Starting the year off with a bang

New blog layout. What do you think?

With just over a week left in January 2021, so much has happened already this year. Yes, Creepy Joe and “soon-to-be stepping into his place” Kamala have taken the White House. What’s the current over/under on how long Joe pretends to sit in the seat before stepping down? I give it less than 6 months. I heard that if Joe steps down after finishing 2 years, Harris could technically run twice for POTUS.

There are a lot Republicans that are still crying over how the Democrats stole the election, yatta yatta, because . . . this was obviously the first time an election had been rigged. And just as embarrassing are the leftist fanboys celebrating a “new dawn”. Where have I seen this program before?

Please!

It’s shameful that anyone over the age of 30 still hasn’t figured out that the 2 party system is a mirage meant to keep the sheep under control, by giving you the illusion of choice. There’s virtually no difference between the 2. Both parties want to grow the government. Both want to restrict your freedom. Both can’t wait to spend your money on their cronies and create a richer and more powerful ruling class. And everyone is addicted to wars and violence.

We’ve got MAGA idiots storming the Capital building in DC. Democrats and BLM fans seem to have short-term memory loss and can’t believe the audacity of violent protestors in the nation’s capital. And of course, the most ardent Trumpeters claim it’s actually ANTIFA in disguise. Now you’ve got the Back-the-Blue glee club going up against cops.

As for me, I’m like —

But aside from political theater, there’s been an alarming pace of Censorship taking place in the big tech companies — (and not just Orange Man getting kicked off of Twitter and Facebook).

Now before I start on this topic, I have to make a confession. For most of my adult life, I had maintained that Private companies and businesses (meaning, they are not government agencies) should have complete authority to decide how to run their businesses. Whether they are owned by stockholders or Ma and Pa, a business should be able to turn anyone away, deny service, or decline a business relationship. PERIOD. That included Bakers, Private Teachers, Doctors, Grocers. You name it. As long as you aren’t being paid with tax dollars, you should not be hindered in practicing your Freedom of Association (I know I know. Subsidies / tax benefits, govt contracts, etc. FOCUS. Stay with me.)

But I learned something last week from some friends online. When it comes to Tech Platforms like YouTube, Google, Twitter and Facebook — there’s actually a distinction that needs to be made. And it comes down to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Now, I’m no legal scholar (thank God) and I don’t care about precedents and “intent of the law” arguments.

To me, this is not a Legal issue, per se, because I basically loathe litigation and legal wrangling. This is more of a moral issue for me. The video below from PragerU lays out the argument pretty nicely. Skip to the 2:43 min mark if you’re short on time.

In a nutshell, if Platforms like Facebook and Twitter and YouTube are not going to be held liable for the validity and content that their users put out, then they can’t Censor or pick and choose what’s safe or not, what’s fake news or real, or what’s dangerous or Newspeak. As PragerU puts it – you can’t have it both ways. Either you’re a Publisher like the NY Times and have to stand by every word and fact that’s put forth or you’re a Platform and it’s hands off.

It seems pretty simple to me, but of course, now all of the Statists and Thoughtcrime police are back peddling their once sacred Section 230. Now you’re hearing every critic and legal scholar come out of the woodwork trying to convince you that the CDA was never intended to enable hate speech or promote violence or bigotry or worse. Of course they are. Because now it doesn’t fit their agenda.

Look, I don’t agree 100% with PragerU’s argument. For example, I don’t see digital Platforms, which can cost millions of dollars every year to maintain, as some modern day Town Square for everyone’s common good. The Town Square was owned by the local citizens and paid for with tax dollars. But again, the moral argument seems pretty straight forward to me.

And I don’t even care if it falls under the umbrella of the 1st Amendment / Freedom of Speech / Press, the legal definition of Censorship, etc. I know PragerU lost it’s case against YouTube and Google in CA. Again, I’m not arguing from a legal ground. Like most things, it’s a moral issue for me.

It’s also curious to me that as soon as Biden was sworn in, many of us that were placed on “indefinite restrictions” aka Facebook jail were immediately released. The tech giants aren’t even trying to conceal their collusion anymore.

Just as I had been saying for the last year that COVID restrictions would begin to ease immediately after the elections, Illinois wasted no time announcing the easing of Indoor Dining restrictions last week. Surely the sheeple can see the writing on the wall, right? Trust the science? Flatten the curve? Yeah right.

Despite all this nonsense and smoke and mirrors meant to distract you from the fact that you are a slave in your own home, things have been pretty great around our household. I won’t share all of the details here, but suffice it to say that several of our children have recently made pretty significant steps in their personal and professional lives. It’s amazing to me as a father to watch them grow, start to take on adulthood, and really become their own.

I’m reminded of the song 1921 from the Who’s Tommy —

I’ve got a feeling ’21 is going to be a good year.
Especially if you and me see it in together
I’ve got a feeling ’21 is going to be a good year.
Especially if you and me see it in together
I had no reason to be over optimistic
But somehow when you smiled, I can brave bad weather