The HOLY WAR against free speech
Matt Taibbi, RFK Jr., vaccines, 1st Amendment—postmodernism ruins everything
The story I’m about to tell begins with a bizarre Twitter DM from someone I’d not heard from since 2015, a podcaster named Nicole Sandler.
The DM was meant as a withering attack on my character. But instead, it serves as a roadmap to the ideological holy war currently waged by Democratic Party Machine apparatchiks on behalf of giant pharmaceutical corps, alphabet soup intelligence agencies, and White House staff who seek to censor every corner of digital communications.
Here’s the DM that set me to thinking about the holy war:
Just to set the table, I stand accused of the following:
being a [nasty] antivaxxer
being a [nasty] RFK supporter, and
being a [nasty] Taibbi-reader, possibly even Greenwald (clutches pearls, faints)
To interpret this message through the lens of narcissism would be a mistake. That’s maybe necessary but definitely not sufficient to explain this level of contempt. A psychological struggle might exist, but this communication is not of a personal nature. It’s political. It’s like a witch hunt, but the aim isn’t to burn witches [yet], it’s to silence rational thinking and replace it with pure ideology.
That’s all fairly high-level stuff and I’m sure Sandler hasn’t given any thought to this. She just knows that her tribe demands unquestioning loyalty to a set of ideas and she wants to be a good foot-soldier.
NICOLE … WHO?
Sandler is long-time radio broadcaster who cast her lot with the Democratic Party Machine, whose apparatchiks fill time on her show segments. Listeners of her show find a safe space for a “vote blue no matter who” orientation that adheres to a cult-like belief that the the walls are still closing in on Trump. I don’t understand how they still have the energy. There’s so much more to life (and our political moment) than re-litigating Hillary Clinton’s richly deserved 2016 loss in the presidential election…but there it is.
So, why lash out at me?
Well, in this holy war combatants apparently believe their ideology wins when they’re assholes to enough people on the internet. Seems an unlikely solution to anything, but I don’t make the rules—and they might not have thought this through. It’s every bit as stupid as it sounds.
THE ATTACK: vaccines
Trust me, this is just a prelude to much bigger issues so just skim this section if you know story.
I’ll take the “anti-vaxxer” accusation first [deep, prolonged exhausted sigh and eyeroll]:
I took the vaccine.
and had a severe adverse reaction.
I don’t tell people not to get the shot.
I tell my own story and share relevant information so others can make the informed decision that I wasn’t afforded.
I’m especially concerned with those who suffer from autoimmune or inflammatory chronic disease who seem to be especially vulnerable to injury.
I’ve spoken out about these things because I believe we have a responsibility to share information that can help others.
Additionally, we all know the ‘antivaxxer’ moniker is meant as a slur, which is a form of social coercion called ‘symbolic violence’ (described by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu). It’s intended to impose social norms through a display of power and tribal affiliation.
Here’s my good faith response to her volley.
It’s important to say right up front that I’m not tolerating attacks regarding my medical status—that’s ableism. I took the shot and had a stroke. It’s very straightforward. I didn’t even mention the $23,000 hospital bill.
Which she momentarily seemed to appreciate…
…but the veneer cracks and in mere moments she angrily accuses me of lying. She also accuses a mutual friend of lying. His brother died. None of this okay in the context of normal adult interaction.
I contend it only makes sense in the context of holy war. I’m reminded that it was radio hosts in Rwanda who kicked off the genocide, and it’s becoming easy to see how that came about.
“SOME OTHER FACTOR”
I half-agree when Sandler says that “some other factor” led to my stroke and our mutual friend’s brother’s death. This has been my key point throughout the entire debate: We need safety data of this pharmaceutical product AS IT PERTAINS to autoimmune (my disease family), precisely BECAUSE autoimmune makes us vulnerable to certain medicines that may cause hyper inflammatory states.
Medicine shouldn’t be politicized because we ALL come with “other factors”—be they sex, weight, genetic disposition, pregnancy status and chronic disease. No medication is ‘one size fits all.’
With safety data, informed consent and the right of bodily autonomy, I know I’d have avoided all of this misery, and chances are our mutual friend wouldn’t have lost his brother.
But I doubt this tribe would agree to that, because…
OUR LIVES DON’T MATTER
In the screenshot below she tells us we (injured, bereaved) mean nothing to her. If I had a nickel for every time a Democratic Party Machine apparatchik told me during COVID19 that my life meant nothing to them, I could afford healthcare.
Sandler claims both the injured and the bereaved are “insignificant” and “infinitesimal,” because she’s under the impression that my vaccine injury would curtail her access the mRNA product—and apparently she thinks COVID19 is transmitted through Twitter since we’ve never met in person (and I didn’t go anywhere for two years during COVID, anyway).
