I might need to ingest another Losartan after this morning’s edition. Feeling helpless; what can we do as citizens to protect this republic. Voting doesn’t seem to do any good? Attempting not to purchase Chinese-made goods? Writing to my elected representatives? Some days it seems so dire.
Just remember you live in the most magnificant era in human history. Yes, things are bleak, but take heart that a movement is brewing against the woke power. It is like at the beach when you see a big wave forming. Keep chatting with like-minded people and convert a person or two a week. Slowly, the wave will build to crush the Woke. That is where I derive my hope.
I agree, Albert.We do live in a magnificent era in a magnificent country (which needs a border). I take heart that the movement pushing back against Woke (GI, DIE, etc.) is growing strong. It definitely feels that more people "get it".
To my mind DeSantis is our clear political leader in this effort (and I apologize that I used the below in another place but did not want to get lost in the stream):
"Haley said that if she were to become president, her second priority—after forcing the platforms to disclose their algorithms—would be to require name verification of all social media users.
"It's a national security threat," she said. "It gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots, and the Chinese bots. And then, you're going to get some civility, when people know their name is next to what they say.""...
"anonymity is a cherished aspect of political speech, and rightly so. Sometimes, people have important truths to tell but for various reasons cannot risk attaching their names to their words. As noted by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R–Fla.) and Vivek Ramaswamy—two of Haley's rivals for the GOP nomination—anonymous speech was an integral part of the U.S.'s founding: James Madison published the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym, for instance."
I hope more people understand what a terrible president she would be, including FP which seems to adore her. She would compel us all to be "civil" just like Biden brought us "together". Our names could be listed and then we'd be toast for "misgendering" or whatever the compelled speech of the moment is.
Anonymity can fuel a lot of online hate, but it also serves a purpose in some contexts. It's a hard nut to crack.
I think the bigger problem though is that SM doesn't reflect the ways that people naturally have communicated since before the dawn of history.
The epidemic of narcissistic social justice warriors has been fed in good part b/c we've thrown off those ancient informal networks and methods of communication. Everything we say is now and forever, never private, never lost in time. I believe that is actually bad, and corrosive to society. At the very least, it de-contextualizes speech. Nobody bothers to re-construct the specific context in which any particular statement is uttered. It just lingers out there, in the ether, forever, for anyone to use any time in the future to perform some character assassination, often times not even out of ignorance, but out of willful animosity. That's not good.
Each of us has thoughts and opinions that we keep within our inner circle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Every single way of making sense of the world is a denial, at some level, of some other way of making sense of the world, at which some other person can - and will - take offense. In a world in which everyone is constantly wearing their sense of being offended as some kind of badge, the end result is a paradoxical combination of ethical purity as dictated by some elite (that's what PC is), combined with complete nihilism, contributing, overall, to the breakdown of society.
I agree that social media is terrible. But, it is here to stay. I hope that we find some way to navigate it.
The problem with policing "hate" or "hate speech" is - who gets to determine what "hate" is? There are those who say that using a "dead" (real) name is hate. Canada is in worse shape than we are because they don't have free speech.
100% agreed. "Hate speech" regulation is a very dangerous idea, and Canada is showing by example how it can be weaponized and used for ill ends. Kudos to JP for speaking up about it. He was dead right.
I hear your concern about what Haley said about name verification. But if your handle Loving Mother is enough anonymity for you, I think you, Nikki and a couple of geeks can work it out to everyone’s satisfaction.
haha - that's funny :) And, thanks for hearing the concern.
But should we trust a couple of geeks to "work it out"? Facebook and Google have not exactly been even handed. One concern is that Nikki Haley is being dim here in an effort to sound strong.
And, was the point of the US Constitution supposed to be that we trust that our leaders random ideas will be hammered out well, or do we have rights built in because people are not going to just be good? Like the right to free speech for instance:
"First Amendment
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; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Is it just about me or is this fundamental? James Madison published the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym...
As I was reading your reply I got a text from my granddaughter, a freshman at Harvard Law, that she was freaking out for having just seen Justice Sotomayor. (I’m freaking out that we’re paying full-freight because Harvards anonymous, partially Islamist and Sino-derived, endowment(thanx for the reveal Bari), subsidizes not based on merit, but on need. Is that where 37 letter-signing campus clubs come from? Anyway, I digress.) Based on your grasp of history and law, I defer to either of them. But let me take an amateur shot at geekdom: How about a ‘ de-anonymize’ button that privately pulls the curtain on the offending Wizard upon request. (Need is the Loving Mother of invention.)
I completely hear you with your concerns regarding Harvard. Thanks for sharing them. It is good to hear that there is a Harvard law student who is not on board with Woke/DIE.
Who gets to be in charge of the button? A Trans Activist? Look what happened to J. K. Rowling.
The Constitution is a restriction on the Federal and now state government. It is not a restriction on business. If Facebook, Twitter etc. decided without government pressure or promise to require posters to use their real name that is lawful and not unconstitutional. Robert Parker had wine blog that permitted anonymous posts. Because of trolls and some strange folks, it became unbearable to read. The result was a number of folks formed Wine Berserker which requires posters to use their real name and the city and state they reside in to post. Perfectly legal.
