Peoria Times
June 10, 2021
OPINION
7
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Redefining extremism: Your tax dollars at work BY J.D. HAYWORTH Peoria Times Columnist
No wonder President Biden, Vice President Harris and their spouses dined ata French restaurant on May 31. It was only fitting, as the nation’s “No. 2” was fresh from a political faux pas not seen since Marie Antionette’s alleged infamous comment, “Let them eat cake.” As America prepared to remember its fallen, the veep tweeted a vacuous wish: “Enjoy the long weekend.” The backlash nearly fricasseed her Twitter feed. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, asked the obvious: “Care to mention WHY we’re having the long weekend, Kamala?” A Gold Star Mother posted a picture, worth far more than a thousand words. It was the image of a young man, killed in action at age 19. “Always and forever in my heart, my American Hero Son,” she wrote. No stinging rebuke of Harris was necessary; the photo is poignant and its implied criticism potent. But this is more than just an episode of internet insensitivity; it is, instead, the latest portent of policy changes at the Pentagon. The Biden White House wants uniformity among those who wear the uniform — not only in line formation, but also in political orientation. It is certainly true that the Jan. 6 march on the Capitol included mob action, but to accept the media narrative that all the blame must rest at the feet of Trump
supporters is as ludicrous as Joe Biden’s assessment that the tragic, sorry episode was “the worst assault on our democracy since the Civil War,” conveniently forgetting Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 7, 1941. That’s why it’s worth remembering the complete political pronouncement of a more recent vintage, uttered by then-incoming Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in 2008: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” With an “amen chorus” amidst the unholy alliance of a partisan press, Silicon Valley tech titans and “woke” Wall Street fat cats — not to mention communist China’s “new best friends” in Hollywood — it’s simple to see where the left hopes to lead us: to that place where political dissent and conservative opinion can be redefined as “domestic terrorism.” That’s why new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — two weeks after being sworn in — ordered a full military “stand down.” Previously, such actions have been limited to specific branches of the service or geographic theaters of operation and have been prompted by technical failures of equipment or poor performance by personnel. This latest “stand down” was quite different. Not only did it involve all our
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military — everywhere our forces are based — it also featured a broad mandate: “address extremism.” What is extremism? Why, whatever the commander-in-chief says it is! Despite the cognitive challenges Joe Biden faces, a half-century of pursuing and procuring political power has imbued him with an instinct to consolidate that power at all costs — especially at the expense of the opposition. What better way to short-circuit our political process and constitutional freedoms than by proclaiming the “loyal opposition” disloyal? Equally dangerous is the temptation to keep those in military service from enjoying the very freedoms they fight and die to defend. Clearly, command authority and discipline within the ranks cannot be discarded — but neither can individual liberties. Sadly, that appears to be the case with the sacking of Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier. He was relieved of his command in mid-May for comments he made on the podcast “Information Operation,” where he promoted his self-pub-
BEILL’S OPINION
lished book, in which he denounced Marxism and “critical race theory.” But Lt. Col. Lohmeier’s “firing offense” may have come with this evaluation of recent changes to military life: “What you see happening in the U.S. military at the moment is that if you’re a conservative, then you’re lumped into a group of people who are labelled extremists, if you’re willing to voice your views. And if you’re aligned with the left, then it’s okay to be an activist online because no one is going to hold you accountable.” So, Matthew Lohmeier appears headed for an early retirement due to an accurate assessment of what’s happened in our military, while Kamala Harris remains a heartbeat away from the presidency for a cold-hearted dismissal of Memorial Day as part of a “long weekend.” The French have an expression for it: “C’est la vie.” J.D. Hayworth worked as a sportscaster at Channel 10 Phoenix from 1987 until 1994 and represented Arizona in Congress from 1995-2007.
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