I predicted this would eventually happen, along with other actions, well before the election. But I never predicted what would happen on the Hill though, and so fast after. That's been the catalyst for all the backfiring now, the move to go after every platform were any of these groups digitally assemble.
Which brings me to this ...
This is well beyond just banning an app, but literally taking a complete, separate entity off-line. I'm not going to get into the justifications and whether I agree or not. We've long had the debate on the Libertarian concept that companies can do what they want (always interesting to see the left embrace Libertarian concepts when it benefits them). Although when a handful of companies control over 90% ... it does suggest monopoly (which many have also brought up). But that's not what this post is about.
What I'm saying is this ...
Those who control Internet infrastructure can now destroy anyone they deem ... well, whatever. Amazon and other Cloud providers are following up on this, and they will be blacklisting Parler in the coming days for the same reason. There's been talk by various Network providers as well. In other words, even if Parler deploys its own servers in its own data center, they may very well not have any Internet connectivity. Maybe Russia or another country will step up, but then we're also back to these companies blocking them at the BGP routers or just refuse to allow their DNS to propogate, etc... Even more interesting is that all these entities are competitors to the companies doing this.
Because MeWe is next ...
MeWe had been growing far faster than Parler, and indeed, now that Parler is basically being killed, MeWe is the biggest benefactor so far. MeWe was started by a former Obama official, and I won't get into that history. Any platform used by any groups that are even remotely associated will be nuked, in some cases given no option (at least Apple did that -- even if only within 24 hours -- Google and Amazon just yanked plugs within hours or days, no options to remediate), even if 99.99% of the users and groups on those platforms have nothing to do with those groups that did.
Understand what this is ...
We're looking at the literal end of dissent and, more importantly, any discussion on any controversial topics -- at least digitally -- because anyone so labeled as even remotely hosting any group in their platforms will be nuked by the monopolies of the Internet, and have no other options. Just being labeled such is sufficient, and without recourse. At most they can sue, but they'll already be shutdown and bankrupted well before it makes it to trial, or possibly even just an injunction hearing. Google has been doing this to a number of its customers in many areas already over the years, from de-monetized YouTubers to various, small entities that have partnered with them.
At this point I'd say "Don't Shoot the Libertarian Messenger," but I'm no longer that person as of this week. I.e.,
Personal reflection: Me? I've deleted all my accounts, sans LinkedIn and Twitter, where I only talk professional, as well as sports in the case of the latter.
Hence why, I'm completely ending my Libertarian postings, and conforming to the will of the ... 'Monopoly of Truth.' I hope I'm wrong on this one, but prepared as a conformist and loyalist if I'm right.
Which brings me to this ...
This is well beyond just banning an app, but literally taking a complete, separate entity off-line. I'm not going to get into the justifications and whether I agree or not. We've long had the debate on the Libertarian concept that companies can do what they want (always interesting to see the left embrace Libertarian concepts when it benefits them). Although when a handful of companies control over 90% ... it does suggest monopoly (which many have also brought up). But that's not what this post is about.
What I'm saying is this ...
Those who control Internet infrastructure can now destroy anyone they deem ... well, whatever. Amazon and other Cloud providers are following up on this, and they will be blacklisting Parler in the coming days for the same reason. There's been talk by various Network providers as well. In other words, even if Parler deploys its own servers in its own data center, they may very well not have any Internet connectivity. Maybe Russia or another country will step up, but then we're also back to these companies blocking them at the BGP routers or just refuse to allow their DNS to propogate, etc... Even more interesting is that all these entities are competitors to the companies doing this.
Because MeWe is next ...
MeWe had been growing far faster than Parler, and indeed, now that Parler is basically being killed, MeWe is the biggest benefactor so far. MeWe was started by a former Obama official, and I won't get into that history. Any platform used by any groups that are even remotely associated will be nuked, in some cases given no option (at least Apple did that -- even if only within 24 hours -- Google and Amazon just yanked plugs within hours or days, no options to remediate), even if 99.99% of the users and groups on those platforms have nothing to do with those groups that did.
Understand what this is ...
We're looking at the literal end of dissent and, more importantly, any discussion on any controversial topics -- at least digitally -- because anyone so labeled as even remotely hosting any group in their platforms will be nuked by the monopolies of the Internet, and have no other options. Just being labeled such is sufficient, and without recourse. At most they can sue, but they'll already be shutdown and bankrupted well before it makes it to trial, or possibly even just an injunction hearing. Google has been doing this to a number of its customers in many areas already over the years, from de-monetized YouTubers to various, small entities that have partnered with them.
At this point I'd say "Don't Shoot the Libertarian Messenger," but I'm no longer that person as of this week. I.e.,
Personal reflection: Me? I've deleted all my accounts, sans LinkedIn and Twitter, where I only talk professional, as well as sports in the case of the latter.