Here's how I see it: the government can *already* demand that their lap-dog social media companies reveal the necessary information to track down any social media user that it wants to target. Requiring people to use their real name on social media would not change that.
But I think it would stop a lot of trolls in their tracks if they had to associate their real name with their comments. It would also help get rid of bots and underage users.
There are plenty of non-social-media places on the internet where people can engage in anonymous speech. I'm pretty sure Haley specified social media users, not internet users as a whole.
"the government can *already* demand that their lap-dog social media companies reveal the necessary information to track down any social media user that it wants to target"
I see your point there - but I think it would dial it up. And, state governments could go after people more easily as well.
I'm trying to remember the details of when the Libs of Tik Tok lady was exposed...
Maybe there should be ways for individuals to block trolls more? The things is, some of the really big trolls do just fine with their real names - people like Ivy McKinnon - or whatever that guy athlete goes by now. He trolls us all the time in the real and online world. Maybe we should enforce better rules regarding what people do in the real world.
We do need solutions regarding bots but I feel this would have unintended consequences and that Haley is trying to "look and talk strong". I think DeSantis is much more intelligent.
As far as underage users - that is hard - they seem to find ways - and bad guys seem to find ways to get to them - no matter what we do. Some people we do need to take down are people like Dr. Gallagher and many others who create content - even using their real names - to go after minors with nefarious, grooming content.
I'm no expert but it feels like 911 where the government overstepped a bit regarding the rights of civilian Americans... I feel that taking away anonymous speech is taking away speech.
But it is only taking away the ability to be anonymous in our virtual "town squares."
See, that's the thing--back before the internet, it order to have the debates and soap-boxing we now use social media for, people had to face one another in the flesh. It was not *possible* to be meaningfully anonymous in those circumstances.
In order to have anonymity, one would have to publish an essay in a magazine or newspaper, or write a book or pamphlet. As a result, the opinions of anonymous people had to be far more well-considered than the anonymous trolling and name-calling we experience today.
I agree with you that our government overstepped after 9/11. But I don't see a social media law like this as overstepping our rights. It's more like requiring a driver's license to drive on public roads.
Hi Celia M, Politeness is an important value to me. And, I agree with you that people are more rude to those they do not interact with in person. Even with a real name - it makes a difference if you have met that person face to face even one time and then have online interaction. (This is true for the most part - we do seem to have lots of riots and such now.)
I agree with you that social media is awful. It is also here to stay. And, maybe smartphones should only be given to people once they are 18? By law? But, adults will interact in the virtual town square and it may have more impact than newspaper and magazine articles nowadays.
Plus, I don't trust the government (Republican or Democrat) to decide what is disinformation - or what is polite or hateful. So, I don't think that free speech can come with a drivers license. Sure, Trolls are bad. But, I don't think that “Libs of TikTok” - who we now know is Chaya Raichik - could have gotten started if she hadn't been anonymous. We live in a time where you can be shutdown if you speak up for biological sex. Or, if you speak up for your own child. What will it be next?
Nikky Haley is walking it back now:
"Haley walks back declaration that all social media users must be verified"
“Forcing disclosure of names and registration, that’s what China has done. China did that recently,” DeSantis said. “That is totally inappropriate for the United States of America.”
And, it is concerning that she just stumbled out there with this and then stumbled back in a day. None of that increases my confidence in her potential to be a good president. I think people project on her what they want to see...
None of this means we are not in a big mess with social media. However, I think we could do more in the real world - like not allow men to "troll" women's sporting events the way Rhys/Rachael McKinnon, AKA Veronica Ivy does - the way TransTifa Swimmer WilLiaM Thomas did.... And, we could arrest people like Yeet the Teet Dr. Gallager who advertises to youth on Instagram:
It's a nice sentiment. Today, (or yesterday) the senate did not approve the stand alone aid to Israel package. Dem sen Patty Murray opposed as did most senators. AND... the House approved two bills to keep things going as they have been. The only power the normies have, they are afraid to use. The purse. Looks like things will get worse until the election. At least.
The Senate voted yesterday. Per the New York Post: "Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) argued that funding for Ukraine and humanitarian assistance must be included in any Israel package before it reaches the president’s desk." She was signaling that any such aid would be vetoed anyway. We have poured over $100B into the Ukraine war but can't spare $14B for Israel after it lost 1,400 citizens on October 7? It's too bad Joe and Hunter didn't have business dealings in Israel rather than Ukraine.
Bob, you’ve got it the wrong way round: the Dems in the Senate DO want to support Israel. They just object to the Republican effort to cut off Ukraine.
So if Republicans believe we've poured enough money into Ukraine (as I do), then Israel gets no aid? We've spent over $100B helping Ukraine. Why would it hurt to send Israel $14B without sending tens of billions of dollars more to Ukraine? There is no reason aid to one has to be linked to aid to the other.
When it comes to future predictions of country/government & "feeling helpless", my standard answer is always "how's my ammo inventory lookin". Just sayin......
I set out the other day to find a roasting pan with rack, NOT made in China. Checked lots of fancy retailers’ sites. Nada except for a very few made in France. I purchased one of those.
Sydney, you're doing something by belonging to the FP and every little trickle counts, as we try to turn a positive movement into a raging river of change. Voting does matter, although it takes a large margin to defeat the progressives. The Free Press keeps me focused on the positives. Stay strong!
