Ignorance by Force

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson
Knowledge if the topic of today’s founder’s Wednesday. Jefferson wrote this letter to a man named Charles Yancey in 1816. He was warning him of the American bubble, or their fascination with banks. Bubble’s were not limited to America though, as he warns about the French bubble with the Mississippi, and England’s bubble with the South Sea. He felt that if knowledge were properly dispensed there would be no fascination with such bubbles.

Today we see that knowledge is intentionally being withheld, or coming under attack from those in the government:

· Harry Reid wishing the Las Vegas Review Journal out of business
· Senator Rockefeller proposing a federal takeover of the government
· Media Bias that ignores, or distorts the conservative movement

Harry Reid was a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where after the meal was served, the members came forward to shake his hand. When Bob Brown the advertising director of the Review Journal shook Harry Reid’s hand, Reid whispered “I hope you go out of business.” What would a citizen think when their elected representative wishes their private business out of existence? The deeper question though is why would Harry Reid wish this newspaper out of business? Over the years the Review Journal has kept their eye on Reid and has been critical of him. The paper, as far as I can tell, leans more right than it does left. Reid resents the fact that that paper is dispensing knowledge to the general public. The knowledge that the paper is dispensing is contradictory to what he and the President want the public to hear. In short he wants an informed citizenry in the liberal democratic talking points.

Rockefeller’s committee in the Senate is proposing a bill that would allow the President to take over the internet in times of a “cyber-security emergency.” What the bill doesn’t explain is what a cyber-security emergency entails, and how much power the President will have during such emergencies. According to an excerpt of the bill, as posted by CNET, the federal government is supposed to engage in “periodic mapping” of private networks that are deemed critical to national security. Again there is no definition of what would be considered critical. As far as anyone can tell the President will be able to pull the plug on anyone with whom he disagrees (think fishy emails).

The media definitely has a bias against the conservative movement. One does not need to look any further than the recent town hall meetings to see what this bias. Or who can forget Anderson Coopers famous comments about the “teabaggers?” The Media Research Center has put together some wonderful facts on the bias in the media.

From these stories we can see some common threads:

· The media has a liberal agenda
· The powers that be are attempting to muzzle any voice in opposition to the liberal agenda
· The government is focusing on the two areas where conservatives still have a loud voice, the internet and talk radio (fairness doctrine or whatever name they want to code it by)

Let us hope and work as hard as we can to prevent the government from silencing free speech. Let us follow the example of the Las Vegas Review Journal, and not be intimidated by those in power. Let us not become ignorant by the force of the federal government. Let us hold our elected officials who promote these policies responsible on Election Day.

John T.H. Harrington

Is this change we can believe in?