Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got…

A Word of Appreciation

Before we get the party started, I’d like to thank earhartam for filling in last week while I was having technical difficulties.

A Word of Caution

To those among us who are cheering the Unpersoning of Alex Jones: DON’T. The man is a kook, and scum of the earth to be sure. HOWEVER, he was also specifically selected to be a low-controversy “test case”  for rolling out these new tactics. I know how the Left rolls a hell of a lot better than most of you do, living in the belly of the beast, and having grown up among the local elites, educated alongside their children and groomed from an early age in that environment to become one of them. If you heard how they refer to Useful Idiot “house conservatives” amongst themselves when y’all AREN’T within earshot…

Let me remind you all of the words of Martin Niemoeller…

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out–
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out–
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out–
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out–
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me–
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

In short, when the combined social-media troop of gorillas of Facebook, Google/Alphabet Inc./Youtube, Disqus and Instagram all gang up to suppress any ONE voice, they can do it again to ANYONE’s voice. If this stands uncontested today, what’s to stop Disqus from declaring Salem Townhall a “hate site” and deplatforming US tomorrow? (Note to editors: If I was you guys, I’d start seriously looking at a Plan B company-wide rather than continued blind faith in the now openly malicious Facebook and Disqus comment-platforms… especially over at Bearing Arms with all the Rabid Militant Hoplophobia that’s spreading like a cancer of stupidity.)

This Week In History

• Sunday, 8/12: Washington predicts British New York strategy, 1776; FDR-Churchill “Atlantic Bridge” conference, 1941; discovery of “Sue,” largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus yet found, 1990
• Monday, 8/13: Swamp Fox ambushes Tories near Charleston, 1781; Grant begins Deep Bottom Run campaign, 1864; Berlin Wall goes up, 1961
• Tuesday, 8/14: First Alaska settlement, 1784; Confederates invade Kentucky, 1862; V-J Day announced in Japan, 1945; Seventh Marines land at Chu Lai, 1965
• Wednesday, 8/15: Ford leaves Edison for automaking, 1899; Panama Canal opens, 1914; Woodstock, 1969
• Thursday, 8/16: Gates routed at Camden, 1780; Carmack discovers Klondike gold, 1896; Gen. Wainwright, highest-ranking WWII US POW, freed, 1945
• Friday, 8/17: First blood for Billy the Kid, 1877; Carlson’s Raiders hit Makin Island, 1942; Patton wins race to Messina, 1943
• Saturday, 8/18: Jay Treaty signed, 1795; 19th Amendment ratification grants women the vote, 1920; Larry Bird hangs up his sneakers, 1992

Today’s Birthdays: Cattleman John Chisum, 1824; chef Julia Child, 1912; author-activist Phyllis Schlafly, 1924.

Holidays Around the World: Poland observes Armed Forces Day. It’s Independence Day in both Koreas, the Congo and India.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Gratuitous Gun Giveaways

• *American Handgunner magazine, for a Glock 34 Gen 5 MOS pistol with red-dot sight or SCCY CPX-3 pistol package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for a North American Arms NAA-22 .22LR derringer, Savage MSR 15 Valkyrie rifle or Kahr .22LR Snapshot rifle package: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a Beretta M9A3 or APX 9mm pistol (ENDS TODAY!): https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• Aero Precision, for a custom AR15: http://gvwy.io/v0sxsis
• GrabAGun, for a Kimber K6s stainless .357 Magnum revolver: http://grabagun.com/giveaway
• Springfield Armory, for one of 25 XD-S Mod.2 9mm pistol packages (one a day, 8/1-8/25): https://www.springfield-armory.com/giveaways/

*Note: FMG Publishing giveaways require you to provide an FFL dealer’s info at entry. Aero Precision and Primary Arms giveaways give me one entry each per person who uses my referral link.

HELP WANTED!

The Watercooler has a job to do and maybe a job for YOU! It’s nothing really complicated, just about 400-600 words on whatever’s caught your attention that day; doesn’t have to be anything big, just maybe summarize and link a few things that grabbed your eye and add a dash of your own commentary. We’re pretty open about letting individual contributors develop their own individual styles; no AP or SPJ Style Manual horse-puckey here, just write whatever you have inside you bursting to get out that day. Right now The Watercooler is being mostly carried on ONE contributor’s back, and with her having to crank out four a week at the moment this cannot be maintained.

Please direct inquiries into the Comment Thread.

Public Service Announcement for “Sanctuary State” Residents
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Quote of the Day

All you need to know to understand the SJW/Hardcore Haterader mind:

“Being offended gives them a sense of moral superiority. It does not matter what they’re *actually* offended about.”
–“Kungfu Dinobot”

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. And as so eloquently coined by ntrepid, “Thanks for the click! Your effort helps fund future posts of this nature.”

Copyright Diamondback, 2018; publication license granted exclusively to RedState. If you’re reading this anywhere BUT RedState, you are seeing STOLEN PROPERTY. Opinions expressed in the preceding piece are solely those of the author and in no way reflect on those of the staff, advertisers, management or owners of RedState, Townhall Media or Salem Communications.

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