Are we tired of being told we can use some words, not others? Are we tired of being told free speech is only free when agreeable? Is there a breaking point, after which the country says whatever it wants and feels relief? I think most Americans would answer, yes. Enter the latest speech policing: Biden says “illegal alien” will no longer be used by federal employees. See, e.g., https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/biden-seeks-replace-alien-less-dehumanizing-term-immigration-laws-n1255350.
Let us get this clear – before the media muddies it. The Merriam-Webster dictionary, not owned by Twitter, Facebook or DNC contributors, just an institution dedicated to word definition, defines “illegal alien” as “a foreign person who lives in a country without having official permission,” that is, a foreign-origin alien living in a nation illegally.
US Legal defines the term as follows: “An illegal alien … is a foreign national who has entered the United States without legal permission, authorization, or inspection; or who entered the U.S. legally but has since fallen out of status by overstaying or by violating the terms of legal entry,” adding “an illegal alien is subject to deportation if apprehended.”
Even liberal “fact checkers” call “illegal alien” standard parlance, since it pervades federal statute law, making its meaning – as a matter of judicial notice – clear and unambiguous, not political, prejudicial, or discriminatory, just factually accurate. But factual accuracy seems less and less in
vogue. See, e.g., https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/may/09/steve-mccraw/illegal-alien-legal-term-federal-law/.
In a world where truth is increasingly fungible, malleable, subject to redefinition by manipulative “thought leaders” and politicians (who often lead without “thought”), words are subject to constant redefinition. They are a new battlefield, in the war for understanding reality. The prevailing mantra is: If you cannot win, change the rules. Only that is not how most Americans see things. They tend to go for factual accuracy, definitional consistency, truth.
We have moved from moral relativity, which denied right and wrong, to total relativity, which denies any one answer to any one question, and finds historical reference points irrelevant. Thus, we are told there are now “64 genders,” which would make past generations spin. See, e.g., https://www.healthline.com/health/different-genders#why-it-matters. We are told that executive orders which are unconstitutionally “making laws” are “not making laws.” See, e.g., https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-white-house-cries-foul-after-new-york-times-editorial-board; https://cnsnews.com/article/washington/melanie-arter/gop-congressman-bidens-executive-orders-are-dictatorial.
Now, Biden dictates that “illegal aliens” will no longer exist – they are neither illegal nor aliens. They are non-illegal (that is, legal) non-aliens (that is, resident, domiciliary, or citizens), which is why – by executive order – they are now going to be counted in the Census, which redistributes federal resources and allocates congressional seats. The latest Biden gambit is banning words. See, e.g., https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-immigration-bill-alien-noncitizen; https://clarion.causeaction.com/2021/01/22/biden-wants-to-change-term-illegal-alien-to-illegal-noncitizen/; https://clarion.causeaction.com/2021/01/29/democrats-seek-to-ban-federal-agencies-from-using-illegal-alien-term/; https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/01/20/joe-biden-includes-illegal-aliens-in-census-to-change-congressional-seats-electoral-college-votes/.
All this makes sense, right? Of course, it does not. One cannot redefine longstanding legal terms and expect people to say fine, okay, red it now blue, up is now down, illegal is now legal, male and female are 64 flavors of gender. At some point, Americans say stop the nonsense, enough.
Note that we are talking about speech. Political action, peaceful protests, constitutionally forbidden political violence are not in play. This is just speech, the sort meant to hold meaning over time, and always free – no matter what the federal government may dictate.
The irony is that free speech is already under attack from Democrats, big money media, and monopolistic social media, which aim to control what is said about whom, or what you can say and what you cannot say, based on who they favor and disfavor. That is not America – government-endorsed, monopolistic control over personal, professional, and political speech.
On top of social media, Democrat activists, network message minders, we now have Biden’s team telling us what terms in common use are permitted and not, in this “brave new world.”
Well, here is a news blast from the deep red universe, that place so mysterious to congressional Democrats where reality lives, works, is locked down, wants to use skills, earn a living, and raise families – without government intrusion. Call this the high land, with no swamp dwellers.
