Obama’s Folly: Censoring Americans
Thomas Hobbes, the great philosopher of absolute monarchy, laid down the basic rules according to which tyrants should control the thoughts and actions of their subjects. “For,” Hobbes wrote in his masterpiece, Leviathan, “the actions of men come from their opinions, and the way to govern men’s actions…is to govern their opinions.”
Therefore, the ruler must impose a rigorous censorship on all publications. He must select the censor — in Hobbes’s words, “who shall examine the doctrines of all books before they are published” – and must indicate acceptable and unacceptable ideas. In Hobbes’s ideal state it would be impossible for anyone to act against the ruler, because they could not even formulate the ideas that could underlie such an action.
No doubt all leaders have wished that one time or another that they could simply ban offensive or annoying ideas from the minds of their citizens, and even democratic leaders have tried to eliminate such words from the public square. “Hate speech” is now banned by force of law in many democratic countries, and, if its definition is sufficiently expansive, can be used to silence opponents. We see this at work in some of the recent efforts to silence administration critics by calling them “racists.” Racism falls under the “hate speech” rubric, therefore “racists” can be silenced.
Politicians aren’t the only ones who followed the Hobbesian rules of suppressing language they don’t want to hear. “Educators” have been doing the same thing for decades, with the foreseeable results: an increasingly ignorant population, with real knowledge replaced with politically correct stereotypes and myths. Have a look at this scary report.
Efforts of this sort usually don’t work very well in America, although they have been more successful in recent years. We’re very fractious people, we love to argue, and we don’t take kindly to efforts to muzzle us. Even newspapers and journalists who are normally sympathetic to President Obama get angry when they are locked out of major events, as they were at the nuclear security summit in Washington. This prompted the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank to erupt: “World leaders arriving in Washington for President Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit must have felt for a moment that they had instead been transported to Soviet-era Moscow.”
Ambitious censorship is still being challenged by the public at large, but it can work quite well on government employees. A restrictive speech code for government workers and officials could be extremely effective, for the simple reason that violators can be fired or exiled to small offices at the end of long corridors. We should be very concerned at the recent spectacle of the Obama administration attempting to eliminate certain words and phrases from American policy documents and statements concerning Islam. If the reports are accurate, our analysts and policymakers can’t use expressions like “radical Islam,” “Islamic extremists,” “Islamists,” and “Islamic terrorists.” As Barry Rubin quietly observes, this sort of censorship can have a devastating effect on both analysis and policy:
Suppose I’m an intelligence analyst in the State Department, Defense Department, armed forces, or CIA, and I’m writing about one of these groups or this ideology. How can one possibly analyze the power and appeal of this ideology, the way that ideas set its strategy and tactics, why it is such a huge menace if any reference to the Islamic religion and its texts or doctrines isn’t permitted?
Good question. And there is a very unpleasant answer to it. When Barry talks about “the way that ideas set its strategy and tactics,” he takes us right back to Hobbes: ideas drive actions, and if the ruler doesn’t want to be challenged, he must eliminate ideas contrary to his own. This president does not want conflict with the “Muslim world,” part of which is however in open conflict with us. He therefore resorts to censorship of the kind that was parodied in an old rhyme:
“For, he argued razor-witted, that can’t be which is not permitted.”
It’s the political equivalent of King Canute’s order to the sea to halt its annoying tide. And it’s likely to produce a similar result. We’re not going to stop flowing any more than the ocean did, and Obama’s not going to be able to resist us any more than Canute dominated the waves.
The American culture is pretty effective at suppressing dissent. There are plenty of things that are taboo to say to one degree or another, and the social stigma keeps most people in line.
For sure. If you haven’t already, check out thefire.org to see how it’s being done on college campuses on a daily basis. Tomorrow’s censors are being trained today.
I was forcibly reminded of this a few days ago when re-reading the sympathetic autobiographical work Mindhunter by John Douglas (and Mark Olshaker). In one chapter he covers his involvement in the Atlanta child murders case. After wrapping up his description of successfully profiling the black offender responsible and dismissing the ludicrously inaccurate racially motivated accusations flying on all sides, he goes on in one sentence to say that he and others knew very well who was responsible for the plethora of other child abductions and murders… But there was no point pursuing it due to lack of public and governmental will to deal with it.
