Why AT comments are disabled
American Thinker,
by
Thomas Lifson
Original Article
Posted By: Republic Can,
1/14/2021 10:09:15 AM
It is news to almost nobody who reads American Thinker that a political witch hunt is underway. Parties in and out of government are looking for excuses to suppress and destroy voices that oppose the left.
Because AT lacks the ability to monitor comments in real time, and because our position that comments are a forum, not something that we publish, is being called into question, we can no longer publish comments.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 1/14/2021 10:11:58 AM (No. 660463)
How long before this comes to Lucianne?
28 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
ho72 1/14/2021 10:16:55 AM (No. 660471)
Newsbusters, Federalist, and now AT have all dropped comments. I'm sure there are more. Why is America becoming a country where people are afraid to speak? Looking at you, media-tech-democrats.
32 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
bgarrett 1/14/2021 10:17:48 AM (No. 660474)
hey American Thinker: Fight or surrender
34 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
zephyrgirl 1/14/2021 10:20:06 AM (No. 660478)
As much as I dislike this action, it is currently necessary for AT to survive and keep us informed. If they can't monitor comments in real time, some troll will post something horrible and the various tech leftists will use it as an excuse to deplatform them. Where did my country go?
27 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Knotwyrkin 1/14/2021 10:21:15 AM (No. 660481)
Yahoo.com dropped comments several months before the election because the comments were 10:1 against their liberal tripe they were spewing.
24 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Ribicon 1/14/2021 10:26:50 AM (No. 660486)
The big newspaper chains started this years ago, first by banning or hiding users whose comments questioned their hard-left bias, and then by removing comments entirely, probably because it was profitable to eliminate the censor and the comments functionality. Now in New America we are free to have any thoughts and opinions we like; we just can't share them in what amounts to the public square.
19 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Poliskeptic 1/14/2021 10:29:15 AM (No. 660492)
I totally agree with #4. I'm sure it was an extremely difficult decision for Lifson and his small staff to take.
11 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Ohiolad 1/14/2021 10:32:25 AM (No. 660498)
Well, I seem to lost one of my favorite pastimes, now that I've been blacklisted by Breitbart, and now even Disqus has joined in. It looks like comments sections of articles at many sites are going bye-bye. It seems that the globalist Left is clamping down hard on any dissent.
17 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Venturer 1/14/2021 10:35:17 AM (No. 660506)
People are not afraid to speak out ---Forums are afraid to print their comments.
I can understand their fear, but it is the situation that provokes their fear that I fear.
17 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
blueline 1/14/2021 10:40:21 AM (No. 660517)
#1: 'Bout a minute. The totalitarians (all leftists, "progressives", whatever) are on a tear to stop all dissenting voices. They're already here, I imagine; looking at advertisers, attempting to ID commenters, and who knows what all else.
I guess it'll behoove us to watch our words carefully.
6 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
petrichor 1/14/2021 10:41:28 AM (No. 660519)
This is a cowardly move by American Thinker. In keeping with the total acquiescence of America. Do they think they can't be shut down because of their articles?
9 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
LadyHen 1/14/2021 10:51:46 AM (No. 660538)
If they can shut down the POTUS, I seriously doubt a few Conservative websites would get in their way. ATs own content is approved by editors and legal teams. Comments are not. A legal fight over the comments of some yahoo in the unmonitored and uneditted comments section would obliterate these sites, unless of course you have a 100 million you would like to donate to the cause. Best not to draw the attention of the Eye of Sauron. The people at AT aren't there to provide you with a forum. They are there to write articles that keep us informed.
15 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Paintman 1/14/2021 10:54:31 AM (No. 660541)
Shame, the American Thinker was a great place to get and give great book recommendations regarding whatever topics.
On a somewhat related note I used to visit Second City Cop to learn about the goings-on in my hometown. I'm not LEO, but it's mostly current and retired police giving the inside scoop on the criminals, brass, what the media won't print, mayor Lightloafers, and the Aldercreatures.
The owners, under pressure from being outed by some of the above, are folding shop. These people are susceptible to losing their jobs, pensions and having family members impacted severely.
This wellspring of inside baseball is gone and the New America is on parade and flexing.