One quick visit to The Peoples Forum website and it’s clear that Neville Roy Singham & his wife are running a pro Hamas/Lenin death cult in downtown Manhattan.
Some of the upcoming classes are:
- Strategies for Pan-African Solidarity with Palestine
- Science Against Capitalism
- Class, Race, and Gender: Challenging the Injuries and Divisions of Capitalism
- Global Shutdown for Palestine
- Linen and the Path to Revolution
Looking through a few of the photos of past lectures/classes, the interior/decor & those attending look exactly how one would think a pro religious death cult/communist office would look. Lots of homemade signage and masked people who look like they don't bathe very often.
Seems like a hell of a place to get educated if you're <75 IQ.
Think about this - you wouldn't feel comfortable giving Joe Biden the task of going to the store alone to pick up last minute items for your Thanksgiving dinner. Why on Earth would you entrust him to meet with the leader of China who is both ruthless and at the height of his game. This would, alone, be madness. And then there's the fact that Biden is hopelessly compromised by Chinese cash.........
This page reads like a game or something. Newsom cleaned up his streets and enforced laws for the first time in six years - for a communist pig instead of taxpaying citizens who suffer greatly due to crime. It has been proven for decades Biden has been taking money from China and this page tries to strategize it. Or something. What is wrong with you people?!
Xi is the communist pig and Newsom is applying the lipstick for actually doing his job enforcing laws and cleaning up homelessness... only while the communist pig is here.
The feces riddled sidewalks full of state-sponsored drugees will return shortly.
The flowers left at Emilio Barbosa’s grave! The old Jewish adage “May his memory be a blessing” certainly rings true with the recent FP story about his life.
Singham and Soros represent low-hanging fruit in the search for billionaires to blame for the current state of our public conversation. I’m much more worried about people like Zuckerberg, Gates, and what they’re doing to the social fabric. The high tech revolution threw up one genius after another with all smarts and no maturity or wisdom, but with tons of money to throw around. Who will counter them?
I used to say that the 3 most dangerous people in America were Trump, Zuckerberg and Murdoch. The first two still are; the third one is now Musk (ol’ Rupert is out of the game).
Since the people we elected to prevent the likes of Soros, Zuckerberg and Gates from composting the planet are receiving donations from and genuflecting to them, the battle will rage on.
No, I haven’t, although I’ve seen it quoted a lot. But one thing I’ve learned is that it’s never the fringe outliers who you really need to worry about. It wasn’t the idealist Trotsky or the early National Socialists, but the “saner” versions like Stalin and Hitler, who applied just enough reality to the lunacy to make it dangerous. The massive transfers of wealth that came with the high tech and private equity revolutions were bound to generate profound shifts in electoral politics, and we’re still seeing this shake out. But doesn’t look all that great.
I think this Palestinian problem is much more a European problem than we have in the US. Our problem in the US is mainly woke white women who hear Neville Roy Singhan and get agitated and protest. Yes, we have a breakdown of order in our cities, but that is a natural problem of terrible governance. Since the Great Migration from the Middle East, the Singhan's of the world in Europe are playing with a much more dangerous environment. Rather than woke white women and problems in the inner cities, their slums are all immigrants from the Middle East who don't want to assimilate. As we get into the middle 20s and beyond, the size of the anti-Israel protests due to the vast immigration will be a flash point. Who one lets into one country is so important, and since many have listened to the multicultural left, big problems lie ahead.
Why just "woke white women"? I see a lot of men, ranging from college boys to street thugs, donning keffiyehs and shouting themselves hoarse at rallies. Every time a speaker uses "y'all" (as in "Y'all better back off, we're shutting this bridge down"), I know he has been schooled by and practiced in Black Lives Matter, the master class in anti-democracy.
My point was mainly not all. Yes, BLM is an issue as well. But the power and voting bloc that drives this movement is mostly woke white women. (aka Suburban women)
The majority of woke, unhinged and very angry women I see are are not white suburbanites. What I see with my own eyes are an equal mixture of hysterical, young brown, black and white women screaming their heads off at Israel and America.
See, this is what happens when all those soccer moms find out that their kid does not have enough participation trophies to overcome his/her lack of skill and talent and ends up in a community college (not that there’s anything WRONG with that, to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld).
“Wait -what??? Bryce didn’t get into Harvard OR Stanford? Let’s march on Times Square and acknowledge the inherent inequities of the oligarchic structures in Western Civilization!!! What’s the phone number for those rice-eating America haters in midtown?”
President Xi must be a patient sort of fellow: he travels from a very serious country only to sit across from dunces and buffoons trying to "reason" with him, and then have to have supper with a group of petulant spoiled brats whining over having to actually play by someone else's rules. But at least the streets are clean, for now.
Yeah I was wondering that, given the intensity of the "pro-unhoused" activists in the Bay Area...
I mean, it's been a pretty standard practice in cities for decades, to move the unsheltered folks around whenever there's a big event, sports, conventions, etc. But SF, particularly, because of its entrenched "social justice" culture has been pretty resistant to such approaches.
I’m guessing the wealthy SF advocates for the homeless didn’t open their doors for them. They were given the Martha’s Vineyard treatment and bussed to Oakland for a free sightseeing tour. Soda, snacks and wet wipes provided.
