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Alex in MN's avatar

"The Central Alaskan Yup’ik language has about 20,000 speakers. That’s bigger than the subscriber base of CNN+." For the win.

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A Duck on a Bike's avatar

Hey, Jimbo, another excellent blast to my email. Thank you.

I just got back from the gym, and my back is sore. So, gonna sit here for a minute and have a cup of coffee and ask a question related to Twitter, Free Speech, Gatekeeping, Mis/Mal/Disinformation. to wit: Do you have the right to lie?

I firmly believe you do. I think there are very few places where you have a responsibility to tell the truth, when you are in court for example. I think at those times you need to be sworn in, of course. You *can* lie to a police officer, but that's a grey area because I think you can be charged with something. I'm not a lawyer, I'm a duck who rides the bike.

Otherwise, I think you do have the right to lie. We all do it, I don't think we *should* do it, because I think it is better to live a life where you endeavor to tell the truth. But if my lovely wife of 25 years asks me if these pants make her look fat, I have the responsibility to lie my ass off.

I also believe you the responsibility to lie to to the IRS. You are supposed to be doing your taxes lawfully and honestly, but I swear to sweet merciful Jeebus, I have lied on my taxes since the very first time I filed.

On Twitter people lie all the time. Sometimes it's disinformation, sometimes it's a profoundly held belief, like the elections were not stolen or that Lizzo is AMAZING! SLAY QUEEN! I lie on Twitter, but then again you have to remember... I am a Duck, and I ride a damn bicycle.

You are absolutely right, that we need the truth to counter the lie, and we do not need gatekeepers. The Journalist Caste desires to be the gatekeeper of truth, and they have no fealty to the truth to begin with, so we can not trust them.

But what do I know? I'm just a duck on a bike.

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