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Wednesday, September 02, 2015

DENNIS PATRICK: THE FINE ART OF LEFTIST BULLYING

Opposition to bullying is the trendy “in” thing today. School systems treat it with the same seriousness as algebra and biology to convince students not to bully. Good luck with that in the real world. Bullying, in some quarters at least, is the accepted norm.

What evidence? Countless numbers of Americans are afraid to voice their opinions publicly about the direction in which our country is headed for fear of retaliation. Too often the silent majority is intimidated by bullies. This is the reality. Amazingly, this form of bullying is seldom addressed even though public and private unions, race activists and leftist organizations practice bullying routinely. To hear some tell it, only kids are bullied by other kids. Meanwhile, businessmen are scared to death to voice a political opinion, make a contribution to a chosen cause or adopt a policy counter to political correctness. Some leftist minority, virulent liberals or militant progressives might impose a form of censorship enforced by threats of retaliation.

Illustrations abound with the national political leadership setting the example. Here is some bullying rhetoric:

“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” – Barack Obama, Politico, 6/13/08.

“I want you to argue with them and get in their face.” – Barack Obama, Associated Press, 9/18/08.

“We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us.” – Barak Obama, Univision, 10/25/10.

An organization such as Organizing for America (now called Organizing for Action) is run out of the White House. MoveOn.org, ACORN and its reconstituted state affiliates and Media Matters are intended to silence opposition through threats and coercion, a form of censorship.

The left doesn’t want a level playing field. They don’t want anyone else on the field -- period. Employing tactics of intolerance is a staple of the left.

How, then, can bullying be regarded as such a no-no when it is blatantly and openly practiced? The answer is simple. Make every issue a political issue then use political means to justify the action.

Caving in to activists such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson on false charges of racism when they threaten demonstrations and possible violence will only drive more customers away from legitimate businesses.

Use of thug tactics on small bakeries that won’t cater to homosexual “celebrations” is a good example. Small, family-owned bakeries have been driven out of business because to accommodate homosexuality would violate their widely-held Christian beliefs. Here we have two to three percent of the leftist population redefining marriage and forcing their will to change traditional views upon the vast majority.

Large businesses are equally at risk. Nintendo released the new Tomodachi Life game in 2014 allowing avatars to marry each other. Homosexual activists were outraged that same-sex avatars were not permitted to marry. According to reports by Forbes, Nintendo released a statement indicating they simply wanted to produce a game without social commentary. That wasn’t enough for the LGBT community. A firestorm followed and Nintendo caved in.

A similar round of intolerance struck Chick-fil-A in 2012. The restaurant’s WinShape Foundation had always donated money to the Family Research Council, the pro-traditional marriage group. The LGBT population went nuts calling for protests and boycotts of the chain. It backfired. A massive conservative counter-protest created a surge of support that drove sales to a 12 percent increase over the previous year! The left’s protests were never about tolerance. They were about harassment and intimidation of those who hold opposing opinions.

McDonald’s, Starbucks, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and eBay have all faced the wrath of “Forecast the Facts,” a George Soros-funded group of professional activists and shakedown artists.

David Horowitz’s website contained the following prescient comment on bullying tactics by the left. “Left-wing activists call this kind of in-your-face harassment ‘accountability,’ an Orwellian euphemism to be sure….Taking a cue from Marxist theorist Herbert Marcuse, they want to shut down, humiliate, and silence those who fail to genuflect before their policy agenda.”

You can never assuage the bullying left. They can never be appeased. These people of the marginal left do not want to engage in discussion. They want to clear the field of all opposition and will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Bottom line: Bullies are a reality we must learn to deal with.

 

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

 

Click here to email your elected representatives.

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