I really hope some what at TFP is covering the shocking LACK of coverage of the ~300K pro-Israel march in Washington D.C. by the mainstream press. The 8 a.m. news on NPR (and Steve Inskeep is currently based in D.C.) did not mention it. Had it been pro-Hamas, it would have been the lead.
"We interrupt our non-stop coverage of Susan Stamberg's cranberry relish recipe to bring you news of a developing disturbance in our nation's capital. Warning: Sensitive listeners may find this report to be upsetting.
"This afternoon a mob numbering hundreds of thousands burst onto the National Mall in apparent support of – and we're just reporting the facts here – continued death and destruction in the Middle East. Along with their exhortations to greater violence against the impoverished residents of Gaza, the crowd's leaders alleged that a handful of what they called 'innocent civilians' were being detained by unnamed 'terrorists." No details are available.
"Capital police and Secret Service were rushed to the scene. Official spokespeople confirmed that they hoped to prevent violence from breaking out. But the atmosphere remains tense as the mob continues its chanting and singing, much of it in a foreign language.
Just glancing at the news headlines on NPR website- and it's GLARING just how MANIPULATED the headlines are in order to portray an evil Israel vs poor Palestinians. This is NOT an UNBIASED News Source
YES. I am pretty news savvy, but somehow went the entire day without hearing about the march. I first read about it and saw the photos on Twitter at about 9PM.
One sure bet if you like to gamble. Well it isn't really gambling with Sniffer Joe. He will volunteer to limit our advantages in AI and allow China to cheat. Sure money if someone is silly enough to bet you.
Why is it these software geeks and scum bags like Singham have such ugly souls (Suckenberg, Gates, etc.). They get wealthy and use the same money their country helped and allowed them to make, to in-turn try and destroy the country. This guy would be great artificial reef material.
Great to see the turn out in DC for supporting Israel. The shear number of people should be an indicator of where the US is in the fight against evil. The same evil that massacres people in Sudan and so many other places. Yet that world forum of caring countries, the UN worries about where the next truck load of money for their kick-backs comes from. I sure wish we would send the UN to Switzerland or maybe the peace loving Gaza region with the peaceful people.
The UN Human Rights Commission, which I think is chaired by Iran, has issued a report on the US condemning it for - get ready - oppression of LGBTQ+ people, particularly in schools.
Two things - I was at the inspirational rally yesterday at the National Mall. To see all of my fellow Jews and even non-Jews gathering to support Israel, well, it brought a tear to my eye. Baruch Hashem it was a beautiful weather day to boot.
Other thing is that Obama should keep his mouth shut. He's fomented Jewish-hatred around the world. It took him 17 days after October 7th to make a statement regarding the Hamas barbarism and he was calling for moral equivalence. Thanks to Obama (and to some degree Biden) for releasing money to Iran. Thanks guys. We Israeli-supporters appreciate your efforts.
San Francisco is the 21st Century’s Potemkin Village, and Biden, along with his band of simpering idiots like Newsom, the naïfs convinced they can woo the empress (emperor) to whom they’re beholden. I share the sense of helplessness expressed by others. Tell me we haven’t lost everything.
I might need to ingest another Losartan after this morning’s edition. Feeling helpless; what can we do as citizens to protect this republic. Voting doesn’t seem to do any good? Attempting not to purchase Chinese-made goods? Writing to my elected representatives? Some days it seems so dire.
Just remember you live in the most magnificant era in human history. Yes, things are bleak, but take heart that a movement is brewing against the woke power. It is like at the beach when you see a big wave forming. Keep chatting with like-minded people and convert a person or two a week. Slowly, the wave will build to crush the Woke. That is where I derive my hope.
Albert - appreciate your thoughts; it helped me this morning! Grateful for this thoughtful, wise community.
I agree, Albert.We do live in a magnificent era in a magnificent country (which needs a border). I take heart that the movement pushing back against Woke (GI, DIE, etc.) is growing strong. It definitely feels that more people "get it".
To my mind DeSantis is our clear political leader in this effort (and I apologize that I used the below in another place but did not want to get lost in the stream):
"Haley said that if she were to become president, her second priority—after forcing the platforms to disclose their algorithms—would be to require name verification of all social media users.
"It's a national security threat," she said. "It gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots, and the Chinese bots. And then, you're going to get some civility, when people know their name is next to what they say.""...
"anonymity is a cherished aspect of political speech, and rightly so. Sometimes, people have important truths to tell but for various reasons cannot risk attaching their names to their words. As noted by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R–Fla.) and Vivek Ramaswamy—two of Haley's rivals for the GOP nomination—anonymous speech was an integral part of the U.S.'s founding: James Madison published the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym, for instance."
https://reason.com/2023/11/15/nikki-haley-social-media-name-verification-censorship/
I hope more people understand what a terrible president she would be, including FP which seems to adore her. She would compel us all to be "civil" just like Biden brought us "together". Our names could be listed and then we'd be toast for "misgendering" or whatever the compelled speech of the moment is.
Anonymity can fuel a lot of online hate, but it also serves a purpose in some contexts. It's a hard nut to crack.
