This is a very long analysise but IMHO well worth reading.


Gathering Storms And Threats to Liberty
Posted by William A. Jacobson
Friday, August 18, 2017 at 7:40pm

Antifa joining the political Resistance, Internet access denial at the gateway level, and Social Justice restrictions on Free Speech

We’re living in a very dangerous time.

Several things are coming together that pose a serious threat to the liberty of anyone who is right-of-center.

While there are many factors at work, I’ve been focused in recent days on three: (1) Antifa becoming a part of the anti-Trump Resistance; (2) politically-motivated denial of access to the internet at the gatekeeper level; and (3) attempts to weaken free speech protections in the name of social justice.

1. Antifa and The Resistance are getting ready to fight fight.

The neo-Nazi / White Supremacist march in Charlottesville and the killing of Heather Heyer have provided the excuse to expand a violent movement that existed long prior to Trump’s election victory.

Recall that anti-Trump riots erupted during the campaign, with Chicago being the most notorious. There have been many other physical attacks by “Black Bloc” anarchists and Marxists. Those Black Bloc street thugs have rebranded as Antifa, and they are moving from the extreme fringe to the street muscle for the anti-Trump Resistance.

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From extreme fringe to mainstream Resistance heros, Black Bloc now rebranded as Antifa, will be a presence on the political left in cities and on campuses.

And they are preparing to fight fight, not just politically fight.


2. Internet Freedom At Risk at Gatekeeper Level

Attempts to induce corporations to silence conservatives are nothing new. We have seen years of pressure tactics from groups such as Media Matter to shut down voices such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity by pressuring and harassing advertisers. Campaigns are currently underway to force advertisers away from websites such as Breitbart and Gateway Pundit.

As discussed in many posts, this tactic can be effective when highly organized because major corporations are scared to death of bad publicity in general, but particularly bad publicity that could find it accused of supporting racism or other -isms. So the easy decision is to drop the advertising, rather than face protesters outside headquarters and in social media.

That tactic now has gone to a completely different level with attempts to intimidate internet hosting companies and companies that provide internet infrastructure to cut off access to the internet. So far, the effort has been focused on the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer. People might not care that The Daily Stormer is taken down, but the history of leftist tactics show that the target universe will expand dramatically and it will not be long before efforts are directed, as they are now for advertisers, at mainstream conservative and right-of-center websites.

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But, as the SPLC list shows, it will set a precedent. Companies like Cloudfare and others who provide internet infrastrucure will come under increasing pressure, and it won’t be limited to the Storm Fronts of the world. We know from history that the “hate” label is broadly applied for political purposes, and will be used only against right-of-center websites.

Being cut off from domain registrars and other aspects of the internet backbone is something we expect from totalitarian governments. Now that power is in the control of almost-uniformly left-wing corporate managers.


3. Scaling Back Free Speech Protections In The Name of Social Justice

As part of the reaction to Charlottesville, the NY Times ran a chilling Op-Ed by K-Sue Park, a housing attorney and the Critical Race Studies fellow at the U.C.L.A. School of Law.

The Op-Ed is chilling because it represents a significant strain in the legal community and on campuses, that freedom of speech needs to be viewed in a social justice narrative, The A.C.L.U. Needs to Rethink Free Speech:

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The academic foundation for restricting free speech is in place, and the tactic of threatening violence provides an excuse.

Conclusion – It’s Different This Time

There certainly are other political issues that are contributing to this gathering storm, but that’s politics.

After 10 months of Resistance to Trump since Election Night, there has been an unyielding attempt to paralyze the administration. The Trump administration’s disorganization and Trump’s mercurial personality certainly have contributed to this situation. But that’s politics.

The factors I raise above are beyond politics. They are about our liberty — on the street exercising our free speech rights, accessing the internet to communicate our ideas, and preserving the protections of the First Amendment and free speech.

It’s a dangerous time.

http://legalinsurrection.com/2017/08/gat...ty/#more-224362