As previously detailed in Racket, the American playwright has been sent a "punishment order" and a choice: 60 days or 3,600 Euros for two tweets and a book cover
Give up your free speech at your peril. Once they are able to silence you, the game is over. All of your other freedoms will fall like dominoes after. Anyone that advocates to censor you, or to unmask your anonymity is your adversary. Treat them like one - no matter what else they say.
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Why is it so vital and necessary for the combined monolithic apparatus of government, corporations, and NGOs, to brute force censor everyone while decimating the careers and reputations of the dissenters? Here is why:
The reason the First Amendment is prime directive order 1, is because it is the most important freedom we have for the same reason it is the first target an adversary subverts, disrupts, and destroys during a crime, a war, or a takeover—preventing a target from assembling, communicating, and organizing a response to an assault grants an enormous advantage to the aggressors.
This is and has been occurring all across the globe since the minute this COVID-19 fraud was propagated to every corner of the earth.
The Second Amendment is second because it is the remedy for anyone trying to subvert the First.
The fog of this war is purposefully thick—a massive labyrinth filled with wrong turns, dead ends, and long, interesting paths to nowhere—relentless discombobulation are important tentpoles of demoralization and destabilization.
Thank you, Matt! As I said when we spoke, my case is just one of many, many examples of this kind of naked crackdown on dissent and political opposition, and blatant disregard for the rule of law that old farts like me were brought up to believe governed our democratic societies, and protected the people from the arbitrary exercise of power by our governments.
Those on the left will justify CJ's punishment and at the same time their own comparisons of Trump to Hitler because Trump is "literally Hitler", am I right?
I used to subscribe to his Substack and enjoyed his posts, but even a year or more ago I knew he was skating on thin ice. I used to shake my head and mutter, "Dude, you live in Germany, a country that has not had freedom of speech or even thought since 1933."
He's an American. Expat Americans should not confuse their host countries' alleged enthusiasm for free speech with America's statutory protections. The USA is the only country where free speech is (mostly) protected, and it is hard (on purpose) to remove those statutory protections.
If he wanted to post counter-narrative rants, there is only one place in the world where he could do that without risk of prosecution. Hopkins knew that, or should have.
Edit: Just re-read that and it sounds harsh, though I'll leave it up. I'm not suggesting Hopkins deserves his treatment or anything like that. After all, I agree with almost everything he says. But the things he says cannot be safely said outside the USA. He's not the first in Europe to be prosecuted for what in this country is protected speech. His martyrdom will not change that; most right-thinking Germans will agree with his prosecution, as would most right-thinking French, Dutch, Spanish, etc. Maybe even most right-thinking British.
The true definition of fascism should be the use of political force to crush dissent. Fasces were rods carried by lictors who attended Roman praetors and consuls. These guards would use the rods to beat the shit out of anyone who offended their boss. Whatever the denials of the mainstream media, that's what's happening in the West. Democracy is a sham if the government can ban dissent.
The laws are twisted to suit the leadership and to protect the leadership. Almost everywhere in the West now, we are experiencing the effects of a post democracy landscape that is edging ever further towards the kind of blatant corruption we previously saw in the 3rd world and fascist/communist regimes.
First, common sense is eroded. Makes it easier to then just follow orders.
My sympathies and support to C.J. - as the marvelous German EBM-ish group And One noted in their song “Life Isn’t Easy In Germany” the relationship between free expression and democracy has been an uneasy one at best in that country.
That said, can we do a fundraiser? I’d get some stickers, buttons, a bandanna as long as they include this, which sums up so much so well:
Give up your free speech at your peril. Once they are able to silence you, the game is over. All of your other freedoms will fall like dominoes after. Anyone that advocates to censor you, or to unmask your anonymity is your adversary. Treat them like one - no matter what else they say.