I've been a hard talker as a staunch Libertarian, but given all the bans of various Libertarian groups, from satire to LGBTQ that are critical of the left as much as the right, I'd like to keep my job. Because the term 'separatist' is now being used, which makes me a 'loyalist.' I wanna keep my job so I'm a conformist and loyalist. Maybe I would be different if I was half my age, but I'm long married and trying to grow old now. We'll see if the current trend 'dies down,' or if it continues 'accelerating,' but I'm not hopeful. Everything become a 'National Defense/Safety' argument since Miller of the NYTimes was thrown in jail, and all the US media spied on in 2009 (not reported until after the election in 2013).
The problem with the corporate control of Parliament 250 years ago was that with every illegal American action, even through the Tea Party, the counter rebuke by the Parliament c/o the Crown against its 13 Independent Corporate Commonwealths charted by the Crown was always worse, including killing the right to a group voice and other, related assembly. It was after their bailouts for their military adventurism and other mismanagement that led to the taxes on those , the trading corporations that controlled Parliament were salivating over the idea of getting the now well developed 13 smaller commonwealths, who's corporate charters would be revoked if rebellion took hold. They even promised the undeveloped mid-west of them to the House of Lords and the officers of the British Military as land for a new aristocracy as well.
So while I think the Trumpers were completely misguided, and just pushing more Statism, no different than the left that considers many who voted Trump -- like his increased Hispanic and LGBTQ numbers in 2020 -- as traitors to their Statism, there is still the fact that Congress serves the monopolies of the Internet frontier little different than the monopolies of the North American frontier 250 years ago. This has told me everything on where we are headed. And as most anyone disagreeing -- especially us Libertarians - have been called separatists for trying to raise red flags, I've chosen to be a loyalist, as it goes there.
History is repeating itself, and it's not about right or wrong. This is only going to cause people who would never vote for Trump to start being against Congress in general because they are controlled by these same corporations and other interests that prevent any independent options. We weren't taught this in school, along with the fact that outside of New England, most of the early battles of the American revolution were against corporate soldiers in trading forts, not British ones (but we called them British) -- even our getting our butts kicked the closer we got to the Hudson Bay Company in Canada (because no one really lived up there unless they were employees of the company) -- because we didn't want to educate kids to grow up to question capitalism like the framers did.
Even if, in the end, as the framers realized, it wasn't capitalism, but monopolies that controlled the legislative, and small farmers and small businesses were actually the capitalist key to balance. Something we've also destroyed in the lockdowns, only making the rich richer, the mega-corps bigger, and bankrupting small businesses who now employ fewer and fewer of the public. So the US is closed for business, literally ... and that includes doing what the Indies and other corporations did 250 years ago, outlaw free assembly except those they agree with.
The problem with the corporate control of Parliament 250 years ago was that with every illegal American action, even through the Tea Party, the counter rebuke by the Parliament c/o the Crown against its 13 Independent Corporate Commonwealths charted by the Crown was always worse, including killing the right to a group voice and other, related assembly. It was after their bailouts for their military adventurism and other mismanagement that led to the taxes on those , the trading corporations that controlled Parliament were salivating over the idea of getting the now well developed 13 smaller commonwealths, who's corporate charters would be revoked if rebellion took hold. They even promised the undeveloped mid-west of them to the House of Lords and the officers of the British Military as land for a new aristocracy as well.
So while I think the Trumpers were completely misguided, and just pushing more Statism, no different than the left that considers many who voted Trump -- like his increased Hispanic and LGBTQ numbers in 2020 -- as traitors to their Statism, there is still the fact that Congress serves the monopolies of the Internet frontier little different than the monopolies of the North American frontier 250 years ago. This has told me everything on where we are headed. And as most anyone disagreeing -- especially us Libertarians - have been called separatists for trying to raise red flags, I've chosen to be a loyalist, as it goes there.
History is repeating itself, and it's not about right or wrong. This is only going to cause people who would never vote for Trump to start being against Congress in general because they are controlled by these same corporations and other interests that prevent any independent options. We weren't taught this in school, along with the fact that outside of New England, most of the early battles of the American revolution were against corporate soldiers in trading forts, not British ones (but we called them British) -- even our getting our butts kicked the closer we got to the Hudson Bay Company in Canada (because no one really lived up there unless they were employees of the company) -- because we didn't want to educate kids to grow up to question capitalism like the framers did.
Even if, in the end, as the framers realized, it wasn't capitalism, but monopolies that controlled the legislative, and small farmers and small businesses were actually the capitalist key to balance. Something we've also destroyed in the lockdowns, only making the rich richer, the mega-corps bigger, and bankrupting small businesses who now employ fewer and fewer of the public. So the US is closed for business, literally ... and that includes doing what the Indies and other corporations did 250 years ago, outlaw free assembly except those they agree with.
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