181 Comments
User's avatar
Virginia Kincaid's avatar

I have posted several times today about this censorship of the host and Facebook has removed them as quickly as I have posted them

I believe we are in fact in Germany of the 30s.

justin SG's avatar

MAGA is the new NAZI...

The Propaganda Ministry and the Reich Press Chamber (1933)

The Propaganda Ministry, through its Reich Press Chamber, assumed control over the Reich Association of the German Press, the guild which regulated entry into the profession. Under the new Editors Law of October 4, 1933, the association kept registries of “racially pure” editors and journalists, and excluded Jews and those married to Jews from the profession. Propaganda Ministry officials expected editors and journalists, who had to register with the Reich Press Chamber to work in the field, to follow the mandates and instructions handed down by the ministry. In paragraph 14 of the law, the regime required editors to omit anything “calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home.”

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-press-in-the-third-reich#:~:text=During%20the%20first%20weeks%20of,destroying%20printing%20presses%20and%20newspapers.

Scott Gilbert's avatar

Just because the Nazis have rebranded, it doesn't make them new.

And one name I have for them is the Turd Reich.

justin SG's avatar

Yes, NAZIism is not new. It's MAGA that is the new NAZI... "rebranded", if you prefer.

Scott Gilbert's avatar

Bingo, my young friend. That's EXACTLY what I meant!

Just because the Nazis have rebranded to MAGA, it doesn't make them new.

Kathryn's avatar

Just get off of any Meta platforms. It’s Nazi censorship and I’ll never go back. My husband finally gave up trying to post links directly from TPUSA to prove kirk’s words were true: each one was deleted or unable to be posted.

Amie B's avatar

I got off all Meta Platforms last March. I’m better off without them.

It is more challenging to ‘spread the word’ to those who need to hear it now. I don’t use X either. Only Substack now and it feels like preaching to the choir. 🤷‍♀️

Cats 🐈🐈‍⬛'s avatar

I closed my Facebook account when they decided they no longer needed to fact check. The was the final nail for me. Haven’t looked back. I read a lot on Substack and follow The Meidas Touch Network, Legal AF, The Briefing with Jen Psaki, and one of my favorites, #SistersInLaw podcasts. I’ve noticed that NextDoor has a lot of political commentary, but some of the comments are so absurd, I just shut it off. I never respond to those anyway. It’s a good place to sell stuff, but that is all I use it for now. I am easily overwhelmed right now. Thank goodness for Freida McFadden’s awesome mysteries to distract.

Amie B's avatar

I also follow The Meidas Touch, Legal AF along with Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American. The Steady with Dan Rather is a quick read and keeps my pulse ‘steady’ as some of the substacks can ratchet up my angst. Scott Dworkin also posts daily with a more upbeat tone.

Keep the faith right?

Paula Simmons's avatar

The only one I have left is WhatsApp. And I have to keep that one because I use it to communicate with my therapist in Mexico and my friend in Canada. In fact, the only social media I have is Substack. And there are days where I feel like I may have to take a break here too. Unfortunately, my compulsion is to doomscroll.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Here is why:

https://www.ruminato.com/p/a-comprehensive-list-of-project-2025?open=false#%C2%A7dustin-j-carmack-intelligence-community-page

MAGA is embedded directly into the Meta ecosphere.

The link I posted takes you to the guy responsible. It's part of a larger post called, "A Comprehensive List of Project 2025 Authors’ Past and Current Relationships with Trump"

West of Eden's avatar

Did you put a link in the post? They took down one of mine for that reason; for some reason you have to put links in the comments

Wis's avatar

Virginia: With the added "bonus" of a severe climate crisis that trump is accelerating exponentially. Plus, technology, which can be and is controlled by the far right.

Frau Katze's avatar

I’ve heard other people say Facebook is censorious.

Maybe they decided not to let anything on this topic be posted.

I only use Facebook to see photos of my grandchildren and my sister’s family. I spend little time on it.

Max the Cat's avatar

Except they didn’t have the internet and cell phone pings to track dissidents.

Olly's avatar

We're also going to need to build our own "shadow" networks that aren't corporately owned. Maybe like co-ops. I have no idea how to start that but maybe someone with a bigger tech brain can help.

Substack and YouTube... Both owned and could be compelled to shut things down to support the regime. Then where do we go?

Excuse the cynicism but we are no longer living in a free country whose government follows the Constitution.

