In the FAQ on DailyKos there is a listing for Controversial Diary Topics, with the following warning:
Controversial Diary Topics
Diaries on certain topics are likely to generate angry responses. Most of these topics fall under the general heading of "conspiracy theories", e.g., "JFK was killed by Martians". The rule for posting such diaries is "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". The more extreme the claim, the higher the burden of proof that commenters will demand. If you can't provide evidence to back up your claim, it is best not to post the diary. This guideline also applies to recommending extraordinary-claims diaries. If a diary makes an extreme claim with little or no evidence to back up that claim, it shouldn't be recommended, no matter what that claim is.
Next, an Addendum by Kos himself:
The conspiracists by kos
Fri Jul 08, 2005
Today I did something I've never done before (not even during the Fraudster mess), and wish I'd never had to do.
I made a mass banning of people perpetuating a series of bizarre, off-the-wall, unsupported and frankly embarassing conspiracy theories.
I have a high tolerance level for material I deem appropriate for this site, but one thing I REFUSE to allow is bullshit conspiracy theories. You know the ones -- Bush and Blair conspired to bomb London in order to take the heat off their respective political problems. I can't imagine what fucking world these people live in, but it sure ain't the Reality Based Community.
So I banned these people, and those that have been recommending diaries like it. And I will continue to do so until the purge is complete, and make no mistake -- this is a purge.
This is a reality-based community. Those who wish to live outside it should find a new home. This isn't it.
Update: I've been reinstating some of the banned accounts as they email me. Some people wondered why there wasn't any warning. There have been warnings from others -- repeated pleadings for people to ground themselves in reality.
It's telling that I have NEVER done something like this before. Because this has been an extreme situation. This isn't about disagreeing with what people are saying. If that was the case, everyone would've been banned by now. The myth of the "echo chamber" is just that. A myth.
But as for warnings, well, this has been my warning. I wanted it clear that I was serious, and I think that has come through. I am reinstating those who ask to be reinstated. But the message has been sent.
But what about Freedom of Speech? The very next section addresses that:
But, what about Freedom of Speech?
Doesn't the First Amendment give me the right to talk about whatever I want here?
No. Daily Kos is owned by kos. The servers are his. He pays the bandwidth charges. He makes the rules; we are here as his guests. If he decides tomorrow that anyone not posting in iambic pentameter will be banned, your options are either to brush up on your poetry skills or find/start another forum.
Controversial 9/11 Diaries
DailyKos accepts that the 9/11 attacks were perpetrated by agents of Al-Qaeda. It is forbidden to write diaries that:
1. refer to claims that American, British, Israeli, or any government assisted in the attacks
2. refer to claims that the airplanes that crashed into the WTC and Pentagon were not the cause of the damage to those buildings or their subsequent collapse
Authoring or recommending these diaries may result in banning from Daily Kos.
I almost feel that simply quoting this lengthy entry in the FAQ is enough to make my point. Kos "accepts that the 9/11 attacks were perpetrated by agents of Al-Qaeda"; therefore "it is forbidden" to "refer to claims that American, British, Israeli, or any government assisted in the attacks" or "refer to claims that the airplanes that crashed into the WTC and Pentagon were not the cause of the damage to those buildings or their subsequent collapse".
Kos says "make no mistake -- this is a purge." But, he says, "This isn't about disagreeing with what people are saying. If that was the case, everyone would've been banned by now. The myth of the 'echo chamber' is just that. A myth." As Kos explains, "This is a reality-based community. Those who wish to live outside it should find a new home. This isn't it."
I know I am but a lowly member of DailyKos, not posting much, not writing too many diaries, not participating in every open thread. But I would like to register my categorical disagreement with this purge of DailyKos. Raising the question of who orchestrated 9/11 is not like advocating eugenics or white supremacy theory. It's not a racist, sexist, or otherwise distasteful position. It's only distasteful to Kos because he finds it "frankly embarassing". It is his embarassment that leads him to take these draconian, dictatorial measures.
As I have argued before, in a diary professing skepticism at the official story of 9/11. In the comments thread, responding to the claim that
I just think the claim that these are grand conspiracies is extraordinary, and as such I view it very skeptically, and demand extraordinary evidence.
I said this:
Well, the official story is that a group of poorly funded and equipped foreigners, some wanted by the FBI, took over several planes with plastic knives, while no Air Force jets were scrambled, and not only did they hit both towers of the World Trade Center in downtown New York, they also managed to make these skyscrapers collapse, an unprecedented event.
The alternative story is simply that a different group of people, better funded and equipped, with vastly better connections, orchestrated the attacks. If this alternative theory is true, it allows for the use of explosives, it accounts for the coverup and spiriting away of evidence (video footage of the Pentagon from gas stations and hotel parking lots, debris from the WTC being sent to other countries for recycling, etc etc).
Both sides have motives, and both sides involve conspiracies.
I still stand behind this view of the conspiracy theories of 9/11. I do not know if they are true, but I am skeptical of the conventional wisdom. Does professing skepticism and wanting to look at things with an open mind make me fit Kos's description?: "I can't imagine what fucking world these people live in, but it sure ain't the Reality Based Community." It seems from this that the concept of the reality-based community has come a long way since the days when it was supposed to be the watchdog of objective truth. Is the search for the truth best served by banning discussion out of fear of embarassment? Are the values of liberalism best served by restricting freedom of speech? Is it fair to preach democracy, as we do on this site, and at the same time resort to dictatorial "purges" of the community?
I am dismayed at the profoundly anti-democratic and anti-liberal sentiment expressed in Kos's letter to the community and in the FAQ entry. I am disappointed in this site for allowing such a thing to occur, and I urge those members who agree to register their disapproval. This is not simply about conspiracy theories about 9/11 -- it's about encouraging free and open discussion of ideas. If we stand for this, then the DailyKos of "Crashing the Gate" will become just another timid journalistic outlet, afraid of upsetting mainstream opinion.