I (Andy) am the social media dude in Elm Treason. 

Last Saturday morning, as I was starting to go through page posts and comments (as is my wont on early weekend mornings), I noticed that I could not react to comments from visitors.  Every time I clicked an emoji, it would instantly go away. 

I thought maybe it was a glitch in my computer. I couldn’t figure it out. 

Then, I realized I couldn’t comment either. In fact, I couldn’t do anything with the account.

That’s when the sad reality hit me: Bobby and I had been restricted by Facebook from being able to use our own page. We started getting messages from the Offices of Zuckbook in big red letters confirming our temporary suspension.

And the reason? Because we had violated Facebook community policy. 

What were we doing exactly? Apparently, we were inciting and promoting violence. 

And how exactly did we do this? We quoted a Johnny Cash lyric on our post celebrating what would’ve been his 90th birthday on February 26. 

Yup.

We quoted a lyric from “Folsom Prison Blues” at the end of February. Two weeks later, we got busted. (Maybe some of you remember that post. Perhaps a lot of you commented on that post. I can’t help but wonder if you were actually incited to commit violence due to it invading your news feed as it did).

Yes, it took 14 days, but the artificial intelligence bots, with their digital jackboots tightly laced, with a determinative purpose to squelch and mold freedom of speech into their own corrupt corporate image, literally put us out of business for 48 hours. 

As you might imagine, I was beside myself. Bobby was incredulous. 

The absurdity was beyond quantification.

How on earth can they believe we were inciting violence? How could they believe we were promoting such a thing? For quoting a song lyric? Seriously?

The word “kill” triggered their fascist triggers, as in: 

When I Was Just A Baby, My Mama Told Me. Son,
Always Be A Good Boy; Don’t Ever Play With Guns.
But I Shot A Man In Reno Just To Watch Him Die.
When I Hear That Whistle Blowin’
I Hang My Head And Cry.

This, incited and promoted violence, so they told us.

Look, the Elm Treason Facebook page isn’t just a hobby for us. Yes, it is a meeting ground of people we have become friends with. Of fans. Of supporters. Of music lovers. It’s a space we adore. 

But it is also a business for us. 

We pay for ads to expose our music to new people. We occasionally have promotions so we can keep on doing what we do. 

Yet, just like that, Facebook decided we were a threat, that we violated community standards of some kind. 

No warning. No nothing.

And worst of all – by far – no recourse to appeal. 

None. 

Nada. 

Not an option. 

No possibility of pleading our case to get this violation removed from our account. (And yes, it matters… which I will explain in a minute).

I was literally chatting with Facebook representatives for nearly an hour. And after going round and round in circles, and being told to follow through with actions that would have been ignored by their honchos or had absolutely nothing to do with an appeal process, I was informed that there is no way to appeal these type of violations. 

So, even though Facebook was 100% wrong. They do not have to be held accountable for what they did to us. 

And what exactly did they do to us? 

This apparently is the second time we have violated community standards by promoting and inciting violence.  (News to us).

Supposedly, last September, we posted something that apparently was abhorrent to them. It was a funny meme. It was a picture of Jason Momoa, in make up, looking like he was burnt to a crisp, probably from some movie roll… And we made what we thought was a funny joke about Rob Zombie. It was funny. Many of you thought so at the time. 

That was a no no, apparently. That was strike one.

What happened on Saturday was strike two. 

And….. if we are tagged one more time, we apparently will be suspended for an extended period from our own business. 

As all of you know, we go out of our way to keep our page clean and free of controversy. We don’t talk politics. We don’t talk current events. And when other people decide to get nasty with each other, Bobby and I stay out of it. 

And now, we are one strike away from Lord knows what… 

And as we’ve come to find out, the Facebook fascists can do the same thing to a private group, not just a public page. Can you believe that?

The artificial intelligent bots, apparently, are everywhere. 

We know that many of you have been in Facebook jail for things that seem unbelievably innocuous and benign. We feel you. 

Yes, we are going to move forward with a private Facebook group. And yes, we will keep posting the things we post on our public page. This is actually the main reason why we do the newsletter as we do. 

There’s no telling when Facebook will close the curtain on us simply because they can.

Here’s a bit of advice: Do not use the word “kill” in any context on Zuckbook. 

Do not “kill” time on Facebook. 

Do not talk about your team “killing” the clock. 

Don’t talk about your band “killing it” with sales. 

Don’t talk about that migraine and how your badly your head is “killing” you.

And please… for heaven’s sake…. don’t EVER EVER post a lyric from a man who is singing about his regret for killing a man. It may cause millions of you to turn to violence.