treatments of topics instead of sound bites. It takes longer to read and that time gives me time to process things instead of reacting to things.
I found an Amish farm to buy fresh vegetables. Such sweet and kind people, and it fits my slower and quieter and less connected life.
So: let the loud people on the coasts fight over social media and online shopping and the high tech world. I love small town life and we need more of it.
To paraphrase Joe Louis: You can run, but you can’t hide. When you concede the power to establish political norms to authoritarians, eventually their rules will touch you no matter how far you recede from society to Amish farms.
As Martin Niemoller said: “First they came for the [Communists/Proud Boys/Oath Takers] and I did not speak out because I was not a [Communist/Proud Boy/Oath Taker].”
Alejandra11 min ago
I agree with you 100% regarding bell curves, the silent majority and the dangers of social media. I disagree, however, about making this a a coast vs middle, urban vs rural, democrat vs republican sort of dichotomy. Rational and nuanced individuals across the political spectrum should join forces and speak up against polarization and radicalism.
At the core of this Constitutional crisis is our dysfunctional Education Industry.
MOFA - Make Orwell Fiction Again!
Good one!
Great stuff. When I was watching the capital riot, I wasn’t all that concerned. It was an angry mob for sure, but there was little else. If you could have photoshopped the capital out of the picture and replaced it with Target, it would have translated as a rather benign riot, comparatively speaking - no opting, “target” was still whole and the subject of a lot of wondering and selfies, right along with conversations with some of the internal security. So I wasn’t at all concerned.
However, when Parlor was shut down, completely, by all the supporting actors in Big Tech, my blood literally ran cold. Not since the twin towers fell on 9/11 had I thought that the potential for massive shifts in government powers - going off to war to combat an idea - until I witnessed Parlor’s near destruction. The potential for abuse, i felt, was beyond the pale. If the government, or those ideologically aligned with the government, could engage in activity that would be deemed wildly unconstitutional by the most powerful government in world…we were all headed down a very, very dark and totalitarian path. And in my arguments to friends on FB (I explored my friends to leave SM as it’s pretty clear you’re giving money to those who abuse you), I stated that if the banning of Parlor receives no serious pushback, next step is payment systems. You will be unable to use your credit cards, PayPal, all that when you engage in activity that ALL of tech dislikes. Want to buy a gun with your credit card? Nope. Want to use paypal to organize funds for a anti gun lobby group? Nope. Worse, you, as a private citizen that joins said activity would be banned forever from those systems - to include Amazon services, or streaming services. Everything that we know that is a digital service would deny you service because you’ voted for Republicans, or espoused anti-progressive ideas. Do you think CRT is racist? Sorry, no Disney+ for you. And nobody would know because your voice is also silenced in SM. You become unseen and unheard.
When I first made these arguments at the turn of the New Year my friends, these that remained on SM, told me that it was crazy to assume any of that would happen. It only took about 6 months to become true. What I did not predict was just how bold the government would be in regard to these ideological relationships with Tech. I always assumed they’d just keep it on the down-low. It is not at all comforting to see just how nonchalant Psaki is when she announced the teaming and the demands for censorship. It was further unsettling to hear crickets by the corporate media. And of course, Congress is doing relatively nothing about it. Even Republicans seem mute about totalitarian actions here in the States while screening about freedom and internet access in Cuba!!
I would see combat and lose so many friends during the war on terror. There are signal events throughout history - 9/11, Pearl Harbor, The Declaration of Independence, The Dred Scott ruling - that portend great social and political upheaval. Believe it or not, the total de-platforming of Parlor by the most powerful companies in the world is on that list. It means you’re fucked, no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, you’re fucked if you don’t act as responsible citizens and voters and demand that Congress draft laws that make this sort of censorship illegal in the digital space.
Mr. Sacks - You express common sense. Big Tech and our government overlords are lacking any of it now. They are fools who have never read a history book.
So yet again, we tumble towards totalitarian governance and all of the blowback it will surely provoke.
The very people these assholes want to de platform are the ones who use them the most. If the deplorables stop watching professional sports, stop ordering off amazon and stop using PayPal we can make them hurt. The left always wants a boycott so why not us? I can live without any of it, just think about the business we could generate in small town America. They say they don’t want us but they definitely want our money so why give it to them. I’m closing my PayPal account right now. F**k them!!!
I am trying to wean myself off of Amazon. Someone stole my American Flag over the July 4th holiday and rather than give Amazon the business, I bought the new one from the United States Flag Store, an independent. I do try to support independents but it's not always possible.
I quit Amazon last winter after they enraged me by deplatforming Parler. I wrote them a very frank Dear John letter. I used to think I couldn't live without Amazon products and services. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I haven't purchased anything off their site in about four months. There are so many alternatives. And their electronic products suck anyway. At least their Kindle Fire, which craps out after one year.
