When It Comes to Gun Rights, Facebook Does As Barack Obama Says
It has long been recognized that the power to tax a business gives the government the power to destroy that business. What we see today is that the power to regulate a business is also the power to control it … and its customers. President Barack Obama said he would “fundamentally transform” the United States. Politicians have crushed free speech and private property. Let me show you how the citizen shrinks as the state regulates us more each day. We lost more of our ability to speak and associate with others last week.
Facebook recently closed many of the groups used by gun owners. A few of the groups were commercial, but most were the equivalent of a car club. They were a group of gun owners who had the same model firearm or competed in the same type of events. How could it be that hate from Muslims is allowed on Facebook but not your page about a training rifle?
I don’t blame Mark Zuckerberg who has controlling interest in Facebook. No matter how much Mark Z. dislikes gun owners, he would have a tough time convincing his board of directors that alienating a third of US adults was a good idea. It is bad for business. There are reasons other than personal bigotry that explain why gun pages were shut down.
Facebook is heavily regulated by the Obama Administration. There are many government agencies that can impose huge fines on Facebook. It is sad, but regulators can fine Facebook out of existence any day they want. That isn’t because the company has harmed anyone. It is because our laws are contradictory, and the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Bureau of Consumer Affairs and the Federal Communications Commission can bury any business in unpayable penalties. That means Facebook only survives because the Obama Administration lets them stay in business. The same is true of the other online companies like Google, Yahoo, Pinterest, Twitter and Dropbox.
We would call it extortion if a private citizen acted like the Obama Administration. Instead, the Democrat media calls it “social activism” when a black Democrat President threatens a company. That is why, if the government wants Facebook to stop the discussion of guns, then those groups are banned.
Sure we have freedom of speech … as long as we say what the government wants us to say.
Do you shop at phone stores or fast food restaurants? You might think those business owners are free to donate to the political cause of their choice. You would be wrong. Donate to the wrong charity and the business owner runs afoul of the local politicians. The politicians can “inspect” the company right out of business. Any small business can have government inspectors come by first thing in the day … last thing at night … and every hour in between. There are fire regulations. There are building, health, employment, and tax regulations … Each regulation is open to “interpretation”, and the laws contradict each other. That breeds the political corruption we see today.
“Free” donations to the politician’s local charity are expected from business owners every month. That is the Chicago Way of political bribery. Companies are told where and how much to donate … or they will be shut down by government inspectors. THAT is the Chicago way that Barack Obama brought to all of us. That is the “fundamental transformation” you voted for. The Obama Administration feels free to abuse the law … since no one will prosecute them.
The power to regulate is the power to control where you spend your money.
Companies are told to put warning labels on their product … or else. The Environmental Protection Agency was explicitly told by Congress that they can’t regulate lead ammunition. That doesn’t stop them. The EPA and the Consumer Products Safety Commission keep requesting warning labels on bullets. These agencies make regulations, not laws, but they are unchecked by the Obama Administration. Today, they want the same kind of label we see on cigarettes and on building in California.
“Contents may be hazardous to your health.”
The American Trial Lawyers Association can’t wait to sue every gun range in the US. Retired government officials will be called on for “expert” testimony … and be well paid for their trouble.
The power to regulate is the power to control how you defend your life.
Politicians and regulators abuse the law. We let them. When the politician asks for more power, we think of the good the politician might do. It is past time we remember the damage a politician does with the power he already has. We have to listen defensively … as if the politician will abuse every privilege.
It is time we took our country back.
Image: By Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price, USAF – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia. org/w/index.php?curid=5830032