16 Comments

There's got to be someone better than shaun king to use as an example, surely? A serial fraud and scammer with a history of outright lying about what he does and what happens to him can't be the best example?

Expand full comment

There are 1,050 examples as noted at Human Rights Watch and linked to by Ken. This is an important point, though, because it's the same thing as pointing out the criminal records of people shot and killed by police in the US despite whatever record they had not being related to the shooting incidents in almost every case. Shaun King may be a grifter, but his grifting has nothing to do with praising the Houthis/Ansar Allah and being immediately censored by a convergence of the US government, pro-Zionist elements in the social media companies, and whatever other shadowy organizations are involved in such bannings.

Expand full comment

okay so talk about any one of those instead of the guy who lies about literally everything he has ever done and is such a serial fabulist that there's very good reason to doubt his entire story in every facet. Not just that he was told by Meta counsel that he was being banned effectively on government orders, but if he retained counsel to contest his banning at all. Or if he was banned for posting praise for Ansarullah, or if he was even posting praise for them at all. Or even banned!

That man has lied about everything he has ever ever done, stolen from everyone he has ever worked with, and his presence taints anything associated with it.

Surely there was someone with an *actual connection* to Palestine getting silenced that could have been pointed to?

Expand full comment

Hey BTW, I just came across this. https://www.launchgood.com/v4/campaign/provide_hot_meals_for_the_fasting_1

King is a MASSIVE grifter. If the USG and whatever humanitarian assistance groups can't get aid to Gaza, why are we supposed to believe that a con artist like Shaun King could - and yet look: $3M donated!

I know I went on a little long winded earlier, but trust me - I do agree with you that he's a total fuckin' scumbag. I wonder how much of the proceeds he skimmed off the top. Truly disgusting.

Expand full comment

I don't follow him (I don't have FB or Insta at all), but I'm pretty sure his story happened out there in public view - or at least to his alleged 5M followers. But now you're attacking Ken's journalism; do you really think KK wouldn't have done everything necessary to verify the account presented by King prior to publishing it? The benefit of the doubt here lies with Ken, not Shaun.

This is so typical of American discourse these days. People develop this intense dislike of someone - usually on ideological grounds (I doubt most of King's haters care at all about his being a fabulist or grifter as much as they care about whatever stances he's taken on issues like BLM or whatever) and then immediately cast anything that person does, says or happens to them in the bullshit barrel, despite this being directly relevant to many lesser-known pro-Palestine posters and protestors.

I look at it similarly to the old poem (ironically coming from the Holocaust Rememberance people):

First They Came by Pastor Martin Niemöller

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

So King is a fabulist and grifter - we all know this - but he's well known and it doesn't make what happened to him here right, and it bodes very poorly for the rest of us in the future. Which is I'm pretty sure why KK cited the incident to make his point. I can think of a lot of grifters on the other side of the ideological spectrum who I'd support in an instant - on a case by case basis - if something like this happened to them.

Expand full comment

BTW, not that I have any interest in subscribing to his Substack or directing traffic his way, but I'm guessing he lays out the evidence in this post: https://www.thenorthstar.com/p/i-was-just-given-a-lifetime-ban-from

Expand full comment

you weren't long-winded. you are principled and very much correct on all of this. fuck Shaun King, as in his reputation and honesty, but it does seem kenny klips has verified his account of this specific incident and as you rightly pointed out, this situation is very relevant to all of us that wish to protect what semblance of civil rights we have left in this country.

Expand full comment

My thoughts exactly!

Expand full comment

Don't kid yourself, Ken. This is narrative control by the US government. It is a direct violation of our (very theoretical) right to free speech and beyond hypocritical. Israel has been shooting (and killing) Palestinian civilians in their open air prison for decades. Yet nobody talks about trying to control THEIR terrorism. Not that it would make much difference since as an Israeli government agency, the IDF has their own communication systems. Besides the Israeli terrorism, there is their on going, non-stop violations of the laws of war which do not, for example, allow you to deliberately kill an entire family in an attempt to get one person which is the stock Israeli MO.

Expand full comment

Were there no other prominent pro Pal activists who got Zucked besides King who could've been asked?

Expand full comment

This is outrageous, fascist, and entirely too unsurprising. Bipartisan authoritarianism reveals itself with increasing clarity every day. One wishes more Americans paid attention at a time when it could have mattered. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/the-empire-strikes-back

Alas, writers in the United States who presumptuously describe themselves as journalists have generally made themselves part of the problem by suppressing dissent whenever convenient to the establishment, smearing its critics, and shamelessly embracing propaganda that reinforces the corruption that grows more obvious with every passing news cycle. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/on-the-take-or-asleep-at-the-switch

Thank you for doing your part to expose these patterns, Ken! Keep up the good work. May it find receptive ears worthy of the sacrifices we celebrate in the upcoming holiday. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/the-forgotten-meaning-of-maythefourth

Expand full comment

Members of the Biden administration should be charged with 18 U.S. Code § 1091 the law that brought the genocide convention into US law. Put this statute in their faces, up front and center at every protest at every meeting, press conference, briefing, and trips home and abroad.

They may feel they are immune now, but let's get them considering what is possible when they leave office, given they have set the precedent of charging former presidents. Here's the best news of all, "an offense under this section, an indictment may be found, or information instituted, at any time without limitation."They should have visions of prison all the days of their lives.

The propagandists in the Mainstream Media need to be charged as well.

Let us find the way!

Expand full comment

You should probably read the journalism of Patrick Lawrence who publishes for Consortium News, Scheerpost, the Bridge (which is out of Zurich), and https://thefloutist.substack.com

Expand full comment

Zei Squirrel will disappear one day cause everything sucks.

Expand full comment

Zei Squirrel is great. I think for now they are mostly safe because they're on Elon's "free speech" X platform and not one of Zuck's. But the screws are constantly being tightened, so you're probably right.

Expand full comment

This would be a fantastic opportunity for Elon to dunk on his competitors silencing of free speech, but it's also a case where supports their efforts.

Expand full comment