RANT: RANT-A-NO-NO

WELL, WELL, WELL! Just a short note to let readers know that yours truly has finally made it into the big leagues. I’ve had a post of mine “flagged” by the Google-Blogger hosting platform:

“Hello: As you may know, out Community Guidelines (https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy) describe the boundaries for what we allow—and don’t allow—on Blogger. Your post titled “RANTS: _____, _____, _____!” was flagged to us for review. This post was put behind a warning for readers because it contains sensitive content […]” (Blogger)

 

I GUESS I’M UP THERE with Assange, Hersh and other journalists and bloggers who’ve had their work censored and memory-holed by the powers that be.

WELL…reality check: I am not a journalist—just an old fart who spends waaaaay too much time on the computer. I post comments and things that people hopefully find interesting or helpful.  THE LINK to the post is here and I assume it’s accessible after readers tick on the acknowledgement box that “warns” them the post may contain “sensitive material”. *

GMAB! TALK ABOUT A BUNCH OF ❆! I won’t include the post’s full name here in case I trigger the touchy AI editorial software that judged my words of nearly four years ago verboten. IT'S A 2019 post, believe it or not! It's about a certain activity that a population in a democratic society performs every few years to choose and/or boot out their political leaders. I commented on the activity  that was occurring in both Canada and the United States at the time. I expressed opinions on the importance of realistic climate change legislation, as well as my skepticism that political actors in both countries were up to the task. I COMMENTED ON some political mudslinging going on south of the border and said I felt that one or two American politicians stood out as ones who might not have parked their moral compasses at the congressional gates.

I ALSO LINKED to a panel discussion (a five minute or so vid) which included the American actor (since deceased) Harry Belafonte, who stated his criticisms of an [unnamed] political party. He gave an absolutely blistering monologue! A truly honest and bull’s eye “rant” that leaves anything I’ve ever written in the dust! Just look at the faces of his fellow panellists! You can feel them squirming in their seats. Priceless!   IN REVIEWING MY POST, which I hate to do because I always want to edit and fiddle with them (here, I won't), I wished I'd used less potty-mouth language, but, on the whole, the post seems innocuous enough. To me at least. It’s just me, after all, myself and I making comments on a little blog that nobody reads that sometimes (apparently) proves challenging to certain holders of status quo ideas.

BUT isn’t that what dialogue and debate are about? Isn’t expressing opinions and criticisms a good thing? I POKE MY STICK at the bear (no, it’s not Russian) basically to get its attention, and the attention of others who might agree with me. So, I’m sorry, Mr. Google-Blogger AI (or human censor). My bad. 

P.S. I WAS WONDERING what to write for my next post and you gave me an idea: The recent online-streaming act, and the new federal online news content laws that are coming into force up here in the Dominion of Canada. They seem appropriate subjects for such a rogue and peasant slave as I. Thanks, Blogger!

It's time to go find a stick.

 

Cheers, Jake.

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* I should note that I already have a “Sensitive Content” warning for some time on my blog’s landing page (I think that’s what they're called) when I wrote a post about the “_____ _____ Matter” riots in the U.S. a few years ago. Back then, while I was typing directly onto Blogger, still working out my ideas, some of the text I was composing I guess got flagged (by AI or human—who knows?), and through electronic manipulation, wouldn’t allow me to continue composing the post. I decided not to write on the topic because it was too much of a hassle. I believe I was expressing concerns over the level of violence that was occurring at the time when Blogger began editing what I was typing, while I was typing. (I’m not kidding! Talk about Big Brother!) It was apparently a no-no topic to discuss back then (like lab-leak theories and ineffective/harmful v_______s concerns  have been until  very recently.)

[NOTE: Jake uses blanks here so Blogger’s Panopticon censors won’t turn their cold, dead eyes upon him. Ed.]

    THE GREAT PANOPTICON!