What do Rep. Gabby LeDoux, Berkeley snowflakes, Portland leftists, and Benito Mussolini have in common? A strong urge to stifle voices with which they disagree.
In Berkeley, California, the birth of the 60’s free-speech movement, neither cultural commentator Milo Yiannopoulis nor Ann Coulter were able to hold their contracted speaking engagements this year.
No one was safe, evidently, if either of those stepped foot in the cradle of modern liberalism. They were forced to withdraw, ostensibly to avoid riots.
Earlier this year, Milo Yiannopoulis, the former technology editor of Brietbart.com, had to cancel his speaking engagement after riots broke out in advance of his arrival. Yiannopoulis has spoken and written about the perils of uncontrolled illegal immigration.
According to the leftists, that makes him a fascist.
This month, the protesters were out again in opposition to Ann Coulter, columnist, author, and lightning rod for the right. Coulter has been on the Trump Train since day one. She, too, is a critic of uncontrolled immigration.
Like Yiannopoulis, Coulter is being called a fascist by the Left.
It’s possible that the extreme Left doesn’t know what the term fascist means. As it turns out, no one has an exact definition because fascism is loosely defined, and often gets hurled as a dissent-killing insult, in the way a others use the term “Nazi.”
Fascism is almost always used to describe right-wing authoritarianism, and the 27th prime minister of Italy, Benito Mussolini is the textbook case example, although he was a socialist-nationalist. He was part of a group that incited communist revolutions and insurrections that rolled across Europe starting in 1917.
Mussolini and his fellow fascists consolidated power through a series of laws that destroyed the party system in Italy, which led to a one-party dictatorship. Italy became a totalitarian state.
This we agree on: Fascism is a certain form of authoritarian rule.
In Portland, Oregon, a parade for children was cancelled because, after the Multnomah County Republican Party decided to enter a float, all hell broke loose on the far “anti-fascist” Left.
Anonymous threats were emailed to organizers, so they and Portland city police evidently lost confidence that families would be safe. The leftist said they would not let fascists like Republicans in the parade without causing a riot.
The threat said that if the Republican entry was allowed, “we will have two hundred or more people rush into the parade into the middle and drag and push those people out as we will not give one inch to groups who espouse hatred toward LGBT, immigrants, people of color or others. In case the message was not clear to you this is a sanctuary city and state, and we will not allow these people to spread their views in East Portland.”
The Multnomah County GOP, which is a very small group of people in left-dominated Portland, offered this comment: “We are very disappointed at the cancellation of the Parade. Criminals committed to riot and disorder have bullied the parade organizers into causing Oregon moms, dads, kids, and well-meaning community organizations to lose their opportunity to participate in this cherished annual Oregon tradition. We are also angry that, once again, local civic leaders didn’t do enough to prevent organized gangs of criminal thugs from running rampant in the City.”
WHAT’S LEDOUX GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Finally, this Berkeley-style repression of viewpoints has crept into the Alaska Capitol, where lawmakers are sent to debate, well, viewpoints. The Capitol is the center of political debate.
In the Alaska House of Representatives last week, Rules chairman Gabrielle LeDoux, a UC Berkeley graduate, virtually cut the mic on every one of the three Republican members of her committee.
She was taking no amendments from them. No amendments from Rep. David Eastman, Lora Reinbold, or immediate past House Speaker Mike Chenault. The only amendments would be hers. She wanted no debate.
When asked by Rep. Reinbold why LeDoux would allow no amendments to be proposed to a bill that LeDoux herself had just amended, LeDoux said, “Because I don’t want any amendments.”
[Read: Four minutes of Kim Jong LeDoux]
Rep. Sam Kito III, of Juneau and Rep. Matt Claman, of Anchorage, sat nearby and can be seen on the video link as sheepishly ducking their heads, averting their gaze, and looking at the papers before them, unwilling to defy their committee chairman.
Claman and Kito remained silent while LeDoux ruled over that “concurrent joint resolution on sexual assault awareness month” with a curiously strong fist.
The two remained silent, allowing LeDoux to muzzle the opposition in the very place where opposite points of view are meant to be heard.
Her loyal ally, Rep. Louise Stutes of Kodiak, looked away, but at the end of the meeting dipped her head toward LeDoux and giggled with her, like two schoolgirls sharing a secret. About what? That Rep. David Eastman’s voice had been silenced?
NO PARTY LEDOUX
LeDoux is also the author of legislation that would eliminate party influence in primary elections through HB 200, (to be heard by State Affairs on Tuesday at 3 pm) creating what is called an “open primary” where political parties don’t factor. Such a move would be to the advantage of the Democratic Party, which cannot seem to gain enough traction in Alaska without running candidates as nonpartisans, as they did with Rep. Daniel Ortiz and Rep. Jason Grenn.
Destroying political parties? Preventing opposition voices in the halls of government? Tolitarian rule in committee? It’s all in a day’s work for Rep. LeDoux.
On Monday, the resolution relating to sexual assault — Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 — will end up back in the Rules Committee by order of House Speaker Bryce Edgmon. There was no way that it could go to the House floor after what had occurred the previous day. The entire Democrat-ruled caucus, which tolerates LeDoux but can carry on without her, wouldn’t have been able to withstand the embarrassment of the speeches on the House floor that would surely ensue.
At 1:30 pm on Monday, Alaskans will be able to see whether LeDoux continues with her “certain form of authoritarian rule,” or allows her fellow elected representatives to speak, as they were sent to Juneau to do.
Bring your popcorn.