[Lnc-business] The Purging of Alex Jones

[Caryn Ann Harlos]

====We
can certainly dislike private censorship, but at the end of the day,
since it was not government, the best we can do is say that we disagree
with what those social media platforms did.===

Make the issue about race, gender, or war and insert that conclusion above
and ask if we would have the same opinion.

We wouldn’t.

The issue isn’t if private organizations have the right to do something -
of course they do.  The issue is whether it is right to do so.  We have
never only stood on the side of rights we have also stood on the side of
right - and the instrinsic value of open speech in an arena where it should
be expected (unlike church and more like a stage for rent) is one of those
things that are necessarily to prevent a corporate dystopia which is just
as destructive to human freedom as a state one.

We can’t pretend as if we only take absolutely thin libertarian stances
because we don’t.

A huge criticism of libertarianism is that we seem to act like only
government can be bad actors and that private action is at worst neutral.
And that is rightly rejected as being very naive.

-Caryn Ann






On Thu, Aug 9, 2018 at 9:12 PM Craig Bowden <craig.bowden at lp.org> wrote:

> My statement on the issue was already done during a radio interview the
> other day. While I certainly don't appreciate people using certain type
> of language or twisting the truth, etc. they should be able to do so.
> However, if a platform decides that a person is violating their terms of
> service, which the user agreed to, it becomes a matter of contract. We
> can certainly dislike private censorship, but at the end of the day,
> since it was not government, the best we can do is say that we disagree
> with what those social media platforms did.
>
> I personally have zero support for Mr. Jones, but also don't mind if he
> does what he does. It doesn't affect me one way or the other. On the
> side of caution, I would say that we would need to know actual facts on
> why he was taken down. Was it due to repeated violations of terms of
> use? If so, I wouldn't say a dang word, because he clicked accept.
>
> If I were to go in front of my church and start talking about the glory
> of Satan, I would get shut down immediately. Why? Because I don't have
> freedom of speech at that pulpit. By entering the building, I agree that
> I will abide by the rules of the church. It is the same with social
> media platforms. That is the building, if the terms are violated, after
> being agreed to, that is on the person going against those terms.
>
> Craig Bowden
> Region 1 Representative
>
> On 2018-08-09 12:21, Caryn Ann Harlos via Lnc-business wrote:
> > Is the LP going to issue an opinion on this?  It is the perfect
> > opportunity to affirm rights while showing that rights are not the end
> > all and be all to a healthy society.  A society of peaceful bigots -
> > for instance - is a sick society. So is a society that
> > paternalistically protects us all from "those unfit to speak".
> >
> > Whether or not they are *allowed* to do it misses the point.
> >
> > --
> >
> > IN LIBERTY,
> > CARYN ANN HARLOS
> > Libertarian Party and Libertarian National Committee Secretary -
> > Caryn.Ann. Harlos at LP.org or Secretary at LP.org.
> > Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee - LPedia at LP.org
> >
> > A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
> > _We defend your rights_
> > _And oppose the use of force_
> > _Taxation is theft_
>
> --
*In Liberty,*
*Caryn Ann Harlos*
Libertarian Party and Libertarian National Committee Secretary - Caryn.Ann.
Harlos at LP.org <Caryn.Ann.Harlos at LP.org> or Secretary at LP.org.
Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee - LPedia at LP.org


A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
*We defend your rights*
*And oppose the use of force*
*Taxation is theft*
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