I started this site because I agreed with Steve Bannon when he described Western Civilization as the "crown jewel of humanity" in a speech he gave at the Vatican. Western civilization has increased individual freedom and reduced poverty to an astonishing degree, and it's the best societal system the world has ever seen. The problem is that it's increasingly under attack from all directions, and it needs to be defended by those with the wisdom to see its value. Western Civilization is not being defended effectively because the mainstream media, big tech, and our educational institutions all seem to share that same delusion that western civilization is responsible for most of the ills in the world. They censor or silence opposing (and more traditional) views as a result.
I believe that Western Civ is the best Civ, and the United States of America is the purest, most refined distillation of the Enlightment ideals that created western civilization. Media and academic elites claim that our society is horribly racist towards dark skinned people, but as I write this we have a crisis on our southern border because dark skinned people are flooding into our country at a rate never seen because they recognize that the opportunities for them here are so much greater than anywhere else in the world. We are told that the American flag is a symbolism of racism, tyranny, and oppression at the same time that protestors in Hong Kong are waving the American flag because they recognize it as the greatest symbol of human freedom and individual sovereignty the world has ever known.
Those who understand this are being silenced on other platforms because media and internet elites value another narrative, and there is nothing more likely to lead us towards increased civil conflict than silencing half of the country while telling them they are the cause of all the ills in the world. That's a toxic attitude, but those elites hold the levers of power and censorship is increasing every day.
So I built this site because no-one else had stepped up. Thank you for coming.
There is some legalese below that you will need to agree to in order to participate here, but first I'd like to lay out some general principles that guide discussion here. I am unabashedly American so my reasoning will reflect that. Here's the way I see things:
Our Declaration of Independence says, in part:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
That's an archaic way of saying "you exist, and the fact that you exist means you are a sovereign individual - you have the right to choose how to live and what values are most important to you. Government exists to protect your ability to choose how to live, *you* do not serve *it.* When the government no longer serves you, you have the right - actually the DUTY - to tear it down and build something you think is better, but you're human so you'll put up with a lot of crap before you get to that point."
Our founders nailed it when they wrote that, and they gave the best justification for the second amendment I've ever seen there. Be that as it may...
I would like our moderation policy to be consistent with these goals, and with those specific rights given special protection in the bill of rights. Some specific examples:
We can discuss religion here, but we should all realize that which God to worship (if any), and how to worship He/She/It/Them/We, is a personal decision that must be made by each individual. We should treat people of other faiths (or no faith) with respect, but at the same time we can all recognize that Western Civilization exists because Christianity exists, and both Catholicism and Protestantism had their own role to play in its creation. We can respect that someone wants to practice Islam and respect their relationship with God, but at the same time discuss why advocacy for Sharia law and (what we in the West see as) suppression of women's rights is inconsistent with Western Civilization and should be opposed by those who value western ideals.
We can have rational discussion here with those with differing points of view, but the goal of "free speech" is partly to better understand our beliefs by speaking them out loud, but it's also to allow different opinions to battle each other in public so the best idea wins. Unfortunately "free speech" on college campuses today means creating enough noise to drown out conservative thought, as conservative ideas are viewed by many as too much of a threat to be spoken or heard. We won't practice that here. Debate like an adult, but give others the opportunity to voice their opinions as well. Those who yell, scream, and throw epithets at their political rivals are not welcome here.
We also live in an age where restraints on bad words is ending. When the President of the United States goes on national TV and refers to "ridiculous bullshit," those words are now allowed. When a respresentative who opposes him states her intention to "impeach the motherfucker" (again, in front of the media), then those words are now part of the political debate as well. We won't censor words like that, but please show restraint. Personal attacks are not conducive to political discussion - please debate the ideas, not the speaker when having a debate here.
And while we value free speech, some topics are off limits - mainly those topics that are inconsistent with our core principles, those that will make it easy to malign this place to reduce our reach, or those that are illegal somewhere in a way that might cause us trouble. Racial superiority is inconsistent with "all men are created equal," so don't go there. You may think loli should be legal, but it's not legal everywhere and it ain't allowed here. As a matter of fact, no suggestive imagery is allowed here, because this place exists primarily as a bastion of conservative speech and as a meeting place for friends, and pornographic content has no role here. Advocacy of violence is a no-no as well - you may feel like this country is inevitably headed towards violence in the future, but the Smith Act exists and we will abide by it (even though it's inconsistent with the quote from the Declaration above.)
Understand why we're here, act reasonably, and the world will be a better place for it.
Thank you for your time. Now, on to the legalese:
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What we need to do is stay calm, anticipate that third parties will register and post seditious material to justify shutting this site down, and REPORT THEM IMMEDIATELY.
Again, I know it feels like the Republic is lost. It may be. But for now, on this site, please for the love of God stay calm, speak rationally, and hope for .... better judgement from our leaders in the future.
The coming days and weeks (likely after the 20th) will be easier, but for now we need to be on the best possible behavior. Please. :)