Message: We can and will speak freely, as the Constitution – and 200 years of judicial precedent – allow. We will use words to describe life as it is, as we see it, as our Founders permitted us to speak, and as every generation before this one has done. We will honor our history, intellect, and common sense. We will not call red blue, up down, or illegal legal – just a spade a spade.
In deference to Merriam-Webster, legal scholars, federal statutes, governing caselaw, and the Constitution, we will call those residing inside the US illegally “illegal aliens.” The Constitution permits citizens to choose their own words, even if some offend. See, e.g., Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969 (allowing offensive speech), NY Times v. Sullivan (allowing mistaken speech), and Cohen v. California, 1971 (people are “free to choose their words,” even if angry or offensive).
If you are not convinced, try reading the 200 cases defending freedom of speech, religion and assembly – which overlap and favor peaceful, vocal, offensive, sincere, liberty-minded citizens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases_involving_the_First_Amendment. We are still a land of laws, and as long as we are, those cases count.
Unilaterally dictating an end to Keystone is one thing. Telling Americans what words mean is another. Free speech – if you will forgive the idea – is free and speech. In a phrase, hands off!
“We have a two party system”! That means it’s 50/50 for the blame of what’s happened to our country” But it seams Democrats are fast to point fingers at Republicans but refuse to take any blame!!!!!!!
When I can get on C-Span’s Washington Journal “my comment is”
So let’s see, we have Pres. Obama, his US, Canada, Russia “Uranium Scandal” “ Fast & Ferrous” selling Military Grade Weapons to Mexico’s Drug Cartel, and only retrieving “700″ out of over 2’000 being sold.
Then we have Vice Pres. Biden flying his son to Ukraine, his son all of sudden gets slam dunked into the CEO of an Energy Company in Ukraine! Ukraine higher an investigator, Ukraine is forced to fire the “INVESTIGATOR”.
So the $64’000.00 question is if it would have been Vice. President Trump and his son! And Pres. Biden investigating Vice Pres Trump??? would the democrat party have IMPEACHED “BIDEN”?????
Then of course we have a debate over ( SECOND AMENDMENT) “THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS” gee! That was back in the Black Powder/ Cap and Ball era!!!! Da! and as teach knowledge advance’s so do our right’s !!!!
So! My “FIRST REQUEST” to Washington journal is if we could get a conservative and a liberal law professors together and discus “The Broad Range of (THE DEFINITION OF ) a (DOMESTIC ENEMY) to a country!!!!!!
So! My “SECOND REQUEST” to Washington journal is if we could get a conservative and a liberal law professors together and discus “ THE TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND UKRAINE” singed by Pres. Bill Clinton. (Did Pres. Trump have the right to investigate Biden)
Biden is a idiot! That’s all I have to say.
So now “illegal alien” is an offense against the people who come to USA without documentation? This shows just how stupid Biden is, I wonder if the people who voted for him are happy with all his ideas? He is already ruining our country. Sorry, Biden! But Trump is still MY president!!!!!
I have been informed by the mother of a soldier whose unit was called up for a 13 month deployment. The entire unit was instructed to turn in their personal computers and cellphones. If ANY comments or posts indicating dissatisfaction with the election, the Biden administration or any opinion other than agreement with the current regime was found the owner of the equipment would be immediately dishonorable discharged!!! Is Biden terrified of the military or what? Now we can’t even express an opinion ? Where has free speech gone?? For that matter even freedom to THINK FOR YOURSELF?? ISTH CREATING UNITY? Forced agreement is surely not UNITY.
Republican party sort of chaotic this week: 1) Kevin McCarthy went to Maralago to meet with Trump 2) Discuss remove GOP conference chair Liz Cheyney for vote on Trump ( My opininion, voters want their reps to vote independently & not just with party line 3) Controversy over what to do with Margaret Tayloor Greene of Georgia & my comment on this is that she was voted in at ballot box by Georgia voters & so this must be the type of people they want. And to top it off, media keeps showing tape of Donald Trump saying that he loves Greene so he approves of her actions also.
