The smear machine grinds on

In my 2009 post, David Irving, the Thought Criminal, I asked, "How is it possible, in these United States, that a group of people, who wish to get together to discuss a historical topic, must relentlessly hide their intention, obfuscate their meeting place, and keep their identities secret, if they don't wish to be hounded like wanted criminals? How is it that citizens who wish to meet peacefully do not have the protection of the law, in order to practice what the law supposedly guarantees, that is, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly?" Well, I'm back again, with the same question, this time, it's raised not for historian David Irving, but in behalf of American Renaissance (Amren).

Professor Irving faced the same impediments as did Amren when its directors organized its 2010 conference, that is, hotel managers were physically threatened for renting meeting space to the group, and hotel staff were generally harassed by a band of self-appointed "anti-fascists." That there are self-elected Enforcers who usurp power over other citizens is not surprising. What is offensive is the failure of government to provide appropriate protections that it is mandated to provide.

There will always be those who claim the right to judge which points of view should be permitted to prevail, and which ones shall be banned from the public square. The operation is pretty much the same: With malice aforethought, the Enforcers mischaracterize those they oppose in the most extreme fashion, and venomously misinterpret their theses or positions. It's critical that the dissenting sinner not be allowed to bring his views directly to the public, and everything is done to prevent the opponent from being given the opportunity to offer any type of clarification – in his own words.

This year, an even more detestable situation presents itself, as Amren attempts to hold its 2011 meeting. A government official, in the form of a black Charlotte (NC) city councilman, has joined the ranks of the Enforcers by lobbying (coercing?) hotels to refuse to book the conference. Here's an official making it clear that he's not about to uphold citizens' free speech as provided in the Constitution. (Does Maryland require its oath-taking officials to conform to federal law? Do they take oaths?) Patrick Cannon's grinning face let's us know that he knows who's boss. Mr. Black Bourgeoisie is so proud of himself.

During the agitation that followed the recent Arizona shootings, when Amren was deliberately mischaracterized by that specious and bizarre memo, which originated not from the cited source, but from another alien government agency, even the leaders of the conventional "anti-hate" groups had to disassociate themselves from the charges of anti-Semitism and racism leveled at Amren. The Anti-Defamation League's Abe Foxman, in one of his rare moments of lucidity, knew to pull the plug on this bit of craziness, admitting that anti-Semitism was not an issue. And, as inconceivable as it was, the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose directors never miss an opportunity to jump on the race bandwagon to exploit their favorite theme of "hate," restrained its rhetoric once it was clear that nothing linked the deranged shooter to motives of racism.

But the mainstream media, eagerly craving to make an ugly story even uglier, and seeking, by whatever means possible, to fill up all that empty time and empty spaces on all those channels and websites, did as they always do, that is, they hung on the SPLC's initial generalizations and delusions about "militias" and "hate groups."

If there's one thing the media understands, it's that the gullible American public will readily buy any fantasies that purport to expose "evil white racists." The public bought the entire package of those who succeeded in smearing Timothy McVeigh as a racist, although his murderous response to a murderous government's actions had nothing to do with racial grievances. But, to fit the spirit of the times, McVeigh's heinous act of retaliation somehow had to be tied to his being a "bigot." Such a connection then made him a truly bad person. Hence, the immediate need to tie the Arizona psychopath to conscious "anti-Semitism/racism."

Because the typical liberal is incapable of comprehending nuance or differences among the individuals, groups and publications on the political right, with which he disagrees, all such ideological enemies are clustered in one common heap. This is one explanation for why so many accepted, without question, the claims in that fraudulent memo, which supposedly came from the Department of Homeland Security and targeted American Renaissance, a publication most of them never heard of. Once they got wind of AmRen's main thematic focus, however, what it describes as "racial-realism," our pundits, reporters and anchors were enthusiastically on the case. Might they be lucky enough to expose a collection of "white supremacists?"

In our weirdly racially over-hyped universe, there is no latitude offered to those who would focus their sights on the subject of race and ethnicity in any other manner than that prescribed by the country's race monitors. Any aspect of the subject must be scrutinized only within the limits currently deemed permissible by a "diversity" obsessed society. Scientists and other researchers who have the temerity to explore such subjects as native ability, intelligence and I.Q., or other particular studies about biological differences between groups, are suppressed, and often denied an institutional affiliation. Some have been blackballed and banished.

This unenlightened, unscholarly approach, that leads to ignorance, is encouraged by liberals, who deem themselves the country's "intellectuals." They run most of the country's academic institutions, yet tremble at the prospect of applying their academic wits to subjects they have made taboo. To this mentality, the very act of investigating the taboo is an act of "hate." Yet, how can there be a subject that cannot be explored, researched, discussed and debated? What are these people afraid of discovering?

