It never ceases to amaze me how those in charge of our government manage to control every thought of the population. And if one doesn't agree with the thoughts and agenda of the controllers, then they are ridiculed, put down, jeered and even threatened.
I think about the complete all-out attack on the country of France that has swept the public mindset. Just because the French didn't assist the United States in overthrowing a sovereign country's government, when there was absolutely no evidence that government was a threat to us, we now have "freedom fries" instead of french fries. Our formally french toast, has been replaced by "freedom toast."
Well, pardon moi, if I don't join in the frenzy, but I believe that the irony is worse than disturbing. It's Orwellian.
A case in point is what happened last month to the Dixie Chicks. During a concert appearance in London, singer Natalie Maines made a comment that they, the Dixie Chicks, were "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."
Of course, that comment set off no small firestorm of criticism! You'd have thought she had insulted someone's religion. The whirlwind of scorching commentary that ensued, finally caused the Dixie Chicks to issue a statement.
"The anti-American sentiment that has unfolded here (in London) is astounding. While we support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost ... I feel the president is ignoring the opinion of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view."
Well, one thing that Ms. Maines apparently is yet to learn is the fact that being an American does not guarantee that you are free. It certainly does not guarantee you that you have the right to express your views — at least not without being punished.
Following the remark, the group found themselves dropped from country stations across the U.S. As one Reuters article put it:
Music superstars the Dixie Chicks are finding out that criticising President George W. Bush's plans for war in Iraq can cost you air play, big time. Country stations across the United States have pulled the Chicks from playlists following reports that lead singer Natalie Maines said in a concert in London earlier this week that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
So much for freedom of speech! And by the way, aren't we told that freedom is the reason we are engaged in this war?
Similar persecution has taken place on other fronts as well, such as Hollywood, where stars must either keep their mouths shut, or risk having their careers seriously curtailed.
The message seems to overwhelmingly be that either you will agree to knuckle under, and conform to the views that are acceptable, or you will be badgered, hounded, and harassed until you do. In some cases, even threatened.
A particular web site that I have often utilized to get the Arab point-of-view with regard to what has been happening in the Middle East is Al Jazeerah. This is not to be confused with the television network Al Jazeera, whose English version has been repeatedly censored by hackers, and Denial of Service attacks.
Al Jazeerah — which, unlike the official TV network site, has a "H" on the end of its name — is published by Dr. Hassan A. El-Najjar, of Dalton, Georgia. His site featured news articles, editorial commentaries, written by Arab publications and columnists. Here is Google's cache of Dr. Hassan's site prior to its being shut down. I found it very interesting being able to read the news from the perspective of the Arabs.
Unfortunately, Dr. Hassan was forced to shut his site down, after receiving numerous threats on his life. So much for freedom of speech!
George Orwell, in his book 1984, spoke of "thought crimes" and "face crimes."
We already have "hate crime" legislation, which effectively creates crimes of the mind. When freedom of speech is stifled to the point that no one can question or criticize the policies of their government without huge personal retribution, then thought and face crimes couldn't be far behind.
We must not forget the words of Johann W. von Goethe: "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free."
Patriotism is wonderful, if genuine. Patriotism that is used to support ill-conceived policies, while smothering verbal opposition, is deadly.