7 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
planetgeo 1/14/2021 11:13:27 AM (No. 660575)
For those of us who escaped from communist countries, this is exactly what was a daily part of our hellish existence there. This is NOT "progressivism" or "democratic socialism," it is indeed communism. Complete control not just of the political processes (including fraudulent elections) but of work, speech, and thought. You can see it already in how much more careful everyone is in what they say or write. The fear is working its evil.
America is now under communist rule. That's not hyperbole.
26 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Laotzu 1/14/2021 11:18:43 AM (No. 660586)
In order to be immune from suit, websites must refrain from monitoring content. So, the Left has turned 230 on its head, and now demands that websites monitor content or get sued. Thought you would never have cooperated with the Nazis? Here's another check point. Most of America has failed them all.
8 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
The Remnants 1/14/2021 11:38:58 AM (No. 660637)
It is sad that our overlords are so afraid of truth.
5 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
RuckusTom 1/14/2021 11:40:09 AM (No. 660639)
Mao's Red Guard comes to mind. Wait until people start getting laid off from work, can't get loans, can't get insurance, can't get banking services, can't get utilities or can't get a doctor's appointment because of a perceived "wrong think" comment.
17 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
bad-hair 1/14/2021 11:48:07 AM (No. 660650)
When the First amendment goes down the Second amendment is viable. I may not be legally able to go to a gun shop but the truth is I don't have to buy one. I have plenty of friends who will give me one. Or to.
5 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
reefdiver 1/14/2021 12:13:21 PM (No. 660683)
Stop free speech, stop freedom.
4 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
clayusmcret 1/14/2021 12:15:55 PM (No. 660691)
it's hard to be brave when you're under threat from the your enemies. 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence understood that. Lucky for us, they overcame their fear.
The Federalist, AT, Newsbusters, etc., will all fall because they all refuse to stand together. There is one large strong left because they know to stand together and many, many small weak sites on the right; sites that run like roaches when liberals turn the lights on. If only we could reverse that.
It's a real shame; liberty had a great run.
8 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
Heraclitus 1/14/2021 12:18:17 PM (No. 660694)
Years ago they did monitor. I found out once because i was writing about the Russian Revolution. I had used the word "revolution" and that set off the monitor assigned to me, all worried that i was talking about revolutions. I spoke to a more senior person who immediately corrected the error.
Lucianne does something like that, i believe, because once i used a word which could have an obscene meaning (i think it was) although it was completely appropriate, i thought, so my comment got kicked out but i had the opportunity to redeem myself and choose a different word.
Maybe these two anecdotes are completely different, all i can say as Lucianne's reprimand was immediate.
Maybe someone can enlighten us.
Amazing, though, the new regime isn't even installed yet, and the censorious minders are wielding their "swords" against our "pens."
6 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
marbles 1/14/2021 12:28:11 PM (No. 660702)
Sorry, they're cowards.
5 people like this.
We're losing the Shining City on the Hill to vindictive, absolutist, hard-left cockroaches of deceit. It's probably over unless a majority incapable of communicating with each other somehow manages to move against this latter-day Fascism.
The speed with which they scurried out in the open to try to crush their political opponents takes your breath away. Their puppet candidate is not even inaugurated yet.
6 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
Krause 1/14/2021 1:22:35 PM (No. 660756)
Most weenie lefty sites don't allow comments any more. They can't take the flak. Worse than children.
6 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
iraengneer 1/14/2021 1:41:09 PM (No. 660774)
I for one have several times been denied employment due to the lefty lib loons in HR who didn't approve of my social stances. This garbage has been going around for a while, it's just more evident and pervasive now.
7 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
dst4life 1/14/2021 4:03:34 PM (No. 660953)
#8, you mentioned Disqus . . . I have been posting comments through Disqus for years, particularly on Townhall and LifeSite News. I discovered two days ago that I was "signed out," but I never signed out. Now I can not sign in, no matter how hard I try.
I have been harassed for several years. I am a First Amendment activist. Now it appears the censhorship and harassment are spreading to others because Communism is on the horizon. I would much rather be alone in the harassment and for us to remain free under Trump than for my fellow LDotters to experience what I have experienced as we approach a Biden administration.
2 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
NYbob 1/14/2021 6:28:22 PM (No. 661078)
More proof that time on lucianne.com is time well spent. Not only do you learn something new every visit, but you can post your opinion when the Deep State/Big Brother crushes it. This site is the most truly American part of the internet. The problem for leftist trolls who try and spread their stupidity here, is you have to have a basic understanding of manners and civility.
3 people like this.
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