Annals of censorship
The most effective form of censorship is also the quietest. It operates not by actively proscribing speech but by rendering certain topics hors de combat, literally undiscussable. It does this by propagating an atmosphere of revulsion and taboo. Ordinary censorship prohibits the dissemination of particular opinions or bits of information. The more subtle engine of silence I have in mind goes further. It stanches not only the flow of speech but also the flow of thought. Ordinary censorship occupies itself with the results of human curiosity. What I am talking about attacks human curiosity itself.
One example would be the genetic basis of human intelligence. It’s not simply that, in many walks of life, you cannot express certain opinions about that subject; you are not even allowed to raise any questions about it. Questions admit doubts; and about certain subjects doubts are tantamount to heresy. This is something that Larry Summers discovered when he had the temerity to suggest that maybe, just possibly, there were fewer women than men at the pinnacle of mathematical achievement because women as a group were less adept at mathematics than men. Mr. Summers asserted nothing: he merely raised it as one hypothesis among many. That was his tort, for which he paid, and continues to pay, dearly.
Another example concerns the nativity of Barack Hussein Obama. It’s not just that you are not allowed to express certain opinions about the subject. You are not even allowed to publicly entertain any questions about it. This is something that Diana West has explored with her customary force and insightfulness in a disturbing column called “Silence of the Lapdogs.” “Have you, “ Ms. West asks,
read in your local paper about the technical evidence that led . . . three retired criminal investigators and two attorneys to conclude that the birth certificate image White House officials uploaded at the White House website on April 27, 2011, did not originate in a paper format, but rather was created (forged) as an electronic file on a computer?
Have you seen on network or cable news the video clip (one of six . . . at YouTube) re-creating exactly how an additional fraud might have been committed to forge the president’s Selective Service registration card? Heard even conservative talk radio discussing the posse’s discovery that immigration files in the National Archives recording overseas arrivals into Hawaii are missing from the week of Obama’s 1961 birthday?
The answer, as she points out, is no, of course not. You have heard nary a peep because the subjects themselves are verboten. “1984-style,” Ms West observes, “we mustn’t question. We mustn’t look. We certainly mustn’t look at questions that cross the narrative of authority.”
Ms. West predicted that many of her usual outlets would refuse to run her column. Apparently, she was right. Fortunately a few stalwart web sites have bucked the trend and have risen up against the conspiracy of silence that has surrounded the subject of the President’s place of birth. As Thomas Lifson noted yesterday on American Thinker “One does not have to believe that Obama was born in Kenya to be disturbed by the evidence of a digitally-constructed birth certificate being passed off as authentic by a president. Those who are more worried about their public image and about being attacked by the media and political establishment than about getting at the truth will in the end be judged by their actions.”
Ms. West alluded to 1984. There is something Orwellian about the hear-see-and-speak no evil consensus that has been silently promulgated and enforced on this subject. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the whole spectacle is that we have, most of us, subconsciously internalized O’Brien: its not what is done to us that keeps us silent. It’s what we’re doing to ourselves.
I assume that the primary—perhaps sole—motive of the “Birthers” is a cordial for the Windy City Messiah. And by my reasoning the requirement of native birth is the least important constitutional protection against ambition for power.
So? Such hostility is sufficient grounds for these inquiries. The demand to know the truth may be a better one, but as a practical matter is not adequate. Obamaphilia is an insufficient one for ruling questions out of order.
What makes this prohibition most bothersome is that it fits a pattern of stamping Streng Verboten on a growing list of other doubts, questions, reservations and inquiries. They like transgression? Then give ‘em transgression.
I have been particularly puzzled by the huge number of conservatives who go for that “beyond the pale” BS, regarding his birth certificate. Have we all lost any and all ability to evaluate evidence? Does someone need to proide us with a video of Obama actually forging it and laughing about it for us to see that, while there is yet no absolute proof that he was not borm here, there is far less evidence that he was.
If we have a standard for qualification, why was it not applied? This has not even been discussed. Who was supposed to certify this point? Why did they not, or did they? No case has actually been made, for or against, yet we are laughed at for bringing it up. If someone shows up who is obviously 18 years old, but hands us a funny looking birth certificate that says he’s 80, who is supposed to tell him, “NO!”
Furthermore, he has proven himself to be an apocalyptic liar! When he has gone to such lengths in order to hide all his records, what is a sensient person to assume? You assume that he is lying, and make him prove otherwise.
I want proof. I really want to know one thing: who was supposed to vet this qualification, and why did they not? He couldn’t get a barber’s license with his evidence.
Meanwhile, evidence to the contrary piles up higher. And the lies continue every day, growing in size and scope. He needs to be called on each and every one. Who will do it?
Thank you!…John J for raising the question of just who does the vetting of our Presidential candidates? ……and just why this Birth Certificate thing just won’t go away.
The reaction to Sheriff Joe’s Posse is the usual leftist bullying. It’s the mentality that resorts to dehumanizing perceived foes as “the other.” Leftists are about power politics. It’s why they’re so quick to resort to four-letter words when their shibboleths come under fire. Mock what you cannot refute. They don’t want justice; they seek advantage.
Agreed, Roger, but the views of “three retired criminal investigators and two attorneys” don’t make it true, they may be idiots or just malevolent. Let’s not flirt with “wrong assent or error” . . .
If there’s one thing we can be sure of, these days you can find a wise man to push any idea. One is reminded of the american scientist, Dr Fred Luchter or whatever his name is, who has “proved” that the Nazi gas chambers didn’t exist. He has a huge following.
Talk about changing the subject. You seem to have a problem with looking at the evidence and refuting it with your own evidence. “Nazi gas chamber denier.” Where the hell did that come from? What does that have to do with anything?
The public seems to believe that politics is a profession of lies, so why bother being upset. The sophisticated view: It is all a lie. There is no reason to vote against a politician because he has lied; the new elect will also lie. It is best to have a lying member of my tribe and collect the spoils. The other tribes will suffer, so what?
The analysis of the posted birth certificate should be investigated, and confirmed or refuted by others. Uninterest in it is a minor part of of an ongoing problem which will lead to tyranny. The public demands less of their government than of a contractor who offers to renovate a kitchen.
Now that the giant stimulus spending has been underway for more than a year, where is the official, detailed report and analysis of the results, not just the claim that it must have worked, because “we say so”?
What is the analytic and real-world suport for increased government spending as a way to prosperity? And, equally for the Republicans, where is the analysis and support for budget cuts as a way to prosperity?
What is Obama’s plan and strategy for the Middle East and Africa? It can’t be much of a secret, if we are willing to bomb and intervene in Libya. But where is the written plan, or is our country being led by high-level bull sessions, with notes written on cocktail napkins?
Government must have a plan in the background before it can write legislation. Let’s see the written plans of the politicians. If there is no carefully researched plan and analysis, then that is a horrible misuse of office. Where is the official plan and analysis for ObamaCare? Why do we have to rely on academics and citizens to point out the flaws by reading the legalese of the legislation?
The Democrats in the Senate have refused to produce a budget since Obama was elected, for three years. Why does the public accept this? Does the public want to be owned by the government?
The Congress and Obama should proudly present the careful research that supports their proposed rearrangements of society. Obama is a Harvard trained law instructor. He should be up to it.
Where are the policy papers which explain the giant experiments that our government is forcing on the people?
A Few Words About Policy
Yet another elaborate changing of the subject.
When I first read the ominous news in WND several days ago about Ben Shapiro’s disavowal and gratuitous loyalty pledge, I thought it was the first (and perhaps the only) clear signal of foul play in the death of Andrew Breitbart that is ever likely to see the light of day. Diana West is a brave American. Most of them are overseas. I’m glad she’s here.
Our government has been hijacked by enemies of The Constitution and of We the People. If the press were to stand together and hold the line, there might be some hope of putting an end to this treachery. (One is reminded of Gandhi and his followers during the 1930 salt riots.) At this late hour, there still seem to be only faint sparks of that level of courage on display among us.
The Main Stream Media has seen to it, that the superfluous truth contained in the Constitution has been wrapped in newsprint and buried with their heads. So many of us are starting to feel that our efforts to raise our voices are in vain, and our heritage is being lost.
“Here lies one whose name was writ on water”.
Keats
Well, if you’re seeking examples of the Silent Lie, look no farther than the Style section of the New York Times, dated March 25, 2012. In a lengthy article about Salman Rushdie’s current status as a Social Lion, we hear of the safely dead Khomeini’s fatwa against Mr. Rushdie, but there is not a single appearance of the words “Muslim” or “Islam”. No mention is made of the facts that one translator of “The Satanic Verses” was murdered and another seriously injured in attacks by fundamentalists. Mention is made of potential threats (from whom?)which made Mr. Rushdie cancel a trip to a literary festival in New Delhi, but no mention is made of Mr. Rushdie’s subsequent complaint that the New Delhi police had lied about those threats. At the time of the fatwa, people across the political spectrum, from Kingsley Amis on the right to Harold Pinter on the left signed petitions in support of Mr. Rushdie. At least one large bookstore chain (Barnes and Noble) and various independent bookstores stood up against censorship. Dozens of American publishers united to form an imprint to publish a paperback edition of “Satanic Verses”, so that the original hardcover publisher (Penguin) would not be singled out for threats and bombings. If the intelligentsia were as craven then as they are now, the likelihood is that Mr. Rushdie would not be around to enjoy his status as Party Animal, at which the Times delights in sneering.