Franklin coverup much? Franklin is down the memory hole.
Mr. Justice Black in The New York Times Corporation v. The United States (aka- “the Pentagon Papers decision”):
“In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to
fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.
The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain
forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets
of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose
deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to
prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant
lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.”
As long as BHO has backers, and they occupy the high ground, I am going to pay more attention to the effects of the weapons of financial destruction working with the arrogance and the profoundly high degree of entitlement exhibited by those in government, and those in the financial markets.
All I see is talk, but no action. Therefore those who conclude that BHO is bad for the US, I challenge you to do more than have Tea parties.
Otherwise, you are wasting my time and your time.
david, the tea parties ARE action.
Michael, as long as Americans think that all will be well because of how Republicans will do in November, there are a number of things that are not being addressed that impact on everyone.
Greek debt has been reduced to junk bond status
Europeans are petrified because the mortgage backed securities (which they bought a lot of them) are as worthless as fools gold, and this affects French, German, Spanish, banks. (At least the Swiss are getting out of Greek debt, for they have reducing their holdings of Greek debt to 4% of the total from 28%). Not to mention pension plans, and hedge funds, and God
knows what else which bought these toxic instruments.
The US dollar enjoyed a rise today because it is seen as
a safe haven in times like these. But, when an alternative currency comes on the scene and it is less influenced to the vagaries of misfortune ( which is something that Peter Morici of the U of Maryland is hinting at, namely currency reform), the US dollar will
have stronger competition for being a haven in the storm. Why? Because the deformed souls, scoundrels, reprobates, scalawags and similar ilk whose grubby paws
are on the levers of gov’t, they are directing blind eyes and deaf ears to their errors.
6 months, and a few weeks is an awfully long time, especially when compared to seismic activity in the financial markets which can hardly be construed as hiccups.
Putting money into the US today is as ludicrous as putting water into a sieve. Why? Because American banks, pension plans, and hedge funds, and those not listed bought these mortgage backed securities which came about by bundling sub prime mortgages with other stuff.
Plus, what about debt attributable to pensions, health care, and private debt?
This is the price paid by what was the strongest power in the history of the human race because of sloppiness
and arrogance.
If by this you mean that Americans will blindly and happily vote for anything with an “(R)” after its name, and then go back to sleep, I believe that the evidence shows you to be wrong. The actions of the TEA Party (that you are so dismissive of) in Utah lead one to believe that, whilst the Republican Party may be the vehicle used to achieve success, it will be so after fawning faux-conservatives such as Graham, McCain, and Steele have been kicked to the curb.
Mr. Lincoln:
I agree with Mr. Ledeen.
Look at it this way… if the Tea Parties weren’t dangerous to the Obamacrats, would they be spending so much time and effort to demonize them?
I refer you to my reply to Mr. Ledeen which was posted 20
minutes after your posting.
What the deformed soul in the Oval Office does between now
and just over 6 months from now is what he, and his collection of scoundrels, reprobates, scalawags and similar ilk, will dish out to the US.
For that will be part of the price of not making a principled stance for what counters political correctness.
Well, David, I don’t disagree that the Obama crowd is not only capable, but quite willing to do great damage to the Republic between now and November. You seem to feel that merely marshalling our forces via tea parties and other organiztions to “throw the bums out” come election time is not sufficient, Okay. What should we be doing instead, or in addition? I’m interested in hearing your alternatives.
Fair question. What to be done?
Frankly, and I know that Michael doesn’t like this idea, is the declaration of an alternative government that repudiates the debt accrued by the US government.
Plus, other matters can be addressed, so that the deformed souls, reprobates, scalawags, scoundrels and similar ilk inside the beltway who frankly have less backbone in them in total, as compared to what Ollie North has in his small of the back, that they will not get away with the damage that has been done.
