Brave New World

President Joe Biden was sworn into office today at noon. 

I made it a point not to watch the ceremony, not so much because I didn't want to hear our new president's speech, but I dreaded the spectacle of slobbering and pom-pom waving reporters putting their stupidity on full display.

There will be plenty of time in the months ahead to discuss Biden administration policies and proposals on green new jobs, healthcare, taxes, the military, COVID-19 and a host of other issues. But for now, suppression of free speech stands head and shoulders over any other harm that gravely threatens our republic.

It's been quite a few years since I read "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, or "1984" by George Orwell. But somehow, I have this uneasy feeling we may be heading into a world featuring elements of these three dystopian novels. You know, the kind of society where the fire department's job is to START fires -- to burn books.

For one thing, technology has raced forward at warp speed, while regulations, laws and human sensibilities have been left in the dust. The surveillance state started even before Barack Obama became president 12 years ago, but he ramped it up considerably. But it's not just the deep state, local law enforcement and employers that spy on us 24/7. In recent months, Big Tech, mainstream media, universities and many Democrats have joined in on the surveillance while also lurching dramatically toward heavy-handed censorship of political opponents. 

Twitter and Facebook had long been harsher on Trump supporters and lenient toward liberals before the Hunter Biden laptop story broke in late October, prompting them to censor the New York Post and users who attempted to tweet or forward the Post's reporting.

In the weeks following the election, these and other platforms cracked down hard on Trump supporters who questioned whether election fraud took place and / or advocated trying to appoint alternative electors. Many Twitter followers complained of losing thousands of followers, being shadow-banned, or being warned their account could be suspended.

And now we have mainstream leftist commentators -- Katie Couric and Eugene Robinson, for example -- who have called for "deprogramming" members of the Trump "cult." "Deprogramming" is an Orwellian term reminiscent of the old Soviet Union; as for cults, well, millions of Obama's loyalists would certainly know a lot about that subject!

In October, former Department of Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted out a suggestion that after the election, we would need a "truth and reconciliation commission" to go after Trump administration members and Trump supporters. A fascist slippery slope, if there ever was one.

Just look at what Democrats have done with COVID-19 lockdowns in many states. Consider that Biden talked recently about implementing a mask mandate, and recall the fascist legislation introduced by a New York legislator calling for COVID detention camps. Millions of small business owners in the restaurant industry and other fields have had their lives and livelihoods destroyed by heartless, ruthless Democrat lockdowns. 

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is a typical dystopian hack. He releases some criminals without bail or after short sentences so as to spare them the threat of contracting COVID-19. Yet he threatens small business owners with jail time if they don't fall in line 100 percent with the lockdowns and other COVID-related requirements. 

CNN, MSNBC and others are calling for Comcast, AT&T and others to expel Fox News from their transmission platforms. They're also going after relative newcomers Newsmax and One America News Network. Parler and Rumble already were knocked offline. Mark my words, podcasts and conservative talk radio will be next. Will Democrats call for criminalizing freedom of speech and assembly next? Where it leads and how it ends, no one knows, but it's looking grim.

Folks, we're living in dangerous times for those who are not leftists and who fervently believe in individual liberty, the First and Second Amendments and adherence to the Constitution. Biden is full of it when he claims he wants unity. He and the rest of the Democrats want conformity, not unity. And it's obvious, they'll put the hammer down on those who resist.

Let's recall Gandhi's Seven Deadly Sins, several of which apply here: Politics Without Principle; Knowledge Without Character; and Commerce Without Morality (yes, operating a social media platform, or a cable or satellite TV network are forms of commerce).

I would add that megalomania, hubris, egotism and sheer hatred for conservatives and Christians are also are eating away at so many of the sick leftists on the rampage. Heaven help us.

Comments

[Mirror]

Clearly nothing is eating away at you.