Very well done. For those of us who have been following this since the beginning, and doing everything that we can to bring this issue into the light, it’s been a truly amazing and terrifying ride. Sometime, go back and retrace the development of this issue. It boiled beneath the surface until Lou Dobbs started to talk about it. He stopped talking about it when he reported on air that his researchers had been informed that Hawaii had destroyed the original birth certificate. This was obviously false, but before anyone could get him to admit that, and return to the issue, he was off the air. I can’t reenact the entire chronology off the top of my head, but we’ve had judges that were going to subpoena the original records, and then suddenly dismissed the case. We’ve had state legislatures threaten to pass laws requiring documentation of eligibility for candidates, and then wuss out at the last moment. We had one state (Arizona) actually pass such a law, only to have it vetoed by its Republican Governor. We’ve had various murky statements and endless obfuscation, even violations of public records laws, from the Hawaii Department of Health. All the while we were told that there was no such thing as the original long form, Hawaii didn’t/couldn’t issue them, they had been destroyed, etc. Then we got Donald Trump of all people, and he got the media’s attention, but he didn’t inform himself much about the issue. And then the forged long form, immediately identified as such, but “if a tree falls in the forest . . .” Sheriff Joe Arpaio is our best bet so far. Someone in a position of authority, who appears to have the testicular fortitude to follow this through. Not to mention having nothing to lose. The fact that he met with Breitbart the night of Breitbart’s death, and the new Big Government editor has pledged a lack of curiosity on this issue as he “vets” Obama is more than a bit disturbing. As are the missing records, and the dead D.C. cop who was investigating the passport break-in. It’s a rabbit hole, to be sure, but I’m fairly certain that if a single reporter with access to a journal of general publication travels down that rabbit hole, they will emerge eventually with a story that will make Woodward and Burns seem like they were covering high school football games.
I was hoping there would be more comments regarding Mr. Kimball’s article. I am a simple man and sympathetic to others who feel their voice has become irrelevant. I fear that nothing I can do will alter or persuade others or have consequences. Maybe nothing can be done? Should I contact my local journalist? /s
I believe that an irresistible power may soon eclipse our lives and liberty, I believe this more certain now than ever. If we do not soon turn the progressives and Marxist back, we will lose our voice. The quip ” Resistance is futile” will become the watchword.
So how to counter the Media and progressives?
I more than welcome suggestions.
I just read on WND that this column by West was “spiked” by Townhall, as was an earlier piece she had written about the eligibility court proceeding in Atlanta. More stars for her card for having the sheer guts to persevere.
WND also reports that Townhall suddenly removed an earlier one discussing Arpaio’s March 1 report: “Titled ‘Sheriff Joe Exposes Forgery of Obama’s Selective Service Registration,’ by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown of the Western Center For Journalism, it had been Townhall’s eighth-most-read and most-emailed column that day. Then suddenly it was gone – and WND’s requests for comment failed to elicit any explanation from Townhall.”
Another one bites the dust…or perhaps that should be, another brick in the wall.
Here’s an interesting, if unscientific, little game.
Google “Roger Kimball” with the full name of a few different politicians.
With “Willard Mitt Romney” = 203 results
With “John Sidney McCain” = 215 results
With “Sarah louise palin” = 176 results
With “George Walker Bush” = 691 results
But try googing “Roger Kimball” with “Barack Hussein Obama”… 37,800 results.
As I said, unscientific, but interesting nonetheless. It seems that Roger feels the need to spell out Obama’s name in full a lot more than he does other politicians. I can’t imagine it’s because he’s worried that Obama first and last names are too generic. Must be some other reason…
Perhaps all that’s needed for Obama to lose the election is for Roger, Ann Coulter and the rest to remind people a bit more that Obama has a foreign-sounding middle name…
As for the content of the article itself, perhaps people aren’t giving it much credence for the same reason that other crazy conspiracy theories like “911 was an inside job by Bush” get little attention – because they’re crazy conspiracy theories. It doesn’t matter WHAT evidence is provided for Obama’s American citizenship – some people will always reject anything offered as fake or forged, just like creationists will claim there’s no transitional fossils, and then when you show them museums filled with said fossils, they’ll say they’re all faked.
Name one electronic documentation expert that has come forward to refute the evidence of fraud detailed in the good sheriff’s report. Until you do you have nothing to say.
Well, I am just about drunk now, so with nothing to lose, I offer these sodden thoughts.
16 comments, REALLY?
I have the highest admiration for Mr. Kimball and his willingness to offer himself to Obama’s enemy list, My name is Richard Whalen, I’m sure the administration has my dossier, address and gulag cell assignment ready.
His article had been referenced several times on the American Thinker website, It would be nice if those who are like minded, chimed in to this kerfuffle. Our country is really in danger. Maybe just a Thank you, and we support you, would be nice. It’s not as if his career is on the line, well yes in many respects it is. A totalitarian government has long arms and we seem to be lurching ever closer to a dictatorship.
Mr. Kimball has called those of us who hold to our constitution as sacred to act, at the least, to speak out, he does this at his own risk, I say these things because I recognize and appreciate him as an intellectual of the highest standards and as a leader rather than a herder of men, who by his words declares what is in his heart and what he holds true.
16 comments, REALLY? Understood; I guess, this story is buried in a billion blogs, however if you are reading this blog you are a small but intelligent resourceful lot. OK I’m drunk now.
The point to this plea is that WE need to confront this insidious politically correct suppression of free speech manifest in the leftist media and drive them off the airwaves before we are silenced.
But all I hear is…
Everyone with true reasoning powers knows fraud is endemic in Washington, DC. And, if you care for your life, you will be cautious or dead. So, wake up and smell the roses.