Instapundit Glenn Reynolds on his Twitter Suspension, Online Free Speech, & His Presidential Vote

Why cops get away with criminal behavior, how the Internet is getting boring, and why a Trump presidency isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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Instapundit Glenn Reynolds on his Twitter Suspension, Online Free Speech, & His Presidential Vote

Pajamas Media

Last week, Glenn Reynolds—the founder and proprietor of Instapundit.com—was suspended from Twitter after posting "run them down" while referring to protestors blocking traffic and harrassing motorists on Interstate 277 in North Carolina. He was reinstated in short order after deleting the tweet but the responses (pro and con) ran hot and heavy. Originally, authorities at the University of Tennessee, where Reynolds teaches law, indicated they would launch an "investigation" into the matter before saying, no, his expression was fully protected by the First Amendment.

Reason's Nick Gillespie talked with Reynolds about the recent controversy, why cops get away with crimes that ordinary citizens don't, and his fears that Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other online platforms are approaching "monopoly" status. A self-described libertarian, Reynolds isn't calling for government intervention but he's worried that the wide-open ethos of unbridled speech and flame wars is giving way to an online world that is every bit as over-policed and regulated as meat space.

Reynolds also lays out his case for why a Donald Trump presidency would likely be less awful than a Hillary Clinton one. But…is he actually voting for Trump?

Produced by Jim Epstein, with Ian Keyser. About 30 minutes. Click below to play in Soundcloud.

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Comments

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

I can read so much faster than I can hear or watch. I can search a text but not an audio or video.

Transcripts don't provide the tonal nuances of audio and body english of video. But 30 minutes? No, I have too many other things to do, and all I can spare for you today is this comment which might (*might*) be a hint for future interviews.

[Suthenboy]

I am going to second this.

[Slumbrew]

agreed - video means 99.9% chance I'm going to pass, for the reasons put forth by Scarecrow et al.

[RubyHolland]

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6570 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 6-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $98 per hour. Go to this website and go to tech tab to start your work... http://tinyurl.com/GoJob92

[JWW]

Yeah, get Robby typin up them transcripts!!

[SIV]

Take dictation, Miss Fruit Sushi.

[CZmacure]

[n]-ed. Youtube will do auto-captions for your video (audio) which you can then download with youtube-dl. Probably the easiest way to get a raw transcript...

[Ted S.]

Meanwhile, is there an RSS feed for the Fifth Column podcast?

[Jackand Ace]

Who is he going to vote for? Who cares? He's a blithering idiot.

[Hyperion]

They weren't writing about you, dummy.

[DenverJ]

Oh no you di'n't!

[Zero Sum Game]

Jackass Ace, put in his place. Give him the dunce cap and smack his bitch face.

[Against Police Judge, Jr.]

Nothing says "Who cares?" like taking the time to say so. And you call Reynolds a blithering idiot.

[DenverJ]

Thought you were changing to "feather, jr"

[Against Police Judge, Jr.]

It's "Feather Monroe, Jr."; In my defense of not having done so yet, I'm pretty lazy.

[Monroe Feather, Jr.]

Shit, I went and checked - I had it backwards. Now it's fixed.

[DenverJ]

Whew (wipes brow)! That was close!

[Monroe Feather, Jr.]

I know. It's gonna be hard getting to sleep tonight after that excitement.

[C. Anacreon]

After Monroe Feather the next logical step would seem to be Tyrone Shoelaces.

[Warty]

JOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEE

How's Venezuela doing, homeboy? And how about your excuse for a life, you short drunk peice of Irish shit?

[Hyperion]

Reynolds also lays out his case for why a Donald Trump presidency would likely be less awful than a Hillary Clinton one. But...is he actually voting for Trump?

Uh humpfff... hello? Now I see why they need an intern. They're slipping! That statement was supposed to be followed by:

We fully support Reynolds right to say Hillary might be worse than SATANHITLER, BUT!!!...

[JWW]

I really think the press is overplaying their ... YOU SHALL NOT VOTE FOR HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED.. hand here....

People tend to flip you off and defy you when you tell them what they must not do... Especially when there is no concrete proof left behind that they did defy you.

[DenverJ]

You know who else laid out his case?

[The Fusionist]

Case Construction?

[Against Police Judge, Jr.]

Sumio Mondo?

[Dark Lord of the cis]

Vincent Vega?

[GILMORE?]

Leon?

[Butts Wagner]

+1 multicultural child bride

[Suthenboy]

Dr. Christian Szell ?

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Jesse, after he put in the DVD?

[Chipper Morning Wood]

I just realized that this would probably work for any "you know who else...." question.

[JayU]

And the regulation of the internet from the government hasn't even begun yet.

You just wait!

[The Fusionist]

Isn't the government already holding consultations, or whatever they're called, with tech companies about the Problem of Extremism on the Internet?

[JayU]

Probably. Since they're tech companies, they probably call them "hang outs" though.

[Ken Shultz]

"A self-described libertarian, Reynolds isn't calling for government intervention but he's worried that the wide-open ethos of unbridled speech and flame wars is giving way to an online world that is every bit as over-policed and regulated as meat space."

