If the FBI found out about a bunch of people meeting in private and in person to plan an insurgency, plan attacks on all 50 state capitols, and spread propaganda to bring millions of others into it, those people would be arrested as fuck, and charged with conspiracy and treason. But we're supposed to defend allowing this to happen on online platforms in the name of freedom of speech? It's nonsense.
I believe in freedom of speech, but we have never had absolute freedom of speech. Some stuff, if you say it, has consequences. You're not allowed to radicalize millions into overthrowing the government, sorry, it would be insanity to not try to stop that. What we're facing is hundreds of thousands (at least) of radicalized extremists willing to overthrow democracy to install the leader they want. They're trying to spread this radicalization to many more people. The capitol attack is only the beginning of this thing, or rather the culmination of decades of this thing fomenting, into action. We would be fucking idiots to not do our best to suppress the ability of these people to continue to spread this poison.
Look, Americans are at an all-time low with regards to trust in government. And rightfully so. The establishment is looking out for the wealthy. There are people (not many) trying to re-establish trust by getting our government to operate as it is supposed to, for it to be for the people like it once was. Trump and the radical right know this, and have co-opted this deep need that all Americans feel, in order to push their own agenda. The same as all dictators do. The same the dictators that Manafort and Stone and friends have propped up in Africa for decades. A bunch of angry racists who want America to go back to how it was before civil rights don't care because it serves their purposes, and sadly, a bunch of other people have been sucked into this fantasy, too. Trump is an awful person, there have been people saying so his whole career, since way before he ever dreamed of running for president. The truth is right now, you just need to be willing to admit that you got duped by a con man. I hope everyone opens their eyes because I want our government to be held accountable and start working for the people again, too. But Trump is not the guy to do it, and this insurrection will only make things worse for everybody. Biden isn't the guy to do it, either, let me be clear. But the status quo is better than this, mark my words. Let's focus our collective desire to better this country into producing good people to lead, and then voting for those people.
It's okay to admit you have been taken in by a con man trying to gain power. People have done it over and over throughout history, it's understandable. The rest of us will forgive you. Well some people won't because some people like to feel smug, but whatever, fuck them. Quit being useful to these people.
I didn't vote for Trump because when I watched him speak at rallies in 2015/2016, I saw what he was. But I wanted to believe in him, in fact, my ex-wife and I had a discussion back when he first said he was thinking about running, and we thought hey, I'd probably vote for him, we need someone to cut through the bullshit. I wanted to believe he'd be good, I was actually excited for a brief time when he announced he was running, but I couldn't anymore once I heard the things he was saying and the manner in which he was conducting himself. Even after he got voted in, I held out hope that I was wrong and that he would be a good thing. My hopes were quickly dashed though, because I was not willing to close my eyes. Sadly, he is not our savior. The results of his presidency are worse than my worst case scenario in my head was back then, though. He didn't cause these problems, but he sure has enabled them to grow.
It's not too late. A lot of people have turned away from Trump now that it has also become clear to them that they were taken in by a dangerous person. Not enough though. So can you.
