Tech | August 25, 2010 | 48 comments

Libertarian Party protests Facebook censorship of its marijuana legalization ad

source: http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarian-party-protests-facebook-censorship-of-its-...

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shanklinmike
~I like how the LP is respectful of property rights, yet uses civil ostracism to plead it's case.

"WASHINGTON - The Libertarian Party (LP) is protesting the decision by Facebook to refuse advertisements that advocate for the legalization of marijuana.

The LP had been running a highly successful Facebook ad to express its support of marijuana legalization, but Facebook banned the ad about a week after accepting it.

A sample of the banned LP ad appears below:

In a July 23 email to the LP, a Facebook rep wrote, "We do not allow ads for marijuana or political ads for the promotion of marijuana."

The LP asserts that its ad is not intended to promote marijuana itself, but rather to take a position on the high-profile political question of legalizing marijuana. The issue is particularly relevant now, as a major marijuana legalization measure (Proposition 19) will be on the ballot in California this November.

Wes Benedict, Executive Director of the LP, commented, "Whether or not the folks at Facebook like marijuana, we think they should end their ridiculous censorship of our ad, which expresses the Libertarian position on a political issue of interest to many people."

Benedict continued, "We recognize Facebook's right to control their content and censor whoever they want. But we're also exercising our First Amendment right to complain about their bad decision, and to alert other consumers to put pressure on them."

On July 15, Facebook notified the LP that it had accepted the ad. Then, on July 22, Facebook revoked its approval, stating that "The image of this ad is either irrelevant or inappropriate."

Recently, the LP learned that Facebook revoked approval of similar ads from other groups, including Just Say Now and the District of Columbia Patients' Cooperative, claiming that their ads violated Facebook's ban on images of "smoking products." The LP notes that Facebook's ad guidelines prohibit "advertisements promoting tobacco products," but that the Libertarian ad does not promote the product itself, and that it is not a tobacco product.

Kyle Hartz, the LP's Development & New Media Assistant, said, "Our ad is targeted to people who have indicated that they are interested in the issue of marijuana legalization. It's bizarre that Facebook won't allow us to advertise to the very people who support what we are advocating."

For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets and civil liberties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website."

http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarian-party-protests-facebook-censor...
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48 comments // Libertarian Party protests Facebook censorship of its marijuana legalization ad

  • toastyguy11
    • +1
      toastyguy11  

    • reinforces the old stereotype about libertarians: republicans who like to smoke pot. Legalization is something we can all agree on.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
  • masterzip
  • noxidereus
    • 0
      noxidereus  

    • It's kind of ironic, because this censorship and control by private entities is precisely the kind of thing that would be perpetuated if we put everything in private hands, which the libertarians want to do. I applaud anyone who supports liberal social agenda, but they still want to raise up the rich and dump on the poor and that's sick. i'll stand with them on marijuana legalization, but i still think the economic ideas of libertarians is pure shit.

    • 1 year ago
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  
    • noxidereus:

      Ditto! Cannabis crosses party lines, but many issue don't. I disagree with Republicans and Libertarians on far more issues than Democrats. I just wish Democrats would speak up. They are as guilty of spinning disinformation as the Republicans. Shame on both of them.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
    • +1
      shanklinmike  
    • noxidereus:

      At least SOME private entities allow us to preach the legalization of pot,

      Public sectors won't give you the time of day outside their 16ftx16ft "free speech" zone.

      The government IS biased against Freedom, that's it's job! It also will not give you a fair shake, in fact, it's the one who uses force on people who have this wrong vegetation in their pocket! In capitalism, there would be no war on drugs!!!

    • 1 year ago
  • noxidereus
    • +1
      noxidereus  
    • shanklinmike:

      Capitalism being practiced without human decency is the number one cause of marijuana prohibition. Tobacco and Alcohol corporations are the main funders of the anti-drug movement. Also, look up Aslinger and Dupont connections. The government is of course complicit in this. Nixon declared the War on Drugs to arrest anti-war protesters (the war of course was really about capitalism v communism). Prohibition funds the [prison] industrial complex, from which private corporations/prisons profit. Pharmaceutical corporations are against marijuana for obvious reasons. The list goes on.

      Governments are anti-freedom because corporations are anti-freedom and we elected corporate tools into our government. Corporations are anti-freedom when it is profitable for them to be so. Corporations want freedom for themselves at the expense of their customers freedoms and protections. Corporations want freedom to rape the poor and middle class out of decent salaries and consumer protections.

      It's all about money. It always is.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
    • +1
      shanklinmike  
    • noxidereus:

      I too want to bring down the crony corporatism, but people should always have a right to pool capital. Call it what you want, just don't allow lobbying and politics. Allow the companies to produce in the free market. The war on drugs is around because people put faith in statism. A majority of people want it, why? Because statism and the corporate and bureaucratic politicians that it feeds off of have brainwashed them into believing we need these middlemen. The problem is the coercion that enters in and forces subsidies at gun point to taxpayers, taxloopholes (which would not be possible in anarcho-capitalism), protectionism through barriers to entry and increases of tariffs. You will always have people funding it through statism, whether it be Budweiser or Joe Shmoe down the street. The war on drugs is not a result of Freedom, it is a result of central planning, fascism, socialism, statism, and government interventionism. It is prohibition, it requires nothing more than education to the average person that prohibition is wrong, and then people standing up for their rights against statism.

