Liberal Monarchy

Liberalism Permits No Dissent

Stanford University has a long-standing reputation as the protector of free exchange of ideas. Far reaching, even radical, opinions were sought so that students would hear all sides of an issue. Thus, it came as a surprise when students violently protested a scheduled conservative speaker. It seems only liberal viewpoints are allowed at Stanford. Suppression of conservative ideas is not limited to college campuses. National media, local and state governments, and more recently the courts have demonstrated a tendency to protect leftist ideology.

Two officers were shot during a Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles. Protestors followed the ambulance to the hospital and blocked the entrance to the emergency room until additional police could arrive. The national press condemned neither the shooting nor the crowd at the hospital. Federal guidelines limit the size of gatherings – unless the gatherings are left-wing protests. Right-wing protests are labeled hate groups, and their gatherings are pillared in the media. If a speaker disagrees with any part of the Black Lives Matter movement, they are branded as racists. The left leaning media was apparent in last week’s Town Hall broadcasts. The reporter who asked questions to President Trump was aggressively hostile, while Biden was shielded from any ideas other than his own.

Last Sunday the World Health Organization published their most recent guidance on the pandemic urging all governments to quit using lockdowns as the primary method to control the virus. They emphasized their previous position was based on computer models. There are now sufficient data, however, to show that lock downs don’t work. The economic and mental health consequences make the poor poorer and result in more deaths than would happen if otherwise healthy citizens were allowed to go about their normal activities. The new guidelines were endorsed by a group of doctors from Europe, India, Israel, and America. When I read the article in London’s Daily Mail, I expected a storm of controversy. The next day, I checked CNN and the other networks and found nothing. There was no mention of the new guidelines in the Spokesman Review. The liberal left is so invested in masks and social distancing, they can’t allow debate. We have been told to follow the science, but only if the science advocates their predetermined position. I have been looking for logic in the way we have approached the virus. I found it in the new World Health Organization guidance. It explains why the virus spreads in areas that are locked down just as it does in areas that are open. It vividly points out the indisputable truth that lockdowns are not working, but this guidance is being suppressed. Liberal governments supported by the press cannot allow disagreement.

There were twelve advisory votes on the ballot in 2019. Nine of them passed; requesting new tax legislation be repealed. The vote of the people was ignored. The Governor and the legislature oppose any and all attempts to curtail spending on social welfare programs. Sometimes the people can simply be disregarded. In other cases, it takes a ruling from a liberal court. I was a supporter of I-976. My rationale was not that I wanted cheaper car tags; I saw 976 as a wake-up call to the legislature to curtail runaway spending. This is the third time an initiative for $30 car tabs has been passed by a vote of the people, and the third time it has been overturned by the State Supreme Court. The will of the people was never in question, but each time the court found a way to nullify the vote. The majority of the court decided the electorate was incapable of understanding the wording of the initiative. The left-leaning court thinks the people are too dumb to know what they really want. I wonder if the Court serves the people or the Governor?

During this pandemic, we have been told repeatedly to quit work, stay home, and trust in government. I respectfully disagree with at least part of that. Our state and increasingly our nation are being ruled by liberals who will not allow any opinion but their own. I am not allowed to disagree. No discussion, no debate, just follow orders and trust our ruling elite.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance co0lumnist for over 20 years.