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What Happened to an America Where You Could Freely Speak Your Mind?
Townhall.com ^ | July 30, 2020 | John Kass

Posted on 07/30/2020 9:47:42 AM PDT by Kaslin

The angry left-handed broom of America's cultural revolution uses fear to sweep through the our civic, corporate and personal life.

It brings with it attempted intimidation, shame and the usual demands for ceremonies of public groveling.

It is happening in newsrooms in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles. And now it's coming for me, in an attempt to shame me into silence.

Here's what happened:

Last week, with violence spiking around the country, I wrote a column on the growing sense of lawlessness in America's urban areas.

In response, the Tribune newspaper union, the Chicago Tribune Guild, which I have repeatedly and politely declined to join, wrote an open letter to management defaming me, by falsely accusing me of religious bigotry and fomenting conspiracy theories.

Newspaper management has decided not to engage publicly with the union. So I will.

For right now, let's deal with facts. My column was titled "Something grows in the big cities run by Democrats: An overwhelming sense of lawlessness."

It explored the connections between soft-on-crime prosecutors and increases in violence along with the political donations of left-wing billionaire George Soros, who in several states has funded liberal candidates for prosecutor, including Cook County (Illinois) State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Soros' influence on these races is undeniable and has been widely reported. But in that column, I did not mention Soros' ethnicity or religion.

Here's what I've learned over my life in and around Chicago, what my immigrant family taught us in our two-flats on South Peoria Street:

We come into this world alone and we leave alone. And the most important thing we leave behind isn't money.

The most important thing we leave is our name.

We leave that to our children.

And I will not soil my name by groveling to anyone in this or any other newsroom.

The larger question is not about me, or the political left that hopes to silence people like me, but about America and its young. Those of us targeted by cancel culture are not only victims. We are examples, as French revolutionaries once said, in order to encourage the others.

Human beings do not wish to see themselves as cowards. They want to see themselves as heroes.

And, as they are shaped and taught to fear even the slightest accusation of thought crime, they will not view themselves as weak for falling in line. Instead they will view themselves as virtuous. And that is the sin of it.

Those who do not behave will be marginalized. But those who self-censor will be praised.

Yet what of our American tradition of freely speaking our minds?

That too, is swept away.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: firstamendment; freespeech; georgesoros; theleft; themob
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1 posted on 07/30/2020 9:47:42 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Offendsensitivity, where being offended is the new political super power.


2 posted on 07/30/2020 9:51:53 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Kaslin
What happened? While marxism was taking over the entire entertainment complex, public schools, most "churches" masquerading as Christian, and government, conservatives slept.

Now, we're the "woke", and we've awakened to a mess that can't be fixed.

3 posted on 07/30/2020 9:54:47 AM PDT by LouAvul (Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Psalms 9:20)
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To: Kaslin

The beginnings of the communist take over.


4 posted on 07/30/2020 9:55:07 AM PDT by mosaicwolf
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To: Kaslin

it got CancelCultured out.


5 posted on 07/30/2020 9:56:07 AM PDT by BipolarBob (The cost of abortion is a human sacrifice.)
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To: LouAvul

Correct.


6 posted on 07/30/2020 9:58:04 AM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican (The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.)
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To: Kaslin
We are examples, as French revolutionaries once said, in order to encourage the others.

Quibble --

This incident involved the British Admiralty which shot Admiral John Byng for failing to "do his utmost" against the French. The story is most widely known through the writing of Voltaire who told the story in "Candide". The quote from Voltaire is: "pour encourager les autres" which probably leads people to think that this was done by the French to encourage more effort by French admirals. Not quite so.

7 posted on 07/30/2020 9:58:46 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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I have been wondering the same thing...


8 posted on 07/30/2020 10:02:32 AM PDT by TnTnTn
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To: Kaslin

Once upon a time, Americans voted for candidates of the democratic party.

The End.


9 posted on 07/30/2020 10:02:47 AM PDT by lowbridge
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To: Kaslin

Only if you’re a liberal bashing conservatives and Republicans.


10 posted on 07/30/2020 10:03:52 AM PDT by SkyDancer (~ Pilots: Looking Down On People Since 1903 ~)
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To: Kaslin
"What happened to an America where you could freely speak your mind?"

Democrats.

The Democrat party REALLY IS the Communist party.

Communists censor free thought/speech. Democrats censor free thought/speech.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

11 posted on 07/30/2020 10:04:06 AM PDT by Pajamajan ( Pray for our nation. Thank the Lord for everything you have. Don't wait. Do it today.)
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To: Kaslin

too many people have toooo much time on their hands ..
and are nosey as fuk..


12 posted on 07/30/2020 10:09:57 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd ((>> M A G A << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
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To: Kaslin
When you stand up and speak freely, you realize it never left.

The demise of America is a delusion perpetrated by the enemy and the media (not one and the same, but working together)

13 posted on 07/30/2020 10:10:44 AM PDT by knarf
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To: Kaslin

It’s dead Jim


14 posted on 07/30/2020 10:11:10 AM PDT by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s.....you weren't really there..)
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To: Kaslin

I grew up in a company town, Fremont, Michigan, 50 years ago (Gerber Baby Food). My father, a research chemist, never got involved in politics or political arguments, except one notable time when Congressmen Guy Van der Jagt and Gerald R. Ford were in the company of CEO Dan Gerber touring the research facility where my dad worked. Ford wandered into my dad’s office unannounced and without knocking while my dad was working. My dad threw Ford’s @ss out of his office. Fortunately, he was friends with Dan and nothing happened.

I think there have been many circumstances in many communities where the best policy was not to discuss politics.


15 posted on 07/30/2020 10:15:50 AM PDT by nd76
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To: Kaslin

Commies destroyed it.


16 posted on 07/30/2020 10:21:22 AM PDT by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne)
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When you know you cannot win a debate with the truth you either kill the messenger or lie with a projection.


17 posted on 07/30/2020 10:22:40 AM PDT by USCG SimTech
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To: knarf
"When you stand up and speak freely, you realize it never left.

The demise of America is a delusion perpetrated by the enemy and the media (not one and the same, but working together)"

This ^^^^^. The Constitution never guaranteed freedom of speech or association without consequences. It might be surprising to see the power of the conservative voice if conservatives spoke truth and spoke of God. Of course the anonymity of FR lets us vent with out much fear of retribution. /s?

18 posted on 07/30/2020 10:23:49 AM PDT by buckalfa (Please forgive my feeble attempts at humor, Appalachian education, and condescending snarkiness.)
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To: Kaslin

I don’t live in Chicago or read the Chicago Sun Times but columnist John Kass seems to be one of its few non-way liberal writers. The paper should keep him if it wants some credibility on reporting the news.


19 posted on 07/30/2020 10:25:13 AM PDT by RicocheT (Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.)
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To: Kaslin

Democrats happened.


20 posted on 07/30/2020 10:32:33 AM PDT by oil_dude
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