I’ve never been much for censorship, in spite of the fact that I disagree with some of the more despicable statements out there. I’ve also been in favor of private businesses determining what looks best on their personal property. However, Facebook has finally crossed the line with its censorship with a measure that is not only unpatriotic but downright un-American.

I woke up early this morning, Memorial Day, and hopped on the social media site to see what friends have been up to. One of my friends, Darrell Sanders, posted a link to a video showing images of people paying tribute to and mourning for our fallen veterans. The grief and the loss was palpable as photo after photo appeared of tear-stained faces and caskets draped with American flags.

Normally, when someone posts a link to something on Facebook, there’s a photo or screenshot teasing what folks will see if they click on said link. However, in this case, the image was covered up by a statement that the link contains “sensitive content.”

Really? Have we truly become such a weak society that the mere images of the consequences of war might trigger someone casually scrolling down the page. Are the sights of the red, white and blue and people in uniform really considered offensive by people today?

Darrell, who is among the millions of brave men and women who have stepped up and defended this country’s freedom at great risk to their own lives, took note of the image being covered up and labeled as sensitive, saying, “I’m sorry fb thinks memorializing our fallen should be masked. Please push ‘see video.’” He’s always been a kind and gentle person, so it’s the kind of statement I’d expect from him.

As for me, I’d like to send a fleet of U-Hauls to Facebook headquarters so that Mark Zuckerberg and all the folks who spend their time mangling the First Amendment rights and placing masks on what people see and hear can pack up their stuff and move to another country, perhaps one where the soldiers are not as revered as they are here in America. I hear Russia is lovely this time of year, and they totally dig censorship.

This action spits on the grave of everyone who died in a uniform and who spent their last ounce of strength ensuring that we’re allowed to be free. We’ve already had an era of history where we belittled and demeaned our armed services.

It was not that long ago where soldiers fighting in Vietnam were met with spitting, shouting war protesters that blamed them for the war instead of the country’s leadership that took the action. Since then, we’ve taken great pains to make sure that someone who dons green or blue and works to preserve freedom is not condemned for following orders or doing something unpleasant to ensure that we have the right to be here and enjoy what we have.

It’s one thing to shut down Facebook accounts that show sexual acts or grievous violence. It’s quite another to take on the role of a helicopter mom and determine what we should or should not see, watch, observe, listen and learn. People have the choice not to watch something that is uncomfortable or that they deem offensive. Let them make their own choices, especially with something so innocent.

To do such a thing on Memorial Day, especially since solemn reflection and respect for our fallen is key to the holiday, is incredibly heinous. Perhaps Zuckerberg and his white-out brigade would prefer for us to see the bastardization of the holiday, where everyone is grilling, camping, waterskiing and enjoying a three-day weekend. I don’t see Facebook covering up the photos of crystal blue lakes and hot dogs and hamburgers cooking over an open flame, after all.

To be honest, far too many people have forgotten about the meaning of Memorial Day, preferring to spend the whole time partying and forgetting that brave men and women fought for their right to party long before the Beastie Boys used the phrase in a song. I don’t begrudge people having a good time, but it’s hard enough to get people to think about what the price of freedom is without Facebook covering up the price tag.

The men and the women who made the ultimate sacrifice deserve better than to be buried in a social media black hole. This is not Hollywood in the 1940s, and fighting for freedom is not as romantic as the classic movies lead you to believe. Most of us out there have friends and family members who have served, and many of us will never see them again except in photos and videos. We should be allowed to see it and to share it with the world.

Facebook was once a place for people to reconnect with old friends and make new ones from all over the world, opening up new and interesting sights to see and points of view to be opened to. Now it is nothing more than a power-hungry arbiter of what is right and wrong. Facebook has taken one step too far in infringing on our rights, and it might be time to take a step back and wonder if the social media platform should join our fallen soldiers and be laid to rest—maybe in a forgotten pauper’s grave.

It would definitely be the epitome of irony.