For, getting to financial matters, what is regarded as toxic debt is a pretty safe route now that credit ratings agencies have learned from their mistakes.
After all, Wall Street did not come out looking good in “Inside the Collapse” which aired in mid March on “60 minutes”, and deservedly so.
According to current polls, the upcoming elections look like they will be a Democratic blood bath. That is the ultimate venue for citizens to express their discontent with the Obama administration. Until then, the tea parties are an excellent run up to the election season, so I say, party on.
I agree:
folly.
A dangerous folly. But it is not Obama’s…it is a whole administration’s folly.
And our enemies laugh at these signs of SUBMISSION (=islam).
Timely article. The response to a razed idea is a raised voice: If the old media wish to remain silent on the depth and breadth of corruption in this administration… fine. Between the tea revolution and the new media revolution, we will cover the necessary ground.
Thanks – beautiful timing. Orwell’s 1984 warned of shrinking dictionaries as policy. Have these jokes read it or are they using it as a manual? Islamotyranny, then.
The American response to a razed idea is a raised voice: If the old-line media wish to ignore the depth and breadth of the corruption in this administration and backers… fine. The tea revolution and the new media revolution will step-up. The Islamotyrants and their apologists in this administration will find their efforts waisted.
If the administration is serious about the threat of Islamic expansion, refusing to look at it is the worst possible choice. It is an invitation to spread denial all over the nation. (At the same time, we are supposed to worry about planet fever).
The official Islamic documents (the Koran, the Shura and the Adiths) are very clear about the duty of all muslims: The whole world must ultimately become subservient to Islam and be governed by Sharia law. As Sherab Zangpo points out, the English translation of “Islam” is “submission”. This president is telling the Islamists that they have already won, because we have already chosen not to protest and not to affirm the value of our own culture and accomplishments. The Islamists are perfectly satisfied with using automobiles, cellular phone, the Internet. The rich muslims go to the west and to Israel when they need serious medical treatment.
Are we ready to capitulate? Did the constitution say “We the lemmings”? What does it mean to be American?
Obama’s financial “reforms” just got shot down. And the GOP will continue to slam his ass.
Barrack Hussein Obama is NOT the lawful president of the United States:
http://politickamerica.com/
Simple. Let’s hope Lt. Col. Lakin makes his point to America.
Terry Lakin Letter to (illegitimate) POTUS:
http://www.safeguardourconstitution.com/news/terry-lakins-letter-to-potus.html
I still fall over laughing when I hear grownups say, “he called me the n-word!” Why can’t we say that word? I guess pretty soon we’ll be saying, “they are I-word T’s!”
I might ask, of what difference is it if the MSM are “locked out” of events anyways? Whatever they find out, their reporting will be skewed towards the Kumbayaa Leftist crowd regardless.
Thank you Dr. Ledeen for touching on this matter. May I be so bold as to suggest via your blog a group of what I feel to be highly motivated individuals acting in Americas best interest calling ourselves ACTforAmerica?. Thank you in advance for letting me plug this in here. Respectfully, G. Cleary
The purging of words necessary to refer to mahoundian enmity towards the US, and the whole Western world, is akin to what a ban on words and expressions such as “Marxism”, “Communism”, “Leninism”, “Stalinism”, “Socialism”, “USSR”, “Leftist”, “Left” and “Revolution” would have been like during the Cold War. That sure must have a thing or three thousand to do with how Buraq Hussein listens to the advice given to him by his mobile-tent-clad, sharia-loving mahoundian advisor, Dalia Mogahed, whose job (in her own words) is “to tell Hussein what it is that muslims want.”
Speaking of that Mogahed, just imagine if US presidents during the Cold War had an envoy from the Kremlin to “advise” them on their relations with communist countries. Or if Sir Winston Churchill had taken someone loyal to Hitler as an advisor on war strategy during World War II. The Hussein-Mogahed relationship is no different from what those two hypothetical situations could have produced.
