Gary Varvel for January 09, 2021

Sedition: incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.

Oh, the horror, Gary. And they won’t let us yell “fire” in a theater when there isn’t one, make up our own “alternative facts” at a trial, intimidate others with threats to their lives or the lives of their families, and all sorts of other liberal restrictions on what we want to say. What the heck ever happened to good old, God-given, American freedom of speech. Yep. Friday the 13th, 1984 every day in ’Merica.

All freedoms are limited. There certainly are gray areas. (Judges decide “boundaries”. These can change over time.) This doesn’t seem to be one considering recent judicial rulings. I thought the “Right” believed private business was sacrosanct and should not face gov’t "interference?

Last I knew Google and Twitter were not government agencies and private enterprise has the right to refuse service for any non-discriminatory reason.

Did Varvel just skate right past the MAGA terrorist attack on the heart of our Democracy where an officer defending our Capitol was murdered? When Trump tweeted “We love you. You’re very special” DURING the attack.

Thanks to gay wedding cakes, repugs made sure a private business can refuse service to anyone they choose.

Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: there must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

Conservatism is predicated on maintaining this hierarchy.

FIRE VARVEL !!

Private companies can prevent people lying on their sites. If he could he could only tell the truth. He, Rudy, Hawkley, and Cruz should all be brought up on treason trying to overthrow the government and be sentenced to public Tar and Feathering, and be put in the stocks for a month.

I see ‘conservatives’ on FaceBook complaining that all conservative comment is being blocked on social media.

Because your basic Trump Disciple analysis skills.

I guess we will have to update the old saw…. now it should read: “There are lies, dammed lies, and Republicans”…

The First Amendment Reads:

“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.”

The problem is, neither twitter nor facebook are part of Congress. It’s been the conservatives who have been complaining loudly about “burdensome regulations on job creators”. What are you suggesting should be done, Varvel?

It isn’t 1984. They are private companies and they have the right to ban those that use the their platform to encourage violence or illegal activities.

BTW, Varvel:

FV€K YOU FOR SUPPORTING THAT TRAITOR TRUMP!

The 1st Amendment does not give one the right to abuse other people’s property. Twitter and Google are corporations – NOT government entities – and may set any rules they wish upon people who want to use their services. Users agree to these rules, and consequences, when they sign up to use those services.

Of course, some people feel they have the “right” to do whatever they want – even if they break other laws in the process. Freedom of speech does not give one the right to post obscenity, fraud, child pornography, speech integral to illegal conduct, speech that incites imminent lawless action, speech that violates intellectual property law, true threats, and commercial speech such as advertising.

Hhmmm, let’s see….social media did not exist in the late 18th century, so when the Constitution was written to include freedom of speech, the founding fathers were looking forward some 200+ years to when we’d have social media which would give existence to free speech. Have I got that right?

Some people can’t tell the difference between a private company and the government

EXACTLY, George Orwell nailed it.

hahahaha….it’s funny because it’s so stupid!!

What’s going on? Perhaps, now that your hero has caused the destruction of the Capitol Building as well as your democracy, people are waking up to the fact that freedom, Gary, comes with responsibility. Using social media to incite insurrection and civil disorder is not to the benefit of the vast majority. And your reference to 1984? Republicans…the masters of ‘newspeak; ’Ministry of Peace’, with the hawks invading other countries; ‘Ministry of Plenty’ led by McConnell denying money to the needy; and by golly, the past masters of ‘Doublespeak’. You should keep your drawing to ‘blackwhite’. Government is meant to be for all the people not only your sect. Re-read the book.

Cute. Varvel’s almost always WRONG, but at least this time, he’s showing that he’s read a literary classic. Of course, he doesn’t show that he understood  it.

Hey varvel….even with the First Amendment…you can’t yell fire in a theatre….and your fearful leader has been yelling fire at everything he doesn’t like….lies are lies…are lies

In 1984, it was the government, not private businesses. Read the 1st amendment varvel, or have someone read it to ya.

Varvel, if you support that Nazi Trump, the least I can do to oppose this carnage, is unfollow your work

Sorry, your criminal president is not above the law.

I guess Gary supports Sedition and Insurrection and people who are willing to commit it on those platforms.

