On November 20, 2023, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote in a joint letter to the CEO of TikTok that the platform was guilty of “stoking anti-Semitism, support, and sympathy for Hamas” after the October 7 attack on Israel. “This deluge of pro-Hamas content is driving hateful anti-Semitic rhetoric and violent protests on campuses across the country,” McMorris Rodgers charged. A year ago, in March 2023, she had already declared: “TikTok should be banned in the United States of America.”
Congress will convince me China is a threat when Walmart is raided for Trading with the Enemy. On a side note it's very strange Congress cannot muster the tech resources and tracking tools to find $46 trillion "lost" in Pentagon spending but they can track public comments on social media.
Great breakdown of this disastrous bill. I'm not sure which is more terrifying: the speed with which a bunch of delusional Congress Critters moved to censor free speech in order to placate Israeli donors, or their complete surrender to our seriously compromised "security services." Honestly, what were they thinking?! They're just signing away our First Amendment rights at the behest of spy agencies demanding "more authority to act." Using the dual pretexts of "protecting children" and keeping the dastardly CCP out of a social media app, they handed spy agencies and the president the power to BAN any site or app they want to. This bill's elimination of a major source of troubling FACTS about Gaza reaching impressionable yutes is an added bonus for "our greatest ally in the ME."
This is a great article, Michael. I always enjoy you and Greenwald's jovial sparring on System Update.
FYI, Texas Governor Greg Abbott -- "King Greg" -- already banned TikTok's use at the Texas Capitol, and then turned around accepting $6M from TikTok investor Jeff Yass -- the largest donation in Texas history. Abbott has used it to help the Christian Nationalists making a bid for control of Texas state government with Trump's endorsement of down-ballot state races. The express goal is to end that dastardly thing we know as pluralism and competitive elections. Being a Texan and an independent is redundant, but they're out for one-party rule -- and bloodletting of not just Dems, but some decent GOP'ers too.
Meanwhile, a genuine right-winger, a real Christian (not a Christian nationalist) and anti-interventionist, Chuck Baldwin, has made a good case for estimating more like 200,000 dead in Gaza.
A not-great holy war seems to be heating up in Texas. Please consider coming here to cover an extraordinary mess in the good ol' USA.
Thanks for what you do. Linda Curtis, longtime independent Texan
Everyone I generally agree with seems to be united against this TikTok ban, and I’m sure their reasons for wanting to ban it are stupid but like, what’s the worst that can happen? TikTok is cancer.
I don't patronize TikTok but it is reputed to be a significant source of transgender ideological propaganda aimed at minors. Have any of you TikTokers seen this stuff on TikTok?
I hope Americans don’t start meddling in U.S. elections.
Congress will convince me China is a threat when Walmart is raided for Trading with the Enemy. On a side note it's very strange Congress cannot muster the tech resources and tracking tools to find $46 trillion "lost" in Pentagon spending but they can track public comments on social media.
Great breakdown of this disastrous bill. I'm not sure which is more terrifying: the speed with which a bunch of delusional Congress Critters moved to censor free speech in order to placate Israeli donors, or their complete surrender to our seriously compromised "security services." Honestly, what were they thinking?! They're just signing away our First Amendment rights at the behest of spy agencies demanding "more authority to act." Using the dual pretexts of "protecting children" and keeping the dastardly CCP out of a social media app, they handed spy agencies and the president the power to BAN any site or app they want to. This bill's elimination of a major source of troubling FACTS about Gaza reaching impressionable yutes is an added bonus for "our greatest ally in the ME."
This is a great article, Michael. I always enjoy you and Greenwald's jovial sparring on System Update.
FYI, Texas Governor Greg Abbott -- "King Greg" -- already banned TikTok's use at the Texas Capitol, and then turned around accepting $6M from TikTok investor Jeff Yass -- the largest donation in Texas history. Abbott has used it to help the Christian Nationalists making a bid for control of Texas state government with Trump's endorsement of down-ballot state races. The express goal is to end that dastardly thing we know as pluralism and competitive elections. Being a Texan and an independent is redundant, but they're out for one-party rule -- and bloodletting of not just Dems, but some decent GOP'ers too.
Meanwhile, a genuine right-winger, a real Christian (not a Christian nationalist) and anti-interventionist, Chuck Baldwin, has made a good case for estimating more like 200,000 dead in Gaza.
A not-great holy war seems to be heating up in Texas. Please consider coming here to cover an extraordinary mess in the good ol' USA.
Thanks for what you do. Linda Curtis, longtime independent Texan
Sorry but all I can say is “ohhhhhhj FUCK!”
Everyone I generally agree with seems to be united against this TikTok ban, and I’m sure their reasons for wanting to ban it are stupid but like, what’s the worst that can happen? TikTok is cancer.
I don't patronize TikTok but it is reputed to be a significant source of transgender ideological propaganda aimed at minors. Have any of you TikTokers seen this stuff on TikTok?