Ahhhh Twitter!! Such an interesting social media site it is! Where else can you watch Twitter tantrums by Donald Trump? Where else can you track accounts that showcase the beheading and terror horrors that is ISIS, or the accounts by those in Iran who, if you pay close enough attention and have even a remote grasp on reality – you’d see that Iran really and truly hates us – Deal or No Deal.

In other words, Twitter is THE place to have your say in 140 characters or less! Free Speech at its finest RIGHT?? Well….it was. Until this happened:

On Friday, Twitter suspended the account of Robert Stacy McCain, a conservative blogger and dogged critic of feminism, apparently without warning or explanation. This has led, in true Twitter fashion, to protests under the hashtag #FreeStacy.

Yes, that’s right. Stacy McCain’s Twitter account was arbitrarily suspended. To date he’s received zero communication from Twitter as to what was so heinous about his tweets or account that would lead to such a suspension. Keep in mind that in some ways, heck in many ways, Stacy is a polarizing creature. He is blunt – sometimes REALLY REALLY blunt about his views. Yet somehow he’s managed to attract around 80,000 followers on Twitter.

In my opinion it’s because he’s a take no prisoners kind of guy when it comes to defending this country, the Constitution, expressing his extreme disgust for political correctness and what passes for feminism these days. Do I always agree with what he’s said or tweeted? Heck no! Do I get my shorts in such a knot that I demand his account be banned. Nope – I like to think I’m grownup enough and realistic enough to decide when or if I want to engage or just walk away. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem the case for a certain group within the Twitter corporation.

Remember a few days ago, when Twitter elevated anti-GamerGate leader Anita Sarkeesian to its “Trust and Safety Council,” an imperious-sounding committee with Robespierre-esque powers to police discussion on the social media platform? The goal, according to Twitter, was to make it easier for users to express themselves freely and safely.

Is it just me or does the title Trust and Safety Council have a rather dictatorial ring to it? Here’s something else to keep in mind regarding this “council.”

Only a few weeks earlier, Twitter had announced the creation of a “Trust and Safety Council,” to which it appointed Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist known for denouncing “sexism” in video games, a prominent figure in the Gamergate controversy—and oh yes, a frequent target of criticism from McCain. So it sure looks like the moment Twitter gave Sarkeesian the power to do so, she started blackballing her critics.

Things that make you go HMMMMMM. So what happened next? The #FreeStacy hashtag started trending in a huge way on Friday night. For a little while anyway…

Naive I guess, but I didn't know Twitter manipulated hashtags & trends like this #FreeStacy https://t.co/SzDrroQW1l pic.twitter.com/xsrxsGyb6T

— LauraB in MN (@LauraBxd) February 20, 2016

And that’s the thing… it looks highly suspicious that Twitter is playing favorites and games behind the scenes. In fact many are pointing that out via Twitter, Facebook, and even Youtube.

Reason’s Robby Soave points out that Twitter can certainly do what they want to keep their brand strong and their customer base happy…

Did Twitter's Orwellian 'Trust and Safety' Council Get Robert Stacy McCain Banned? https://t.co/KDpJWbi6b1 pic.twitter.com/DmV7C3q23J

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) February 20, 2016

As of today, Stacy no longer has any Twitter accounts associated with him live and active.

@instapundit shocking that Twitter does this without telling the "offender" what rule they think he/she has broken.

— Ronna McNamara (@RonnaMcnamara) February 22, 2016

And therein lies the rub.

Two accounts have been banned and neither Twitter nor its creepy Orwellian Trust And Safety Council of watchers are forthcoming with an explanation as to what exactly landed him into hot water. Yet we are supposed to believe this from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey?

Twitter stands for freedom of expression, speaking truth to power, and empowering dialogue. That starts with safety. https://t.co/PbEoM1lCyb

— Jack (@jack) February 9, 2016

• “Twitter stands for freedom of expression,”:   I guess that all depends upon what the definition of acceptable is.
• “speaking truth to power,”: Am I not the only one that is experiencing a 60’s protest movement flashback with that phrase?
• “and empowering dialogue.”:  Great! On whose terms and what criteria?
• “That starts with safety.”:  Safety for whom? Who will be determining what speech, what freedom of expression, and what dialogue is safe? Who is deciding the guidelines and criteria for this particular type of “safety” for free speech?

In establishing this Trust and Safety Council it seems disturbingly evident that Twitter has forgotten the very meaning of the word freedom. They’ve forgotten that the success of their platform is because of Freedom of Speech. If Twitter continues on this path of arbitrarily removing someone’s right to free speech because someone else wasn’t feeling “safe,” due to the dissenting opinion expressed; then I can only suppose that the company is no longer a fan of anyone’s 1st Amendment rights to Free Speech… including their own.