"Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come
from the subjects of the government. The history of liberty is a history
of resistance. The history of liberty is a history of the limitation of
governmental power, not the increase of it."
President Woodrow Wilson, 1912
Welcome to the Imperial States of America, where the people are servants of a limitless government. A government that has given itself, and it's agents, the authority to impose tyrannical controls on the public in the name of safety, fairness, and equality. This did not happen overnight. It has taken many years for the power hungry Elite to transform the nation.
Thought Control
The most important instrument in a tyrant's toolbox is thought control, this includes censorship of the news and information available to the public. Today we have Congress demanding social media sites impose controls and limits on the use of their products. With the reasoning that Russian agents managed to influence the 2016 US Presidential election through the use of "fake" news, Congressional representatives from both parties wanted to know how Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter planned to stop the spread of such fake news stories. The Congressional committee had "expert" witnesses testify how social media could be used as a tool to foment a revolution against the US government. The social media companies, under direct pressure from Congress, acted swiftly and capriciously blocking and banning several prominent individuals and organizations.The first target of this social media censorship was Alex Jones and his site InfoWars. Alex Jones has been spreading his brand of conspiracy theories for about twenty years, first on the radio and later from his website. Many have accused him of racism, sensationalism, and fake news reporting. On the other hand, his website has millions of loyal subscribers that are convinced he's right. A discussion on the merits of his reporting and analysis is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he has the Right to express himself, to say what he believes is the truth. Nobody is qualified to determine if Alex Jones, or anyone else, is right or wrong. That determination is best left to consumers, who decide these things by spending their money.
Education Becomes Indoctrination
When education becomes indoctrination, both the past and the future are lost. It's been said many times, American high schools and universities have failed in their primary mission to educate students. Instead of intellectually challenging courses that impart some form of knowledge, wisdom, or practical usefulness, students are attending classes filled with strange, politically motivated, or even false content. Students are graduating from high priced universities and lack the basic skills needed to succeed in the workforce. School administrators, librarians, and other staff, have turned to banning books, banning the American flag, banning the wrong opinion, and have stopped teaching history or teach politicized versions of history. Of course, academicians have their favorite authors or subjects, for example almost all colleges teach Keynesian economics to the exclusion of all else; however, there needs to be some room for debate or at least an honest representation of alternative viewpoints. By limiting the exchange of ideas and teaching politically motivated doctrines, school are in effect brainwashing students. What will happen in the coming decades with our children being given a twisted understanding of the world and society? How will they be able to think for themselves, when they are constantly pressured to accept only certain ideas?
It is said that education starts at home, and if that is the case, a great many parents have failed to raise their children properly. It is not enough that schools push certain ideas onto their students, now we have multiple generations of college students that have been raised in an environment of fear and apprehension. In a recently published work "The Coddling of the American Mind", authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt explore the recent phenomenon of "safe spaces" and other strange occurrences on college campuses across the nation. Many college students have been sheltered to such a degree they feel their safety is threatened if they are faced by an idea they do not agree with. How can such individuals engage in an any sort of legitimate academic debate, if they feel threatened by the opposing opinions of other students? What will happen when such individuals enter the workforce and must discuss difficult topics with customers or other stakeholders? It seems Allan Bloom was correct when he published his famous work "The Closing of the American Mind" in 1987. The higher education system has failed our nation, and the students it was supposed to educate.
It is said that education starts at home, and if that is the case, a great many parents have failed to raise their children properly. It is not enough that schools push certain ideas onto their students, now we have multiple generations of college students that have been raised in an environment of fear and apprehension. In a recently published work "The Coddling of the American Mind", authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt explore the recent phenomenon of "safe spaces" and other strange occurrences on college campuses across the nation. Many college students have been sheltered to such a degree they feel their safety is threatened if they are faced by an idea they do not agree with. How can such individuals engage in an any sort of legitimate academic debate, if they feel threatened by the opposing opinions of other students? What will happen when such individuals enter the workforce and must discuss difficult topics with customers or other stakeholders? It seems Allan Bloom was correct when he published his famous work "The Closing of the American Mind" in 1987. The higher education system has failed our nation, and the students it was supposed to educate.
Hate Speech
Perhaps this is in the nature of a rhetorical question, but there is a correct answer. What is Hate Speech? It can be just about anything, or anything the Left decides it is. The definition is completely subjective, and recognizing Hate Speech is dependent on the beholder. One person's truthful and honest answer is another person's Hate Speech. This is the essence of political correctness; the truth is no longer good enough, we must sugar coat everything in order to make it acceptable to everyone, except to those that are interested in hearing the actual truth. It has become a slogan, or a rallying cry, to many well intentioned people on the Left to stop the dissemination of Hate Speech. Whether such speech is on social media, or in a debate in a college campus, or if it is a statement issued by a public figure, anything and everything can be declared Hate Speech if it does not conform to those viewpoints favored by progressives and liberals. Admittedly, there are many cases in which boorish individuals will say something obnoxious, rude, racist, or stupid; however, even the most innocent or factual statement can be declared Hate Speech if it does not conform to the certain subjective parameters set forth by people with a progressive agenda.
My own Facebook account was recently suspended, after I responded to a friend's post with a comical meme. My comment was declared to be Hate Speech by the Facebook department of totalitarian censorship. With no opportunity to respond, appeal, or argue my case, I have been declared a publisher of Hate Speech. I do not have the money nor the inclination to hire an attorney and fight this out in a court, but if I did I would win my case. It is very easy to declare something is Hate Speech, but it is much more difficult to actually prove it.
There is at least on ray of sunshine that has not been blocked by this dark cloud of politically correct Hate Speech hysteria, the Supreme Court has always declared the US Constitution protects the public from any Government limitation of Free Speech. The politicians may work through third parties, such as the aforementioned banning of Alex Jones by Facebook and other social media sites, but the Government is still prohibited from directly limiting Free Expression. The Court has unanimously declared Hate Speech is protected speech. The Justices in their wisdom realize that once started on this dark path of prohibiting speech because it may cause someone to feel uncomfortable, there will be no limit to such prohibitions. Perhaps it would be of great benefit to our society if the US Constitution and the concept of individual liberty were to once again become required reading in our high schools and colleges.
The Loss of Liberty, one step at a time
Government sanctioned Thought Control, Education that has become Indoctrination, and the new trend of declaring everything to be Hate Speech, are all forces that are eating away at the Freedom that Americans have taken for granted. The Founding Fathers of this nation, in their great wisdom, understood that without individual liberty a republic will quickly give way to kings, tyrants, and other forms of authoritarian governments that will put their own good before the good of the people. The people of the United States have enjoyed a degree of liberty and freedom that is unique to our nation, we must not allow misguided people and ideas to erode those freedoms in the cause of some imagined egalitarian future.
