You probably have already made your decision and I fervently hope that it is to continue Donald Trump’s ban from Facebook. I realize that Mr. Zuckerberg has dropped the hot potato in your laps.

I’m sure you realize that Donald Trump used the social media forum to incite a violent insurrection. During the 65 days between the election and the insurrection he fomented, he appeared on camera 28 times but 2200 times on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, every appearance used to de-legitimize the election.

I know world political figures like Alexey Navalny and Angela Merkel decried your decision to ban Trump 100 days ago. Under normal regulated media conditions like the US FCC fairness doctrine we once had, the onslaught of lies and misinformation would have been filtered. Millions of news consumers would not be sitting ducks to the worst of lies and misinformation.

Of course, Germany and Russia are quite different from one another and from our media circumstance. Disinformation in Germany is regulated by the Network Enforcement Act. Contrarily Navalny is fighting the kind of lies and propaganda that Putin and Donald Trump both are comfortable with. His very existence is threatened daily.

Since America abandoned media regulation, it makes little or no effort to correct the Trump propaganda that garnered 74 million votes for Trump in 2020. Neither does Germany have an unbridled national political party free to back up an autocratic figure like Trump and repeat his Big Lie.

With the proper oversight of the media and with true balance in news reporting, free speech could be permitted on social media, but clearly Trump is the equivalent of both starting a conflagration, and follow by yelling “fire” in a crowded forum.

He proved that by directing an insurrection on social media, complete with the logistics of the violent assault being worked out by thousands on social media. Do you want another such event on your hands? He still will use your forum to justify rebellion for the continued lie — that he won the election.

He is making that crystal clear. He is a clear and present threat to democracy. Any additional forum he is given can easily swing our country toward armed conflict.