It gets weirder when she dismisses our real material conditions because hypothetically there are other material conditions in the world. This move is only taken when you’re telling people they’re literally the enemy. It’s not only that our lives don’t matter. It’s that our blood must be shed to purify their ideological needs.
It’s like saying to the families of the Parkland shooting that “Gun violence doesn’t matter because people die in car crashes.” Or, “Why worry about heart disease when people die from falling pianos?” It’s a non-sequitur that would likely get you punched in the throat if said it face-to-face to a bereaved family member.
The vaccine injured don’t matter to Sandler because she signed-up for ideological holy war, not humanitarian aid. The “liberal” position prescribed by Democratic Party Machine apparatchiks demands that the disabled just fuck off and die. There’s no place in their narrative for anyone’s pissy little neurological injury or dead loved ones.
You might ask, what kind of person harasses those bereaved by pharmaceutical corporations? Are pharmaceutical corporations somehow involved this ideology or holy war?
PR IN THE SERVICE OF HOLY WAR
It stinks of public relations that Sandler uses the exact same talking points that so many other faceless Twitter Dems touted: “People die from stuff all the time. What’s the big deal if YOU die?” I’ve seen this line repeated in almost every social media discussion of deaths and injuries from the mRNA product.
No normal human being would look into the eyes of someone suffering from iatrogenic injury, and poke them in the chest to punctuate the words “Your_life_doesn’t_matter.” That’s the job of $1000-an-hour bigdog litigators retained by pharmaceutical companies. What kind of moron does their dirty work for free?
That behavior requires someone who’s enlisted in an ideological holy war. We’ve come a long way since the days of Mad Men when simple psychological levers were pulled to sell hosiery. Now we have the largest public relations institutions in the world, employed by the largest corporate interests in the world, using the networks of Left Institutions adjacent to the Democratic Party to fight an ideological holy war that has nothing to do with public health, and everything to do with campaign strategy.
Dangerous times, indeed. And sad too, because the Democratic Party used to serve The People instead of serving the people up to corporate interests.
Which brings us to …
RFK Jr.—DEMOCRATS’ PROTOTYPICAL PRESIDENT
The Democratic Party is well aware of the allure of a real Kennedy because they’ve spent the last 50 years manufacturing cheap Kennedy counterfeits in the hope of capturing that old JFK/RFK magic without actually having the humanity that JFK or RFK were famous for. Every election cycle the party tosses out a few Kennedy-esque empty suits like Beto O’Rourke. They’re actually scared shitless that anyone with a Kennedy’s intelligence, humanity and work ethic might emerge and blow their whole shit show to pieces. Kennedy facsimiles are prized by the Democratic machine. Real Kennedys won’t be tolerated.
RFK’s son and JKF’s nephew will most certainly show up the current Doddering-Old-Man-in-Chief, and that has Democrats freaking out. This would be a disaster for the aging triangulators and horse-traders who currently run the joint up in DC. Imagine voting for a real Kennedy with a long career of consumer, environmental and human rights litigation under his belt. RFK Jr. is a threat because he’s the real McCoy.
We all have history that leads us in one political direction or another. I came to the Democratic Party through my family of Irish Catholics who saw the Kennedys as the prototypical Democrat. When they went to vote for Democrats, they always imagined they were voting for the party of the Kennedys. I think that’s fairly common.
But my family’s attachment to the Kennedys goes deeper.
My grandmother who raised me worked at the Kennedy Compound in Palm Beach. She was a ward of the state of Florida after her family abandoned her and her sisters in the aftermath of The Great Hurricane in 1928 (think, The Little Rascals, or Our Gang). Back then foster kids were rented out by the state to serve in the mansions of South Florida, and specifically for my grandmother, Palm Beach. She was 12 when she cleaned house at the Kennedy Compound.
She resented all of the wealthy on Palm Beach except the Kennedys for the simple reason that they treated her like a human when no one else did. She’d weep telling me how Rose Kennedy was the only mansion-dweller who bothered to learn the names of the orphans. “They’re good people,” she’d say. “True humanitarians.”
But none of this isn’t the reason RFK Jr., has my attention.
RFK Jr.’s father and uncle were [likely] murdered by the same intelligence agencies now operating the massive censorship regime and control operation that Matt Taibbi has been reporting on—this is why he’s relevant to our moment. He represents everything Democrats were before they tongue-kissed Sauron’s ring. Now they’re playing the role of little Gollums, fully encased in their ‘shadow self’; shunning those who remind of who they once were.
Corruption hates seeing itself in the mirror.
Contemporary Democrats want to take all the corporate money, screw over real people who’ve been hurt and bereaved, and still see themselves as stars of their own Hero’s Journey. They’re sick. I’d feel sorry for them but they’re so far into their addiction that there’s no core identity left to mourn.
