The Silence of the Lambs - Bill's Weekly Column - Bill O'Reilly

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

There is a big chill descending on freedom of expression in America. A few examples. Liberal journalists at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the The New York Times recently lost their jobs because they were not liberal enough. The successful cable show "Live PD" was canceled by the Arts and Entertainment Network because of anti-cop fervor, and the legendary movie "Gone with the Wind" has been banished by HBO because it's "racist." And that's just a small sample of the Stalinist thought-terror presently enveloping the country. Everyone's scared. The totalitarian left, using the brutal police killing of George Floyd, has basically told American corporations that they will be branded racist if they allow or support criticism of the far left agenda. A vivid example is the vicious Media Matters organization threatening companies that advertise on Tucker Carlson's Fox News program. Media Matters, heavily funded by far left zealots like George Soros, accuses Mr. Carlson of "white supremacy." Disney, T-Mobile, and Papa John's pizza cancelled sponsorship last week. We can expect much more of this as the Stalinists understand it is their time. The rush on the part of corporate America to "virtue signal," that is, present themselves as champions of social justice and change, means any dissent from the Black Lives Matter agenda will not be tolerated. We have never seen this before in America, at least on this kind of scale. Individuals are losing jobs and careers simply for expressing honest beliefs. Even in the 1950s when the communist witch-hunt was underway, you didn't have this kind of assault on personal freedom across the board. Twitter and social media are largely responsible. In a blink, any American can be labeled a racist without a shred of evidence. And who will defend the accused? No one. Because if you do - YOU become a racist, or a misogynist, or a "nationalist." The radical playbook written by Saul Alinsky is now dominating the media. There are currently phrases like "all lives matter" that absolutely cannot be said. If you put forth that you will stand and respect the National Anthem, you're "insensitive." If you believe most police officers are noble, you are the enemy of justice. I never thought I would see freedom of expression crushed in my country. But that is what is happening. We do need honest reform to help Americans, especially minorities, who are not treated fairly. This can happen using robust debate and the exchange of effective ideas. That's the improvement process a free and mature society uses. But the totalitarian left does not want a free society because things like the election of Donald Trump happen in it. No, the radicals want to shut down opposing points of view, punish opponents, and have designed a frightening strategy to accomplish that. It is obvious corporate America is surrendering to the totalitarians, and many in the media are enabling the suppression of freedom by promoting far left actions. So who will stop this? It will have to be "we the people" vehemently rejecting the far left revolt. I think that will occur. But with so much damage being done, I pray it happens soon. Because the longer folks stay silent, the more we'll be like lambs.