      Statism IS Terrorism, how can it NOT be corrupted? It's corrupt from the very beginning because it props one person up over another! It legalizes theft, coercion, threats of violence, force, political special interests, lobbying efforts, all of this which goes towards human farming.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IRbwpc2XV4

    • 1 year ago
  • FoosMaster
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • President Obama should have Senator Webb follow through on the prison problem in America. Senator Webb was supposed to be evaluating the prison problem and stated, nothing was off the table. Has 'corporate America' corupted the process? Corporate America does not want to compete with a plant. Aren't we tired of corporations making large profits from the lack of a natural competitor?

      The Libertarian Party is probably less supported by corporate America, enabling them to buck the trend and speak up for ordinary Americans, instead of big business.

    • 1 year ago
  • DisownCashValue
  • Yam_Soup
  • toyotabedzrock
  • dariusvons
    • -1
      dariusvons  

    • "It's bizarre that Facebook won't allow us to advertise to the very people who support what we are advocating" maybe they're taking a clue from all the other media outlets... don't give people what they want, but rather TELL them what they want.

    • 1 year ago
  • irie_ojo
  • ezrierin
    • -1
      ezrierin  

    • See what happens when we do not have Net Neutrality?
      I think the Libertarians are usually way out in right field. However, we have to support their First Amendment Right to Free Speech!
      When the internet is completely privatized, we will only get habitually slanted information from the owners, like Facebook.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
  • ezrierin
  • noxidereus
    • 0
      noxidereus  
    • shanklinmike:

      The government and corporations are practically the same thing. It's never been the government vs the corporations. They are in bed together. The illusion of government vs corporations is just an excuse to trick people into yielding their rights to corporations. The government-corporate conglomerate is absolutely corrupt. The job of the government is to spread and enforce capitalism, violently across the globe, and reap profits for the rich.

      It's really corporations vs people's rights.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
    • +3
      shanklinmike  
    • noxidereus:

      It's a free society vs a not free society.

      I agree, corporations are given government protectionism, I call for an end to that.

      The problem is, people believe in a society that has the right to use threats of violence on others. In democracy, the town would have to vote on your marriage.

      "Sorry noxiderous, it was a close call, but we ruled against your marriage 8 to 5. Better luck next time."

      Democracy wins but Freedom loses. What we need to strive for is a freer society, on all levels. Government is nothing but disorganized force, not peace and prosperity.

    • 1 year ago
  • ScottyT
  • toyotabedzrock
  • shanklinmike
  • toyotabedzrock
  • noxidereus
  • shanklinmike
  • dariusvons
    • 0
      dariusvons  
    • shanklinmike:

      libertarianism is BOTH conservative AND liberal, NOT one OR the other, and depends on the particular situation, and is the only party that recognizes individual choice on all matters rather than supporting the "party" view.

    • 1 year ago
  • dariusvons
  • dariusvons
    • 0
      dariusvons  
    • shanklinmike:

      socially liberal? what does that even mean? like I'd have sex with anyone? or I'd support socialism? I consider myself to be very conservative but still libertarian... meaning that while I MYSELF may choose to be/live a 'conservative' life style, I (unlike republicans) do NOT believe that YOU should have to live the same way I do. to me THAT'S what socially liberal means. but you may not agree, so I ask.

    • 1 year ago
  • toyotabedzrock
  • ScottyT
  • toyotabedzrock
  • ScottyT
    • +3
      ScottyT  
    • toyotabedzrock:

      So in addition to posting some crazy conspiratorial plot that the Koch brothers are funding the Cato institute to help sway influence over the liberal crowd, you're claiming that I can't read? If that were even true, that wouldn't change my views, or any other libertarian's view, that marijuana should be legal.

      Sounds like you have some issues, pal.

    • 1 year ago
  • CarlosIsDown
  • littlwarrior
    • +1
      littlwarrior  

    • We the people should make some noise on this, in whatever way you feel you can please find a way to tell face "hey, this is bullshit, you know and I know it, stop" they are a realativly young company they need slapped around a bit.

    • 1 year ago
  • Joe_Medina
    • +1
      Joe_Medina  
    • littlwarrior:

      Won't matter because when something like this about marijuana pops up "the people" are too brainwashed to know to speak up. What about "The Run from The Cure". That video has been around for years yet nobody gives a rat's ass as to even speak up about this. All i'm sayin is that when we need to speak up we always keep our mouth's shut.

    • 1 year ago
  • littlwarrior
  • im1mjrpain
  • FoosMaster
  • freshfish
  • noxidereus
  • shanklinmike
  • Omnomynous
    • +2
      Omnomynous  

    • No fair, I can't boycott it twice... And how are they going to be against marijuana legalization, and have an App called "Pot Farm"???

      They are stupid.

    • 1 year ago
  • unimatrix0
  • shanklinmike
  • thetrimsmith
  • ScottyT
  • AudioAgent
    • +1
      AudioAgent  
    • ScottyT:

      yeah, i'm keeping my fingers crossed for em as well. it'd be another option for sharing things, at the very least. it seems more and more of my real world interactions involve talking about some information posted on facebook....i never thought it would get to that back in 2004 when i joined

    • 1 year ago
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