US Senator Rand Paul has called a seven-day YouTube ban a “badge of honour,” adding that “leftwing cretins” barred him from the service after he quoted “two peer-related articles” that questioned the effectiveness of cloth masks.
Paul revealed his ban on Tuesday in a conversation with reporters, accusing Big Tech of acting like an arm of the government in censoring speech, even constitutionally protected speech on the Senate floor.
“YouTube and Google, have become an entity so huge that they think they are the arbitrator of truth,” the eye surgeon said of the ban.
“As a libertarian-leaning Senator, I think private companies have the right to ban me if they want to, but I think it is really anti-free speech, anti-progress of science, which involves scepticism and argumentation to arrive at the truth.”
In the video, which can be viewed below, Paul cites two scientific studies that prove cloth masks have no effect on halting the spread of coronaviruses.
“Saying cloth masks work, when they don’t, actually risks lives, as someone may choose to care for a loved one with COVID while only wearing a cloth mask. This is not only bad advice but also potentially deadly misinformation,” Paul urges in the video.
Forsided, 11.08.2021