I think the bigger problem though is that SM doesn't reflect the ways that people naturally have communicated since before the dawn of history.
The epidemic of narcissistic social justice warriors has been fed in good part b/c we've thrown off those ancient informal networks and methods of communication. Everything we say is now and forever, never private, never lost in time. I believe that is actually bad, and corrosive to society. At the very least, it de-contextualizes speech. Nobody bothers to re-construct the specific context in which any particular statement is uttered. It just lingers out there, in the ether, forever, for anyone to use any time in the future to perform some character assassination, often times not even out of ignorance, but out of willful animosity. That's not good.
Each of us has thoughts and opinions that we keep within our inner circle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Every single way of making sense of the world is a denial, at some level, of some other way of making sense of the world, at which some other person can - and will - take offense. In a world in which everyone is constantly wearing their sense of being offended as some kind of badge, the end result is a paradoxical combination of ethical purity as dictated by some elite (that's what PC is), combined with complete nihilism, contributing, overall, to the breakdown of society.
I agree that social media is terrible. But, it is here to stay. I hope that we find some way to navigate it.
The problem with policing "hate" or "hate speech" is - who gets to determine what "hate" is? There are those who say that using a "dead" (real) name is hate. Canada is in worse shape than we are because they don't have free speech.
100% agreed. "Hate speech" regulation is a very dangerous idea, and Canada is showing by example how it can be weaponized and used for ill ends. Kudos to JP for speaking up about it. He was dead right.
Exactly.
I hear your concern about what Haley said about name verification. But if your handle Loving Mother is enough anonymity for you, I think you, Nikki and a couple of geeks can work it out to everyone’s satisfaction.
I would like to add that nothing is ever worked out to everyone's satisfaction, and that shouldn't be the point.
Also, our Federal and many state governments are Trans activist right now - with loving parents under attack - for instance in Chino Valley, CA:
https://pitt.substack.com/p/eugenics-in-california-never-again
And, I tend to point out that the Admiral, who wants to trans the kids, is a man:
https://www.leftyliars.com/why-rachel-levine-is-still-a-man/
We are even under assault by our medical associations:
https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/Ayala-v-AAP-Complaint_stamped.pdf
https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-american-academy-of-pediatrics-named-in-bombshell-detransitioner-lawsuit
haha - that's funny :) And, thanks for hearing the concern.
But should we trust a couple of geeks to "work it out"? Facebook and Google have not exactly been even handed. One concern is that Nikki Haley is being dim here in an effort to sound strong.
And, was the point of the US Constitution supposed to be that we trust that our leaders random ideas will be hammered out well, or do we have rights built in because people are not going to just be good? Like the right to free speech for instance:
"First Amendment
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; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Is it just about me or is this fundamental? James Madison published the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym...
As I was reading your reply I got a text from my granddaughter, a freshman at Harvard Law, that she was freaking out for having just seen Justice Sotomayor. (I’m freaking out that we’re paying full-freight because Harvards anonymous, partially Islamist and Sino-derived, endowment(thanx for the reveal Bari), subsidizes not based on merit, but on need. Is that where 37 letter-signing campus clubs come from? Anyway, I digress.) Based on your grasp of history and law, I defer to either of them. But let me take an amateur shot at geekdom: How about a ‘ de-anonymize’ button that privately pulls the curtain on the offending Wizard upon request. (Need is the Loving Mother of invention.)
I completely hear you with your concerns regarding Harvard. Thanks for sharing them. It is good to hear that there is a Harvard law student who is not on board with Woke/DIE.
Who gets to be in charge of the button? A Trans Activist? Look what happened to J. K. Rowling.
Stephen Pepe
The Constitution is a restriction on the Federal and now state government. It is not a restriction on business. If Facebook, Twitter etc. decided without government pressure or promise to require posters to use their real name that is lawful and not unconstitutional. Robert Parker had wine blog that permitted anonymous posts. Because of trolls and some strange folks, it became unbearable to read. The result was a number of folks formed Wine Berserker which requires posters to use their real name and the city and state they reside in to post. Perfectly legal.
I agree. You are right.
But, that is different from having it come from a US President.
I think a President Haley would be bad. She has shown poor judgement.
Here's how I see it: the government can *already* demand that their lap-dog social media companies reveal the necessary information to track down any social media user that it wants to target. Requiring people to use their real name on social media would not change that.
But I think it would stop a lot of trolls in their tracks if they had to associate their real name with their comments. It would also help get rid of bots and underage users.
There are plenty of non-social-media places on the internet where people can engage in anonymous speech. I'm pretty sure Haley specified social media users, not internet users as a whole.
"the government can *already* demand that their lap-dog social media companies reveal the necessary information to track down any social media user that it wants to target"
I see your point there - but I think it would dial it up. And, state governments could go after people more easily as well.
I'm trying to remember the details of when the Libs of Tik Tok lady was exposed...
Maybe there should be ways for individuals to block trolls more? The things is, some of the really big trolls do just fine with their real names - people like Ivy McKinnon - or whatever that guy athlete goes by now. He trolls us all the time in the real and online world. Maybe we should enforce better rules regarding what people do in the real world.
We do need solutions regarding bots but I feel this would have unintended consequences and that Haley is trying to "look and talk strong". I think DeSantis is much more intelligent.
