By Janet Levy / American Thinker
Image: Montecruz foto
Last November, the now-defunct Trump
Accountability Project, linked to former Democratic National Committee
press secretary Hari Sevugan, bruited its plan to blacklist those who worked
for the Trump administration. Sevugan tweeted, “Employers considering
them should know that there are consequences for hiring anyone who helped Trump
attack American values. Find out how at the Trump Accountability
Project.” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Dem-NY) too called for
devising lists
of Trump supporters for punishment and ostracism. The rhetoric reeked
of a witch-hunt to name and shame anyone linked to the former president.
Now that the Biden administration is securely ensconced
in the White House, the blatant malice has been toned down with disingenuous
calls for unity. But there’s persistent targeting of “unwoke” conservatives --
in fact, of anyone not aligned with the hate America script of social justice
warriors. In this, the Biden administration has been active. There are several
recent instances that highlight a hypocritical progressive agenda to enforce
groupthink and extinguish critical and independent thinking.
In May, the IRS denied
501(c)(3) status to Christians Engaged, a Texas-based prayer group
that encourages members to pray for the country and its elected officials,
motivates citizens to vote for cultural impact, and campaigns for preserving
our constitutional republic. The group endeavors to integrate
civic involvement as part of religious practice but does not promote
any party or candidate. However, in his official letter denying tax exemption,
Stephen A. Martin, the IRS’s director of exempt organizations, clearly implies
that biblical values are exclusively Republican. He wrote: “While you educate
voters on what the Bible says about issues, your educational activities are not
neutral. The topics typically are affiliated with distinct candidates and
specific political party [Republican] platforms.”
The First Liberty Institute, a Christian legal
organization, is appealing the IRS decision as discriminatory. It argues that
there is no requirement that organizations must be neutral on public policy
issues, and that just because there is some overlap between the views of
Christians Engaged and the Republican party, the IRS cannot conclude that the
organization serves private interests. The IRS decision amounts to a violation
of the free speech, free exercise, and free establishment clauses of the First
Amendment. Declaring biblical teachings as exclusively Republican is the
slippery slope that could lead to future discrimination against Christian
organizations and even churches.
Remarkably, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB)-affiliated
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North
America (ISNA) enjoy tax exemption even though they have been shown to be
financing terrorism. In the 2008 Holy Land Foundation case, the largest
terror-funding trial in American history, the government had produced ample
evidence that CAIR, INSA, and other MB groups were associated with the
designated terror group Hamas. One MB document presented in court said the work
of the Ikhwan in the U.S. is “a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and
destroying Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house
by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and
G-d’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”
In another attack on conservative principles, Colorado
baker Jack Phillips was fined $500 under the state’s anti-discrimination law
for refusing to make a “gender transitioning” cake for a transgender activist.
Colorado had earlier barred Phillips, a devout Christian, from designing custom
wedding cakes after he declined to make one for a same-sex wedding. But he’d
won a Supreme Court victory in 2018, explaining that he was unwilling to
violate his beliefs and was exercising his First Amendment right to religious
freedom. Despite that ruling, Colorado officials have targeted him again.
Phillips has filed a lawsuit citing his right to practice his faith as well as
his right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment. Kristen
Waggoner, general counsel for Alliance
Defending Freedom, a Christian non-profit that’s representing Phillips,
stated: “Radical activists and government officials are targeting artists like
Jack because they won’t promote messages on marriage and sexuality that violate
their core convictions.”
Meanwhile, kindergarteners at the Ashlawn Elementary
School, Arlington County, Virginia, were subjected to transgender
messaging on Read Across America Day. A cross-dressing male LGBTQ+
activist read to them from a factually false transgender picture book without
parental knowledge or consent. The activist is a spokesperson for the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), which champions same-sex marriage, the expansion of LGBTQ+
rights, HIV/AIDS advocacy, and legislation on anti-discrimination and hate
crimes. In attendance as a sponsor was the president of the National Education
Association, a leftist union of 2.3 million public school teachers and college
students preparing to become teachers. The union campaigns for abortion,
socialized medicine, prisoner rights, and other causes dear to the Left.
Two additional examples of how conservatives are forced
to endure viewpoint discrimination and correction (or indoctrination) hail from
the national security sector and the military.
This month, the Biden
administration announced the National Strategy for Countering Domestic
Terrorism to target those who espouse “racial or ethnic bigotry and hatred” or
“anti-government ideology or anti-authority sentiment.” While purporting to
promote public safety, it aims to push Critical Race Theory, the
Muslim-as-victim narrative, and other radical Leftist views. Rather than
address the physical threat of terrorism, it targets ideological opponents of
the Biden administration and encourages views “befitting a democracy” -- as if
only certain opinions confer acceptance. It principally targets white
supremacists and violent extremists but fails to mention the anti-law
enforcement, anti-American ideologies of Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and
Islamic terrorists (except for a perfunctory mention of Al Qaeda). For all
intents and purposes, opposition to government policies is the new “terrorism”
-- not ISIS, not Al Qaeda, not Black Lives Matter, not Antifa.
In the military, there’s an agenda to root out ideas and
people who oppose the Biden administration’s “fundamental transformation of
America.” With the avowed purpose of eliminating extremism in the ranks,
training material from the Pentagon mischaracterizes American laws and
disparages citizens who believe in constitutional principles. It identifies no
instances of racism or discrimination that would prompt such a program. But
officers are instructed with talking points on “anti-government extremists” as
proven by “recent events.” The allusion is clearly to Trump supporters or those
who are against Biden’s progressive agenda. Contrary to the spirit of the First
Amendment, the material states that service members must “reject” ideas and
speech that threaten “to undermine our government” or face disciplinary action,
including discharge. It explicitly lays out permissible and prohibited
political activities and social media practices as part of a radical agenda to
undermine constitutional freedoms and indoctrinate our troops.
During the “Summer of Love,” far-left mayors and city
councils had dismissed the concerns of citizens over the rioting, arson,
senseless murder, assaults on police, and the chaos in the lawless autonomous
zones created by BLM and Antifa. Later though, even Seattle Mayor Jenny
Durkan walked
back her comments and confessed that the mayhem was not a viable
vision for her city. One would have thought that a reasonable response
following such anarchy would be for political leadership to reassess their
policies, respond to the public outcry, and temper its rhetoric against
conservative constitutionalists. Sadly, that hasn’t happened, and the
“fundamental transformation of America” is advancing apace.
When crises are manufactured to target ideological foes
and real threats are ignored, safety, security, and civil rights are
sacrificed. In all its dogmatism and intolerance, the progressive agenda
of enforced cultural conformism is gaining ground. The pushback that has
already begun must become fierce.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/06/its_outright_war_on_conservatives.html
