Darren Weeks
Coalition to Govern America
January 14, 2016

 

The people visiting the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge where Ryan and Ammon Bundy, along with a host of supporters have set up shop, come from all walks of life. Some are supporters, some are curious, there are media, and undoubtedly, government agents. There are some with good intentions, there are some who are looking to make a name for themselves, and there are some who simply want to find out what's really going on without the Establishment media's filter. To define the event by one, or even a few of its followers, would be deceptive at best.

 

However, that is exactly what the Oregonian is attempting to do with David Fry. Sifting through Fry's Google+ account, the paper has turned up certain hashtags that he posted, and that they are now using to attempt to cast a shadow over all of the people at the refuge to make them appear to be extremists, or worse still, terrorist sympathizers.

 

For instance, scribe Jim Ryan, in a January 13th hit piece, cited Fry's use of the hast tag "#Pray4ISIS" as an insinuation that he must be supportive of the Islamic terrorist group. Of course, the Bible tells us we should pray for our enemies and those that would seek to do us harm, a fact that was conveniently not mentioned by Ryan in the Oregonian, who goes on to cite Fry's "criminal record":

 

Fry has a criminal record that includes convictions for possession of drugs and possession of marijuana drug paraphernalia, and having an insufficient number of life jackets while, he said, floating on a river in an inflatable raft.

 

So let's summarize: Fry apparently likes to take a hit from a joint on occasion, and he was guilty of violating some minor government regulation — hardly your garden variety mobster. I'm sure the good residents of Harney County should be quaking in their cowboy boots.

 

From a cursory review of his account and the things he posts, it appears the only thing he, perhaps, could be accused of is being incendiary, provocative, and controversial with his viewpoints. The last time I checked, having strong viewpoints and stating them publicly, and without apology, wasn't exactly a terrorist act. In fact, one might even argue that it is protected under the First Amendment. You know, that old document that few read which defines the boundaries of our once-great Republic? Perhaps, strong viewpoints as protected speech is something that might be changing as we propel ever-so-quickly toward the cliff of Minority Report type pre-crime, where even a joke on social media could identify you with a terrorist group and get you busted by the FBI.

 

Orwell once famously wrote that "in an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act". One thing that every repressive government fears is a populace that is aware. Or to put it another way, dictatorships can only exist in the dark.

 

In this age where information travels at the speed of light, intimidation, public shaming, and threats of incarceration are the only tools left to stuff the genie back into the bottle. Sadly, these tools have been the trademarks of tyranny since the beginning of time.