As far as underage users - that is hard - they seem to find ways - and bad guys seem to find ways to get to them - no matter what we do. Some people we do need to take down are people like Dr. Gallagher and many others who create content - even using their real names - to go after minors with nefarious, grooming content.
I'm no expert but it feels like 911 where the government overstepped a bit regarding the rights of civilian Americans... I feel that taking away anonymous speech is taking away speech.
But it is only taking away the ability to be anonymous in our virtual "town squares."
See, that's the thing--back before the internet, it order to have the debates and soap-boxing we now use social media for, people had to face one another in the flesh. It was not *possible* to be meaningfully anonymous in those circumstances.
In order to have anonymity, one would have to publish an essay in a magazine or newspaper, or write a book or pamphlet. As a result, the opinions of anonymous people had to be far more well-considered than the anonymous trolling and name-calling we experience today.
I agree with you that our government overstepped after 9/11. But I don't see a social media law like this as overstepping our rights. It's more like requiring a driver's license to drive on public roads.
Departing from the subject a bit - I think this mom author from yesterday belongs to your church:
https://pitt.substack.com/p/if-i-could-have-a-redo-would-it-change
Hi Celia M, Politeness is an important value to me. And, I agree with you that people are more rude to those they do not interact with in person. Even with a real name - it makes a difference if you have met that person face to face even one time and then have online interaction. (This is true for the most part - we do seem to have lots of riots and such now.)
I agree with you that social media is awful. It is also here to stay. And, maybe smartphones should only be given to people once they are 18? By law? But, adults will interact in the virtual town square and it may have more impact than newspaper and magazine articles nowadays.
Plus, I don't trust the government (Republican or Democrat) to decide what is disinformation - or what is polite or hateful. So, I don't think that free speech can come with a drivers license. Sure, Trolls are bad. But, I don't think that “Libs of TikTok” - who we now know is Chaya Raichik - could have gotten started if she hadn't been anonymous. We live in a time where you can be shutdown if you speak up for biological sex. Or, if you speak up for your own child. What will it be next?
Nikky Haley is walking it back now:
"Haley walks back declaration that all social media users must be verified"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/15/nikki-haley-social-media-anonymous/
“Forcing disclosure of names and registration, that’s what China has done. China did that recently,” DeSantis said. “That is totally inappropriate for the United States of America.”
And, it is concerning that she just stumbled out there with this and then stumbled back in a day. None of that increases my confidence in her potential to be a good president. I think people project on her what they want to see...
None of this means we are not in a big mess with social media. However, I think we could do more in the real world - like not allow men to "troll" women's sporting events the way Rhys/Rachael McKinnon, AKA Veronica Ivy does - the way TransTifa Swimmer WilLiaM Thomas did.... And, we could arrest people like Yeet the Teet Dr. Gallager who advertises to youth on Instagram:
https://thepostmillennial.com/yeet-the-teet-doctor-poses-with-teen-patient-after-double-mastectomies
https://thepostmillennial.com/trans-clinic-headed-by-yeet-the-teets-surgeon-responds-to-backlash-following-ftc-complaint
We could arrest Admiral Levine and Jason Rafferty.
I wish I had your optimism. I can only see bleak.
It's a nice sentiment. Today, (or yesterday) the senate did not approve the stand alone aid to Israel package. Dem sen Patty Murray opposed as did most senators. AND... the House approved two bills to keep things going as they have been. The only power the normies have, they are afraid to use. The purse. Looks like things will get worse until the election. At least.
The Senate voted yesterday. Per the New York Post: "Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) argued that funding for Ukraine and humanitarian assistance must be included in any Israel package before it reaches the president’s desk." She was signaling that any such aid would be vetoed anyway. We have poured over $100B into the Ukraine war but can't spare $14B for Israel after it lost 1,400 citizens on October 7? It's too bad Joe and Hunter didn't have business dealings in Israel rather than Ukraine.
Bob, you’ve got it the wrong way round: the Dems in the Senate DO want to support Israel. They just object to the Republican effort to cut off Ukraine.
So if Republicans believe we've poured enough money into Ukraine (as I do), then Israel gets no aid? We've spent over $100B helping Ukraine. Why would it hurt to send Israel $14B without sending tens of billions of dollars more to Ukraine? There is no reason aid to one has to be linked to aid to the other.
When it comes to future predictions of country/government & "feeling helpless", my standard answer is always "how's my ammo inventory lookin". Just sayin......
It also helps to have a small farm, along with the ammo protect it.
word.
I set out the other day to find a roasting pan with rack, NOT made in China. Checked lots of fancy retailers’ sites. Nada except for a very few made in France. I purchased one of those.
Nordic Ware (known for the "Bundt Cake Pan") is made in the USA!!! check out their website.
Ah, how things change! Remember when they were called “cheese eating surrender monkeys” (which was actually pretty funny).
Sydney, you're doing something by belonging to the FP and every little trickle counts, as we try to turn a positive movement into a raging river of change. Voting does matter, although it takes a large margin to defeat the progressives. The Free Press keeps me focused on the positives. Stay strong!
It is Sydney.
