OPINION: Too clever by halfwit

The recently released Durham Report confirms what many on the right have known since 2013 and the Lois Lerner scandal, that government agencies have become polluted with a progressive liberal political agenda and that many in the media facilitate this corruption.

The list of outright hoaxes proffered as fact is stunning. The Russia Collusion Hoax, the Steele Dossier Hooker story, the Charlottesville Fine People Hoax, the Drinking Bleach Hoax, the Trump Cleared Protestors with Tear Gas Hoax, the Hunter’s Laptop was Russian Disinformation Hoax, the Border Agents Whipped Illegal Border Crossers Hoax, the Trump Mocked a Reporter’s Disability Hoax, the Governor Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Hoax, the Trump Stored Nuclear Secrets at Mar-a-Lago Hoax, the Jan. 6 Protest was an Insurrection to Overthrow the Government Hoax, and the list goes on and on.

The progressive mendacity engine has several operating modes. One is where a quote or video clip is isolated and then reframed with the opposite of the original intent. The Fine People Hoax is an example. Another mode is where the context or the other half of the situation is omitted in order to fit a narrative. The J6 “Insurrection” fits this. A third mode is to just outright lie as in the Russia Collusion Hoax.

These methods are not limited to the national stage as we see them at all strata of government. We have seen them right here at the local level, and with grievous consequences.

Ever since conservatives were popularly elected to the NIC board there has been an intense effort to overturn the results of those elections. Including the demonizing of some trustees while others conspired to hijack democracy; the unwillingness of local LEOs to help maintain decorum or even investigate brazen violators; threats of and actual litigation; the collusion of city council members who even attended a democrat hosted conference where the keynote asked about NIC trustees “What are their livelihoods? Where do they work? Do they own businesses?” only to have a city council member offer up the answer.

Is anyone with a functioning brain surprised in the least that Trustee Banducci was repeatedly harassed and eventually physically attacked in his place of work by an NIC employee who said he felt compelled to “do something?” If you repeat a lie often enough eventually someone will believe it and act.

Another example is this last election for the Community Library Network (CLN) trustees. The issue was that the libraries were disseminating material harmful to minors which is a misdemeanor under Idaho Code 18-1515. Why weren’t librarians being arrested? Because Idaho Code 18-1517 grants employees of schools and libraries an affirmative defense; they can break the law but not be prosecuted.

Shockingly over the last few years library directors, with at least tacit approval of library boards, have interpreted this affirmative defense as a mandate to expose minors to harmful materials. The degree and extent of this was brought to light by a group of citizens who organized CleanBooks4Kids. They found over 300 examples of books that stun the average parent and have pictures of some on browsing display to minors.

When the CLN Trustees were presented with this information nearly two years ago, the majority at first denied the material existed. The same board majority then said it was only a tiny fraction of the entire collection. Really? What fraction of raw sewage is acceptable in your fine Chardonnay?

Then the excuse was that “bad things happen to children” and so these books are necessary. How does that work? Some kids get cancer so should we have chemotherapy drugs available to any child that wants to try them, just in case? Are the librarians also trained child psychologists who can instantly evaluate what book would be therapeutic to a traumatized child? Ridiculous.

The Idaho Legislature recognized the problem and overwhelmingly passed House Bill 314, known as “The Children’s School and Library Protection Act,” which requires public schools and community libraries to take reasonable steps in restricting children’s access to obscene or harmful material. The governor vetoed the bill for technical reasons.

CLN candidates Plass and Hanley ran on a promise to move harmful materials out of the minor’s sections of the libraries. The response from the incumbent candidate’s campaign was immediate and vicious.

Plass and Hanley were labeled as crazy, censors, religious fanatics, book burners and terrorists. The incumbent candidates’ mailers depicted and Plass and Hanley committing crimes against property and their website showed Plass and Hanley gleefully using explosives to blow up a public library, which is a terrorist act that carries the death penalty; a stunningly vulgar accusation in a post Oklahoma Bombing — 9/11 era. These charges weren’t from some fringe group; they came directly from the incumbent candidates’ campaign; uncivil, reprehensible and unbecoming an elected official.

To add insult to injury, Plass and Hanley supporters were berated by clattering sycophants channeling Greta Thunberg “How dare you!” in response to simply telling the truth that minors were being exposed to harmful materials, as defined by Idaho code, in our libraries.

The mendacity and deception of the progressive left has reached saturation. Halfwit and midwit attempts to silence conservatives through ridicule and bullying have lost efficacy. Intelligent voters recognize the truth and the truth wins.

It’s just common sense.

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Brent Regan is chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.