No one is going to Balkanize the internet over Parler. Just because Parler is near and dear to the readership on this site doesn't mean anyone else is going to make moves because of what's happening to it.
HN is for discussing ideas even when they do not affect us directly.
But I firmly believe in the principle of free speech and not stifling discourse.
And no, not just over Parler. But maybe over Twitter bannings. And Facebook bannings. And Parler. And deplatforming. Eventually people will build their own internet you can't control, and continue to talk. How will you feel about that? Let's say for sake of argument that that occurs, that a whole segment of society builds their own hardware infrastructure that the tech giants do not control and cannot shut down. What would you want to happen?
The government has nothing to do with it.
Even if we all lived in anarchy, free speech would still be a thing.