Post about Muslim genocide of Christians
Use Muslims not their made up name
Since everyone is silent about this mass genocide it means the vocal ones are hate Jews
Flip the narrative
How come name names does not care about Christians being killed
But hates jews
One quick visit to The Peoples Forum website and it’s clear that Neville Roy Singham & his wife are running a pro Hamas/Lenin death cult in downtown Manhattan.
Some of the upcoming classes are:
- Strategies for Pan-African Solidarity with Palestine
- Science Against Capitalism
- Class, Race, and Gender: Challenging the Injuries and Divisions of Capitalism
- Global Shutdown for Palestine
- Linen and the Path to Revolution
Looking through a few of the photos of past lectures/classes, the interior/decor & those attending look exactly how one would think a pro religious death cult/communist office would look. Lots of homemade signage and masked people who look like they don't bathe very often.
Seems like a hell of a place to get educated if you're <75 IQ.
Dang! I DID notice that when wearing my linens in the tropics, that I tend to foment revolutions there. Thanks! I get the connection now!
😂😂
I was especially alarmed by "Linen and the Path to Revolution." As an old right-winger, I prefer the less radical fabrics.
Think about this - you wouldn't feel comfortable giving Joe Biden the task of going to the store alone to pick up last minute items for your Thanksgiving dinner. Why on Earth would you entrust him to meet with the leader of China who is both ruthless and at the height of his game. This would, alone, be madness. And then there's the fact that Biden is hopelessly compromised by Chinese cash.........
I wouldn’t trust him to return the cart
This page reads like a game or something. Newsom cleaned up his streets and enforced laws for the first time in six years - for a communist pig instead of taxpaying citizens who suffer greatly due to crime. It has been proven for decades Biden has been taking money from China and this page tries to strategize it. Or something. What is wrong with you people?!
He just bussed them.to Oakland. They'll be back shortly.
And the Ferguson rioters who landed in jail in 2015 were from Oakland... Hmmm, what is it about Oakland? :-D
The “lipstick on a pig” quote comes to mind here.
In this example though, the reader is left to figure out;
1) who/what is the pig? and
2) who is applying the lipstick?
So much to choose from in this story.
Xi is the communist pig and Newsom is applying the lipstick for actually doing his job enforcing laws and cleaning up homelessness... only while the communist pig is here.
The feces riddled sidewalks full of state-sponsored drugees will return shortly.
TFP: please report details as to what Biden gives away in SF.
The flowers left at Emilio Barbosa’s grave! The old Jewish adage “May his memory be a blessing” certainly rings true with the recent FP story about his life.
The CCP must be thinking: "This is going to be way easier than we thought".
Singham and Soros represent low-hanging fruit in the search for billionaires to blame for the current state of our public conversation. I’m much more worried about people like Zuckerberg, Gates, and what they’re doing to the social fabric. The high tech revolution threw up one genius after another with all smarts and no maturity or wisdom, but with tons of money to throw around. Who will counter them?
I used to say that the 3 most dangerous people in America were Trump, Zuckerberg and Murdoch. The first two still are; the third one is now Musk (ol’ Rupert is out of the game).
Since the people we elected to prevent the likes of Soros, Zuckerberg and Gates from composting the planet are receiving donations from and genuflecting to them, the battle will rage on.
Have you read Chaos Machine? I also agree with your concerns.
No, I haven’t, although I’ve seen it quoted a lot. But one thing I’ve learned is that it’s never the fringe outliers who you really need to worry about. It wasn’t the idealist Trotsky or the early National Socialists, but the “saner” versions like Stalin and Hitler, who applied just enough reality to the lunacy to make it dangerous. The massive transfers of wealth that came with the high tech and private equity revolutions were bound to generate profound shifts in electoral politics, and we’re still seeing this shake out. But doesn’t look all that great.
I think this Palestinian problem is much more a European problem than we have in the US. Our problem in the US is mainly woke white women who hear Neville Roy Singhan and get agitated and protest. Yes, we have a breakdown of order in our cities, but that is a natural problem of terrible governance. Since the Great Migration from the Middle East, the Singhan's of the world in Europe are playing with a much more dangerous environment. Rather than woke white women and problems in the inner cities, their slums are all immigrants from the Middle East who don't want to assimilate. As we get into the middle 20s and beyond, the size of the anti-Israel protests due to the vast immigration will be a flash point. Who one lets into one country is so important, and since many have listened to the multicultural left, big problems lie ahead.
Why just "woke white women"? I see a lot of men, ranging from college boys to street thugs, donning keffiyehs and shouting themselves hoarse at rallies. Every time a speaker uses "y'all" (as in "Y'all better back off, we're shutting this bridge down"), I know he has been schooled by and practiced in Black Lives Matter, the master class in anti-democracy.
All those "men" you see? They're just woke white women with penises
My point was mainly not all. Yes, BLM is an issue as well. But the power and voting bloc that drives this movement is mostly woke white women. (aka Suburban women)
Don't forget "folks". Ha!
The majority of woke, unhinged and very angry women I see are are not white suburbanites. What I see with my own eyes are an equal mixture of hysterical, young brown, black and white women screaming their heads off at Israel and America.
See, this is what happens when all those soccer moms find out that their kid does not have enough participation trophies to overcome his/her lack of skill and talent and ends up in a community college (not that there’s anything WRONG with that, to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld).