Take note that it was the conservative Fox news channel that grabbed and ran with that fictitious memo now totally discredited by the agency from which it supposedly originated. It's not surprising that the Fox reporters spent not one minute on verifying the memo's claims, or giving a courtesy phone call to Amren's director, Jared Taylor. Whites tend to be the first to run for the hills at the slightest chance of either being linked to dissenters on the race issue, or being perceived as not showing the appropriate indignation against "racists." This is especially so in the conservative camp. What, me get in trouble, along with you? So much for unity among "conservatives."

Although the supposedly neutral Politico finally took the time to learn the truth about the memo's sleazy origins, its editors initially took the SPLC's bait and added to the slurs against American Renaissance. Here's how Accuracy in Media reported on the Fox episode:

Those on the left were not cautious, because they wanted to exploit the shootings for political gain. Fox News, perceived as the “conservative” channel, was the perfect vehicle for the smear. This will go down as a case study of how the left used a conservative news source to smear conservatives. They all ended up with egg on their faces because they ran with erroneous information that wasn’t checked out and which only contributed to the confusion and chaos and smeared an innocent group in the process. Ironically, the false report about a “hate” group generated more hate.

Indeed, it did generate more hate and more obstacles to the Amren meeting -- enough to cause a fearful hotel manager to take seriously the current threats from publicity-hungry bands of ragtag "anarchists," the Jewish Defense Organization (always searching for signs of anti-Semitism even when it has to be invented), as well as something called the "Southern Anti-Racism Network," which brags that they don't "rely on the cops to do our work for us." They can now rely on city councilmen to do their work for them.

As of this date, the Amren conference, scheduled to run February 4-6, is in limbo.

UPDATE - Monday, January 31, 2011

American Renaissance's director Jared Taylor issued a press statement today giving further details of the events surrounding the cancellation by the Sheraton Hotel of the Amren conference. Here are excerpts:

Perhaps what the Sheraton actually found out was that Patrick Cannon, Mayor Pro-tem of the city of Charlotte, does not want AR to come to Charlotte. In an e-mail message to a constituent he wrote: “I have all hotels, motels, and gotels [sic] on notice and they seem to be cooperating well still.” The date of this e-mail was January 25, the very day the Sheraton canceled its contract.

We can only imagine that the Sheraton must have come under very heavy pressure to walk away from tens of thousands of dollars in revenues—100 hotel rooms for two nights, a formal banquet, bar and meal tabs—and to subject itself to a five-figure cancellation fee.

We have heard that another city councilman, Warren Turner, has also urged hotels not to do business with us. Both Mr. Turner and Mr. Cannon are black.

Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam has been to Charlotte four or five times since 1990. Minister Farrakhan has said things about Jews and whites of a vileness that has not the slightest parallel in the writings of American Renaissance. On September 12, 2005, he was in Charlotte to tell you the US government deliberately broke the levees in New Orleans so as to flood black neighborhoods. Imagine the outrage if two white city councilmen pressured the hospitality industry to keep Minister Farrakhan out of the city. ...

Shortly after he was named US Attorney General, Eric Holder famously called Americans “a nation of cowards” because we do not talk about race, and urged us to “be honest with each other.” AR is 100 percent honest about race—and look how we are treated. Is it a wonder Americans have become cowards on race? ...

Read entire statement here.

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Conservative sponges

Get ready for another round of watching the farce that goes something like this: Scene 1: Staunchly determined conservatives resist yet another leftwing social trend; Scene 2: Less determined conservatives resist leftwing social trend; Scene 3: Conservatives relent and accept leftwing social trend.

Since when have the people in this country, who so arrogantly label themselves "conservative," ever held to any conservative principle for very long? We now learn that the founders and directors of a dozen or more conservative organizations, that represent several thousand members, will boycott the major annual conference sponsored by the American Conservative Union (ACU).

Known as CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), a regular February event, this is where conservatives of like mind interact, large and small organizations, with the smaller groups attempting to acquire greater visibility. Over the last couple of years it has also become a place where homosexual activists have been busily infiltrating their dogma and agendas. Last year, such activists, represented most especially by GOProud established a base at CPAC. This year, the group is returning to continue its drive to win a permanent place within the political right.

These interlopers have learned just the right buttons to push in order to ingratiate themselves to conservatives: abortion (end taxpayer funding), guns (for ownership, of course), economy (opposed to wasteful spending), etc. And they have made sure to put their money up front by generously supporting Republican political candidates.

In opposition to this intrusion into "conservative" territory come the longstanding groups such as Concerned Women for America, the Family Research Council and even the heavy weight Heritage Foundation. These "traditionalist" groups claim to have found their principled voice and are supposedly drawing a "line in the sand" when it comes to participating in an event that offers homosexual activists a forum in which to expand their influence.

In addition to Heritage, FRC and CWA, others joining the boycott include: the American Family Association, the Center for Military Readiness, Capital Research Center, American Values, the National Organization for Marriage, American Vision, and the American Principles Project. (APP is a major organizer of the boycott.)