Guess what, there is nothing that says private companies have to give support to the enemies of the US.

Trump went ‘ballistic’ after being tossed off TwitterThe ‘Hemingway of 140 characters’ has lost his favorite bullhorn.

Trump entered office boasting of how he was the “Hemingway of 140 characters” and crediting Twitter in particular for powering his political ascent. More than 56,000 tweets later, he leaves it amid a futile game of Whac-A-Mole with the tech moguls he despises, exiled to the outer provinces of the internet.

If this is how Trump’s presidency closes out, it will be a remarkable endnote. As a candidate for office, he was — at times — ubiquitous: posting outrageous takes on Twitter, calling into cable news shows, and grabbing the camera’s attention even when the podium on which he was set to hold a campaign rally was empty. Now, he’s increasingly isolated and receding from the spotlight. His favorite bullhorn is gone; oh, and the presidency is too.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/08/trump-reacts-to-twitter-ban-456785?fbclid=IwAR1dVTxLwNdPPfT3s3b48LIu6pM0F8S7GPdMkj8yqu9YRTNWg3n-v93XORg

Really, Varvel?! You don’t know the difference between government censorship and the exercise of a company’s right to control how its private property is used?

PaulGoes says, “Some people can’t tell the difference between a private company and the government.”

You Libs claiming this are missing the Big Picture. In America, private companies and Big Business ARE the government.

Not even close Varvel. Freedom of speech does not apply to private platforms. The President has the right to stand on a street corner and spout as much of his BS as he wishes or he can use his friendly media such as OANN and NewsMax to spread it. Private companies have the right to decide who can access their networks. If you were a true conservative, you’d know that.

Big tech leading the charge on suppressing the free speech of all who do not agree with Socialism, Communism, leftist agenda, and Hollywood!

Since there was no such thing as the internet, smart devices and social media in the late 1800’s it’s safe to say that Thomas Jefferson didn’t have any of that in mind when he wrote The Bill of Rights. And, in the 19th Century (again way before social media), Mark Twain wrote, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still getting it’s boots on.” Google, Facebook, TikTok, etc. are private companies and can decide for themselves which is legit information and which is outright propaganda. I am looking forward to Inauguration Day (ten days from now!), where these Parler/Newsmaxx yahoos will lose their biggest cheerleader.

A more appropriate reference would be Sinclair Lewis’ lesser known but entirely appropriate..“It Can’t Happen Here” It did, and could have been worse.

You’re acting like the President of the United States doesn’t have another way to communicate. If he says “Press Conference” every channel will have cameras on him and he can blab all he wants.

Here’s an idea: how about POTUS not use a private social media platform as his preferred media outlet, since, y’know, “freedom of speech” doesn’t apply there? Oh, if only there were some way by which he could communicate with the public, possibly by means of some group – a “corps”, if you will – assigned to some seat of government – maybe the White House… :|

Varvel won’t be satisfied until that calendar reads 1952 – where Americans other than him are defending “us” from North Korea and where Rock and Roll and Civil Rights don’t exist unless you consider Pat Boone to represent one or the other.

You can’t legally yell ‘fire’ in a theater. But those are privately owned entities, and surely can make their own rules for their services. If a bakery can refuse to make a cake with same sex figurines legally, then those businesses can ban anyone they find offensive to their business.

Traitor.

Are you suggesting that private companies don’t have the right to ban customers who use their product to plan illegal activities? That’s a pretty crazy view of the First Amendment you got there.

Just curious, Gary, why aren’t you condemning those seditious terrorists who invaded the Capitol and planned murder? Are you okay with what they did? Your utter lack of condemnation — which should happen every single day for the next month — is telling.

Sheesh. I thought “conservatives” would know what a Constitution is. Anyhow, the social media platforms may be “the equivalent” of the public square, as some have said, but they are NOT the public square. Proprietors of the apps have not only the right but the duty to take what steps are necessary to prevent mayhem, riot, gross public deception, Big Lies, and other vermin.

Yeah, the invasion of the Capitol and attack on elected officials is boring, let’s focus on twitter banning the invasion’s architect and instigators.

Orwell was a socialist.

What’s going on? Accountability. That’s what’s going on.