It's been a while since we've checked in with one of heavy metal's most famous (or infamous) libertarians, All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte. Labonte is not exactly a Donald Trump supporter, but it doesn't sit well with Labonte that the sitting U.S. president has been barred from social media. In fact, he thinks this is enough cause for the Governor of his state, New Hampshire, to trigger the dissolution of the United States of America.
No, seriously. Labonte posted this letter he sent to his governor on social media. The letter states:
January 9, 2021 at 13:03
Governor Sununu,
I am writing to express my support for an Article V Convention as outlined in the United States Constitution. There are multiple social media platforms and service providers that are, as I type this, in the process of purging libertarian and conservative voices, including President Donald J Trump While I am under no illusion about the right of a private company to have sole discretion over who is and is not allowed to use their services. I believe this action is part of a broader attempt to silence views that less than a decade ago would be considered entirely anodyne. The silencing of any voices, even those that would express truly abhorrent opinions, is a far greater threat to our country than those opinions themselves.I am not a supporter of President Trump. I did not vote for him, but this looming threat of censorship is far bigger than one president's Twitter account. I believe, and fear, that the violence that occurred in Washington D.C. on January 6th is only a taste of what is likely to come in our country. The suppression of opinions deemed unacceptable and the efforts to censor are indicative of, whoa seem me to be, irreconcilable differences – and I worry that it could further add fuel to the fire.
There is no reason we must be ruled by a central government so far removed from the needs and concerns of so many different people and cultures spread so for across this country. The political opponents of those who are being silenced have expressed a strong desire to ensure that they will be able to force through their own political agenda that entirely disregards the opinions of small government liberty minded people like myself. I believe ifs better that we hove a convention and dissolve the union entirely a peaceful and constitutional manner than to be forced to live under what by any standard can be called tyranny.
I have lived in NH for a decade now. I moved here from Massachusetts due to what I felt are overbearing and unreasonable laws. Should the Federal Government act on the promises of the incoming administration there will be no place to move to that will offer sanctuary.
I voted for you Governor, please support an Article V Convention to either bring the Federal Government back in line with its Constitutional limits or abolish the United States entirely.
Sincerely, Philip S. Labonte. Hnsdale, NH
It should be noted Freedom of Speech only protests that speech from government censorship. Private companies are not obliged to follow Freedom of Speech. In fact, what Twitter did is exactly the type of thing Trump is fighting to get passed by overturning Section 230.
[Thanks for the tip, Jordan U.]
