Of Money and Power

We, as society, are moving towards disintegration of existing established norms. Those are not turtle steps; these are rapid motions affecting large population groups.

We are appalled to learn that both Apple and Google have banned Parler (an equivalent of Twitter, minus the censorship) from their platforms, disabled the apps on iOs and Android and have removed them from their stores. While Parler’s website is functional (desktop browsers still work), the access is largely limited. The Parler platform represents one of the last bastions of free speech remaining in America and perhaps elsewhere, available to the people who treasure their First Amendment rights. Those people just happened to be of conservative persuasion, do not speak “woke”. They choose to abandon Twitter where their voices are being suppressed, literally. The above Big Tech corporations made their move to silence these voices. We anticipate it winding up in the U.S. Supreme Court, as First Amendment issue.

This is an act of war on American society.

It’s not a small event. And this is not about responsible “Terms of Service” by the largest private corporations who see themselves as defenders of society and order. It is an act of ugly censorship. Attempt to disrupt enemy’s communications. Before they are attacked, destroyed and decimated. It precedes other actions, whether planned and coordinated – or not; to enact changes in our lives we don’t need. These giant corporations are now flexing their “woke” muscles and exercise very un-benevolent power over every single one of us.

But who cares about some right-wing Parler? We do.

Unless one is a silent lamb taken to the slaughterhouse, we should not stay quiet and defenseless. Global entities are encroaching upon us, in large-scale moves. Mr. Wesley J. Smith in his excellent opinion commentary (read it here), warns us about Big Business taking over, twisting arms and suppressing dissent. It is happening now. If we yield, we are doomed to become silenced subdued North Korea, China or contemporary Russia.

Private companies cannot and should not be permitted to dictate public policies of the states and countries; of what we should think, speak and hear. Youtube erases videos pertaining to subjects they do not approve, Twitter and Facebook shut down accounts, Google is preventing us from finding about what matters. They all went to the “dark side”, located just to the left of you. A historic 1930’s analogy: Nazi Germany took control of their entire news media and information dissemination – newspapers, broadcasting stations, book publishing; even public gatherings. They controlled it all. Those who disagreed filled prisons, concentration camps or were executed. We are not going overboard with this, trying to scare you. What starts small doesn’t stay small. Nazism didn’t occur overnight. It took years to hatch, but when it did it was too late to do anything about it, except go to war.

We are on the same path. What made America the land of free speech, of dissent, of uncomfortable spoken truths, political protest and alternate opinions – all of it is rapidly disappearing. The signs of slightly veiled socialism are all here. And the people who put us in bondage are the same people who initially gave us techno-freedoms to be ourselves, to share views and ideas; to defy borders and to be creative. They are now taking it all away. And we are just watching, silent as the sacrificial lambs.

Our political events are rapidly changing the country. The current administration hasn’t even left the building, but the calls for its “prosecution and execution” are coming out of left-oriented social media in steady dirty torrents. The list of future victims is being drawn. Those views are permitted and encouraged. If we are to retain any type of normalcy, the defense of our freedoms must now come from individual states. When large “woke” corporations threaten to leave states over local political initiatives, it should be actively encouraged. Unless Supreme Court speaks on the subject first, healthy state legislatures must outlaw any and all political agendas by corporations doing business there. No employee should be subjected to “pledging allegiance” to “woke” or any other political theme. No business could be conducted in that state by any entity that makes political demands of any kind, regardless of the causes they address. They must stay out of politics or leave quietly. See how fast they will come to their senses. They can only threaten to leave so many towns, cities or states. Once they begin to lose millions of customers and billions of dollars of their own choosing, maybe that will change their minds. Or the minds of their shareholders. “Woke” must go broke.

We are certain: what we said above may sound crazy and irresponsible to some, but give it some thought. The choice is simple – freedom or slavery. Look at the bigger picture. What would you rather have – inconvenience or imprisonment? A war or peace? Even the largest voids left by departing corporations wouldn’t stay empty for long. Other businesses would move in, if encouraged. The country is rapidly moving in this ‘independence’ direction, we just don’t know it yet. Political domination of the left isn’t right for the right. Our largest “woke” corporations act like political parties that they are not. We can never agree to it.

The power is flowing back to the ‘red’ states. They must oppose Washington’s declared political agenda, but so be it. The states must make their stands. It is in their control to say “NO” to censorship, to foreign socialist ideology and to other subversive initiatives that are about to come out in the open. The people must fight them, to remain free. Furthermore, we would be better off without corporate dictates. Don’t retreat in the face of evil.

We must not wait. The longest road to liberation starts with the first step.

UPD: As of now, Parler is off the air completely (thank you, Amazon)