The part about platforms as proxies really nails the mechanism. Governments don't need direct enforcement when they can just forward legal notices and let the psychological calcuation do the work. Reminds me of seeing similar dynamics with Section 230 debates where the threat itself becomes the tool, even when no law actually gets passed or enforced. The extraterritorial reach through watchlists and regional cooperation is the innovation here, makes any speech carry permanent travel risk.
We have freedom of speech, which is our business. We say whatever we want to say. If they want to stop their people from reading it, that's their business. Not my monkey, not my circus.
Alex, Good luck with your heart failure progress. Sounds like you are ahead of it all...will monitor with you have cared for more than I can count.
As far as free speech, that is far more important than those places, all of which I have visited. They are heavily invested in tourism. You should see if you can leverage this either with State or otherwise so that they can change the risk level for travel. This would have a major and instant impact and I would bet would get a response. You need to invert the FAFO if possible. But good for you for proceeding ahead in support of what is important.
Keep it up. We cannot lose the fight for free speech. You know that there is a massive global effort to extinguish free speech. In fact, the US Constitution is probably in the crosshairs of every globalist. When you get right down to it, the US Constitution represents the only cure for tyranny that I know of. We must protect it at all cost.
If you never plan to go to Indonesia, Cambodia or Malaysia, consider leaving the post up.
If you plan to go to Indonesia, Cambodia, or Malaysia, consider going somewhere else that does not infringe on your freedom. This Substack article and any other (X) posts you make about it helps others think other travel options as well. If enough people decide not to vacation in Indonesia, Cambodia or Malaysia, maybe things will change back to how they were before.
What country/countries should folks consider travelling to instead?
If you must travel to these counties, it's a harder decision.
Don't bend. Don't need any of these countries. Their population tolerates it. So be it. Their choice. Always excellent well-thought out articles, nicely researched. Party on
To A. Muse: even if you remove the bikini post picture, they will regard you permanently as a threat, so it seems to me that you are permanently in jeopardy. That includes any country tied by economics or sympathies with that regime.
Similar event happened to a friend of a friend. A short trip to Nogales Mexico for shopping turned into a something worse. The friend divorced a local border patrol agent. That agent, out of spite flagged her as a person of interest. Not sure of the timeline but she was under the impression that she had been removed from the list. The shopping trip turned into her being held for hours, her vehicle was torn apart looking for drugs, and she was told later by USCP that even though she was not on an active list, an agent still saw her name and acted on it. Bottomline, I agree with Jesseca Elza, the damage is done by their response.
Keep your post, your voice, your free speech. Curtail travel to those shitty countries. They rely on tourism and this will harm them when a noticeable decrease in tourism happens. The ‘news’ was complaining about tourism being down and of course blaming Trump as usual. Good, let tourism go down and keep the terrorists and instigators out of our country. Let our citizens tour our beautiful country and not fear losing their free speech by visiting some tyrannical country.
The aim of terrorism is control. Therefore this a form of terrorism: Intimidate the speaker and chill their courage. Control them.
My answer? Fuck them. Move forward. Preserve your speech, courage, and sense of self.
Simply put - act in the manner of our forefathers by respecting the republic and the freedoms they created, some of which we are STILL fighting to protect in certain states.
To surrender our free speech right would be our utter undoing, under any circumstances. In that light, you cannot allow yourself to succumb to such intimidation, but should instead seek measures to counter attack.
One possibility would be to contact our State Dept., who could issue a “Travel Alert” for Indonesia. They are very dependent on tourism, (not to mention trade), in that neck of the woods, and a shot across the bow from the US that could result in putting a serious damper on that money stream might send a chill up THEIR spine.
But whatever you do, surrendering your free speech rights should never be an option, as all other rights will crumble as a result.
The part about platforms as proxies really nails the mechanism. Governments don't need direct enforcement when they can just forward legal notices and let the psychological calcuation do the work. Reminds me of seeing similar dynamics with Section 230 debates where the threat itself becomes the tool, even when no law actually gets passed or enforced. The extraterritorial reach through watchlists and regional cooperation is the innovation here, makes any speech carry permanent travel risk.