---
Why is it so vital and necessary for the combined monolithic apparatus of government, corporations, and NGOs, to brute force censor everyone while decimating the careers and reputations of the dissenters? Here is why:
The reason the First Amendment is prime directive order 1, is because it is the most important freedom we have for the same reason it is the first target an adversary subverts, disrupts, and destroys during a crime, a war, or a takeover—preventing a target from assembling, communicating, and organizing a response to an assault grants an enormous advantage to the aggressors.
This is and has been occurring all across the globe since the minute this COVID-19 fraud was propagated to every corner of the earth.
The Second Amendment is second because it is the remedy for anyone trying to subvert the First.
The fog of this war is purposefully thick—a massive labyrinth filled with wrong turns, dead ends, and long, interesting paths to nowhere—relentless discombobulation are important tentpoles of demoralization and destabilization.
Thank you, Matt! As I said when we spoke, my case is just one of many, many examples of this kind of naked crackdown on dissent and political opposition, and blatant disregard for the rule of law that old farts like me were brought up to believe governed our democratic societies, and protected the people from the arbitrary exercise of power by our governments.
Ironically, the actions of the German government more closely mirror their ruling party in the early 1940s.
Those on the left will justify CJ's punishment and at the same time their own comparisons of Trump to Hitler because Trump is "literally Hitler", am I right?
I used to subscribe to his Substack and enjoyed his posts, but even a year or more ago I knew he was skating on thin ice. I used to shake my head and mutter, "Dude, you live in Germany, a country that has not had freedom of speech or even thought since 1933."
He's an American. Expat Americans should not confuse their host countries' alleged enthusiasm for free speech with America's statutory protections. The USA is the only country where free speech is (mostly) protected, and it is hard (on purpose) to remove those statutory protections.
If he wanted to post counter-narrative rants, there is only one place in the world where he could do that without risk of prosecution. Hopkins knew that, or should have.
Edit: Just re-read that and it sounds harsh, though I'll leave it up. I'm not suggesting Hopkins deserves his treatment or anything like that. After all, I agree with almost everything he says. But the things he says cannot be safely said outside the USA. He's not the first in Europe to be prosecuted for what in this country is protected speech. His martyrdom will not change that; most right-thinking Germans will agree with his prosecution, as would most right-thinking French, Dutch, Spanish, etc. Maybe even most right-thinking British.
Nobody is scared of the actual tweet, they're punishing him because they can -- and as a message to anybody else who might dare speak out.
The proper time to complain about this was when Alex Jones was getting banned from social media.
If people can’t speak truth to power, if they can’t criticize those in charge, then all other rights are meaningless. This is scary.
So let me get this straight, a journalist was punished for criticizing the government, under a law intended to prevent the resurgence of fascism?
The true definition of fascism should be the use of political force to crush dissent. Fasces were rods carried by lictors who attended Roman praetors and consuls. These guards would use the rods to beat the shit out of anyone who offended their boss. Whatever the denials of the mainstream media, that's what's happening in the West. Democracy is a sham if the government can ban dissent.
The laws are twisted to suit the leadership and to protect the leadership. Almost everywhere in the West now, we are experiencing the effects of a post democracy landscape that is edging ever further towards the kind of blatant corruption we previously saw in the 3rd world and fascist/communist regimes.
First, common sense is eroded. Makes it easier to then just follow orders.
can't have a free society without free speech .
Nazis behaving like Nazis towards a non-Nazi who used a Nazi symbol to call out the Nazis.
Nazis don’t like being called out, just ask Hitler.
Your WTF opening is the best first question I've ever seen in an interview and the only appropriate way to begin this chat.
But indeed, writ large, WTF?
My sympathies and support to C.J. - as the marvelous German EBM-ish group And One noted in their song “Life Isn’t Easy In Germany” the relationship between free expression and democracy has been an uneasy one at best in that country.
That said, can we do a fundraiser? I’d get some stickers, buttons, a bandanna as long as they include this, which sums up so much so well:
“Matt Taibbi: What the fuck?”
Was Victoria Nuland there recently? Sounds like her handywork. Thanks for keeping us up to date on C.J. - he's amazing - as are you.