The Kennedys believed in the promise of a united America and a world at peace because that’s how we secure a future for ourselves and others. Democratic voters have sought leaders with this worldview and been fooled for 50 years. Does RFK Jr. have flaws? Sure. But I don’t care. If the vote is between RFK Jr. and Handsy McBiguy, there’s no contest.
‘BEAT OFFICE, HOW MAY I DIRECT YOUR CALL?’
We see through them now. I know I do. Those who cast their ballot for Democrats are doing so with the knowledge, and maybe even the hope, that they’re electing the dirtiest bastards in Washington. This mindset is a relic of Bill Clinton’s administration when the party openly marketed themselves on the premise that they’d garner more corporate money than Republicans.
It’s taken 30 years but I see that Clintonian moment in perfect clarity now.
During the presidential election of 1992, I was publishing a left newsweekly in one of the most conservative parts of the country. I had to make dozens of snap decisions a day. I admit, I took shortcuts. In fact, I took the exact same shortcuts that every Brooklyn wannabe-journo does now in their practice of “advocacy journalism” instead of practicing actual reporting.
I started my publication while in graduate school studying Marx and postmodernism (and teaching classes, and waiting tables). It was called “The Beat.” We answered the phones, “Beat Office,” which was apropos because we were complete wankers.
Those in the thrall of “advocacy journalism” tell themselves that they have a principle more important than truth. That’s the essence of postmodernism which was my area of study in graduate school as well as the latter part of undergrad. I had once been enthusiastic by the promise of postmodernism, but no more. It’s taken me decades to undo the damage to my brain and my soul from that ideology—only to find my own party with a needle in its arm, OD-ing on pomo.
[NOTE: Postmodernism is different from ‘wokeism.’ Pomo is the ideology and epistemology that allows ‘woke’ identity politics to exist.]
My biggest regret of that time was not publishing, in its entirety, an insider’s account of Bill Clinton’s corruption in Arkansas. A lovely, LONG, story was provided by someone who had just come from Arkansas and had seen the corruption with his own eyes. But we were mere months away from the 1992 presidential election and I simply refused to show that story to our readers … because postmodernism demands a different set of ‘higher principles.’
TAIBBI, JOURNALISM … DEMOCRACY, FREE SPEECH
This brings us to Matt Taibbi and the Democratic Party’s lunacy toward the bedrock principle of democracy—free speech.
According to the online AI program ChatGPT, the Founders’ rationale for the First Amendment was:
Firstly, they were deeply committed to the principles of individual liberty and religious freedom, which they saw as essential to a free and democratic society. The First Amendment was seen as a way to protect these freedoms by prohibiting the government from establishing a state religion or interfering with individuals' right to worship as they choose.
Secondly, the Founders were aware of the history of government censorship and repression in Europe and wanted to ensure that such abuses did not occur in the United States. The First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech, the press, and assembly were intended to ensure that citizens could freely express their opinions and ideas without fear of retribution from the government.
Finally, the Founders recognized the importance of a free and open marketplace of ideas, where citizens could engage in vigorous debate and discussion to arrive at the truth. They believed that the free exchange of ideas was essential to a healthy democracy and that the First Amendment's protections would help to ensure that this exchange could occur without interference from the government.
And here’s why it’s important to us in this moment:
The Founders knew from experience that a free and democratic society cannot exist without free speech, because
They had been victims of a corrupt government that silenced those who revealed the details of that corruption, and
It was recognized that TRUTH is not something a monarch proclaims, it’s rather
Arrived at through reason and vigorous discussion in a free marketplace of ideas, where
Free people speak freely without interference or retribution from THE GOVERNMENT, in order that
The TRUTH may simply EXIST, because
Without a free and open discussion there is no TRUTH, rather
You get the capricious proclamations of inbred imperialists.
Free speech is free for BOTH those who are right and those who are wrong, because we can’t know the difference without discourse. The greatest ‘tell’ in the history of civilization is that corrupt governments always seek to silence those who are right—not those who are wrong.
“Government censorship and repression” is currently on full display but Democratic Party Machine apparatchiks are distracting you with some misbegotten tribal hatred for a handful of journalists—specifically, those who’ve revealed the corruption.
HOW DOES ANYONE NOT SEE THIS?
Democratic leaders and Members of Congress have threatened to imprison a journalist, Matt Taibbi, for reporting on the massive Censorship Industrial Complex whose architects hail from the highest levels of the Biden White House. They’re currently claiming that Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger, together, represent “a direct threat to people who oppose them” — a rather strange turn of phrase, which is true if and only if staffers in the Biden White House actually did what they’re accused of doing, and if so, represents only the “threat” of accountability.
The surest sign of a corrupt government is when one moves to repress and imprison journalists who dare to reveal its perfidy.