Representatives from these groups claim that marriage between a man and a woman is a "core principle of conservatism." Yes, one would think that those who are devoted to advocacy of the traditional family could never sanction the marriage of a man to a man. But among this American breed of "conservative," principle is seldom an obstacle.

After all, these are the good people who, contrary to previous generations of conservatives, encourage unmarried girls and women to randomly engage in sex, in order to produce illegitimate babies and, a la Sarah Palin, celebrate when they do.

These were the people who once vociferously fought against women "soldiers" being sent to the battlefields of war. Currently, however, they have nothing to say about this issue, since today's conservative is perfectly at home with this country's policy of initiating needless altercations around the world, for which the military machine requires all the warrior bodies it can send, even mothers of infants.

And don't forget how these good conservatives once sensibly scorned and ridiculed the left's politically correct censorship of language and the attempts to suppress certain ideas and words. Remember how they complained about the liberals' excessive overuse of such smears as "racist" and sexist?"

Well, that story changed once Sarah Palin came on the scene. The Good Sarah, right from her first speech at that Republican convention, made clear her complete concurrence with liberals over the roles of the sexes, as she excoriated those who would deny women the right to break those "glass ceilings." Not much later, Ms. Palin got on everyone's case for the use of the word "retard." Thanks to her, the conservative Thought Police now are just as diligent about preventing "hurt feelings" as are fixated liberals, who promoted such notions in the first place.

Like their current leaders, today's conservatives prove themselves to be like sponges, absorbing and imbibing almost every liberal and feminist tenet, and passing on such convictions to their children – all the while caterwauling about the "wickedness" of the Left.

They talk endlessly about "conservative values," but exactly what is a conservative value? As we've learned from Sarah Palin, when a conservative adopts some progressive trend or way of life, this is automatically transposed into a conservative value. Publicly exposing your unmarried, pregnant teenage daughter at a national political convention, along with the stud who knocked her up, is now a "conservative value."

So, given this track record of today's conservatives for snubbing their noses at tradition, why should anyone believe that this crew will stand and resist the latest round of social activists, who claim, like all those earlier social activists, to have the "right" to intrude their predilections into any venue they choose? And if the CPAC boycotters do take their stand this time around, how little time will elapse before they relent and wind up throwing baby showers to celebrate homosexual adoptions?
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Greed rules

A discourse for the start of a new year. Excerpts from some unwanted but wise words of New York State's former Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer. In How to Ground the Street, he offers advice on the best way to avoid another economic meltdown by keeping financial markets in check:

• • •
First, we must confront head-on the pervasive misunderstanding of what constitutes a "free market." For long stretches of the past 30 years, too many Americans fell prey to the ideology that a free market requires nearly complete deregulation of banks and other financial institutions and a government with a hands-off approach to enforcement. "We can regulate ourselves," the mantra went.

Those of us who raised red flags about this were scoffed at for failing to understand or even believe in "the market." During my tenure as New York state attorney general, my colleagues and I sought to require investment banking analysts to provide their clients with unbiased recommendations, devoid of undisclosed and structural conflicts. But powerful voices with heavily vested interests accused us of meddling in the market.

When my office, along with the Department of Justice, warned that some of American International Group's (AIG) reinsurance transactions were little more than efforts to create the false impression of extra capital on the company's balance sheet, we were jeered at for attacking one of the nation's great insurance companies, which surely knew how to balance risk and reward.

And when the attorneys general of all 50 states sought to investigate subprime lending, believing that some lending practices might be toxic, we were blocked by a coalition of the major banks and the Bush administration, which invoked a rarely used statute to preempt the states' ability to probe. The administration claimed that it had the situation under control and that our inquiry was unnecessary.

Time and again, whether at the state level, in Congress or at the Securities and Exchange Commission under Bill Donaldson, those who tried to enforce the basic principles that would allow the market to survive were told that the "invisible hand" of the market and self-regulation could handle the task alone.

The reality is that unregulated competition drives corporate behavior and risk-taking to unacceptable levels. This is simply one of the ways in which some market participants try to gain a competitive advantage. As one lawyer for a company charged with malfeasance stated in a meeting in my office (amazingly, this was intended as a winning defense): "You're right about our behavior, but we're not as bad as our competitors."

No major market problem has been resolved through self-regulation, because individual competitive behavior doesn't concern itself with the larger market. Individual actors care only about performing better than the next guy, doing whatever is permitted -- or will go undetected.

Look at the major bubbles and market crises. Long-Term Capital Management, Enron, the subprime lending scandals: All are classic demonstrations of the bitter reality that greed, not self-discipline, rules where unfettered behavior is allowed.

Those who truly understand economics, as did Adam Smith, do not preach an absence of government participation. A market doesn't exist in a vacuum. Rather, a market is a product of laws, rules and enforcement. It needs transparency, capital requirements and fidelity to fiduciary duty. The alternative, as we are seeing, is anarchy.

Read entire article here.
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