I’m in the jailhouse now (again)

I am in Facebook jail again, so that’s good news to subscribers here.

Without that massive platform, I will be pouring more work into this outlet.

Can I hear an amen?

This is at least the fourth time my privileges have been revoked by Team Zuckerberg, which makes me wish for a Facebook takeover by Elan Musk, one of my favorite billionaires. Another is Bill Gates, for his humanitarian work; another is modest philanthropist Warren Buffet. 

Anyways — Facebook. 

The first time I was flagged was for publishing a picture of the local Naked Bike Ride — a stupid event that is held around the world — in which cyclists ride naked. (It is a hoax because most are not naked, and the ones that are, you wish they weren’t.)

The picture I used showed a tiny penis — if you looked hard to find it — which meant two pricks on one bicycle.

The picture was taken on a public street, and the cyclists had a police escort.

So how, dear Facebook, could I have “violated community standards” when the f’n community provided police protection to the pedalphiles (unregistered trademark)?

My next violation played off the idea that the victorious Taliban were going to be kinder, and gentler to Afghans.

That meant, I wrote, they would say “please” before cutting off your head and raping your daughter.

Bam — I’m in jail for violating “community standards” which seem to prohibit making fun of 12th Century religious fundamentalists. So I’m the hater?

I forget the next one, but here’s the current one. In the context of Vladimir Putin’s disingenuous claims to Ukraine, I posted a demand made by Hitler to be given the German-speaking portion of Czechoslovakia. 

The world caved, and that just showed Hitler the world had no backbone. He took more and world war ensued.

Yes, I am appealing Facebook’s numb nuts decision. I won my last appeal, but it neglected to restore my service.

Some sort of an oversight, for sure. 🤐

As regards Musk, the Left has been going batshit with concerns the “hate” will return to Twitter. (“Hate” is defined as any opinion that differs from their own.) We’ve known forever that Twitter is very Left, disproportionately Black(!), wealthy, young, and that 80% of tweets are generated by 20% of the users, according to Pew Research.

Hardly representative of America, but able to organize a lynch mob to intimidate gutless corporations and others, such as foolish celebrities.

I believe in more free speech, even when ugly, even when lies, because the premise of free speech is that the bad will be countered by the good.

Admittedly, it ain’t perfect, but the “cure” is not some just-announced government-run  “Disinformation Governance Board,” which just smacks of “1984’s” Ministry of Truth.

If you think this is a good idea under President Joe Biden, how would you like it under President Donald J. Trump?

This is not a role of the government, most especially under the Department of Homeland Security that can’t even secure our southern border.

This is an ill-advised attempt to skirt the First Amendment that says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press….”

OK, it ain’t Congress creating this agency, and no “law” is being written, but the aim is the same. It is a government gag order, and government, which so often is disingenuous, is the last place to look for truth. The Ministry of Truth ought to be taken down.

In all the screaming I heard about Musk’s takeover of Twitter, to expand the voices able to be heard, he says, the loudest screech was from MSNBC’s Ari Melber, with a total lack of self-awareness, saying that under Musk one side would not be heard.

Musk’s takeover was to cure what was currently happening — one side — conservatives — were not being heard, starting with then-President Trump.

Yes, Trump is a proven liar and often seems deranged, but he was the President, and while he was kicked off Twitter, Iran’s Grand Ayatollah was not; Russia’s Putin was not. 

Does this seem like a fair policy, a sane policy? Is this — heh, heh — inclusive?

Not to me, even though I have not (yet) been kicked off Twitter.

That privilege belongs to Facebook.

As I said in an earlier piece, follow the link above, Twitter can be a mean, vicious place. That is a drawback of free speech.

But the possible exposure to unpleasant language and ideas is still better than having some political bureaucrat decide what ideas Americans can and cannot hear. That is not democracy.