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Established societies are notoriously hard on young rebels.
From the French barricades to the streets of Czechoslovakia to the iconic
picture of Tiananmen Square – history is full of examples, some grimmer than
others but all leading to the same place.
So I suppose it’s progress that in our kinder, gentler
society, we don’t kill our rebels.
James O’Keefe is lucky that way. All that can be destroyed is his
reputation, friendships and finances. A small price to pay to wake up a society
determined to slumber itself into oblivion. Well…shame on us all for letting it
happen.
When I picked up O’Keefe’s book with a typically
in-your-face title of Breakthrough: Our
Guerilla War to Expose Fraud And Save Democracy, I didn’t have high
expectations. So much of his story played out in the public eye, I didn’t think
there was much new to learn. No so; not even close. This is a difference
between watching a movie and reading the synopsis on IMDB.
The book takes you inside every sting, every controversy,
and yes, every attack and humiliation O'Keefe and his friends have gone through
over the years. The story is both depressing and inspiring. Depressing because
we know how it ends: Obama re-elected, Breitbart dead, O'Keefe drowning in
legal troubles, living in his parents’ basement. The media- and political- establishment is still (mostly) laughing
al the way to the bank, and the American public is still essentially asleep.
How is this inspiring, you ask? Because it tells a story, so desperately needed, of someone
who hasn't given up. Every time some consultant shows up on TV complaining how they
can't do anything, can't get the message out, can't fight the media (all in the
effort to justify supporting the status quo and their own high fees), think
about this group of young people who shook up the establishment to its core
with a couple of cameras and a lot of determination. The problem isn't that
"nothing can be done." The problem is that very few people are
willing to pay the price.
Complaining about politics is both tiring and useless. No
disrespect to fellow writers who dedicate themselves to that particular
pursuit, but I think it’s important to identify what can be done within the
constraints that we face. We can’t all be rebels. Someone has to pay the bills,
among other things (which is why James O’Keefe frequently brings his parents along
to fundraiser events, to publicly thank them for their support). We can,
however, help, whether with money or simply by spreading the truth in whatever
way we can. Let’s not stay asleep. Let’s not become the modern day version of
the little town in High Noon that watches its Marshall throw his badge down in
the dust, having realized the place is not worthy of his time.
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