Last summer, Jesse Kelly predicted that the de-platforming of a fringe media personality like Alex Jones was merely a trial run for banning mainstream conservatives, libertarians, and populists from social media.

Exhibit A for the accuracy of this prediction is Jesse Kelly himself.

Similarly, perhaps the shenanigans in Broward County, Fla., Arizona, California, and elsewhere in the 2018 midterm elections constituted a trial run for the 2020 presidential contest.

A Marine Corps combat veteran and Houston-based talk show host, Kelly made these observations about free speech or lack thereof in The Federalist in August 2018.

“The leftists will not stop (and did not stop) at nutty Alex Jones, because they do not think you are much different from him…They just knew Jones was the weak member of the herd. They could pick him off as a test run. Next they’re coming for you.,.The same people who ceded control of public education, the federal bureaucracy, the media, movies, and music to the left have once again found another hill not worth dying on. ‘It’s only social media,’ they say. Yeah, fear not. Around 2.5 billion people use Facebook and Twitter. What’s the worst that can happen if we just let the left have them?…We need to stop whistling past the graveyard and realize the left is seeking total victory. They do not want to compete in a marketplace of ideas. Their goal is to silence dissenting voices.”

On Sunday, Twitter abruptly permanently suspended Jesse Kelly for unspecified rules violations without providing an explanation.

Shortly after his article hit the Internet, former congressional candidate Jesse Kelly discussed the censorship with FNC’s Tucker Carlson, likening it to modern-day book burning.

U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, a vocal Never Trumper in the GOP, backed Kelly even they disagree on politics.

“Jesse Kelly can’t stand me. And I think his tribal war scalping stuff is stupid and wrong. But that doesn’t matter much compared to the bigger picture here: The trend of de-platforming and shutting down speech is a bad precedent for our free speech society.”

While most individuals on the right of the political spectrum, generally aren’t proponents of government intervention into the economy, the selective attempts by social networks to silence political speech online has convinced many that the tech sector cries out for regulation.

For different reasons, even some progressives have concluded that regulation is necessary.

With rare exceptions, social networks seldom subject those on the left to suspensions, shadowbanning,  throttling, de-platforming, or de-monetization  even in instances of hate speech.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Twitter also permanently suspended controversial conservative firebrand Laura Loomer. Loomer, who was also hit with a 30-day Facebook ban,  is considering a lawsuit against Twitter, the Washington Times reported.

Journalist Michelle Malkin gives her perspective on this development.

In this video, Loomer confirmed that she will sue Twitter.