Eyes are seriously shifting toward Ukraine and Taiwan, the poster boys of Europe and Asia. Maybe that’s why Biden’s Transportation department is proposing “Big Brother” speed cameras across the country on a hated level only rivaled by the UK. Unpopular policing only expands; it never shrinks. This crosses the line of “diktat”, socially scorned laws whether unpopular or foreign. While the US and UK decry Russia and China for diktat against the poster boys of Europe and Asia, they continue their own diktat at home.
Trump floated an idea that made sense, while the news commentary sees it as living in another world. For the January 6 Insurrection, responsibility should fall on either Trump or rioters—or any police who let rioters in. Trump suggested they be pardoned, which makes sense since the media and left want to roast him for starting it all. The free-speech touting media wants to go after both the rioters said to be under Trump’s mind control and Trump who couldn’t control anyone’s mind, but they don’t want even discussion on reports of police who didn’t hold the line.
Free speech itself has come under attack by an evermore obvious machine. Spotify will now identify “misinformation” in podcasts, but not censor. It’s admirable that Spotify allows dissent for healthy discussion. However, if information can be proven to be false, then some kind of legal action should be warranted. Web users are already bombarded with messages on COVID—any social media post, photo, or video that could be remotely construed to talk about vaccines or a pandemic get a notice linking to the absolute source of unchallenged truth from the relevant website of the all-accepted and ever-trusted government.
Curbs against false information are good. But, who decides whether something is “misinformation”? It seems we have a culture that accepts misinformation as a scientifically and objectively determined fact. If we had Facebook in the fifteenth century, Columbus would have been flagged as giving misinformation because science agreed the earth was flat.
Misinformation flagging is good for mass social platforms, but only if it is vetted through a transparent process open to any and all scrutiny and dissent from the public. Flag notices should then point to the online forums that led to the decision.
The political mice have invaded the cereal cupboard and think they own the house. But, they’re just one chewed mess away from triggering the expected response from any society irked by diktat, whether foreign or domestic.