Yesterday I attended a Zoom meeting of a talk by David Horowitz organized by the West Side Republicans. I wrote the following to the leader of the group this morning. I’ve X’d out his name but since I wrote it, I feel it’s OK for me to post it. (Apologies for any typos, this was done quickly.)
Dear XXX,
Please take this as constructive criticism.
I entered the meeting with David Horowitz last night a bit late, at 7:20 PM, and dropped out after about 45 minutes of gloom and doom. Not one thing Horowitz said was news to me. I don't have time to be lectured about things I already know. It's a waste of time and condescending on the part of the leaders. Please assume that your audience is intelligent and informed enough to be in the loop about current events and give us an ORIGINAL takeaway about them.
The United States is not the Soviet Union under Stalin. We have many rights enshrined in the Constitution and case law that we can use, but do not. Tell us something about that. For example, by law, there is no compelled speech in public school classrooms (per Barnette v. West Virginia, look it up), yet we know that our schools are being turned into indoctrination centers. Maybe talk about how we can use the law to free public school children, instead of incessant doom-saying.
This is not the first time I've been in a conservative meeting where this has happened. If conservatives are behaving in as childish and petulant fashion as leftists, I want no part of them.
It dumbfounds me that movement conservatives (and free speech liberals) do not know about Barnette. It’s one of the foundational decisions enshrining freedom of speech that the Supreme Court ever issued:
The court's 6–3 decision, delivered by Justice Robert H. Jackson, is remembered for its forceful defense of free speech and constitutional rights generally as being placed "beyond the reach of majorities and officials".
In the middle of World War Two, our Supreme Court said that no one could be compelled to say anything against their conscience. It’s one of those SC decisions that brings a tear to my eye. In the middle of World War Two!!
As for the so-called movement conservatives who don’t know about this ruling, some are just ignorant, some know about it and ignore it. Maybe they want to lose? Maybe these so-called movement conservatives make a good living off hawking gloom and doom and they would be out of a job if they wrote/talked about ways out of this morass?
I personally think that the Pledge of Allegiance is a good thing and that kids should recite it—but if their religion says no, they should be free not to. Otherwise the flag that we are pledging allegiance to means nothing. A stable and tolerant society will attract more sincere adherents than dissenters.
Always. Guaranteed.
PS Invoking Barnette has nothing to do with the indoctrination of toddlers into the gender theory cult. But it is relevant to teenagers who are being forced into proclaiming themselves “oppressors.” Any school system that compels such speech should get its ass sued good and hard. The Supreme Court will be on your side!