du·plic·i·ty
noun.
deceitfulness; double-dealing.
synonyms: deception, deviousness, two-facedness, underhandedness, dishonesty, falseness, fraudulence, trickery…
Ironically some of those same angry voices protesting the treatment of Reps. Omar and Tlaib were demanding that Dutch politician Geert Wilders be denied the right to visit the United States back in 2015. Remember? Note, Mr. Wilders is not a freshman back-bencher. He is the leader of the second-largest party in Holland.
Rep. Omar’s predecessor in Congress wrote a strong letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson requesting that Wilders visit be blocked. The media apparently forgot about that.
It may come as a surprise to our friends on the Left that federal law prohibits entry into the United States for several reasons. People with communicable diseases, those convicted of certain crimes and anyone who “seeks to enter the United States to engage solely, principally, or any activity a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means” can be banned.
Mr. Wilders met none of those criteria. The two Congresswomen on the other hand?
Representative Wilders has never denied the United States’ right to exist. He has never advocated legislation calling for a boycott of our products or discouraging foreign investment. Indeed, he is a true friend of our country. Yes, he has raised concerns about the consequences of massive Islamic migration into the Netherlands and Western Europe. He has repeatedly said that he doesn’t hate Muslims, it is Islam itself and its intolerance that he has a problem with. Have you ever noticed that those who demand tolerance from us can be so intolerant? Especially intolerant of ideas with which they disagree. For raising uncomfortable questions, a leader of an important American ally had his speech rights challenged and his visit to the United States nearly nixed.
The Democrats demonstrate their duplicity daily. Republicans are not completely sinless on this score. But, the Left kicks it up a notch. Oh, they claim to be strong advocates of free speech, but only certain speech. Try to name an issue where they are willing to engage in even reasoned conversation? They don’t want a dialog. They don’t want a debate. They simply want to silence those have a different point of view. Global warming? Settled science! Abortion? Law of the land! Unlimited immigration? White supremacy! Making America great again? Hate-filled nationalism! They even advocate barring conservatives from certain restaurants.
The American Left claims to oppose bullying and violence. All while they give tacit approval for the bullying and violent tactics of Antifa and other radical groups. They are strangely silent when university students are browbeaten for disagreeing with overbearing liberal professors. A disturbing confrontation between a drum-beating Native American and a high school student must be blamed on the student. After all, he was wearing a MAGA hat.
The duplicity of elected officials pales when compared to that demonstrated daily by much of our media, especially social media. They definitely have a point of view. They hold themselves out as the great defenders of free speech. Those whose speech runs counter to their narrative, however, regularly have their speech blocked. When speech can be stymied by an unaccountable algorithm, we no longer have free speech. When a handful of Silicon Valley billionaires can affect millions of votes by controlling what we say or see, we are only a small step away from tyranny.
If the price of Liberty is eternal vigilance, then pointing out duplicity is our daily duty.
Gil Gutknecht
Gil Gutknecht is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota.
