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Source: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File
Youtube has taken down a music video that criticized President Joe Biden for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan because the clip included graphic images of violence from the Taliban.
Grammy-nominated singer John Ondrasik’s song, “Blood on My Hands,” had more than 250,000 views before its removal, a move the singer claimed was an attempt to stifle free speech.
The video referred to Biden as “Uncle Joe,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken as “Winkin’ Blinken” and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley as “Willy Milley.'”
Ondrasik shared to Twitter the news that his video had been taken down and included a statement about the incident.
“Before posting, I placed a ‘Graphic Warning’ disclaimer at the front of the video to let the audience know that the content would not be suitable for younger audiences due to images of Taliban atrocities,” he said in his statement. “YouTube reviewed the video and inserted a child content restriction which I appreciated and found appropriate.” I have just received notification that @YouTube has taken down the Blood on My Hands – White House Docu-Music video. pic.twitter.com/SIFy13ftE4 — John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) January 7, 2022 He noted that Youtube censored the video, as it was racking up views, over its violation of the platform’s “graphic content policy,” just five days after the clip was posted.
The singer said Youtube’s attempt to censor him was a “gross injustice” and a danger to anyone who values the freedom of expression.
“To not show said Taliban atrocities in any artistic statement on Afghanistan would be a gross injustice to the victims and enable the Taliban’s ongoing persecution of 40 million Afghan citizens,” Ondrasik said. “That YouTube took down the video after 5 days, as it was growing in reach, should concern anyone who values free speech and advocacy for humanitarian […]
Will America-First News Outlets Make it to 2023?
Things are looking grim for conservative and populist news sites.
There’s something happening behind the scenes at several popular conservative news outlets. 2021 was bad, but 2022 is proving to be disastrous for news sites that aren’t “playing ball” with the corporate media narrative. It’s being said that advertisers are cracking down, forcing some of the biggest ad networks like Google and Yahoo to pull their inventory from conservative outlets. This has had two major effects. First, it has cooled most conservative outlets from discussing “taboo” topics like Pandemic Panic Theater, voter fraud, or The Great Reset. Second, it has isolated those ad networks that aren’t playing ball.
Certain topics are anathema for most ad networks. Speaking out against vaccines or vaccine mandates is a certain path to being demonetized. Highlighting voter fraud in the 2020 and future elections is another instant advertising death penalty. Throw in truthful stories about climate change hysteria, Critical Race Theory, and the border crisis and it’s easy to understand how difficult it is for America-First news outlets to spread the facts, share conservative opinions, and still pay the bills.
Without naming names, I have been told of several news outlets who have been forced to either consolidate with larger organizations or who have backed down on covering certain topics out of fear of being “canceled” by the ad networks. I get it. This is a business for many of us and it’s not very profitable. Those of us who do this for a living are often barely squeaking by, so loss of additional revenue can often mean being forced to make cuts. That means not being able to cover the topics properly. Its a Catch-22: Tell the truth and lose the money necessary to keep telling the truth, or avoid the truth and make enough money to survive. Those who have chosen survival simply aren’t able to spread the truth properly.
We will never avoid the truth. The Lord will provide if it is His will. Our job is simply to share the facts, spread the Gospel, and educate as many Americans as possible while exposing the forces of evil.
To those who have the means, we ask that you please donate. We have options available now, but there is no telling when those options will cancel us. We have our GivingFuel page. There have been many who have been canceled by PayPal, but for now it’s still an option. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker