Among Friends

     Today, there are things one cannot say:

• Out loud;
• In public;
• Without unpleasant consequences.

     That’s indisputable. The reason is the militancy of those who differ with you: i.e., the contemporary Left. They’ve learned that militancy is the trump suit: that militant tactics – from slander to outright violence – won’t be effectively opposed. In combination, aversion to confrontation and fear of unpleasant consequences will inhibit the great majority from “speaking the unspeakable.” It doesn’t help that the “received wisdom” that dominates the great majority of Americans is opposed to some of those unspeakable things. So they get away their tactics.

     To defy the Left and “received wisdom” in this regard requires a combination of brashness and personal armor. No matter how personally invulnerable you are, you must be able to withstand the slander campaigns, which are always hurtful and cost the slanderer approximately nothing. More, you must be aware that to those who dominate contemporary discourse, facts and logic are irrelevant. Knowing this, you must be willing to follow through even so.

     The irrelevance of facts and logic is so stunning that few can accept it. Yet the use of these things in debate between political opponents has been shouted down as “racist” and “fascist.” For example, dare to mention the incredible preponderance of Negroes among the perpetrators of felony crimes, or the shocking failure rate of Negro-dominated cities, schools, and other institutions, and brace yourself. Dare to mention the enormous difference between the longevities of heterosexuals and homosexuals, or the skyrocketing suicide rate among those who “transition” from their biological sex, and be prepared to be called “everything but white.” And of course, dare to note the terrible, well documented prevalence of child trafficking that’s taking place today, especially in the chaos at the southern border, and you’d better be wearing your Kevlar bodysuit.

     Try it and see.

     An old novel of which I’m fond describes one minor character in a memorable fashion:

     [Senator Millwood] was an ideal choice for vice-president. He was proud but had no pride. It was impossible to hurt his feelings, for a lifetime of politics had worn his sensibilities so smooth that nothing could engage them. When once a heckler shouted at him “Shut your fat-assed mouth,” he replied—gravely, “Thank you for your contribution. This is a free country, and freedom of expression is what made us great.”

     [Michael Halberstam, The Wanting of Levine]

     (Letter-perfect. If I write another fifty novels, I may have a slim chance of penning a character description that piercing.)

     That’s the other way of armoring oneself against the calumnies of the Left: not to care at all. But most of us in the Right care deeply, even passionately. Thus the Millwood Defense is unacceptable to us. Yet our awareness of critical facts and their clear implications urges us to speak. How, then, do we keep silent, when like Jeremiah of old, silence lights a fire in our bones that bids to devour us from within?

     It’s a serious question. That silence in the face of evil, the forcible repression of that which demands to be spoken, has actual physiological effects. Of this I speak with authority.

     But the price for speaking thus is high, too.

     By now even those well acquainted with my circumlocuitous ways are probably wondering if I’ll ever get to the point. But I’ve already expressed that point, Gentle Reader. What we say to one another here, among friends, must be spoken:

• Out loud;
• In public;
• And damn the consequences!

     That gnawing you feel inside is a microcosm of the gnawing taking place at the foundations of this country. If we truly want our country back, we cannot remain silent. The measures required demand candor and fearlessness in the face of reprisal. The price for continued deference to “received wisdom” and acceptance of the oppressive ways of the Left will bankrupt these United States of America once and for all.

     A very few are speaking of what ails us candidly and fearlessly. One and all are being vilified and assailed in ways that frighten the average American into silent withdrawal. Charles Murray. Jared Taylor. Matt Walsh. Jim Caviezel. There are others less well known. They know the dangers, yet they continue on. They deserve our audible, visible concurrence. More, they deserve to have us stand alongside them – and to stand firm.

     He who keeps silent in the face of evil has acquiesced to evil’s agenda. He will watch evil progress, make converts and conquests, and stand mute. Soon enough, he will even believe evil of himself. There is no lower estate to which a good man can fall.

     Have a nice day.