Robin's avatar

I have the same thoughts about Substack and YouTube. Would love to hear Jay's opinion.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Substack could easily fall prey to this:

https://www.ruminato.com/p/why-you-may-need-to-leave-substack

So far, I'm sticking around. But if they even hint of falling prey, I'm outta here.

Ghost, as Susan mentions in her comment to this thread. Is an option.

I think the best way to make Ghost work would be to get some of us software engineering nerds together and build something off its open source code base and API (Application Programming Interface) that can mimic some of the features Substack has (not so much Notes, which are Twitterish, but something else).

And we'd need to fund it somehow, without involving rich tech bros.

Karen Simmons's avatar

Substack has maga extremist writers. There are lists of them online. So, if Substack goes their platform is gone as well.

Charles Bastille's avatar

I have a working list of about 300 of them now. Eventually I'll do a post on that so that people can preemptively block them.

Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Supposedly Bari Weiss' propaganda "free press" is the most popular political one.

elliemae.padme66's avatar

Unfamiliar with ghost, bet I'm not the only one unaware here.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Ghost is a newsletter generator similar to Substack such that you can use it as a website to present your published newsletters. It is open source, which means that the code is contributed via volunteers. The easiest way to use it is to use the "Ghost" platform, which is run similarly to Substack except that they don't take a percentage of paid subscriptions, but instead make their money by charging newsletter providers a small monthly fee. It's a non profit, I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

I think they're based out of Singapore (someone correct me if I'm wrong, lol).

I would argue, however, that a coalition of newsletter writers would want to use the open source version of Ghost rather than the platform, so that they can create their own "Substack" platform free of tech bros and free of any pre-determined constraints. Open source code can be downloaded and changed as much as the software folks want and/or can. This is by design.

Again, I emphasize that I don't see the need right now. It's just something to keep in mind.

The important thing is that everyone should do frequent backups of their subscriber base.

Robert Spottswood, M.A.'s avatar

We are in for a Hamilton a month.

Maria's avatar

Do you think it is worth signing up for Ghost and gathering presence there?

Charles Bastille's avatar

I think if you have a Substack presence, it's important to regularly export your subscriptions, and be prepared to move with alacrity. But I would not do anything rash yet.

Frau Katze's avatar

If Substack is vulnerable other platforms would be too.

Susan Dieterlen's avatar

There are alternatives to both platforms, and of course, more will arise and grow if/when censors come for Substack and YouTube.

Couple examples:

Ghost.org, Vimeo, but also, you can still host your own blog on your own website and push out content via email or RSS, to RSS reader apps like Feedly.

Michelle Simmons's avatar

Maybe it’s time to step away from big tech as well. Pamphleteering works just fine.

Judy Shaffer's avatar

"If you don't believe in freedom of speech for people you disagree with, you don't believe in freedom of speech." - Noam Chomsky

Robin's avatar

No way these idiots have ruined Jimmy Kimmel's career. They only wish. Go Jimmy!! Just cancelled HULU and never had Disney. Already supporting NPR and PBS, but will give more now.

Charles Bastille's avatar

My subscription on Hulu/Disney+ was supposed to renew tomorrow. Cancelled. I made sure to fill in the part of the form that asked why. My response was short and simple, and somehow I resisted an expletive.

Kirsten Beier's avatar

same. I wanted to say a lot of things in my comment but I kept it brief and professional. I won't stoop to name calling, it's childish (and what trump does).

Charles Bastille's avatar

When I emailed the publicist for Nexstar, I limited my name calling to "Fascist!" I was very proud of myself, because I had many worse words in my head.

Wis's avatar

Actually, there aren't many worse words. But I suspect it's very subjective. ("Fascist" may be the highest praise in corporate/trump circles.)

Charles Bastille's avatar

"Hey, he called me a fascist!" (champagne pops, Costco bottles of Prosecco spontaneously explode)

Wis's avatar

Just like Colbert, Kimmel will land on his feet. He's too good, is too loved, and is too smart to be destined for living in a refrigerator carton under a bridge.

HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

One can only hope they were both smart enough not to spend everything they earned. Seems unlikely.

HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

From what I've come across while dealing with our about-to-be-canceled streaming service, I think you "had" Disney whether you knew it or not. What I've picked up from all of the messing around I've had to do with our Disney/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle is that Disney is the owner of at least Hulu, so possibly also ESPN?

Wis's avatar

This is where we need access to a big ol'tree diagramming what corporations own what. I feel like I could buy a candy bar these days and later discover I just helped fund Big Oil. There are few parent corporations, and they own nearly everything.

HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

My husband pointed out to me years ago...possibly even before the orange ogre came along...that we'd be hard-pressed to find any corporation that is 100% "pure." My take on it is you find out what you can without spending all your time on it, and you decide what your priorities are as well as your needs.

Boycotting a store or website or newspaper or whatever is all well and good, but you do what you can do and not feel as if you can right every wrong. Early this year, the day after my husband got home from serious surgery, I got a sinus infection that lasted a full four weeks. Amazon was able to deliver cough syrup to our door, and if I hadn't gotten it from them (especially by my 5th bottle, no kidding), the money would have gone to some other big company. Not a single "mom & pop" drugstore around here, and I wouldn't have been able to leave the house for quite a while anyway.

On the other hand, I'm planning on hitting up a local bookstore next week to order hardback copies of at least some of the Anne of Green Gables books, which will not be delivered to my doorstep and will almost certainly cost more than what they would on Amazon.

As far as that goes, if we boycott Amazon, is Bezos going to feel it, or will he simply fire people who need the money a lot more than he does? It's true, though, that when 250,000 of us canceled our WaPo subscriptions in short order after he refused to let his editorial board endorse Kamala, that made news. Don't know that it changed his mind about anything, but people did hear about it.

An ad for a Disney streaming bundle has started coming up in my Facebook feed, and 99% of the comments (including mine) are telling them what we think of what they've just done. It will be interesting to see if we get any reports of cancellations. That's one of the biggest problems with 95% of the media kissing the ring: we may never know.

Monica P.'s avatar

Yes, ESPN is also part of the conglomerate.

HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

It has gotten awfully difficult to sort out which companies come under others and which have less-than-obvious ties and which CEO reigns above all and makes decisions that filter down.

Robin's avatar

oh, will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Cheryl Johnson's avatar

Yes ESPN as well based on what I read

Jay Friedman's avatar

What we’re seeing isn’t just politics—it’s cancel culture on steroids. Trump and his loyalists are trying to crush constitutionally protected free speech simply because they don’t like what’s being said. That’s a hallmark of fascism.

My message to Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and anyone else who may be targeted next: don’t stand alone. Band together and fight back—through the courts. File a massive civil lawsuit (e.g. $15B) against the government for violating your First Amendment rights, and hold any complicit companies accountable for defamation when they act against you for speaking truth.

Shine a spotlight on this abuse of power, because the more attention it gets, the harder it is to normalize.

Most importantly, don’t go quietly.

Make LOTS OF NOISE!!!

We will all support you in this effort!

US Blues's avatar

I think the comedians should sue Donnycon and the current FCC chair personally. Why should our tax dollars pay for dump and CO’s fascism?!

Maria's avatar

The airwaves belong to the People. We pay for them!!!

noeire's avatar

We a-l-l are targeted next.

Terry's avatar

It's fascists following the nazi play book.

Chris Rey's avatar

The poetic resonance of the title of this essay, …and then they came for…”, instantly knocked me to the floor in tears, before I even read the essay.

If we can’t enjoy freedom of speech with Jimmy Kimmel, then American🇺🇸Freedom of Speech has been lost.

My people have been here since before The American🇺🇸Revolutionary War, and we are resolved to stay and resist Kingship again. We have done it before, and we will do it again.

Charles Bastille's avatar

First they came for Jimmy Kimmel

And I did not speak out

Because I did not watch Jimmy Kimmel

Then they came for Jimmy Fallon

And I did not speak out

Because I did not watch Jimmy Fallon

Then they came for Jay Kuo

And I did not speak out

Because I was not Jay Kuo

Then they came for the journalists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a journalist

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

Andrea Beatrice Reed's avatar

First, they came for the journalists. Then we didn't know who they came for.

Support Free Speech Pacifica Radio, WBAI.org 99.5 FM in NY, targeted by Project 2025 right after PBS and NPR.

Rick Massimo's avatar

Trump’s PlaySkool Twitter post doesn’t say a word about Charlie Kirk, not that it should matter. Just straight-up “we got him, now get the others,” because as a domestic abuser, he can’t help bragging about his abuse.

And yet somehow for a decade, during which he has hired and fired people over social media, he has benefited from the notion that somehow if he posts something, it doesn’t really count.

PS: I’ll say it again—Google Horst Wessel. And do it now because it’ll probably be a felony by the end of the month.

Maria K.'s avatar

"Trump's PlaySkool Twitter post" - genius! I love it.