Words as well as elections have consequences. The left understands by changing the meaning of words they can control the narrative. This along with controlling our education system and colluding with “big tech” and “big business” they can re-write history to support their socialist goals. Eliminating our past history by tearing down statues and re-naming public schools while supporting radical groups such as BLM and Antifa is the first step to a mind controlling Orwellian society. I feel it is time to revisit George Orwell’s book “1984” as I am doing now. It will open your mind and scare you to death.
If an illegal alien does not want to be referred to as an illegal alien – don’t be an illegal alien.
Amen to that Rich!!!
I read all of the frustration and railing on many forums and stand amazed at how people’s reaction (or overreaction if you care to call it that as well) it to rant and rave on the keyboard. The solution to this is really very simple; you just don’t go along with it. Who cares if they like it or not? That is their problem. Just keep talking like you always do. What are they going to do about it? Ignore this nonsense and exercise your natural means to use illegal alien, etc. whenever you want.
I tottaly agree with you this is supose to be a free country, not one run buy a few idiots
Biden is not in charge!! It is Obama who is picking the people to run this country! It is Obama who is telling the people what the definition of illegal alien (other terms now) and it is Obama running the whole show and running us to our demise. The US is going to be annihilated beyond repair if left up to the Demoncrats and some Republicans!!
Obama is not the origin. He gets his instructions from Soros, via Valerie Jarrett. She has been the conduit through which Obama has been groomed as coached by Soros for decades. Obama and Biden are both Soros puppets. Soros owns the media and social media and uses all his various and many “non profit organizations” which receive federal funding (your tax dollars) to support the progressive activists, ie; Antifa and BLM. Hungary had the sense to banish his citizenship, but we do not.
Obama’s ideology predates his awareness of Soros. He was raised by a communist, America hating mother and his mentor, Frank Marshall Davis. He was steeped in the revolutionary ideology of Bill Ayers, Saul Alinsky and Jeremiah Wright. Soros money is the big influence he wields over Obama, and most of the others who ‘dance to his tune’, but he was already more than predisposed to his message. “He, who pays the piper, calls the tune.” The current administration is wholly bought and paid for with Soros and communist Chinese money.
Idiot! How about all illegal aliens be sent to live at his home in Delaware since he is in D.C.!!
Agreed
I’ve redefined the term “Biden” to mean Socialist, America hating A**hole. As in “That guys a real Biden.”
I believe it is God’s will at this time that America be brought low because of His prophetic purposes. We can complain and express outrage as much as we like, but we had better be ready for what comes next. First deplatformed, then ostracized, then reported to the authorities as “subversionist”, then off to re-education camps or worse. I hope you are trusting in Jesus Christ who basically warned us of all of this and more (Matthew 24:3-14). If you follow Him you will know what to do—not what we would be inclined to do! See Luke 6:27-35. The best we can hope for, without Christ, is that the inevitable will be delayed for a while. Will there be enough Americans who wake up to what is happening and put a stop to it? I would rather trust Christ than politics.
How wonderful are the messages you have listed here. The first for the warning to be aware of what to expect and the second for how to endure until our Lord and Savior returns. Thank you.
Of course he has told government employees not to use the term “illegal alien” since he plans on legalizing them all anyway! He and the rest of the far left are fully intent on destroying this country.
Well said. It’s refreshing to read this and reassuring that others are equally as offended by this “new culture” of redefining EVERYTHING, DOUBLE STANDARDS, AND HYPOCRACY! Perhaps the Democratic party should be renamed, the “Hypocratic Party”.
This is the PURE form of DICTATORSHIP and these people MUST be removed by virtue of TREASON.
Is it also true that Biden signed an Executive Order saying the agiest term “senior moment” is no longer politically correct and has been replaced with the term “Sleepy Joe?”
Please fix these articles so we can print them. It is easier for us older people to read the printed word and that way we can share them.
Free speech is just that. You cannot yell “fire” in a crowded theatre. However, you can say whatever you want in public as long as it is not profane. They may try to silence me but I am a Veteran that served this country and I will say whatever I want, wherever I want as long as it is not against the law. Biden be damned, you will NOT silence me!
Thanks for what you have done. God Bless you.
START AN IMPEACHMENT CAMPAGN AGAINST BOTH BIDEN & HARRIS. THEY ARE TRAITORS. TO THIS COUNTRY & NEED TO GO