Merkel With Obama: Internet ‘Disruptive’ Force that Has to Be ‘Contained, Managed, and Steered’ by Government - The Geller Report

Merkel With Obama: Internet ‘Disruptive’ Force that Has to Be ‘Contained, Managed, and Steered’ by Government - The Geller ReportMerkel With Obama: Internet ‘Disruptive’ Force that Has to Be ‘Contained, Managed, and Steered’ by Government
By Pamela Geller - on November 18, 2016
FREE SPEECHobamamerkel-large_transst8wkhhiigcqf-eu4anh8rk1mdtumceh_nearsd702i
15
The internet is the last frontier of the freedom of speech. It has not been controlled by large media companies or government oversight; nor should it be. Chancellor Merkel seems to believe that she was undone not by her catastrophic migrant policy, but by the fact that its consequences were published online at sites like this (while ignored by institutional media).

This is where totalitarianism starts. Hitler, too, shut down free speech.

This is exactly why the First Amendment was enshrined in our Constitution — because who would decide what’s good and what’s forbidden? Merkel? Obama? We know where Obama stands on this issue. He has long been a foe of our First Amendment rights. But he is history. And I predict Merkel will be, too, in the upcoming elections.

Freedom of speech is the foundation of a free society. Without it, a tyrant can wreak havoc unopposed, while his opponents are silenced.

Putting up with being offended is essential in a pluralistic society in which people differ on basic truths. If a group will not bear being offended without resorting to violence, that group will rule unopposed while everyone else lives in fear, while other groups curtail their activities to appease the violent group. This results in the violent group being able to tyrannize the others.

Speech that is offensive to some must not be curtailed, but protected. If speech that offends a group is outlawed, that group has absolute power, and a free society is destroyed. A group that cannot be criticized cannot be opposed. It can work its will no matter what it is, and no one will be able to say anything to stop it.

MERKEL WITH OBAMA: INTERNET ‘DISRUPTIVE’ FORCE THAT HAS TO BE ‘CONTAINED, MANAGED, AND STEERED’ BY GOVERNMENT
By Oliver Lane, Breitbart, November 17, 2016:

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel smile during their press conference at the German Chancellery in Berlin, Germany November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel smile during their press conference at the German Chancellery in Berlin, Germany November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Speaking at a joint press conference with outgoing American President Barack Obama on his farewell tour, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made chilling remarks about her views on the need for government to control the internet and slammed anti-Islamisation protesters who she accused of hijacking the German spirit for liberty.
German Chancellor Merkel, who is presently deciding whether to run for a historic fourth term on the strength of her pro-migrant policies which have seen her lauded with praise by President Obama, moved to address populism in her joint address.
Calling the surge of interest in right-wing politics a “wave” that “engulfs us,” Ms. Merkel noted the sentiment “seems to come from the United States,” but in an oblique reference to President-Elect Donald Trump said it was an issue she was dealing with in Europe, too. She said:
“Look at the European parliament. There are a lot of people who are looking for simplistic solutions and are preaching simplistic solutions which are very unfriendly policies. We have them here in Europe, too, we have them in Germany too.”
Apparently blaming this rising populism — politics that are popular with voters — on the internet, the German chancellor implied the internet would have to be subject to restrictive censorship laws as were enacted by many European nations to stem the disruptive effect of the printing press. She said:
“Digitisation is a disruptive technological force that brings about deep-seated change and transformation in society. Look at the history of the printing press, when this was invented what kind of consequences it had. Or industrialisation, what consequences that had.