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The Rise of American Totalitarianism
FrontPage Magazine ^ | April 9, 2014 | Ben Shapiro

Posted on 04/09/2014 8:41:49 AM PDT by SJackson

Last Thursday, Mozilla, the company that’s home to the web browser Firefox, forced the resignation of CEO Brendan Eich. What, precisely, had Eich done wrong? Back in 2008, Eich had donated $1,000 to the Proposition 8 effort backing traditional marriage in California. Dating website OKCupid posted a ban on Firefox traffic, issuing a message to Firefox users instead: “Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure.” That ban reportedly prompted the action at Mozilla.

Of course, it was the people pushing for Eich’s ouster who were enforcing “misery, shame, and frustration.” Eich had never brought his politics into the workplace. Mozilla had no history of treating homosexuals differently, and no single instance of Eich doing so could be documented. Nonetheless, he had violated the dictates of the Thought Police. And thus he was ousted.

It’s a disturbing story, to be sure. But it’s also just the tip of the iceberg: Unfortunately, the same folks administering the private Thought Police would love to extend their control into the realm of government. These are not libertarians arguing for the right to hire and fire as you see fit in the private market. These are power brokers seeking to use whatever means necessary to quash opposition.

That’s why gay couples have sued photographers, bakeries and florist shops, attempting to shut them down if they refuse to cater to same-sex weddings. That’s why the Obama administration has attempted to fine businesses that do not wish to pay for health coverage they deem sinful. The underlying idea: If the left dislikes what you do, the left can compel you not to do it. As Kevin Williamson of National Review writes, American society is quickly morphing into a system governed by T.H. White’s totalitarian principle: “Everything not forbidden is compulsory.”

Freedom is secondary to the yays and nays of the governing few in this vision. Freedom is merely that which the government allows — and the government should only allow you to do the bidding of the left. If you, recognizing that sometimes people will take action with which you disagree, believe that government should stay out of people’s business, you must therefore be an advocate for discrimination and brutality. To allow Eich to work is to discriminate against gays. To allow religious businesses to reject contraceptive mandates is to push women into back alley abortions. Forget the notion of disagreeing with your opinion, but defending your right to say it — in the view of the leftist totalitarians, such a notion is inherently unworkable.

When fascism comes, it will come not with jackboots but with promises of a better world. The jackboots come later, when we’ve all been shamed into silence — when we’ve been taught that to allow that with which we disagree is to agree with it, and when we’ve accepted that the best method of preventing such disagreement is government power. We’re on the verge. All it will take is the silence of good people — people on all sides of the political aisle — who fall prey to the ultimate temptation in a republic: the temptation to force their values on others utilizing the machinery of government. We’re already more than halfway there.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: eich; gaystepo; homomarriage; mozilla

1 posted on 04/09/2014 8:41:49 AM PDT by SJackson
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To: SJackson

There ain’t enough money in the world to entice me to some faggotty Fascist crap hole like OKCupid.


2 posted on 04/09/2014 8:45:42 AM PDT by MarineBrat (Better dead than red!)
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To: SJackson

This is what we are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarian_democracy

When the ‘Supreme’ Court upheld ACA, it marked America’s formal transition to a totalitarian system. Such liberties as we retain are permissive in the view of the elites and many of the people. Culture and law are going to have a decisive confrontation one day. There will be blood.


3 posted on 04/09/2014 8:46:07 AM PDT by Psalm 144 (FIGHT! FIGHT! SEVERE CONSERVATIVE AND THE WILD RIGHT!)
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To: SJackson

Excellent, well stated opinion piece.

Cuts right to the chase.


4 posted on 04/09/2014 8:51:42 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral." A. Hamilton)
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To: Psalm 144
Wait till the Muslim Brotherhood becomes a third party in America. All encouraged by Obama and Jarrett. I'm hoping soon people will sand up and start fighting back.
5 posted on 04/09/2014 8:53:13 AM PDT by angcat
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To: Psalm 144; MarineBrat; SJackson

“...Such liberties as we retain are permissive in the view of the elites ...”

The only liberties we retain are the ones we are willing to literally fight for and defend.

Other than that, it’s words on paper.

What, exactly, are you willing to do to retain your liberty - It’s a question that each of us will have to answer sooner or later.

This is rhetorical, so don’t post your intentions. No use giving the “listeners” any more ammo.

It’s enough that YOU know in your own heart and mind.


6 posted on 04/09/2014 8:56:48 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: SJackson

If the majority of voters continue to elect this class of leadership, they are assisting in their own destruction. In another matter, if voter fraud remains uncalled out and unpunished, our GOP ‘leaders’ similarily assist in the dilution and dissolving of out republic. So this is not fully a case of victims being helplessly crushed by oppressors, at least not yet.


7 posted on 04/09/2014 9:15:23 AM PDT by lee martell
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To: SJackson

When fascism comes it will come..with promises of a better world. The jackboots come later-Shapiro

tagable...

‘Dog Shit’ could be sold to 7 million citizens if the IRS fined those who refused to buy it...


8 posted on 04/09/2014 9:26:24 AM PDT by GOPJ (When fascism comes it will come..with promises of a better world.The jackboots come later..-Shapiro)
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To: MarineBrat
Thought Police would love to extend their control into the realm of government. These are not libertarians arguing for the right to hire and fire as you see fit in the private market. These are power brokers seeking to use whatever means necessary to quash opposition. That’s why gay couples have sued photographers, bakeries and florist shops, attempting to shut them down if they refuse to cater to same-sex weddings.

The problem isn't people's sexual choice - it's that that choice is being turned into a totalitarian political excuse.

9 posted on 04/09/2014 9:28:59 AM PDT by GOPJ (When fascism comes it will come..with promises of a better world.The jackboots come later..-Shapiro)
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To: All

10 posted on 04/09/2014 9:32:09 AM PDT by Hotlanta Mike ("Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it." Lao Tzu)
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To: SJackson

ARINO president will not undo any of it either


11 posted on 04/09/2014 10:08:43 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: Hotlanta Mike

Excellent graphic.


12 posted on 04/09/2014 10:18:22 AM PDT by Psalm 144 (FIGHT! FIGHT! SEVERE CONSERVATIVE AND THE WILD RIGHT!)
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To: lee martell

Elections are courtesy fornications that let us pretend we are still a FreeRepublic.


13 posted on 04/09/2014 12:51:22 PM PDT by Jacquerie ( Article V.)
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To: SJackson
Bookmark/later.
14 posted on 04/09/2014 5:27:33 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
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