Laura Reich's avatar

Yes, this is exactly like that. Repeating history

Celeste Myslewski's avatar

With Kimmel gone, we REALLY need Skeets and Giggles Saturdays, Jay.

In the worst of times, humor has always saved the day for me. You have no idea how much S&G means to all of us at this dark time. ♥

karen huber's avatar

Love Jimmy; detest the guy who can't take a joke.

Ann Panda's avatar

FDT!!!!! Already canceled Hulu and wrote to tell them why.

Mel's avatar

Do networks really think people will watch whatever they put out there, especially whatever substitute they come up with for Colbert's and Kimmel's time slots? They're already struggling to compete against superior streaming services. As for me, I watch primarily British TV and will continue to do so. It's better than U.S. network shows, anyway.

It'd be great if someone could provide a list of advertisers we can boycott. What are corporations thinking? They're enabling the GOP in destroying the economy even further. Who do they think will consume their products if no one can afford them anymore? Or is consumerism so ingrained in our culture that we'll bankrupt ourselves to buy $hit?

Maria's avatar

Second on list to boycott advertisers

Robert Spottswood, M.A.'s avatar

What are they thinking?

From quarterly profit to quarterly profit.

You can’t even raise children thinking only three months at a time…

Mel's avatar

I don't know about you, but my investments (the few that I have) are all long term investments. You'd think U.S. businesses would do the same, but no. It's a shame large corporations will sacrifice our democracy for greed.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Watch Channel 4 tonight at 10 pm. Should be a gas.

Mel's avatar

Are you referring to Colbert? Yes, it should definitely be interesting tonight.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Sorry, I think I responded to the wrong comment (I blame my phone). Channel 4 is a British channel that is running a marathon of Trump lies in honor of his visit to the UK.

Mel's avatar

As long as they're making sure everyone knows they're lies, I'm good with that. But if they're sharing the lies as some sort of propaganda, No.

I'm assuming since you watch the British Ch. 4, you're in the UK? If you're in the U.S., how do you access it?

Charles Bastille's avatar

Their words:

“Donald J Trump loves making history,” said Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer. “So, on Wednesday, Channel 4 will do just that: we’ll show what we believe to be the longest uninterrupted reel of untruths, falsehoods and distortions ever broadcast on television.

“We hope it will remind viewers how disorientating and dangerous the world becomes when the most powerful man on Earth shows little regard for the truth. And if President Trump cares to watch along after the state banquet, he may even clear up a few misconceptions.”

No, I don’t live in the UK. I’m going to try to find a stream of it and post it on my Substack.

Alec's avatar

Kimmel, Colbert, and Meyers are the only American content I watch. I don't even watch Star Trek anymore since Noem and ICE started running ads on it on Pluto and Netflix (I wish I was kidding). I guess the networks are committing suicide because they certainly aren't selling anything to Australia.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Me too. My subscription was supposed to renew tomorrow. And I'm a little bummed because I was enjoying Alien Earth immensely. But it had to be done.

Anita Guerrini's avatar

I just shared with Jay a comment from HCR’s substack today that gives full contact details for ABC. Hope I did it correctly! And thanks as always Jay for setting things out so clearly.

Debbie Ritter-williams's avatar

Wouldn't it also help to stop watching ABC? And what other companies, besides Disney+ and Hulu, are associated with ABC?

Purobi Phillips's avatar

My husband and I just sold all our Disney stocks from all our portfolios. Stop visiting Disney parks all over the world. Explain to your kids and grandkids why first ammendment matters, why authoritarian need to be stopped. If we do not do our part, the future generations will have no future whatsoever.

Patricia Contreras's avatar

Can you share addresses and emails of corporate warlords to send our comments of disgust for their capitalization to the regime?

Charles Bastille's avatar

Here are two of the people directly responsible for the Sinclair and Nexstar (ABC affiliates) press releases:

For Nexstar:

EVP & Chief Communication Officer

972-373-8800

mailto:gweitman@nexstar.tv

His LinkedIn page is at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-weitman-40045719/

For Sinclair:

Media contact: Jessica Bellucci

jbellucci-c@sbgtv.com

Here is Jessica Bellucci’s LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabellucci/

They're just PR people, but if they're helping issue the press releases (the Sinclair press release was particularly sinister), they should be held accountable.

Maria K.'s avatar

Jay, can you please elaborate why the networks can't push back and sue the way WSJ and Harward did? And make it LOUD. I mean, they have enough money to run a couple of medium-size countries. Surely they could withstand a legal battle. Especially since we know - TACO.

