Freedom of Speech by LawDog

February 24, 2021February 24, 2021

Freedom of Speech by LawDog

Freedom of Speech by LawDog One of the things that has been sticking in my craw recently is the tendency of folks busy deplatforming people for Wrongthink to solemnly intone: “Freedom of Spe…

Source: Freedom of Speech by LawDog

Reblogging from Sarah Hoyt’s page (accordingtohoyt.com) Read the whole thing.

A very good and brief overview of the limited restrictions on speech. In light of Congressional attempts to deplatform media outlets because Dems don’t like what they have to say, this is an important reminder.

Our freedoms are precious. We cannot allow creeping totalitarianism to erode them in the name of the greater good and attempts to create an insult-free (totally ridiculous idea) society.

February 20, 2021February 20, 2021

Distractions

Did you hear about Ted Cruz? Man went to Cancun while Texas froze…because of course, if he’d stayed in Texas, the snow and ice would have melted, and the power would have been restored within minutes. Well, that’s how the media would like you to view the situation. A couple of weeks ago the story broke that Cuomo and his office really did lie about the number of nursing home deaths and the governor’s responsibility for those deaths. That’s not a good look for the Dems however, so while it was reluctantly covered, the media went searching for something shiny with which to distract the American public. Again. Lucky for them, Texas froze, and Cruz went on a planned vacation with his family. Phew! If Cruz had been a Democrat, you KNOW that Cancun trip would never have come up on mainstream media except to claim “fact-checking” (Nancy in hair salon throws owner under the bus, Newsom in French Laundry, mayor of San Jose in Mexico, on and on. Rules for thee, but not for me and never covered by the press).

February 17, 2021February 16, 2021

The Greater Good

I get really twitchy when somebody tells me they are doing or saying something to me for my own good. I am a fully competent adult, thankyouverymuch, and I can make my own decisions. I get even twitchier when I’m told that some policy or governmental action is for the greater good. Governments rarely, if ever, do things purely for philanthropical reasons. Governments are filled with politicians. And politicians have but one goal, and that is to remain in a position of power. I wrote before about fear and how the powers that be will make sure that we are afraid. Now, I want to talk about how they’re going to make sure that we will be happy. And we will be happy as we are instructed. It’s for our own good.

February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

Publishing House Baen Books Attacked by Cancel Culture

EDIT: I’ve added the responses from Toni Weisskopf and David Weber at the end. Baen Books is a sci-fi/fantasy publishing house that has been around since the early 1980s. They’ve published thousands of titles from hundreds of authors. Baen is notable in our current time period because it is one of the only traditional publishers … Continue reading Publishing House Baen Books Attacked by Cancel Culture →

Source: Publishing House Baen Books Attacked by Cancel Culture

Cancel culture is real.

This is total bullshit. I’ve been on Baen’s Bar only once or twice, but it’s a multi-forum site for fans of Baen writers. Some guy (who likely got a manuscript rejected by Baen) has decided to try to cancel the publisher and force them off the web. Baen publishes science-fiction/fantasy and does so without regard to the writer’s personal political views. Baen also hosts the Baen Bar a site where fans can go to find free books (yes, the publisher gives away some books), talk with other fans, and sometimes talk with authors. There is no hotbed of political violence as this douche-canoe alleges. Yes, there are some strong opinions, but if that causes butt-hurt, you should just go back to your mama’s basement and cry.

We all must fight against cancel culture wherever we find it and no matter how small or large the incident.

And now, I’m on my way back to Baen’s Bar to show my support.

February 12, 2021February 12, 2021

Cancel Culture, Fear, and Censorship

And now we bring them all together. Fear is the thing that ties cancel culture and censorship together. Yes, cancel culture and censorship are essentially the same thing, but there are differences. I’ve talked about censorship before. Can a non-governmental organization censor an individual? Yes, it can. The constitution prohibits the government from censoring speech, but it does not mean that a non-governmental organization cannot do so. Just because it’s legal does not mean that deplatforming or removing a website from your servers because you don’t like their political views is not censorship. Of course it is. Declaring it to be a legal action done by a private company does not make it any less censorious. Especially when said company has set itself up as a tech version of the public square.

February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

How does a third party become viable?

The question came up in an online group: What would it take to get you to support a third party? A number of responses came back. Some said that they’d been too disappointed in others like the Libertarian party (described as Democrats Lite) and thus had gone back to changing the existing Republican party. Others that third parties never ran viable candidates or ended up appearing too crazy. Several said that a third party should abide by the US Constitution and not compromise on that. In addition, a clear set of values needed to be articulated and adhered to. My response was that to truly be viable, a third party would need to not only criticize current policies from major parties, but offer viable, workable alternatives to those policies. It was also noted that to gain support, a third party would need to identify actual problems as opposed to proposing solutions to problems that don’t exist.

January 29, 2021January 29, 2021

Hero-worship and politicians

Hero-worship of political leaders of all stripes is nothing new. But it is most definitely not something we should be doing. Politicians, democratic or authoritarian, are human beings just like the rest of us. Unlike Roman generals in their triumph through Rome, modern leaders don’t have a slave behind them whispering in their ear, “Remember, you are mortal.” Perhaps that custom needs to be revived for our current political leaders.

January 23, 2021January 23, 2021

Book recommendations

Based on discussions elsewhere and the ongoing shift of education toward a complete leftist/Marxist world view, I have added a page to this blog for book recommendations (Book titles, linked in main menu). The idea is to compile a list that is, yes, conservative in nature, and gives an accurate as possible look at history and politics in the US and the world (so, no 1619 Project bullshit, please). I have put in a few books off the top of my head, but I encourage everybody to add their recommendations in the comments. Also, if you have any suggestions for children’s history books, that would be wonderful.

January 20, 2021January 20, 2021

Projection

The other day, I started a blog post about rhetoric that wound up all rambly and somewhat incoherent. I had been thinking about the endless discussion in the press about the “incursion” into the Capitol building on January 6. Or the “riot” that had taken place that day. Or the “insurrection” that had occurred. All these words mean different things and conjure up vastly different images than does “protest”. And of course, the media would have us believe that the burning and looting that occurred in numerous cities this past summer was nothing more than “mostly peaceful protests.” Because only a “riot” would include looting and burning and riots are bad. So, if you’re on the side of the rioters, you need them to be only protesting. Those guys riot, we’re just protesting.

January 12, 2021January 12, 2021

Censorship

Yes, Twitter is censoring the President of the United States. Yes, Apple, Google, and Amazon are censoring and engaging in monopolistic business practices against Parler. This is what’s happening. If you said “Yay! Twitter banned Trump!” you are a proponent of censorship and an opponent of free speech. Yes, you are, no matter how fast you spin in circles to justify it.