Michael,
I find the ill equipped interloper occupying The White House is enforcing the tenets of Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels 1877 approach to forcing their politics on “the masses.” Specifically, their belief that acceptance of Das Kapital tenets is mandatory otherwise the recipient is defective.
Hence, political correctness.
Sadly, The White House occupant is obviously very shallow.
Further confirmation that this one-term president will be relegated to the Jimmy Carter hall of fools.
Sean
A questions why are there so many Muslims in the administration? This is the result of their advice to POTUS, and many more such decisions favoring (or submitting to will of Muslims) will be coming from this administration. I am not surprised!!!
Speech is about the only way to protest these days. While some of the “free speech” isn’t exactly what I would think, we are stucvk with it. We have learned that Obama doesn’t like to be challenged and that his words are not always truthful. We also have learned that the media aren’t always truthful also. Those of us, unhappy about the current situation, must become actively engaged in electing those who are more open to our ideas.
By 1989 I delivered the message to every member of congress the Islime was: “at war with freedom of speech”…including freedom to criticize Islime…Now we have one of “them” on the White House promoting the agenda I warned congress about those 2 plus decades ago…If you like I will be happy to post the full version…
How ironic that Dana Milbank complained that he was being treated as if he were in the old Soviet Union, when he constantly acts as if he were a publicist and fawning go-fer for the current regime.
Dana eagerly and routinely covers for, and lies for Obama, and happily passes along all lies that he thinks Obama wants disseminated. Dana is absolutely not a journalist, and he could really show the old Pravda a thing or two about profound dishonesty, and about mindlessly sucking up.
I doubt that Obama even recognizes that his public attempts to ban certain expressions like Islamic terror, his outreach to specific groups like minorities and women, or his ridicule of Americans who oppose his programs like the Tea Party groups are in themselves unAmerican and certainly unpresidential.
Mr. Obama, unlike all the other American Presidents who did their level best to at least publicly appear to represent all Americans, seems to believe that he is only the President of the Democratic Party and it’s loyal members.
This is not a matter of immaturity or inexperience, two of Obama’s more serious afflictions, this arrogance is the product of the corruption of absolute power and it will be his downfall.
What is it going to take to make everyone realize that Obama is a muslim?
Don’t be too quick to think that he’s a one-termer. He’s got big plans to stay around a very long time.
How very 1984! Obviously Orwell wasn’t the first to have this insight. But there are more ways than one to suppress undesired speech and thought.
But this effort, once brought to light, will react against Obama and his minions. Americans aren’t, in the main, stupid enough to buy the premise beneath these vocabulary “adjustments.”
The “Muslim world” is Obama’s most ardently desired ally. No other inference can be drawn from his incessant kowtowing to its tyrants and bullying of the elected officials who govern its hated enemies. What he expects to gain from his prostrations is what we still have to learn…though some very unattractive possibilities spring easily to mind.
Right wing Jews and fundamentalist Christians must have a highly developed sense of humor to complain about controlling discourse in the U.S. One can only imagine what would happen if high school textbooks objectively conveyed the bad as well as the good things about Christianity and Judaism, especially if accounts of the founding and subsequent behavior of Israel were even handed.
Note that I’m not applauding the kind of political trimming and calculation that routinely goes into the construction of the curricula in the U.S., though American history texts have always been political footballs and its absurd to suddenly get excited about it. There’s a substantial Muslim population is the United States and if it doesn’t have anything like the political pop of the ADL or the Christian groups, it’s hardly surprising if it works to promote its side. The only people who really give a damn about scholarly values such as objectivity are a handful of despised intellectuals. Everybody else just wants “Hurrah for us!”
