Posted on 01/11/2011 5:40:55 AM PST by matt1234
The best metaphor for the lefts latest attack on Sarah Palin might be the witch trials preceding the Enlightenment. Most of us believe that a modern society would never tolerate the kind of unfounded and unreasonable allegations brought during witch trials. That is probably true. However, recent events suggest that some of our countrymen not only purport to believe in witches but would also like to destroy them.
Prior to the Enlightenment, witchcraft charges typically followed a malady or tragedy in a community, causing its members to rashly seek a cause. The rashness of this search was frequently accompanied by hysteria and a wolfpack mentality. After Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot by a crazed, would-be assassin named Jared Loughner on January 8, 2011, leftwing politicians and pundits immediately began blaming Palin because of a map on the SarahPAC website. (On that map, Congresswoman Giffords district is marked by a symbol resembling a target, suggesting that Republicans should aim to retake her district.) One after the other leftwinger repeated the allegations with little or no hesitation.
The hallmark of witchcraft charges is their baseless nature with respect to facts and reason. For example, witches were often accused of attacking their victims by casting spells. Today, most of us know that spells cannot cause illness or calamity because there is no provable cause-and-effect. However, the accusers of Sarah Palin never bothered to consider cause-and-effect. Absolutely no evidence has emerged that Loughner was exposed to the map on the SarahPAC website. Hence, there is no known causation that links the map to Loughners actions. If Loughner had no knowledge of the map, how could it have motivated him attack Giffords?
Persons accused of witchcraft were usually women or newcomers to the community. They often lived in outlying areas or outside the bounds of conventional society. As such, they were easy marks for the members of the civil establishment who typically leveled the formal charges. Consistent with these historical trends, Sarah Palin is unquestionably female; and, she is a relative newcomer to our national community. She also lives in a remote region and embraces outmoded methods of self-sufficiency such as hunting. So, the establishment media and body politic may consider her easy prey for baseless charges. Compared to other presidential prospects, Palin has relatively few connections to the elite in the media and government. The accusers seem to have assumed that few among the elite will stand in her defense, especially given the mounting charges.
Oftentimes, the accusers of witches did not actually believe the charges they made. Rather, the charges were leveled solely to satisfy a grudge or vendetta against the accused. In short, the charges were lies intended to harm. Sometimes, the charges were meant to hide or distract from crimes or problems in the community. After Congresswoman Giffords was shot, many in the leftwing establishment blamed Palin despite the obvious absurdity of the charge. Are we to conclude that all of these accusers really believed what they were saying? Or did they have ulterior motives? Is it a coincidence that these most recent allegations were made by the same people who have attacked Palin in the past?
In the past, witch trials were tolerated by the public largely due to their ignorance, fear and conformity. Many witch trials produced guilty verdicts because of the undemocratic and heavy-handed ways in which they were prosecuted. Here, the similarities with the past end. The Enlightenment arrived some time ago, and it has changed the way we think and behave. We are no longer governed chiefly by superstition and the blind acceptance of assertions by our social betters. If someone makes a claim, he is expected to produce facts to support it. We are free to choose our leaders, and our laws prevent them from cowing us into submission.
Some in the elite establishment may think us fools who will blindly dance to their tune. But if they expect us to dance around a burning witch, they had better think again.
This only applies if you're a Republican. If you're a Democrat, you can say just about anything you want, however outrageous, without regard for the truth. In other words, there's a double-standard.
Of course to my understanding of the former witch trials, the burden of disproof was always on the accused, not the accuser.
I thought it was the Palin-wannabe down in DE who had the witch trial.
First rate! An excellent essay, well-written, and your comparison is a winner. thanks.
I thought that your essay made a valid point. You will see this type of scapegoating quite often in society, in this case it might backfire on the accusers. It only works if enough people just go along with it.
Very good!
Isolate your enemy, then systematically destroy them, using lies, misinformation and propaganda. “The end always justifies the means” for the “Greater Good”. Lies are totally acceptable and necessary to destroy your opposition.
Amerika has turned the corner and is not capable of identifying what is happening to itself. The countdown has started.
It’s quite easy to determine if Palin is really a witch.
Just see if she weighs more than a duck.
All Palin has to do is emulate Ben Franklin in front of the Privy Council.
“...Franklin endured the coarse abuse of Wedderburne, and ill-manners of the lords, with the calmness of a philosopher. Not an emotion was manifested in his face. He was sustained by a consciousness of his own integrity and the justice of the cause to which he was a martyr. He felt that in this abuse of himself, as public envoy presenting a respectful petition, the British government were offering a gross insult to a great and loyal colony; and not to that colony alone, but to British American colonies from the St. Lawrence to the St. Mary’s. He felt a conviction in that hour of trial that not only his own honor, but the wisdom and patriotism of the people he represented would be fully vindicated by the calm judgment of mankind.”
Tis as good an analogy as I have seen... witch trial “convictions” used the “evidence” of fear, ignorance and hysteria (required formula for Left thinking), then and now. Often the “witch” (like in Salem) was at odds and in dispute with the community leaders, thus a target for accusation. Often their property was confiscated by their convictors (how convenient!)... so there was both political and economic motivation for witchcraft accusations. And it happened in Massachusetts, go figure?
Since the modern Left lives entirely on fear(of all thats good and Godly), envy, hate, and hysteria... your observations are very astute! Good work... go to Blogspot, sign up and join the pajamas army of truth! They (Leftnoids) fear us, for the witch hunters cannot abide truth and reason and must have division to keep power and influence. They most need their “clients” to always have the angry mob mentality... so it’s constantly cultivated... then and now!
Very good. I have been thinking the same thing lately — that the fevor against her was similar to a witchhunt. Hits the nail on the head.
Nice work. Send it elsewhere, like to your local paper. Maybe they’ll run it.
You may want to expand on this point if you go for larger publication. The real story that seems to be developing is that all of this "witch hunt" is to distract from the fact that the sheriff's department knew that Loughner was a dangerous loon, and not only did nothing to stop him, but actively discouraged people from filing charges. The likely motive: one or both parents are active in the local government (the mother for sure, and it's rumored, but not confirmed that Loughner's father works for the Child Protective Services).
Very good. Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks. Good suggestion, but then I'd have to reveal my true identity and give up my batcave.
Well done, and right on the money.
¨Silver Shamrock¨ ping.
:) I thought of that scene while writing this. I actually participated in a re-enactment of that scene during a high school talent show. It was great fun!
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