by Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, Esq.

Let’s establish this right now.  Nazis are not cool.  The KKK is not okay.  And there is nothing supreme about white supremacists.   I can’t say that any more clearly.  And if your response to the incident in Charlottesville is “but what about” save us both the trouble and stop reading right now.

Yes, I am a big believer in the first amendment and your right to protest and speak your mind.  However that ends when you decide to plow your car into a group of people who disagree with you, and one of them is killed.  

Now, with that said, after some careful review, I’ve found that the best way to deal with these people is the free market.  In fact, it already is.

Bloomberg is reporting today that the nation’s credit card companies are severing ties with groups they believe are reporting violence.  So if you want to buy sheets and gasoline for the next cross burning, you’re going to have to pay cash or use something other than VISA, Mastercard or Discover.

Pay Pal, which I use to process my subscriptions to my political newsletter, the Cheat Sheet, says hate groups need to take their business elsewhere.   

Go Fund Me decided that if someone wants to raise a defense for suspected Charlottesville killer James Fields, they need to find someone else to support their campaign.

Facebook and Reddit have told hate groups to take a hike.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking, “Abdul don’t these groups have free speech and aren’t you advocating censorship?”  Yes, these groups do have freedom of expression.  And no, this is not censorship in the way you probably think it is.  The First Amendment protects you from the government, not the private sector.

Yes, you have the right the speak, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to be heard and a have a right to a platform to spout off.  And once again, here is where the free market and private sector come in.  If Facebook and Amazon won’t help you get your message out, there other websites and companies that will be more than happy to provide you with some assistance.   I’d provide a link, but since I don’t think the K in KKK stands for “kool”,  you’ll have to go look that up yourself.  

That’s how you deal with hate.

Abdul is the editor and publisher of IndyPolitics.Org.  His views are his own and if you don’t like them, go start your own award-winning political web blog.