Enemies of The State

The Biden Administration, Big Tech, and other organizations will go to almost any extreme, including propaganda, to promote their priorities. Their efforts on COVID vaccines may be a trial run for what we may see for the next three years on a range of issues. With vaccines, we have already seen social media censor those who have raised legitimate concerns or objections to various COVID vaccines.

“Now we need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, and oftentimes, door to door — literally knocking on doors — to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus,” President Biden said.

“Trusted” local leaders could be going door-to-door to discuss getting vaccinated. The administration also may enlist Big Tech companies to manage our views countless issues, by controlling our access to information.

Make no mistake about it, this is a huge propaganda effort, and it is troubling. A campaign that “suppresses the conversation; the man opposite is no longer an interlocutor but an enemy,” French philosopher Jacques Ellul wrote in his book Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes. Taken together, the administration’s efforts paint a picture of an emerging, out-of-control police state. Those of us who disagree with the administration are no longer citizens, it seems we have become enemies of the state.

How America is changing. In my 18 years as a Congressman, I frequently met with constituents who voiced opinions on policies. Our views differed many times, but even then, we were able to discuss our differences in a constructive and civil manner. Contrast that with how the current administration treats those who disagree with them on their key priorities, including COVID vaccines.

Skeptics have been vilified, which the administration apparently now believes necessitates and justifies retaliatory action. Just in the last few days, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was working with Big Tech on correcting “misinformation.” This is censorship. They are doing this with increasing frequency, banning President Trump, originally banning discussion of the origins of the COVID virus (reversing their wrong decision a year later), and shadow banning conservative writers and groups. They are setting themselves up as the arbiters of truth. Americans used to be in the position where they could decide for themselves.

The Biden Administration, however, appears ready to go further. They will enlist “trusted messengers who are part of the community” to go “door-to-door,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said. Do not come to my door! Americans do not want so-called community messengers — picked by who knows who — knocking on our doors asking personal questions about health or much else.

I have knocked on plenty of doors during my political career and experienced quite personally how strongly people feel about the sanctity of their home. Mr. President, this is a really bad idea that should be cancelled.

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Originally published by The Gatestone Institute

COLUMN BY

Pete Hoekstra

Chairman of the Center for Security Policy Board of Advisors.

RELATED TWEET:

Trump tears into CNN: "People won't stand for all of this phony stuff… Forget 'fake' – false – this is absolutely false news." pic.twitter.com/e10l1i1qh2

— Newsmax (@newsmax) July 27, 2021

EDITORS NOTE: This Center for Security Policy column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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