Information Curation

For John, BLUF:  The Federal Government wants to control messaging out on the public airways, including Social Medial.  They may think they are doing good, but their approach is evil.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Whistleblower Docs:  DHS’s Disinfo Board Was Poised to Crack Down on Information Questioning Vaccines, Masks, and Validity of 2020 Election

From American Greatness, by Ms Debra Heine, 9 June 2022.

Here is the lede plus two:

The Department of Homeland Security’s paused “Disinformation Governance Board” (DGB) was set up to respond to matters the government unilaterally determined to be mis-, dis- or mal-information (MDM)—specifically information that counters official regime narratives on “the origins and effects of COVID-19 vaccines,” “the efficacy of masks,” the validity of the 2020 election,” and “falsehoods surrounding U.S. Government immigration policy,” records obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reveal.

A DHS whistleblower provided the senators with internal DHS documents revealing how the board planned to coordinate with social media platforms to enable the removal of user content it deemed to be “MDM.”

“The First Amendment of the Constitution was designed precisely so that the government could not censor opposing viewpoints – even if those viewpoints were false.  DHS should not in any way seek to enlist the private sector to curb or silence opposing viewpoints.  It is therefore imperative for DHS to provide additional clarity regarding its policies and procedures for identifying and addressing ‘MDM,’ as well as its efforts to ‘operationalize’ public-private partnerships and the steps it is taking to ensure that it does not infringe on the constitutional rights of American citizens,” Senators Hawley and Grassley wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

It isn't that Government People are bad People.  My father, an Uncle, my two brothers and my three children have all worked for the Government at one time or are working for the Government now.  However, some folks believe they are doing "God's Work" and try to "help" too much.  For example, Ms Lois Lerner, from the IRS, thought she was doing a good thing, but it was, in the end, the wrong thing.  She didn't understand that the basis for our form of government is that a lot of folks can be wrong, but we pick our representatives and let them work it all out.  If the First Amendment means anything, it is that you have the right to express wrong ideas.  Sometimes we have elections to determine which ideas we will follow.  Ms Lerner either never learned that or forgot it, or learned the wrong lessons in Grade School about fair play.  However you see it, she doesn't understand America.  And that is sad.  And I am not so sure President Biden, Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Schumer do either.

The bottom line is that information Wants to be Free.  We should not be having Governments restricting it.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Information Dark Ages Coming?

For John, BLUF:  If you harbor deviant thoughts you will be made to shut up.  Of course none of my Progressive relatives and friends believe this.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Twitter bans Trump over risk of violence, but these leftist profs get a pass

Here is the sub-headline:

• Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump due to “risk of further incitement of violence.”
• For years, Campus Reform has covered professors who have openly encouraged or justified violence, many of whom were not banned or suspended from the platform.

From Campus Reform, by Reporter Jezzamine Wolk, 15 January 2021, 1:45 PM .

Here is the lede plus three:

In one of the latest crackdowns from Big Tech, President Donald Trump has been permanently banned from Twitter, and Parler has been cut off by Amazon Web Services, Apple and Google.  Tech companies have justified the censorship as the necessary course of action for Trump, his supporters, and conservatives due to the “risk of further incitement of violence.”

But, for years, Campus Reform has reported on leftist professor who have explicitly sent ill wishes to conservatives and Trump supporters and who have justified violence as a means of silencing those with whom they disagree.

In October, University of Virginia Instructor David Walsh tweeted that Americans need to do more than protest if the election “worst-case scenario” happens.

“They need to actively try to topple the government,” the tweet read.  The instructor who teaches the course "Hateinnany: Fascism, Antifascism, and the Global Far Right” had also previously tweeted that Democrats will have to utilize “postwar German practice of superficial de-Nazification” upon a Joe Biden win.

Yes, Big Tech, Academia, the Media and the Progressives wish to curate the news we view and hear.

And, Campus Reform had this headline, from a couple of days ago.

Duke profs suggest Biden pursue 'new laws' to combat 'misinformation'

A pair of Duke professors are calling on the incoming Biden administration to establish a new commission aimed at combatting "misinformation."

We could be in real trouble.  It looks like we are dependent upon the mood of Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia.  I am hoping he is lean toward the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and not toward a Progressive curation of our information, such as Representative Sandy Cortez advocaters.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff