Silencing and Suppressing the Right

George Rebane

[This is the transcript of my regular KVMR commentary that will be broadcast early next week due to this week being the station’s regular late spring pledge week.]

The debate about who is trying to silence whom continues.  Over the past decades the evidence has favored the Right since McCarthy was accused of blacklisting half of Hollywood sixty years ago.  But during this election year of intense emotions and strong political positions, it’s good to consider some updates of what our progressive cadres are doing in and out of government.

Have you heard of SWATing?  That’s SWAT like in Special Weapons and Tactics, you know, all the guys in black combat gear with assault weapons descending on armed desperados holed up somewhere.  Well SWATing is when you go in front of someone’s house, dial 911, and report that someone was just killed or is about to be done in.  Very quickly the police with SWAT team in tow arrive and assault the house.

The Washington Times reports that this has now happened to three prominent conservative bloggers across the country who reported on the doings of a leftwing activist Brett Kimberlin.  The encounters have been pretty dramatic, and surprised the hell out of the victims.  Fortunately no one has yet been shot.

Then there’s the firing at the Chronicle of Higher Education, a definitely leftwing academic publication.  They hired Naomi Schaefer Riley to inject a little conservative perspective into the journal – you know, kind of like my doing this commentary on KVMR.  When Ms Riley uncharitably characterized the content of some student dissertations from black studies programs, some readers started a petition calling for her sacking.  And sure enough, without much ceremony she was promptly shown the door.

A more prominent example involved Mr Van Jones and his Color of Change movement going after ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), a longstanding national organization of conservative legislators.  Jones, the former White House ‘green jobs’ czar and self-proclaimed communist, went after ALEC for promoting voter ID of the kind that is already law in half the states.  Jones was joined by union sponsored Change to Win and the Center for Political Accountability run by Democratic operative Bruce Freed.  They threatened a boycott of ALEC’s corporate contributors if the voter ID piece was not pulled from its website.  ALEC caved after enough of its stalwart capitalist sponsors pulled their support for the organization.

As if this were not enough, it turns out that all kinds of government departments, bureaus, and regulatory agencies have been quietly arming themselves.  Did you know that the Department of Education now has armed field officers who break down doors to investigate student loan fraud.  The Department recently bought another 27 12-gauge shotguns for its SWAT teams.

You, of course, have heard about EPA’s environmental police.  A cohort of these armed thugs arrived at the Boston Commons recently, and promptly shut down a popular and licensed ice cream stand that had been there for 26 years.  For unknown regulatory violations they physically prevented customers from buying, and proceeded to put about twenty people out of work.

And this trend is now rampant in the federal firmament.  Departments of Agriculture and Interior, the US Forest Service, the FDA, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the list of armed and arming federal agencies goes on.  This trend is abetted by government employees who arm themselves, thereby getting paid extra for carrying a badge and a gun.

So this is the kind of nation we have become.  As criminalization of normal activities accelerates through a fast growing labyrinth of regulations and codes, the regulators are now prepared to bypass local police and sheriffs to bring force to bear on legions of newly minted criminals.  Is this is the change that we hoped for with progressive governance?

My name is Rebane, and I also expand on these and other themes in my Union columns, and on georgerebane.com where this transcript appears.  These opinions are not necessarily shared by KVMR.  Thank you for listening.

Comments

[billy T]

Silencing the Right? Nay, it is called silencing dissent. Never thought Joe the Plumber should have been trashed to the extreme he was merely for his exchange of ideas with then Candidate Obama. Looks like there will be no position in a 2nd Obama Administration for rising star Newark mayor Cory Booker. http://www.humanevents.com/2012/06/08/cory-booker-is-dead-to-barack-obama/

[THEMIKEYMCD]

I would cite CARB and local 'Air Resource Boards' that ASSUME the right of judge, jury and executioner. In Sac Co you can have armed men storm your 'private property' if you heat your home with a wood stove on unapproved days... in our neck of the woods our Air Resource Board can trespass on private property for such egregious acts as 'creating a smoke nuisance' or god forbid using newspaper to start a fire. Traditional peace officers (Police and Sheriff) have been circumvented by zealous progressives.

[D]

Or the county building inspector who takes a tour of the interior of a home looking for code violations, after the homeowner pulled a permit to upgrade electrical in a detached garage.
Dave Cranfield

[Ryan Mount]

When people show up unannounced, don't let them in. If they wander about your property, scare them away. If they persist, keep a copy of the 4th Amendment handy in big print. Also, get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/High-Cotton-M79-Warrant-Doormat/dp/B00020O572/

If someone comes to your door, asks to come in and you say "OK," then it's your fault. Just say no. If people say you are being weird, then tell them you'll protect their 1st Amendment right to say that.

James Madison drafted The Bill of Rights to protect us from government intrusion as well as preserve States' rights. The government has no right to intrude on your property without a warrant unless there is eminent danger to someone. Burning a newspaper does rise to that test.

[THEMIKEYMCD]

Ryan, if you pull stunts like that (verbally using the 4th amendment) I would suggest openly recording it :).

Our Air Resource Nazis consider newspapers 'household trash' which has illegal to burn. Anytime smoke is present they use the 'eminent danger/safety of others' BS to circumvent the 4th Amendment.

p.s. I bought 2 doormats.

[Russ Steele]

Bought one of the mats for the Front Gate and I will continue to light my fire pit with newspaper.

[Bonnie McGuire]

First of all I'd like to thank you George, for your wonderful articles. I also am grateful for all the intelligent comments on your blog. It's like a breath of fresh air in the smog of political corruption.

[George Rebane]

BonnieM 644pm - Thank you for the good words, they are a wind at our back.

[David King]

Silencing and Suppressing the Right

billy T's got it!

"Silencing the Right? Nay, it is called silencing dissent." or, trying to kill it off!

They should enjoy their power while they can.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/09/us/tombstone-shovel-brigade/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

[David King]

...and then there is this!

http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/10/national-security-expert-law-of-the-sea-treaty-a-question-of-sovereignty-video/

[billy T]

And the beat goes on. Never question the left's scared cow or even raise a question. Crucify is a term that has finally come back in vogue. About time. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/09/man-visited-by-armed-epa-agents-not-satisfied-with-answers-wants-agency-changes/?test=latestnews

[George Rebane]

billyT 1144am - thanks for the link. This is an important report that expands on how the EPA has become one of many rogue federal agencies.

[Douglas Keachie]

Here's a little factoid that the right wishes it could silence: A Walton (Wal-Mart) family fund invested heavily in Solyndra. It wasn't just a Democratic debacle.
Seven things you should know about Solyndra
money.cnn.com

[George Rebane]

DougK 805am - That's a silly proposition. Why on earth would the right wish to silence the news of Walton family's foolish investment???!! Is that part and parcel of your understanding of capitalism and the values of the right?

Free market capitalism is not all wise; it takes risks and makes mistakes in its work to provide the most for the most. However, it beats the living you-know-what out of competing ways to generate wealth and organize its distribution.

[David King]

Here is a new book on where the money comes from.

"The New Leviathan: How the Left-Wing Money Machine Shapes American Politics and Threatens America’s Future"

For the next time the left whines about whos got the money!

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/06/11/the-new-leviathan-how-the-left-wing-money-machine-shapes-american-politics-and-threatens-americas-future/2/