I totally support free speech. I don't see having a moderated discussion about a particular topic.
I also don't see banning accounts who have a history of trying to give us bad optics. You will never be able to conclusively prove that an account is a paid shill, because a dedicated troll could easily be doing it for the lulz. There is nothing wrong with banning both of these types of accounts as the two are indistinguishable.
Look into the post and comment histories of the account I think need to go and you will see the pattern clearly. Make no mistake about it: powerful interests are bent on having the Internet be a place where dissenting voices lose the privilege of speaking. They pay people to go into forums and ruin them; I am convinced of that.
I totally support free speech. I don't see having a moderated discussion about a particular topic.
I also don't see banning accounts who have a history of trying to give us bad optics. You will never be able to conclusively prove that an account is a paid shill, because a dedicated troll could easily be doing it for the lulz. There is nothing wrong with banning both of these types of accounts as the two are indistinguishable.
Look into the post and comment histories of the account I think need to go and you will see the pattern clearly. Make no mistake about it: powerful interests are bent on having the Internet be a place where dissenting voices lose the privilege of speaking. They pay people to go into forums and ruin them; I am convinced of that.