One note: Ledeen takes Milbank’s quote out of context (of course). Milbank was complaining, with some justice, that the press was not given adequate opportunity to ask questions at a recent international meeting. The piece wasn’t about political correctness and the line about the Soviet Era referred to the intense security. Ironically, one of Milbank’s specific complaints is that Obama would not answer a question about Israel’s nuclear program. I doubt if Ledeen really wants people to start thinking about Israel’s non membership in the nonproliferation treaty, but then his defense of political free speech doesn’t extend to anybody who might criticize his side. Ask Mearsheimer and Walt or Juan Cole about the Jewish lobby’s passion for open debate and plain speaking.
mr harrison: i hate being stereotyped, and would be grateful if you dealt with what I say rather than with slogans I don’t accept. I didn’t quote Milbank out of context; he was furious at having the press locked out of events that should have been covered, and I agree with him. it wasn’t about ‘security.’ and as for open debate, i’m all for it. i’m not the one who’s banning the use of perfectly good words…
I say again: Part of the price that will be paid by the US for not countering political correctness is the economic mayhem that will take place until Barack Hussein Obama is no longer in the Oval Office.
Spain was downgraded today, because banks, pension plans, hedge funds and investors (well I suspect the last case) bought worthless securities, and the balance sheets will be revised downwards.
Plus, what about financial obligations that simply cannot be met?
Like it or not, Obama is one of the symptoms of why I see the US leadership of today as being as culturally sterile as Old Europe was seen when Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld were demonized by Old Europe.
I’m with Obama on this one. I would further suggest curtailing the following terms:
raghead
cameljockey
AAArab
goatherder
sheeplover
Dr. Ledeen, while digging through some books at the local salvation army office i found a 1991 book called “the media and foreign policy” with an essay of yours in it called “secrets” where you basically talk about having to put up with this stuff when you were working for reagan – how does it feel to have the shoe on the other foot?
by the way, i bought it because it had your name on it, alongside bud mcfarlane
i keep thinking, keep learning. but as i recall–it’s a long time ago–that was about national security, not censorship of debate. no?
yes sir. please excuse my misunderstanding of this article’s subject. i guess your older essay would only apply to milbank’s complaint.
but since i have your attention, i would like to show you my own blog post about one of your favorite subjects (i might have to update it again soon now that i’m reading reza kahlili’s book that corroborates the info on iran and the ussr)
http://mitspost.blogspot.com/2010/04/events-leading-to-iran-iraq-war.html
please enjoy and keep up the good work
Just an idea. Obama’s Folly: Censoring Americans is one crop of the dragon’s teeth sown, referred to here: http://www.worldthreats.com/?p=2391#more-2391
For, it really makes me wonder who in the Muslim world, other than those who wound up dead like Anwar Sadat, would have provided an alternative to those Langley worked with back then.
I mean, other than: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Massoud
There is also this: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE64003920100501?type=marketsNews
Why is the US government so intent on not having Greece, or anyone default on its debt? There are debts which cannot be paid off,
so away with them I say.
As long as currencies are threatened because of arrogance and laziness on the part of those who bought “assets” which destroy balance sheets, the aftermath will show how reckless the perpetrators, and those who allowed the perpetrators to instigate havoc and destruction, are.
Which does not translate all that well into success on the hustings.
“We should be very concerned at the recent spectacle of the Obama administration attempting to eliminate certain words and phrases from American policy documents and statements concerning Islam.”
Michael, Yes, Obama’s administration is forming the biggest threat on the US National Security and on the USA Greatness after the evil regimes.
YOU Americans!!! You should be quite aware that your President, Mr. Obama is SYMPATHETIC surprisingly to evil regimes and to terrorist ISSlamists, who every single day murder you in the Middle East and at home, those who calling continuously to destruct the United States of America and to wipe Israel off the map. Most obviously your President hates YOU and despises the USA Greatness.
I deeply believe that Mr. President Obama NOT convinced enough in the existence of State of Israel!!!
Jassem Othman
he’s been waggling his finger and making faces since the beginning of his neverending campaign. telling us what we should think and say, and who should say what about whom, and othr sorts of deranged crap. he is very insane, very dumb, very muslim, and has plenty of secrets tamped down by a big lid upon which his cult followers are sitting. soon enough, one of them will stand up, and it will blow just like a nyc manhole and the stench is going to be mighty hard to take.
he is no american president, despite his delusions and the appreciation he shows to himself.
i wish fervently that we had a president. we sure could use one right about now.