Many Patriots have problems with World Net Daily.
I have had a problem with them since I knew they existed - though I could not quantify or find a legitimate complaint to offer. Quite often they offer stories that are helpful to the Patriot cause, yet there is, and always has been, that niggling in the back of my mind about the source and motivation.
Yes, WND makes a LOT of money. They monetize nearly everything they do. Patriots have many complaints, many of which center upon crediting & sourcing issues. But making money should not be a complaint.
But the other day I discovered what my complaint was premised upon. Maybe this was already an open secret. Maybe you knew about it. I did not.
Here is a story in which Joseph Farah admits, in his own words, that he was a Communist.
I am primarily Black & White king of guy, I always have been. On some issues there are legitimate shades of grey, and I factor that issue into my final decision.
But here is a fact: Since my youngest years I have been a virulent proponent of personal Liberty.
My mother was the first to ever tell me that I have a problem with authority - long before the elementary school officials ever told her for the first time. I am an American. My problems begin when others try to push their way into the circle of personal Liberty I have drawn around myself, family and Tribe - and innocent people being bullied.
I used to visit WND about twice a week to check for relevant stories.
No more.
There are some sins that can never be forgiven by Patriots. There are some people a Patriot can never trust at his shoulder.
Here is the story.
Kerodin
III
Problems with authority, god does that sound familiar. Damn straight I had a problem and still do for that matter.Its in our DNA.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people that were outraged over the liberty abuses and lies of the Feds ended up making poor company. I also left the leftist radicals of the sixties and seventies when I learned what they truly represented. Young and foolish is the term.
Its your call of course but good natures can often go astray in bad times.
I often find that having turned from something often makes one a more effective opponent of it.
ReplyDeleteI would not shun a man for being a felon (as some do), for being of another religion that is opposed to my beliefs (as some do), or for being a communist. I'd judge him on his character, actions, and the results of his actions.
I think that being a communist merely highlights a person's extreme denial of cause and effect, and said person's ability to recognize natural laws and consequences. More of a sign of poor judgment.
Enemy of the republic and all, yes, but many communists are only such as a way of protest against our weak parlimentarianism and corrupt crony-capitalist system.
Many -not all- communists are communists only in the "it'll never happen here" stage. The worse danger are the ones who are quietly working to make it happen, while never claiming the title. Almost as a rule, self-proclaimed "communists" are hardly ever a real threat.
They (communists) have real issues that are addressed nowhere in contemporary American politics, and thus, they turn to an "enemy" that does address these problems, however erroneously.
Having said all that, I can't blame you for your decision, and I'm not saying it's wrong. I quit paying attention to CATO, as you remember, after a conversation with them about one of their most senior member's support of certain firearms restrictions.
By way of background, here's what I know about WND-
Many people have a problem with WND because the SPLC and others have designated it as a "hate" group. Homophobic "wacists" and all.
Others have issues with their sloppy academic record (see their laughable and easily discredited "Pink Swastika" book), and their buy-in on many conspiracy theories.
And, of course, the left accuses them of being "neo-nazi", while they return the favor. It's all pretty sickening and ignorant, as I doubt either group has spent any amount of time researching the NSDAP from an unbiased perspective. The ultimate strawman attack, meant to set one's opponent up for the a-bomb of all ad hominems.
"You're a Nazi, so everything you say is invalid."
I hate strawmen and ad hominem, whether its the left doing it against the Tea Party, the right doing it against the left, or Mike Vanderboegh doing it against you.
Rhodes: I also left the leftist radicals of the sixties and seventies when I learned what they truly represented.
ReplyDeleteThere is one of those shades of grey I mentioned. There is a difference between hanging with rabble-rousers and working hard to undermine genuine Liberty.
AP: The Felon label is mis-applied to so many I can't even take it seriously anymore. Malum in se, sure. Malum prohibitum...like owning a SBR and not telling Big Uncle about it, not so much. Selling weed or coke and being labeled a Felon, not so much.
This all fits into our present-day troubles.
Thanks, folks.
Kerodin
III
You are aware that Mike Vanderbough freely admits to being a communist before turning to Jesus, right? And credits quite a bit of his tradecraft to it as well.
