Update #1 (Jan. 12): According to this official announcement by Facebook, the social media giant is now removing/censoring all content with the phrase “Stop the Steal.” Don’t people have the right to be wrong? Is this the beginning of a new era of massive social media censorship? If so, why do reprehensible despots like the Ayatollah Khomenei or Cuba’s new dictator still get to use Facebook and Twitter? Whatever the reason, what’s the next thing to be banned? Pictures of Donald Trump? Messages in support of Scientology? Slogans with the phrase “Blue Lives Matter”?
Update #2 (Jan. 13): YouTube has just announced that it is not only “suspending” Trump’s video platform for seven days; YouTube is also “indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump’s channel …” Is it now time to regulate Big Tech?
I will begin teaching my survey course on “The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business” on 11 January 2021, and this semester, I will once again focus on social media companies like Facebook. Below are some screenshots of the homepage of my course:
For my part, I am conflicted over this opening question. On the one hand, the risks mentioned by Zuckerberg cannot be ignored, but on the other hand, Zuck’s decision sets a dangerous precedent. Also, it is unlikely that Trump himself will be charged with the crime of incitement. So, how would you answer this question?
Does anyone still remember this essay from 2016 titled “The Flight 93 Election” written by an anonymous intellectual, who turned out to be Mike Anton? Either way, let us remember the real heroes of Flight 93, when 40 Americans sacrificed their lives to save the White House and the U.S. Capitol. (My two cents: impeach, remove, and arrest!)
I will begin teaching my survey course on “The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business” on 19 January 2021, and this semester, I will once again focus on social media companies like Facebook. Below are some screenshots of the homepage of my course:
For my part, I am conflicted over this opening question. On the one hand, the risks mentioned by Zuckerberg cannot be ignored, but on the other hand, Zuck’s decision sets a dangerous precedent. Also, it is unlikely that Trump himself will be charged with the crime of incitement. So, how would you answer this question?
This flow chart by Brian Kalt (pictured below) illustrate the complex and convoluted procedures of the 25th Amendment. Update (Noon): More ambiguities abound!
Today (6 January) is Epiphany, or “Three Kings’ Day”; pictured below is a poster commemorating Three Kings Day, a poster originally made in 1982 by Nuyorican artist Manny Vega. More details about the significance of this holy day to my Latin American brothers and sisters are available here.
The 12th Amendment contains four paragraphs, but let’s pay special attention to the second full paragraph of this amendment (in bold below), which poses two key questions:
1. First-order question: Does the President of the Senate–who happens to be the sitting Vice President under Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution–have the authority to refuse to count the electoral votes of any given State?
2. Second-order question: Who decides what the “right answer” is to the above question? The Supreme Court or the Congress?
“The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;
“The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;
“The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.
“The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”
prior probability 