Lest anyone forget about Facebook’s blatant disrespect for the idea of free speech or their extreme bias against conservatives in general, they have provided yet another reminder. State Representative Matt Caldwell (R-FL) posted a video advertisement on the social media giant for his campaign to become the Florida agriculture commissioner, only to have it blocked.
Was it his pro-gun or pro-Trump stance? Perhaps it was the fact that he’s endorsed by the NRA. Whatever the cause, it just goes to show that on Facebook, conservatives just aren’t welcome.
I Love the Second Amendment
The video begins by showing Rep. Caldwell shooting skeet, then cuts over to him sitting on the tailgate of a pickup for his message:
“I’m Matt Caldwell. I like guns. I love the Second Amendment. And I support our president. That’s why I’m endorsed by the NRA. I’m Matt Caldwell [snaps a break-over shotgun closed] and that’s all there is to it.”
And that’s quite literally all there is to it – a whole 15 seconds, in which Mr. Caldwell shoots a clay pigeon and confesses to four deadly sins, as far as the left is concerned:
- He likes guns.
- He loves the Second Amendment.
- He supports Donald Trump as the president.
- He’s endorsed by the NRA.
What a monster. If he had thrown in an anti-abortion comment or said that there are only two sexes, he would have quite likely been declared literally Hitler and permanently banned from Facebook.
Facebook Admits the “Mistake”
Facebook admitted that they mistakenly blocked Caldwell’s video, saying it was flagged for promoting the sale of weapons. Take another quick look at the quote. Where was his sales pitch and what gun did he offer?
Naturally, Facebook didn’t initially respond to the representative’s inquiry as to why they had blocked him, and they only reversed their action after Caldwell lambasted the company, calling them a “censorship regime.”
Of course, they very quickly reversed the ban and issued an apology… well, sort of:
“We review millions of ads each week and sometimes we make mistakes. We have overturned the incorrect decision and the ads are now running live on Facebook.”
The Bigger Issue
But the damage may already have been done. Caldwell can’t afford to lose days of campaign exposure when the GOP primary in Florida takes place in August. As he said when he noticed then initial rejection, “Just the mere fact that you have a gun, I don’t think should flag any kind of ad.”
It might well be that some algorithm automatically flagged his ad; perhaps some anti-gun leftist noticed and manually blocked it. Either way, the same question must be asked: What was it about his video that so offended Facebook? It couldn’t have been any gun manufacturer or dealer that Caldwell endorsed, because he didn’t.
Nothing New Under the Sun
Perhaps it was just the fact that he likes guns. Maybe it was his love for the Second Amendment. Recall not that long ago that the Liberty County, Texas, newspaper, The Vindicator, had one of their own posts blocked for quoting the Declaration of Independence. Perhaps it was because he supports President Trump. Facebook once banned the founder of Oculus Rift VR simply for supporting Donald Trump.
Or perhaps its just because he’s a Republican. Liberty Nation reported Facebook’s silencing of the conservative voice over a year ago. More recently, we saw them censor black conservatives Diamond and Silk, who were, apparently, somehow “unsafe.” They’ve meddled in international politics by prohibiting ads regarding the abortion referendum in Ireland – a prohibition which was far more detrimental to the pro-life crowd than to supporters of abortion.
Facebook has proven time and again – as have other mainstream social platforms like YouTube and Twitter – that there’s just no room on the social corner of the internet for anyone who isn’t a die-hard leftist. But if you somehow begin to forget, don’t worry; they’ll give us another reminder soon enough.
