03.29.23
First Amendment Strike Force – TWITTER
Yesterday, there was a telling moment when a number of prominent Twitter accounts found themselves suspended by the operators of the platform. The Media Research Center, Michael Knowles, Sean Davis of The Federalist, and others were shut down for referencing and including images of the planned rally by the group Our Rights DC on Saturday, April 1, called "The Trans Day of Vengeance." (Of note, we featured images for their protest in this column on Tuesday as well as displaying it on Twitter without repercussions.)
The explanation from Twitter was that the site was working on expunging imagery from this upcoming event and swept up other accounts that were reporting on it.
- "'We had to automatically sweep our platform and remove >5000 tweets /retweets of this poster,' she wrote. 'We do not support tweets that incite violence irrespective of who posts them. 'Vengeance' does not imply peaceful protest.'"
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This is a wan excuse because there were orders to have the posts removed. Ben Kew of RedState was one of those who saw his account suspended, and he said he was quickly reinstated, but only after taking down his post with the images.
Twitter went on a censor spree last night, locking multiple prominent accounts, including @theMRC, @michaeljknowles, and @mtgreenee, among others, for reporting on a transgender protest scheduled for this Saturday.https://t.co/BIVBceMIq2
— Free Speech America (@FreeSpeechAmer) March 29, 2023
Low Octane Gas Lighting – WASHINGTON POST
- It appears "Democracy Dies in a Phone App."
So, were you aware that the Washington Post had an "associate TikTok producer"? Based on this entry from Chris Vasquez, it is understandable that the news outlet would not be touting this too ardently.
Chris seems to think he really hit upon something by highlighting in his hyper-dramatic yet unentertaining fashion that schools and their districts are incurring elevated costs as a result of processing requests from parents to glean more information from the schools regarding their child's education. He seems to indicate this level of involvement is a negative.
Of course, since he approaches this from the standpoint of defending school boards from parental nosiness, he does not ponder how the time and money savings could be seen by the schools becoming far more transparent so that people do not need to petition for this information.
In today’s second @washingtonpost TikTok: Schools are being flooded with records requests.
— Chris Vazquez (@ByChrisVazquez) March 29, 2023
They come from parents and others scrutinizing what schools are teaching about race, gender and sexual orientation.
And they’ve forced districts to reallocate funding and staff resources. pic.twitter.com/Y5D4aeKEJ4
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
- Of course, had this been a member of the DeSantis communications team…
In one of the more odd and ill-thought reactions during the aftermath of the Tennessee school shooting, Josselyn Berry, the press secretary for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, managed to enrage many with a shameful post. As the rising tide of people who were demanding that trans people not be targeted as a result of the Nashville shooter being trans, Berry was caught up in the furor and put up this tweet.
#Breaking: @GovernorHobbs office has confirmed that press secretary @joss_berry has resigned this morning after posting this image on Twitter . Expect a full statement shortly. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/JOimLiWXj0
— Dennis Welch (@dennis_welch) March 29, 2023
It managed to lead to Berry's firing/resignation, as many had called for. But the telling portion in this tale is how not one national news outlet touched on the post, the backlash, nor the subsequent firing of Berry.
The only real mention came from Jake Tapper, but on his personal account. He had no CNN report to link to with his announcement of her leaving.
AZ Central: Gov. Katie Hobbs' spokesperson resigns following controversial Twitter post invoking gun violence https://t.co/eon7EEsRGS via @azcentral
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 30, 2023
DNC PR Firm – THE ATLANTIC
- That Federalism system can be a real elusive concept.
Ronald Brownstein saw the news of the North Carolina state House overriding the veto of Governor Roy Cooper regarding the repeal of the mandate to obtain a permit before buying a pistol. And he was dismayed. So much so that Brownstein declared North Carolina had just become a threat in the way that red-controlled states are creating an oppressive internal nation, by his reckoning.
States acting in their own interest – in federalist fashion – scares Brownstein in a manner he describes as "breathtaking." Of course, those states like California, Oregon, New York, and others that operate in a similar fashion under Democratic Party control foster no such fears for the editor from The Atlantic.
On so many fronts, the states w/unified Republican control of government (or veto proof legislative majorities as here) are building a nation w/in a nation. The breadth, degree, and pace, of separation by the red states is breathtaking. https://t.co/peQmjH1dJj
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) March 29, 2023
Glossary Over Things – "60 MINUTES," AUSTRALIA
- Maybe as soon as they can choose a gender, they will be considered old enough to vote!
In the Down Under version of the CBS News magazine show, they gave a segment about parents who do not assign the normal birth sex designations to their newborns, choosing instead to wait and let their children decide for themselves. This is a process called "Gender-creative Parenting." They also speak with the author of the book "Raising Them." One person interviewed actually admits, "It is an experiment - what they are doing is unprecedented."
If the concept of treating your child as some sort of social science experiment is not enough to raise your ire, just consider the term they use for this new approach to non-parenting. These parents do not say they are raising a boy or a girl.
Instead, it is said to be raising "Theybies."
Meet the 'theybies'. Not baby boys, not baby girls. SUNDAY on #60Mins, the new parenting trend letting young children choose their own gender. pic.twitter.com/wPLc4w4ql8
— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) March 29, 2023