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Tuesday evening former President Trump announced he has launched a new platform to communicate with his followers, following his being banned from Facebook and Twitter.
Yesterday, Facebook announced that its so-called "Supreme Court" has upheld ---for another 6 months, the blacklisting of Trump.
I sincerely hope we have not crossed a bridge too far regarding "free speech" in what is known to be the freest (and most prosperous) nation in the history of the world.
Be informed, not misled.
Remember today is the National Day of Prayer. Christians across the nation will be praying for our nation, asking God to intervene in the assault on our very foundations.
Please join the millions who will be in prayer.
For those who listen to our radio program on the American Christian Network (ACN ), the ACN stations will be carrying a live feed of the prayer activities beginning at 8 PM PDT tonight.
Donald J. Trump's new platform.
Fox News reported, exclusively, Tuesday evening that former President Trump launched a communications platform on Tuesday. They say it will serve as "a place to speak freely and safely" and will eventually give him the ability to communicate directly with his followers, after months of being banned from sites like Twitter and Facebook.
The new presence allows Trump to post comments, images, and videos.
A video posted to the platform Tuesday night says:
"In a time of silence and lies" followed by various news reports describing his suspension from Twitter. It continues, "A beacon of freedom arises. A place to speak freely and safely"...the video then shows the new platform...continuing, "Straight from the desk of Donald J. Trump."
The space allows Trump to post and allows followers to share the former president's posts to Twitter and Facebook, however, the new platform does not have a feature to allow users to "reply" or engage with Trump's posts.
It's essentially one-way communication at this point. It also has a sign-up list for people to enter their phone numbers and email addresses in order to receive alerts for when Trump posts a new message.
This is a link to Trump's platform.
Zuckerberg's Facebook oversight board upholds Facebook's ban of Trump.
Yesterday Facebook's "Supreme Court" upheld Mark Zuckerberg's blacklisting of the former president, giving Facebook another 6 months to announce whether it will lift the suspension or permanently delete his pages.
This comes almost exactly four months since the Capitol riots, which resulted in Trump's suspension on these platforms. And four months since the social media "Masters of the Universe" decided to dispense with him.
Former President Trump responded: "A total disgrace and embarrassment to our country," saying he believes big tech will pay a "political price" for taking away his free speech.
He said that this shows that the "Radical left lunatics are afraid of the truth." And, it is proof of Facebook's continued censorship of free speech."
So, who is this board.? And who oversees them?
The "Oversight Board" announced itself last year with volumes of words---you can read it all on the link.
What struck me was this:
"The Board will review whether content is consistent with Facebook and Instagram's policies and values, as well as a commitment to upholding freedom of expression within the framework of international norms of human rights."
Who decides what is internationally "normal" regarding freedom of expression? China? Russia? Or some crackpot third-world dictator? Or elitist far-left activists?
The initial 16 members of this new "model of content moderation" is listed, but the goal last year was to grow the "Board" to "around 40 members."
Members include the former editor-in-chief of the far-left Guardian news organization who is a part of George Soros' Open Society project.
I also noticed Noah Feldman who was one of the Democrat's "expert witnesses" during the Trump impeachment process. And Nicolas Suzor, who once said he "loved" an article comparing President Trump to Adolf Hitler.
The "Board" is a list of far-Left radical activists who promote the progressive agenda, including globalism.
And I also noticed that, yes, the board is compensated by Facebook for their work in deciding who can and who can not use the platform.
They all receive six-figure compensation, for about---on average annually -- 15 minutes per day.
Mark Zuckerberg makes no pretense of sincerity with his "Board" of gods. Does he really think that ordinary Americans are going to believe this hoax?
Probably not. But does it matter?
It doesn't as long as our elected public servants continue to express spurts of outrage, while Mark appears before them promising more oversight---yet nothing but redundant words ever actually come of it all.
Trump issued this statement yesterday:
"What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country. Free speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The people of this country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process."
Free speech is in crisis.
The First Amendment was proposed by the Virginia state ratifying convention during its approval of the Constitution in June 1788.
James Madison drafted the formal amendment to adopt these principles, and the addition was finally ratified by the states on March 1, 1792:
"Congress shall make no law, respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Throughout the history of our country, Madison's "First" amendment has been under attack. It was not until after World War I did the United States Supreme Court finally unambiguously prohibit censorship in the case "Abrams v United States."
Yet today "free speech", "religious freedom" and other God-given freedoms outlined in our Constitution are again under assault.
Allen C. Guelzo, author and professor of the "Civil War Era," and Director of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College wrote an in-depth article for City Journal titled, "Free Speech and Its Present Crisis," in which he gives a survey of freedom of speech in America.
It's lengthy, but he makes the case that once again free speech is under attack.
And the only answer to the attack on freedom of speech, he believes, is to "resist" in every possible way.
Agreed.
When Ben Franklin was 16 years old he wrote in the Dogwood Papers: "In those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he can scarce call anything his own. Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech..."
And finally, it was George Washington who gave us the sternest warning of the consequences for not "resisting."
"For if men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter."
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.