Over 250 editors, publishing agents, and authors have signed a letter, named as “No Book Deals for Traitors”, demanding the book industry lock out Donald Trump and any of his administration from having any of their books published.
Barry Lyga, a New York novelist, is feeling powerful these days. He’s seeing Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Amazon, among others, easily shutting down opinions with which they do not agree. Personally, I believe these companies actually saw in Parler and others a real threat to their bottom lines and, so, financial censure is another, if not their main, motivation.
So, Lyga organized the letter. It said, in part, “As members of the writing and publishing community of the United States, we affirm that participation in the administration of Donald Trump must be considered a uniquely mitigating criterion for publishing houses when considering book deals.”
Lyga then followed that brilliance with three lies as a basis for his call to action.
“No participant in an administration that caged children [lie #1], “performed involuntary surgeries on captive women [lie #2], “and scoffed at science [lie #3] as millions were infected with a deadly virus should be enriched by the almost rote largesse of a big book deal.”
Further, “no one who incited, suborned, instigated, or otherwise supported the January 6, 2021, coup attempt should have their philosophies remunerated and disseminated through our beloved publishing houses.”
“Our beloved publishing houses.” Interesting choice of words. Who is “our”? Who determined they were “beloved” and why they are so? And who determined when big book deals became “rote largesse”? Barry Lyga, maybe? He certainly has not hesitated to tell readers everywhere what they can and cannot read.
Lest you believe Lyga’s letter was a grassroots effort, The Big 5 also signed on: Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan. (Simon & Schuster has been purchased by Penguin Random House thus now the group is technically The Big 4.)
Lyga encourages publishers to act to the dictates of their conscience and to effect change when deciding to publish Trump administration titles. Upon reading this, I looked up the man on FB and tagged him in a reply. I bet I wasn’t the only one. In any case, he never replied. Did hubris make him think that all comments tagging him were positive and agreeing with him?
However, the squashing of free speech has already started with the Simon & Schuster cancellation of a book deal with Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO). Obviously, Barry does not understand that his recommendations swing both for and against him because Regnery Publishing, acting according to the dictates of their conscience, will now be publishing Hawley’s “The Tyranny of Big Tech”.
Barry Lyga’s letter has two goals. One: to silence opposing messaging. Two: to punish any who disagree with him. And as we all know, that’s the best way to “unite”* a nation.
Does Lyga not know that by doing this he has set in motion the very thing that can be used to shut him down? Does he not understand that in the restricting of the right of free speech, he goes against God Himself? Yes, God Himself because God has never minded being questioned or hearing what others think about what He is doing. Why, God Himself has taken advice from, engaged in debates with, allowed himself to be questioned by, and has defended himself to humans.
Usually, censorship is to hold back information because with full and wide-ranging information we have opportunity to flex our mental muscles. We learn to think. We learn to compare. It is a fact of history that when something gets censored, one should take a close look at who is doing it and what their endgame is. Censors don’t want us to think and definitely don’t want us to compare lest we see the little man behind the curtain.
The little man. I wonder: Has Mr. Lyga thought of the role he’s playing in this most dangerous game? Does he not understand what “dupe” and “useful idiot” mean?
In 1982, Reagan said in an address to the Houses of Parliament that “totalitarianism has refined its methods”. History warns of “the overreach of government”, he further stated. The Communists in America toddled around in the early part of the 20th century, but come 1965 they refined their methods. One method was the overreach of government…made easy, by the way, by the takeover of universities and lower schools.
Through teachers unions, our children have been taught that Government and Your Leaders really care and know best. How do we know? Why, it’s right there in the Education Committee-approved syllabus. Don’t dare question or ask for clarification because, if you do, you’ll be derided, punished, shamed, held back from opportunity, and more.
After reading my last column, a reader wrote to me. He said, “Great job! I’m glad you have the courage to tell it like it is.” That was sweet of him and I appreciated it. But the ocean is made up of individual drops. When those drops band together and join forces with the wind a mighty roar is heard. A mighty roar that puts fear into hearts of seasoned sailors.
So, too, my writing alone is not what is powerful. It becomes powerful when it is joined by others who write truth, question alternate realities when they are forced down our throats. It becomes even more powerful when you read it and when you share it. And that mighty roar cannot be stopped. It puts fear into the heart of Evil.
It takes courage to stand up against Evil. It takes courage to act to the dictates of your conscience when to do so could bring financial censure and loss of freedom. It isn’t easy. But remember what Martin Niemöller wrote in his poem.
He said that when they came for him, there was no one left to speak.
*Yes, the quote marks are ironic.
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