Alternative POV: your permanent *speech* record is unimportant. Speech is not action, and there’s nothing you could say on nostr that isn’t protected by the First Amendment. 

But what about the UK, or even the US apparatchiks like Tim Walz who want to criminalize dissent as “misinformation?” Surely it’s dangerous to say things on nostr that might one day be connected to your real life identity?

No it is not. If some communist is going to get you for saying Kamala Harris is a moron, then they will get you for anything or nothing at all. The day I can be arrested for my nostr posts, the answer will not be to hide in anonymity and hope someone else — someone dumb enough to attach his real identity or unlucky enough to have his keys compromised — gets got instead. 

I really don’t like the ethos of: “Oh no, I can’t pretend I didn’t say what I said!” 

How about: 

"I said what I fucking said because I earnestly believed it at the time, and I either stand by it now or I realize I was in error and I no longer stand by it, though it was said in earnest, and it was an honest mistake."

The people who are worried they’ll be arrested for free speech don’t really believe in free speech. The people who will only say what they truly believe anonymously don’t really believe in free speech. 

They believe one *should* have the right to free speech in an ideal society, but in the present one it doesn’t exist and therefore they won’t avail themselves of it. 

But your rights don’t come from society. They come from nature, God, the Tao, whatever. 

If you believe in free speech, you use it. And yes, I get it, if you’re in North Korea, you wouldn’t, and that’s fine. But if you’re intimidated by speaking the truth because you might get found out, God forbid, for earnestly expressing yourself by the UK loser police, you are not really for free speech. Not when it has even a small risk, a small cost. 

So if you want free speech to exist, speak freely, stop fomenting fear, have courage. 

Sorry, not meaning to pick on this particular npub — this is a common theme on this otherwise based protocol. 
nostr:note1zt4rwuqptz7pn83ktled5k5q9fp8v3x4krjv4trwh6xsnequ6qdq4q7nhj 

 💯 

 Yeah, nah.

Easy to take those shots when you're safe behind the First Amendment.

For the rest of the world, doxxing oneself as a dissident is doing the security forces' work for them.

I'm not bulletproof, and I can't help my kids learn about the system if I'm dragged off into the night for posting the wrong meme at the wrong time.
 

 You think tyrannical regimes only persecute dissidents? They persecute regular people all the time for any or no reason. How many people died in communist China or Stalinist Russia? All dissidents?

The truth is free speech is fatal to autocratic regimes which is why they ban it. The *only* defense is to speak up. Yes, if you go first you might increase your risk. But if no one goes first, everyone is doomed.  

 Tyrannical regimes pick their battles.

If you're outwardly compliant, useful and unexceptional, chances are you will live a long life.

 We need to pick our battles, too.

Tyrannical regimes don't die at the touch of truth and free speech. They die when regime security forces stand aside and let a mob storm Dear Leader's palace.

That requires a lot of speech. Over a long period of time. Anonymous speech is best speech. 

 That's only the case in the US and EU where Assange and Snowden got got, but everyone else can mostly keep their heads down and be fine. In autocratic countries, tens of millions who kept their heads down were murdered.

The security forces only stand aside when the writing is on the wall. But they won’t be reading it if no one’s posting it. 
 

 Truth. And no one is posting it from prison. 

 But you will only go to prison for dissenting if you didn’t dissent in time. And then others who didn’t even dissent will soon join you.  

 That ship sailed. In 1788 :D

There will be future opportunities, but too soon is as failed as too late. 

 Disagree strongly. People speaking up is why so many of the covid measures had to be shelved. It’s never too early or too late. Some people will get got, of course, but you could also be a compliant shill and get a heart attack from the mRNA. No one knows what will happen. But you do know what you believe is true and you can say it.  

 That girl in Ballarat got dragged off into the night in front of her kids for sh-tposting on FB during lockdown.

IDK if they let her out again, but I wish she'd used Tor and a pseudonym. Freedom tech protects freedom. 

 I'm enjoying following you, Chris, but I'm going to respectfully somewhat disagree with you here. Call me spinless or whatever, but I'm not going to be coerced to put my ass on the line for "the greater good" if it's not my desire to do so. I choose to live free, and that means living how I choose.