We have freedom of speech, which is our business. We say whatever we want to say. If they want to stop their people from reading it, that's their business. Not my monkey, not my circus.
Alex, Good luck with your heart failure progress. Sounds like you are ahead of it all...will monitor with you have cared for more than I can count.
As far as free speech, that is far more important than those places, all of which I have visited. They are heavily invested in tourism. You should see if you can leverage this either with State or otherwise so that they can change the risk level for travel. This would have a major and instant impact and I would bet would get a response. You need to invert the FAFO if possible. But good for you for proceeding ahead in support of what is important.
Is there some reason you would want to go to one of those three shitholes?
Well, damn! I guess I can't go now, either!
Good.
Keep it up. We cannot lose the fight for free speech. You know that there is a massive global effort to extinguish free speech. In fact, the US Constitution is probably in the crosshairs of every globalist. When you get right down to it, the US Constitution represents the only cure for tyranny that I know of. We must protect it at all cost.
Absolutely leave it up!
If you never plan to go to Indonesia, Cambodia or Malaysia, consider leaving the post up.
If you plan to go to Indonesia, Cambodia, or Malaysia, consider going somewhere else that does not infringe on your freedom. This Substack article and any other (X) posts you make about it helps others think other travel options as well. If enough people decide not to vacation in Indonesia, Cambodia or Malaysia, maybe things will change back to how they were before.
What country/countries should folks consider travelling to instead?
If you must travel to these counties, it's a harder decision.
Don't bend. Don't need any of these countries. Their population tolerates it. So be it. Their choice. Always excellent well-thought out articles, nicely researched. Party on
To A. Muse: even if you remove the bikini post picture, they will regard you permanently as a threat, so it seems to me that you are permanently in jeopardy. That includes any country tied by economics or sympathies with that regime.
Similar event happened to a friend of a friend. A short trip to Nogales Mexico for shopping turned into a something worse. The friend divorced a local border patrol agent. That agent, out of spite flagged her as a person of interest. Not sure of the timeline but she was under the impression that she had been removed from the list. The shopping trip turned into her being held for hours, her vehicle was torn apart looking for drugs, and she was told later by USCP that even though she was not on an active list, an agent still saw her name and acted on it. Bottomline, I agree with Jesseca Elza, the damage is done by their response.
Who’s to say you’re safe to travel there after you remove it? Once flagged the damage is done?
Keep your post, your voice, your free speech. Curtail travel to those shitty countries. They rely on tourism and this will harm them when a noticeable decrease in tourism happens. The ‘news’ was complaining about tourism being down and of course blaming Trump as usual. Good, let tourism go down and keep the terrorists and instigators out of our country. Let our citizens tour our beautiful country and not fear losing their free speech by visiting some tyrannical country.
Never give in to intimidation. Do NOT take it down.
I agree with the comment that you should report this to the State department.
The aim of terrorism is control. Therefore this a form of terrorism: Intimidate the speaker and chill their courage. Control them.
My answer? Fuck them. Move forward. Preserve your speech, courage, and sense of self.
Simply put - act in the manner of our forefathers by respecting the republic and the freedoms they created, some of which we are STILL fighting to protect in certain states.
Fight, fight, fight!
To surrender our free speech right would be our utter undoing, under any circumstances. In that light, you cannot allow yourself to succumb to such intimidation, but should instead seek measures to counter attack.
One possibility would be to contact our State Dept., who could issue a “Travel Alert” for Indonesia. They are very dependent on tourism, (not to mention trade), in that neck of the woods, and a shot across the bow from the US that could result in putting a serious damper on that money stream might send a chill up THEIR spine.
But whatever you do, surrendering your free speech rights should never be an option, as all other rights will crumble as a result.
"One possibility would be to contact our State Dept..."
That is as good idea. I wonder what Marco Rubio would think.
Once upon a time, American citizens who had been seized by foreign powers under circumstances you describe
could anticipate a US Navy battle group to come knocking. More importantly, the foreign power could, too, and would stifle its impulses.
You make an excellent case for the exercise of raw power by one’s state as a benefit of citizenship.