Neither Side is Safe: Twitter Suspensions Hit Both the Political Left and Right

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Garland Nixon and Lee Stranahan talk with guests from both sides of the political aisle who have recently been suspended on Twitter. What is the standard for who maintains the ability to post on social media, and is a criticism of establishment narratives the common denominator in many of these situations?

Guests:

Peter Boykin - Founder of 'Gays for Trump' & Former Candidate for Statehouse in North Carolina | Twitter Censorship on the Political Right 

Jamie Lovegrove - Political Reporter for the Post and Courier | Scenes from the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention

Elizabeth Beck - Miami-Based Plaintiff Lawyer | Twitter Censorship on the Political Left 

Joe Lauria - Editor-in-Chief at Consortium News | Why Did Trump Call Off Military Action Against Iran? 

Francis Boyle - Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois | The Danger of US-Iran Tension Continuing to Escalate & John Bolton's History 

Peter Boykin, Founder of the organization 'Gays for Trump,' has had both his personal and business accounts on Twitter suspended while receiving minimal feedback from the popular Social Media company. Boykin joins today's show to talk about why he believes he has had his accounts censored on Twitter, how social media companies should be regulated regarding freedom of speech, and how this type of censorship can interfere with how individuals and businesses are able to make money. 

Over the weekend, many of the 2020 Democratic Presidential hopefuls made their way to Columbia, South Carolina for the 2019 South Carolina Democratic Party Convention. Jamie Lovegrove, a Political Reporter for the Post and Courier, attended the Convention, and he returns to 'Fault Lines' to discuss how the different candidates were received by the crowd, the major issues that were discussed, demographics of Democratic Primary voters in South Carolina, and which candidates are being considered serious contenders to win the nomination. 

Similar to Peter Boykin, but on the other side of the political aisle, Miami-Based Plaintiff Lawyer Elizabeth Beck has also had her personal Twitter account recently suspended. Beck joins the show to talk about the vague nature of the rules and terms of service on social media sites, how these companies work in tandem with the government to control speech, how criticism of some politicians is okay but not of others, and the status of the lawsuit against the DNC regarding the 2016 Democratic Primary election.

Following the downing of an unmanned US drone by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, President Trump nearly took retaliatory military action against Iran but opted against such a move just minutes before a strike was set to occur. Joe Lauria, Editor-in-Chief at Consortium News, joins Garland and Lee to discuss why Trump decided against taking this military action, Mike Pence and John Bolton's roles in the foreign policy decision making of the Trump administration, and why paying attention to mainstream media reporting can be useful for understanding what the government wants the public to believe about certain events.

For the final segment, the hosts are joined by Francis Boyle, a Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois, for a conversation about the current US-Iran dynamic and how the Trump administration has been handling recent events involving the two countries. They also talk about John Bolton's career history and understanding of foreign policy, how close the US and Iran just came to starting a major military conflict, and the dangerous potential implications if tensions continue to escalate.

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