It often costs the same or less to purchase something from an independent retailer as it does to purchase it from Amazon with a prime account. That is because retailers on Amazon have to jack up their prices because of the free shipping they have to offer Amazon Prime members, which erases the savings you get with a prime membership.
Just closed the one my husband opened in 2007 (which we never really used) but that was quite satisfying!
This is already happening. A bank, one of the biggest ones, closed all the accounts for a conservative bundler I know, personal and business, soon after the election. The only thing he was ever able to find out was that it was "political". Conservatives are being targeted by campaigns to deprive them of legal representation, which is a civil rights violation to my mind. What's next? Pressure campaigns to keep doctors from treating Republicans?
We live in a very bad comic book. I just want to know why these tech giants ban anything that can be remotely linked to “racism” through revisionist history generations ago giving them justification to cancel and destroy anyone EXCEPT the Democrat party that was and is the party of racism from the KKK to Jim Crow to destroying Black families in the “great society” to the modern day bigotry of low expectations being forced on minority kids with school closures abd victim hood mentalities? I mean if racists systems must be torn down, the Democrat party should go first. 🤷♀️
There are a lot of human rights issues around Apple's factories in China especially around the openly racists treatment of the Uyghurs.
I wonder, is anyone familiar with the work of @johnrobb? A former military analysts, he's been warning about this collusion between government and big tech for a while. He's usually 2 years ahead of events, and it is scary. IN his latest report (titled: The End of Freedom, btw) he highlights how corporate computers can effectively de-platform an individual to the stone age; and how there's no recourse to this, as these are corporations, they don't have to respond.
Big tech's censors are definitely overreaching. And now they're beginning to affect and irritate even the most ordinary, harmless, unobjectionable people -- people like little old me. Last week I received my first "warning" from Amazon for a review I posted about a dreadful new Amazon movie, The Tomorrow War. Here's the charming message Amazon sent:
"Hello. One or more of your posts were found to be outside our guidelines. In order to help our customers make informed choices, we encourage them to review the product and contribute information about it. However, Community content that violate our guidelines or Conditions of Use will be removed.
"Please consider this a first warning.Before submitting your next post, please refer to our Customer Guidelines. Failure to comply with our policies may result in your account being banned from taking part in Community features. Thanks for your understanding in this matter."
And what, Dear Reader, was my sin? Amazon didn't say. But I'm sure I know what happened. My review contained a "verboten" phrase. Was this phrase the N-word? No, Dear Reader, it was not. The phrase I used was the not quite slur adjacent "Magical Negro," a phrase first used by Spike Lee, the Oscar winning black movie director in a presentation he gave to film students back in 2001. Since this phrase is listed in Wikipedia and describes a supporting black character who saves he day for the white lead, I figured it was fine. But apparently Amazon's algorithm or some young woke fool on their payroll didn't think so.
In the past, I've written dozens of reviews for products I've purchased (books, art supplies, furniture, beauty products, etc.) and have likely helped move tens of thousands of dollars worth of stuff. And what was the reward for all my unpaid labor? An obnoxious, high tech slap on the wrist.
Amazon, your actions have consequences, and you have just shot yourself in the foot. I now solemnly swear, on a stack of defaced Amazon Prime boxes, I will never write another review for your greedy, ungrateful company again. Let those revenues sink until your company drowns in red ink.
Your not writing reviews for the products they sell won't affect them one bit. On the other hand, not buying the products to review....Now that is a trend I can get behind.
I've cut WAY back on my Amazon purchases (and I live pretty rurally). I opened a Barnes and Noble account and purchase all of my books there. The only things I buy from Amazon are things I can't find anywhere in a 60 mile radius.
>> "As with the censorship of speech, financial deplatforming often begins as something that seems narrow and reasonable — who wouldn’t want to ban the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys?"
Quite a few of us wouldn't, Mr. Sacks. Would you like to be unpersoned for having written this article? I'm sure I can find someone it seems narrow and reasonable to. Maybe make sure you're permanently delisted from employment, ineligible for ACA marketplace plans- guess you'll be paying that tax penalty every year... let's see what else we can do.
You sure we're on the same side?
Well-said! I don't want to deplatform or ban anyone, even those I vehemently disagree with. We need to hear all views, not just the ones we agree with. And your point is spot-on--when they have the power to ban one person or group, they have the power to ban them all.
Always imagine the politician you hate the most getting the unlimited power you want.
Yep. People who want "them" to be quashed become horrified when they become the "them." Best for everyone to avoid it.
Eventuality, you become the them.
I intend to survive this descent into madness in my beloved country, and if I do, I'll be delighted to repay the new "them" when they don't have jackbooted thugs to hide behind.
Yes. Eventually you become the them.