[tossmeout]

I see your point now, but your comment above (MLK's quote) comes across as saying the opposite.

It sounds like it's saying that Trump et al are okay, they're just exercising their right to speak, and if people are violent in return then we should punish those violent offenders.

But I suppose in reality you're saying the tech companies are okay, they're just exercising their right to police their own platforms, and if people are violent in return then we should punish those violent offenders.

[hprotagonist]

Specifically, I think that appeasement is a real stupid justification for decisions made one way or the other, and I'm not persuaded by that argument in general. (https://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/dane_geld.htm..., for another fine literary reference)

In this case, justifying continuation of parler's services because "if not, the people that just shit in the rotunda are going to do something worse" is in fact a strong argument for doing the opposite and posting the national guard outside the capitol building for a week, which is what's actually happened.

In the long run, is it going to stop them? No. In the short term, is it going to really hamstring the potential for a reprise of this insanity on the 20th? Yep!