TKC Free Speech & Happy 4th Of July

For those who don't know . . . It's our tradition to talk about the state of the local conversation on our Tony's Kansas City blog every 4th of July.

But first, if nobody else has told you . . .

ESPECIALLY FOR OUR VETERANS & FIRST RESPONDERS: HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Despite so much talk about censorship, canceling & culture war . . . People in this nation enjoy more freedom than anywhere else on the planet and that is because American soldiers risk their lives to protect it. 

Now our quick update about the state of the discourse on TKC . . .

- When compared to any other news-y outlet in Kansas City, TKC has far more conversation and push back from BOTH sides of the discourse along with silly-ass snark from those trusty fellows who actually get our sense of humor. Local news magazines, half of the TV stations and the newspaper don't allow much freedom for commentary, heavily moderate their social media presence and insulate themselves from almost any criticism. 

- Did you know that KCI and The Kansas City Star still block TKC?!? That's just a funny, fun fact. 

- Years ago we switched to Disqus comment moderation system because we don't feel like the N-word or posting the addresses of cops is free speech. Readers who want to do that are free to find another site that's probably pure garbage. The path we've taken . . . With a few important exceptions: Trusted commenters don't have any moderation. Those who want to post as a guest have to wait for the first moderation pass which simply scans for flag words and not content. The wait can be as short as minutes up to 12 hours. We hoped more people would want to become "trusted" users but that didn't happen . . . Right now the number on the trusted list hovers near 1000 which isn't even close to our site-wide daily comment total. Apparently, most TKC readers don't mind the wait for very light moderation. Disqus isn't a perfect system but it's good enough, helps us maintain the blog and it's the only thing we can afford right now.

- In the past year we've had about two dozen take down notices, requests for deletions along with updates that weren't exactly retractions but helped to offer more insight on posts. As always, we're open to e-mail from anybody who bothers to share a question or wants to contribute their perspective on any blog post. 

- As for as comments go, please leave your suggestions as to how we can improve free speech here on this blog or, even better: 

How do we strengthen the First Amendment here in Kansas City?!? 

- The biggest threat to free speech on TKC, as of late, is legislative and or legal power moves. 

- Nevertheless . . . This year we've enjoyed even more questions & answers from politicos who don't always agree with us yet still are willing to share some info for clarification in addition to some local law enforcement agencies and dozens of elected officials who have added us to their press list.

Allow us a quick example . . . 

TKC is not aligned with KCMO councilman Johnathan Duncan, TKC is not perfectly aligned with Kansas AG Kris Kobach.

However . . . This year the offices of both of those politicos put aside whatever partisan concerns they had in order to make sure that TKC readers were getting accurate info by way of questions answered or press releases sent our way. 

In the age of social media . . . Developing communication with sources/outlets that aren't 100% friendly signals an effort at credibility and helps elected officials & journalists signal at least an attempt at sharing info rather than just spin.

And so, we THANK KICK-ASS TKC READERS for sticking with us and we continue our promise to update this dump for as long as humanly possible . . . We appreciate so much help that our blog community provides. 

Moreover . . . Here's a quick quote that offers a hint at the future and how the conversation is shaped behind the scenes . . . We think the quote and the reports we're sharing offer a look at where fights for/against 1st Amendment rights in this nation are going . . .

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media users saw mounting evidence that platforms were removing or reducing the reach of posts that questioned the government’s claims. Even college professors and authors had their accounts blocked over actions as simple as sharing a Wall Street Journal article on Twitter. What we didn’t know at the time was that government bureaucrats were evidently pulling the strings, bullying the platforms to censor Americans’ speech . . .

Much of this pressure campaign was secretive, more bully than pulpit.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Social media court case shows we must rein in bureaucrats to protect free speech

The lesson of Murthy v. Missouri and the Supreme Court's decision is censorship is the symptom. The root cause is government overreach.

Judges block Indiana and Mississippi age verification laws for porn, social media

Two laws requiring age verification online have been paused by federal courts. The laws in Indiana and Mississippi are now on hold as legal challenges to them play out.

Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton | American Civil Liberties Union

Whether a content-based regulation that burdens adults' access to protected speech has to be merely reasonable to satisfy the First Amendment because it was passed in the name of protecting children from sexual material online.

Developing . . .