TO THE EDITOR:
In response to Penny Leuthard’s January 28th guest column on censorship, I agree with the author that censorship is not a partisan issue. We all need to be vigilant in protecting our first amendment rights. I disagree that we should be extremely concerned by the recent decisions of social media platforms to enforce their terms of service. Facebook and Twitter are not the government. They are private businesses that have their own free speech rights, they do not have the ability or desire to enforce censorship. We are free to use other services.
Her complaint that former Trump employees and supporters are having a hard time finding jobs due to censorship is also misinformed. Laws preventing employment discrimination prohibit decisions based on race, color, religion, national origin, or gender only. Employers are free to consider past employment, public statements, and job performance. Words and behaviors carry consequences.
This is not China. We have strong support of freedom of speech, sometimes to a fault. The politically motivated and proven lies that prevented us from dealing with a deadly pandemic and a deadly insurrection need to be dealt with. We need accountability for the damage caused by those lies to move on.
Ron Thiessen
Clear Lake, MN
