‘Extortion by the mob and other matters’

(Letter to the Editor by Jerry Whitus)

With extortion, a person or a group makes a threat, often physical or destructive, to obtain something or to force someone to do something. Examples: either defund the police or we will burn down the city. Either let us set up our own political zone in your city or we will come for you or your family. To Bari Weiss (NY Times), either write and walk the far left talking points or be attacked by your colleagues and be forced to work in a hostile environment. To op-ed editors, deliver opinions or print opinions that express the radical far left agenda or be forced to resign. To large consumer companies, either pull your advertising from TV shows or sporting teams of which we disapprove or face a boycott of your products.

To Goya Foods, you praised President Trump, we are now boycotting your products. To center-right professors on campus, either shut up or be ostracized by liberal professors and have your classes boycotted by students who give in to peer pressure. To university administrators, do not invite conservative voices to talk on campus or we will occupy your buildings and cause massive damage to property. To all spokespeople, be careful or we will designate what you espouse as hate speech or racist.

What do all of these examples have in common? They are all geared to take away the free market of competing ideas. Just as a free market economy rewards those products or companies that win over a large segment of consumers, the free market of ideas rewards those thoughts and philosophies that attract the most advocates.

Could it be that the MOB is afraid that the counter thoughts and ideas might prevail if given an unimpeded hearing? Could it be that the MOB has a dark agenda and in order to enact this agenda that they care nothing about the casualties they inflict? In a command economy the decision as to what should be manufactured is made by a group of people at the top, not by the consumer’s wants or needs. In a command thought economy you are told what to think, what to write, what type of movies to make and TV shows to air. I could go on and on, but just a few more thoughts.

As I was becoming an adult – high school, college, etc. – I believed that if the US fell into an authoritarian government it would come from the far right. My thoughts began to change as I entered my early to mid-30s. At this point in my life there is no doubt where the authoritarianism/totalitarianism is centered.

There is a revolution afoot. If not stopped, there will be re-education camps, cultural speak (Comrade?) and the abolishment of the world’s greatest Constitution. Be vigilant when voting for anyone in every level of government If you think it cannot happen in our little corner of this great country, then soon we will be saluting, greeting and speaking as if we are programmed robots.

By the way, All Lives Matter, and I, unlike many politicians, will never apologize for that statement.