“Wait -what??? Bryce didn’t get into Harvard OR Stanford? Let’s march on Times Square and acknowledge the inherent inequities of the oligarchic structures in Western Civilization!!! What’s the phone number for those rice-eating America haters in midtown?”
Strange how those participation trophies which were supposed to assure that everyone feels food about themselves didn't.
Millionaire Marxists. Is that like carnivorous vegetarians?
Oh! And Jack Sant drains a three-pointer from way downtown!!
We're so f**ked.
President Xi must be a patient sort of fellow: he travels from a very serious country only to sit across from dunces and buffoons trying to "reason" with him, and then have to have supper with a group of petulant spoiled brats whining over having to actually play by someone else's rules. But at least the streets are clean, for now.
Do they honestly believe Xi doesn’t know they cleaned up SF just for this visit?
They know he knows. It's just a polite symbol of their deference, like wearing a "I Love Dictators" button.
Of course he does! Just like they do clean-ups in Beijing (including shooting people and putting others in labor camps).
Where did they put all the junkies?
Yeah I was wondering that, given the intensity of the "pro-unhoused" activists in the Bay Area...
I mean, it's been a pretty standard practice in cities for decades, to move the unsheltered folks around whenever there's a big event, sports, conventions, etc. But SF, particularly, because of its entrenched "social justice" culture has been pretty resistant to such approaches.
I’m guessing the wealthy SF advocates for the homeless didn’t open their doors for them. They were given the Martha’s Vineyard treatment and bussed to Oakland for a free sightseeing tour. Soda, snacks and wet wipes provided.
Oakland. Bussed them.
Did anybody do a carbon impact study for that operation?
Was Oakland consulted beforehand?
I feel certain money changed hands. Unless you mean the citizens of Oakland in which case I feel certain no.
I really hope some what at TFP is covering the shocking LACK of coverage of the ~300K pro-Israel march in Washington D.C. by the mainstream press. The 8 a.m. news on NPR (and Steve Inskeep is currently based in D.C.) did not mention it. Had it been pro-Hamas, it would have been the lead.
"This is NPR.
"We interrupt our non-stop coverage of Susan Stamberg's cranberry relish recipe to bring you news of a developing disturbance in our nation's capital. Warning: Sensitive listeners may find this report to be upsetting.
"This afternoon a mob numbering hundreds of thousands burst onto the National Mall in apparent support of – and we're just reporting the facts here – continued death and destruction in the Middle East. Along with their exhortations to greater violence against the impoverished residents of Gaza, the crowd's leaders alleged that a handful of what they called 'innocent civilians' were being detained by unnamed 'terrorists." No details are available.
"Capital police and Secret Service were rushed to the scene. Official spokespeople confirmed that they hoped to prevent violence from breaking out. But the atmosphere remains tense as the mob continues its chanting and singing, much of it in a foreign language.
"Now back to our usual programming."
That was pretty good.
Just glancing at the news headlines on NPR website- and it's GLARING just how MANIPULATED the headlines are in order to portray an evil Israel vs poor Palestinians. This is NOT an UNBIASED News Source
We don't have unbiased news sources anymore -- just cheerleaders for various teams.
...of course, we all know that if the Times doesn’t report it, it never happened.
I just went into the NY Times feed: no mention of the March. None! You’re absolutely right.
YES. I am pretty news savvy, but somehow went the entire day without hearing about the march. I first read about it and saw the photos on Twitter at about 9PM.
Great reporting Oliver and thank you.
One sure bet if you like to gamble. Well it isn't really gambling with Sniffer Joe. He will volunteer to limit our advantages in AI and allow China to cheat. Sure money if someone is silly enough to bet you.
Why is it these software geeks and scum bags like Singham have such ugly souls (Suckenberg, Gates, etc.). They get wealthy and use the same money their country helped and allowed them to make, to in-turn try and destroy the country. This guy would be great artificial reef material.
Great to see the turn out in DC for supporting Israel. The shear number of people should be an indicator of where the US is in the fight against evil. The same evil that massacres people in Sudan and so many other places. Yet that world forum of caring countries, the UN worries about where the next truck load of money for their kick-backs comes from. I sure wish we would send the UN to Switzerland or maybe the peace loving Gaza region with the peaceful people.
The UN Human Rights Commission, which I think is chaired by Iran, has issued a report on the US condemning it for - get ready - oppression of LGBTQ+ people, particularly in schools.
Two things - I was at the inspirational rally yesterday at the National Mall. To see all of my fellow Jews and even non-Jews gathering to support Israel, well, it brought a tear to my eye. Baruch Hashem it was a beautiful weather day to boot.
Other thing is that Obama should keep his mouth shut. He's fomented Jewish-hatred around the world. It took him 17 days after October 7th to make a statement regarding the Hamas barbarism and he was calling for moral equivalence. Thanks to Obama (and to some degree Biden) for releasing money to Iran. Thanks guys. We Israeli-supporters appreciate your efforts.
San Francisco is the 21st Century’s Potemkin Village, and Biden, along with his band of simpering idiots like Newsom, the naïfs convinced they can woo the empress (emperor) to whom they’re beholden. I share the sense of helplessness expressed by others. Tell me we haven’t lost everything.
Just wondering if Neville and Jodie are invited to the Xi gala.