ReplyDeleteIn my world, "trust but verify" carries a lot of weight. A guy could claim to be or not be anything. You know them by what they do, or "by their fruit". I'd say trust your gut, but to be honest, my wife is better at that. My gut isn't very good.
ReplyDeleteI'm less inclined to write someone off because they were stupid when they were young, but I still want to watch them and make sure they've really changed. I did stupid things when I was younger, but I sure hope I've cleaned up those messes. In other words, just because they were stupid when they were young, and overcame some of it doesn't mean they're not stupid now.
Consider: Youthful Indescretions...
ReplyDeleteHave we really gotten to the point that violently raping a woman at 20 is morally forgivable when a man grows older, and compares to the guy who screamed and scared his girlfriend at 20? Are they equal?
Have we really gotten to the point that every single day, every single ATF Agent wakes up, gears up, and violates his oath and 2A Rights of a Citizen, imprisoning Citizens by the order of Masters in Congress and when they tattle on one another we call the tattletales Heroes and Patriots? Really?
Have we really gotten to the point that we can not see the difference between the 20-something who flirts with the verses of Marx on paper and perhaps marches for the dream of Utopia that Communism promises and the 20-something who actively helps kill Americans? Do we now forgive Jane Fonda & those like her?
Sorry...my world is not that murky & grey.
Kerodin
III
Have we really gotten to the point that we can not see the difference between the 20-something who flirts with the verses of Marx on paper and perhaps marches for the dream of Utopia that Communism promises and the 20-something who actively helps kill Americans? Do we now forgive Jane Fonda & those like her?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll ask again, do we forgive Vanderboeugh?
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2009/05/missed-anniversary-vous-les-americains.html
You see, as the NVA gradually overran South Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge overran Camodia, I cheered the fall of every province, marking them on a map. This was during my Benedict Arnold period, when I was a communist and an avowed enemy of the constitutional republic of the United States. As a member first of the peacenik anti-war movement which I joined in 1967, then later the Students for Democratic Society, the Young Socialist Alliance, the Socialist Workers Party, the Workers Action Movement and finally the Maoist Progressive Labor Party, I had demonstrated, leafleted, marched, rioted, been tear gassed, billy clubbed and briefly, arrested (but later released without charges), eight years of street-level radicalism, all with an eye toward this day.
Toward the end, I became a member of the PLP's "secret party," dropped from public view and on instructions began to organize a "worker's militia" in central Ohio. We'd start out vetting new members by having them break into National Guard armory parking lots and slash vehicle tires. In the end, we'd rob dope dealers to raise the money to buy weapons, all kinds of weapons. We were very good at what we did. And very, very lucky. Don't believe me? Most of my "Benedict Arnold" period papers are part of a collection at the Ohio Historical Society. Look it up. You can look up the statute of limitations too. Nobody died. Like I said, we were very, very lucky.
I think Farah reads much less onto your question than Mike.
And I think that we do the Christian thing, forgive a man who is truly penitent, and keep an eye on Farah, not because of his past, but because his current actions are much more those of an agent provacatuer. But the blanket "to hell with them all" statements do us no good.
(took about 10 tries to copy this. There's something on your page that is hijacking the return key)
Phelps: My position regarding Vanderboegh - and his regarding me - is well documented and quite clear. I don't discuss the matter on this page. Since you may not be aware, I will say simply that Mike & I could never share the same foxhole.
ReplyDeleteI leave it to you to take your own decisions on all matters, be they MBV, Farah, and any other aspect of Restoration.
I wrote on this blog once about shades of grey, and how every Patriot needs to square those luxuries away before the war goes hot...because I promise you when SHTF for real, the world gets very black & white. If you have ever fought for your life, you know the truth of my statement.
If you have never been in a real-life deathfight, ask someone who has been there.
Stay safe.
Kerodin
III
John Adams was the attorney for some of the British troops who committed the Boston Massacre. He turned out ok, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI would go with "trust, but verify". Not all who started as your enemies will be by the time it's over. Not all who started as your friends will be either. In my opinion, you should indulge in trust about as often as you indulge in deep-fried candy bars, because both are equally fatal with enough volume.
W