Our current nightmare directly mirrors the worst impulses of the British Monarchy prior to the Declaration of Independence. For example, the pseudo Left that regards free speech as “fascist,” curiously remains in favor of “free speech” as it pertains to modern-day monarchs like Chrissy Teigen and other celebrity influencers. Meanwhile, Democrats seem to have directed the the IRS to intimidate Matt Taibbi and his family, while he was giving testimony in a Congressional hearing.
This is the exact opposite of how a ‘democracy’ works. Sorry to be yelling, but HOW DOES ANYONE NOT SEE THIS?
I’ll tell you why. Because everything we’ve experienced since 2016 has been a giant postmodern feint. Those who were supposed to be ‘the best among us,’ set out on a villain’s journey to dismantle democracy. They’re doing it by short-circuiting reason, and by claiming exceptional powers during crises that seem to be both (somewhat) natural (COVID19) and manufactured (January 6).
Taibbi speaks to this directly in his aptly titled essay, “The Democrats Have Lost the Plot.” What’s described is “a system that wants to bypass proof and proceed to punishment, a radical idea that this new breed of Democrat embraces.”
Perfectly exemplifying postmodernism, Taibbi says, “I think they justify this using the Sam Harris argument, that in pursuit of suppressing Trump, anything is justified.”
Taibbi then observes, “But by removing or disrespecting the rights to which Americans are accustomed, you make opposition movements like Trump’s, you don’t stop them.”
Personally, I don’t think they want to stop them because the more Trumps they have, the more power they can grab. I’m not sure Democrats know how to govern without an all-purpose excuse of ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ Never forget, Hillary Clinton lost the election to the walking orange turd she wanted to run against. That was her Pied Piper Strategy.
‘Extraordinary circumstances’ powered Russiagate, COVID19, and Jan 6 which all compelled new ‘emergency powers’ that serve the interests of this new monarchy.
As Taibbi says at the close of the essay, the Congressional Hearing forced him to see “the intellectual desert that’s … the party I once supported.” He laments, “there are no more … Wellstones and Kuciniches … that crucial little pocket of principle is gone, and I don’t think it’s coming back.”
HOLY WAR IN THE FULLEST SENSE
Despite the forward-sounding name, postmodernism seeks to turn the clock back to when ‘rulers’ were feared because they governed through barbarism. I reject that, as should everyone.
Michael Shellenberger just published a whistleblower account titled, “It’s Even Worse Than You Think,” that features testimony from a “trust and security professional” (code for a professional censor) who works within the social media industry. In it Shellenberger asks if censorship is a function of simple “Wokeism,” or if it’s “driven by the [intelligence community] IC?”
The whistleblower replies, “‘Wokeism’ is a description of an ideology that…while popular, it is also quite convenient for the ruling class and the IC to the extent that the IC shares the ruling class’ priorities.”
The whistleblower continues: “The conflict is total; it’s being waged in every school, business, and platform. I don’t think it’s appropriate to view the present conflict as a battle between movements with leaders, but rather as a conflict between religions. If one leader falls on either side, two more will rise to take their place. This is a battle of world views, not of organizations.”
This perfectly describes our current postmodern holy war, where no one really knows what they’re fighting for, but they’re damn sure they’re right about it.
The whistleblower says that the holy war has already engulfed the popular view of free speech and the First Amendment: “The First Amendment is the expression of a dead worldview… It derives its legitimacy from the Enlightenment, and the Enlightenment is dead.”
So here’s my biggest problem with all of this. The most basic organizing principle of postmodernism is the death of the Enlightenment. What postmodernism seeks to establish is a technocratic dark age that some have called Endarkenment.
The whistleblower continues: “Personally, I’d like to see a basic organizing principle that people can identify with, which has free speech as a logical consequence of holding that principle. Whether that worldview wins remains to be seen.”
We already have THAT organizing principle in The Constitution. What’s happening now is nothing less than the controlled demolition of the structures that have held us together for 246 years, complete with radio hosts pumping up holy war. What’s described by this whistleblower is an ideological coup and a declaration of civil war. It’s exactly the kind of thing our intelligence communities have done in other countries since the 1950s. They’re doing it to US now—and they’re cloaking it not in an American flag, but in a rainbow.
What beautiful work transforming an ugly unsolicited twitter attack into a righteous essay of truth & logic. It is so heartening to hear sisters & brothers standing to speak the clear truth in a world where so many are lost in propaganda’s sound bites. Strength to you Brook!💪🏼
After a lifetime of disappointment, I try not to get enthusiastic about any political candidate. But RFK Jr. sure looks like precisely the leader we need right now in this Holy War. Even if he loses, the media will have to cover him and he will be an absolute wrecking ball to their Narrative. The guy's got more courage, intelligence, charisma, and sincerity than any of his detractors, by leaps and bounds.
Also, with respect to your "friend" sending you DMs - it's definitely her, not you. Many brains have been broken these past several years. Based on what I've read from you, you've managed to keep yours fully intact. Keep fighting the good fight!