Jay Kuo's avatar

The loss of a broadcasting license would be a death knell for ABC. Even if it could sue it might take years to get a final answer.

Maria K.'s avatar

Can a broadcasting license be retracted instantly? Also, won't they lose business anyway with so many people already walking away in disgust? More and more people are turning away from the big networks, canceling their subscriptions, and turning to independent media.

US Blues's avatar

I haven’t had cable in probably 30 yrs. I’m not a big tv watcher.

US Blues's avatar

Because ABC wants the FCC to approve their merger. Basically the same thing that happened with CBS. And that’s just what we need: more consolidation of large media and entertainment companies so we have fewer choices. 😩

When this is over NEVER forget how these greedy ass networks sold us out on free speech!

Charles Bastille's avatar

When this is over, we should also demand that the jelly kneed Democrats in Congress set restrictions on local television station ownership so that companies like far right Sinclair can't own and/or operate 294 friggin stations in 89 friggin markets.

One market only. One.

Mel's avatar

When Colbert, was canceled I sent an email to CBS reminding them that appeasers will not be forgotten. I truly hope this is a death knell for large media corporations and their mergers, that they are crushed under their own weight. When the GOP is FINALLY out of power (and I do believe that will happen... eventually), I bet whatever government we have will break up monopolies (again), especially in the media.

Robert Spottswood, M.A.'s avatar

“ when the GOP is finally out of power… Eventually…”

It was 1973 when the US Secretary of State Kissinger directed the overthrow of Chile’s democracy.

Their new party in power stayed there for a couple of decades through overwhelming violence.

Sports stadiums served as both giant corrals for those arrested, and as storage rooms for stacked corpses.

As we think ahead, history tells us we should think pretty far ahead, and plan accordingly.

US Blues's avatar

I agree. What we’re seeing now isn’t just the consequences of a bad election cycle. This is a full on authoritarian takeover with almost no brakes. Things are already happening that people never believed would happen in the US.

Mel's avatar

True. I've seen the bullet holes in their government buildings. But that's Chile - not the U.S. South America has had more than their share of oppressive governments. We have not. Do you really think this nonsense will be tolerated for long here? Or among the rest of the free world?

Robert Spottswood, M.A.'s avatar

How long? A great question.

Fox News and Sinclair broadcasting and their ilk are constantly, endlessly redefining nonsense as the new sense.

This keeps everybody else from getting organized by constantly, endlessly “flooding the zone with shit.“

The purpose is to prevent organization by sowing confusion.

Because power goes to the organized.

Long time.

Baht HeHarim's avatar

At the turn of the last century, The most liberal, the most well-educated, the most cultured, the most sophisticated country in Europe was Germany. 30 years later, that was all gone, resulting in the deaths of many millions. Don't make the mistake of thinking it can't happen here. A dear friend of mine who passed away a couple of weeks ago in her mid-90's, fled as a child from Germany with her parents in 1939. She told me many times in the last several months that what she was seeing in the U.S. at this time is what she saw in Germany as a little Jewish girl before they left.

Maria K.'s avatar

Oh, there is absolutely no forgetting this crap - not at our house. And yeah, I am with you - they could have had the balls to not do the merger and protect free speech. They have the means to do so. But no... too freaking much to ask. It's just a cherry on top of 10 years of sane-washing Trump. Disgusting gits.

George's avatar

Abc isn't merging with anyone. Nexstar and Sinclair, which own abc affiliates, are merging. It's possible the merger runs afoul fo antitrust laws and would not be approved by FTC/DOJ. But you do Trump a solid and don't carry Kimmel on a huge percentage of ABCs affiliate network, you have a huge ace in your pocket when merger time comes.

US Blues's avatar

Btw, is Mitch McConnell still alive?

Maria K.'s avatar

He is and he is taking zero responsibility for what is happening.

Charles Bastille's avatar

Sinclair, which demanded an apology from Kimmel, doesn't seem to need any help from the FCC chairman. They are already a right wing company, and they "own or operate 294 television stations across the United States in 89 markets ranging in size from as large as Washington, D.C. to as small as Ottumwa, Iowa/Kirksville, Missouri" according to Wikipedia.

The Right Wing fully controls our media now. A lot of us, I think Jay included, sounded the alarm about Sinclair a long time ago when they first began gobbling up TV stations.

And now, here we are. In 1930s Germany.

G Chabraya's avatar

Yes we are 😡😤🤬😭