It's been almost five years since Evgeny Morozov published The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom--and he's been right about everything. It really should become an important part of the libertarian canon.

The Abolition of Man. That newfangled radio can be used by wise men to inform and educate--or it can be used by Hitler to propagandize.

Technology is amoral.

For every liberating use, there's a repressive use, as well.

Technology can only give us more freedom than we insist on for a short while.

Technology is certainly no substitute for a population committed to freedom.

[Ken Shultz]

I have no idea why it turned all that into big giant links.

There was just supposed to be one little one.

[DenverJ]

Missed your closing tag, bra

[Ken Shultz]

It was a copy and paste straight from the address bar.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

You've been reading SugarFree's blog, and now you are infected with the linky-dink disease.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

And now I am infected, too.

[Ken Shultz]

"Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other online platforms are approaching "monopoly" status."

I might be concerned about reports that Google is exploring a bid for Twitter.

Disney is apparently exploring a Twitter bid, too.

Salesforce is apparently going after them. AT&T may be after them.

Twitter isn't being picked over by vulture because of its dominant position as a monopoly.

Twitter's market cap today is half what it was when it went public.

[Ken Shultz]

"Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other online platforms are approaching "monopoly" status."

I might be concerned about reports that Google is exploring a bid for Twitter.

Disney is apparently exploring a Twitter bid, too.

Salesforce is apparently going after them. AT&T may be after them.

Twitter isn't being picked over by vulture because of its dominant position as a monopoly.

Twitter's market cap today is half what it was when it went public.

[liechecker]

Twitter isn't being picked over by vulture because of its dominant position as a monopoly.

No, it's being picked over by vultures because its infrastructure and gigantic user base, while not profitable in its current business model, can be made to serve the vultures' own business models.

[Ken Shultz]

God damn squirrels have it in for me today!

[DenverJ]

So, earlier today I was trying to remember a myth about a city that chose a king for x number of years, and then sacrificed him to the gods. I haven't found what I'm trying to remember, but I did this, which I found interesting. It is about a guy arguing that many of the Irish bog mummies were Kings, who were sacrificed (quite unpleasantly) during bad times.

[The Fusionist]

Irish Bog Mummies? I loved their first album, but then they just sold out and became mainstream.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Rather than composing music, they started decomposing.

[Slumbrew]

You joke, but The Bogmen were named after those guys

[Suthenboy]

I thought that was common knowledge. From all the king sacrificing that went on I am certain there must be a mythical tale that distills those into one story with a moral. I don't know what it is either .

[Sevo]

"...It is about a guy arguing that many of the Irish bog mummies were Kings, who were sacrificed (quite unpleasantly) during bad times...."

This ("China, A History" https://www.amazon; dunno how to do that linky-shrinky) will give you an insight into how the Chinese at various times dealt with the emperor who had lost the mandate of heaven.
At times, it's almost 'democratic'...

[Butts Wagner]

Chinese Military beat me to my prediction of Internet 2 where there is a separate internet served by satellites. But, I still say there will be a private internet that is accessed through satellites, and the only way to get on is to know someone who physically passes you the info about how to access it.

[Sevo]

"...Originally, authorities at the University of Tennessee, where Reynolds teaches law, indicated they would launch an "investigation" into the matter before saying, no, his expression was fully protected by the First Amendment...."

Thereby demonstrating they don't have a clue as regards natural rights or the Constitution.
No, his comments were not 'protected" by A-1; Congress is prohibited from passing laws making the statements illegal.
The difference is not trivial. In the first case, A-1 'grants' protection, and we must run to the courts if, say, eating a hotdog in the ball park is not a 'Constitutional right'.
Bullshit; the Constitution limits the GEVERNMENT; it does not grant rights we already have

[The Fusionist]

"What's the Frequency Kenneth," ukulele cover

[Slumbrew]

He's no Jake Shimabukuro. Not sure it's fair to judge other ukulele players to Jake, but still...

[The Fusionist]

Make your choice, adventurous Stranger
Click the link and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad
What would have followed if you had.

[The Fusionist]

(apologies to C. S. Lewis)

[The Fusionist]

OK, so he's not Andr?s Segovia

[Butts Wagner]

Napster, amirite?

[Lord Rollingpin]

'...while referring to protestors blocking traffic and harrassing motorists on Interstate 277 in North Carolina.'
Those 'protesters' would be better described as rioters. 'Harassing' doesn't usually mean looting and assault.

[R C Dean]

Thank you, R. Listen to the 911 calls from those drivers and tell me this was just "protestors" "harassing" people.

[Jason Vick]

Why cops get away with criminal behavior

[The Fusionist]

That links to a Web site about the city of Casablanca.

[senerimap15]

just as Bernard said I'm shocked that a mom able to profit $9682 in a few weeks on the internet
see more at----------->>> http://tinyurl.com/Usatoday01

[simplybe]

They are lucky that their blocking traffic hasn't resulted in a death. I would convict.

[HerbertBaker]

Being proactive and starting treatment early and aggressively is memory repair protocol review important to the person diagnosed with dementia and the family members that provide care for that individual.