OPINION – The only nice thing about the double standard in American media is that no one can accuse them of having no standards.
For example, when Dylann Roof allegedly murdered nine Charleston church-goers earlier this summer, the media narrative quickly snowballed into a politically-correct crusade.
Instead of focusing on the murderous actions of a mentally unstable young man, the masters of contrived outrage sought to leverage public outrage against Confederate symbols and unpopular attitudes towards race. Roof’s ideological pedigree was meticulously examined to attempt to establish connections to as many other viewpoints on the political right as possible.
A well-trained American public ate it up like children being spoon-fed their daily mush by slick, highly paid and blow-dried talking heads. It’s not called programming for nothing.
Contrast this with the media’s treatment of the shocking on-camera murders last week of television news reporter Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward by a disgruntled former co-worker. Because the accused gunman was an unhappy homosexual black man, political correctness forbid any questioning of his ideologies, motives or choices.
Instead, the media narrative was immediately focused upon the fact that he committed his violent act with a firearm. Opportunistic politicians whose shamelessness would make porn stars shake their heads in disgust were the first to exploit the tragic event.
From Barack Obama to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to prospective presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, the narrative was strictly limited to denouncing lack of “commonsense” gun controls.
Some gun control advocates on social media angrily insisted that anyone who spoke out in defense of the right to keep and bear arms was simply exploiting the murders.
Apparently their sense of irony was as lacking as former president Bill Clinton’s was when he staged a press conference with several women who had sought abortions and angrily declared that he would not allow them to be “used as political props.”
Even Parker’s grieving father Andy got into the act by promising to become an activist who would lobby to close what he called “loopholes” allowing people to purchase firearms without government permission.
Let’s talk about those alleged loopholes for a moment, shall we?
Radio host Brian Wilson correctly identifies what is at stake when he writes:
To the sociopaths and their myrmidons in government, Liberty is a loophole. Freedom is a loophole. Natural Rights are loopholes, all of which must be eliminated, slammed shut quickly, thoroughly and when necessary, inhumanely.
The exploitation of an aberrant violent act is no more than a cynical attempt to justify the use of coercive government to deprive innocent people of their natural rights.
It is a ploy that is only successful in societies that no longer understand or respect natural law.
Modern day sophists rely upon artificial rules and contrived complexity to keep the rest of us off balance and under their control. In reality, natural law exists independent of any government or man-made laws whatsoever.
Understanding what natural law is comprises the first decisive step to taking back control of your life from those who wish to rule over you.
Blogger Rob Nielsen sums up natural law in three simple points:
- You own your consciousness, and by extension, your body, and your labor; this is sometimes described as rights to life, liberty and property
- All humans having those same rights, it is unjust for anyone to violate the life, liberty or property of another
- Everyone has the right to defend life, liberty,and property from aggression
Part of the natural right to defend one’s life, liberty and property is found in the right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment does not grant this right, it simply acknowledges it and protects it from government aggression by the words “shall not be infringed.”
A key characteristic of natural rights is that they must be asserted and defended continuously. They are of greater importance to the overall security and happiness of a free society than the understandable grief of a murder victim’s father or the calculated cunning of an opportunistic politician.
The main reason that the murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward have garnered such attention is that they played out on live television. Also, many in the media are using their deaths as an excuse to self-aggrandize.
In reality, violent crime has been declining for more than two decades in America. Meanwhile, firearms ownership in America has continued to grow at record levels.
Beware of those who, by virtue of emotional appeal, would claim moral authority to limit or deny our natural rights for their own selfish purposes.
So long as we remain more determined to maintain and stand up for our natural rights than the exploiters are to take direct action to deny them, they can only continue making frustrated noises.
Bryan Hyde is a radio commentator and opinion writer in Southern Utah. The opinions stated in this article are his and not representative of St. George News.
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- Perspectives: Decent people have skin in the game
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Twitter: @youcancallmebry
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.
Thanks for pointing out blaring loopholes this Monday morning. A good read.
Better tighten your belt up Brain. The self rightest wolfs are getting ready to ponce.
Thanks Brian for putting to words what is wrong with our country.
Amen. Well said. Bryan Hyde for president!
I made a comment pointing out my disappointment that the shooter that killed the reporters was black and stgnews censored it. Sadly, political correctness wins the day i guess…
I wasn’t disappointed by his skin color (it’s irrelevant, or at least should be), but I was disappointed by his actions. He was a serial victim with a long history of blaming everyone but himself for his unhappiness. I’m very disappointed that the agenda-driven media and politicians will use him as an excuse to try to get laws passed, even when the exact laws they’re pushing wouldn’t have prevented his actions. You see that over and over again, under the guise of “we have to do ~something~”.
“Serial victim”, that is exactly how to describe what Alison Parker and Adam Wards murderer turned out to be. I bet it all started when he was a small child and got a trophy, “just because he tried.” We have focused so much on making our kids “feel” important that when the disappointments in life happen – and they will – they feel picked on, discriminated against and feel a sense of entitlement. Even to the point of the peril of the public. They are like a 4-year old who doesn’t get to pick the cereal they want or the candy that is so prominently (and conveniently) displayed at the checkout area but instead of throwing themselves on the floor, they brandish a weapon and do something stupid. “There, that will teach those who didn’t treat me special!” Stop raising your kids to be victims. If they are not great ball players, teach them to be good teammates and good citizens. Teach them now that they cannot “be” whatever they want. Bruce will NEVER be a girl! His DNA will always be XY regardless of how much plastic surgery and hormone therapy he gets. You are what you are, you get what you get and make the best of it. Stop being a victim!
I wish mormons would quit playing the victim and “poor me” card. They’re always claiming persecution, when in reality IT’S THEM DOING THE PERSECUTING!
Sarah Palin for president.!
Oh this guy is killing it! He is on fire today! Yawn.
Yawwwwwwwwwwn
WE’RE RENAMING THE STATE OBAMALASKA, SO YOU IDIOTS BETTER HIDE THEM GUNS FAST
BRYAN HYDE IS JUST MAD BECAUSE HE GOT LAID OFF WHEN THE LDS FIRED ALL THE JANITORS. I’M ABBY BTW
Bryan ~ Excellent article! A criminal will use any tool available, whether it’s illegal or not. Control the criminals and the tools are no longer an issue. We could begin with mandatory sentencing for violent offenders … no plea deals, no minimal sentences, no paroles. Guns aren’t the issue, criminals are.
Actually criminals with guns are the issue.
I’m with Accountable on this; Criminals are the issues here, not guns. #gunssavelives
issue*,
Name it the FUN BAG NATIONAL MONUMENT and all the haters can blow it.!