What does it mean to be “Far Right”?  I wish some of our supposed betters in the news media would please explain to me exactly what the designation entails. The term keeps popping up again and again, mostly in relation to the people and outlets said news media dislikes, so I think some explainer is in order. Usually, I let such lies about myself pass without much if any, comment. But in the wake of Charlottesville, I am no longer inclined to let charges like these pass without rebuttal.

Buzzfeed said my site was “Far Right” earlier this summer.  The Washington Post chopped up a quote of mine last year to make it appear like I said I was a member of the “Alt Right” last year. The Southern Poverty Law Center blasted out a hit piece, written by Brianna Wu about my legal troubles in 2016. It was on their Hatewatch Twitter account, mind you. I wish I could tell you that being labeled in these ways didn’t bother me at all, however, that is not the case. It’s troubling to me for two reasons.  One is that these charges simply aren’t true. Any examination of my public musings beyond a superficial level would tell you that.

The other reason it’s causing me to respond in this way? Censorship. There’s a mad dash to label all opponents of the “progressive” agenda as fascists, hatemongers, even terrorists. Many on the Left see the Charlottesville tragedy as a prime opportunity to stifle dissent, along with the alternative media outlets that have popped up in response to their near-complete control of Hollywood, Music, and the mainstream media. It’s very clear what their endgame is; tighter controls on internet speech.

 It’s not just sites like the Daily Stormer. Infowars, Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, smaller sites like mine…we are all under the gun. It’s not about liking these outlets, by the way. I think Nazism is not just abhorrent but also stupid. Most normal people recoil from an attempt to institute Nazi policies. Having said that, I’m a free speech absolutist, and as such, I don’t believe the Stormer should be taken down unless specific and credible calls to violence can be cited.  It sets a bad precedent otherwise. The ACLU agrees with this position, by the way. So it’s not like some right-wing talking point. It’s about free speech.

Alt Right, far right, white nationalist, extremist. Those labels are being deployed as weapons and it’s all part of a grander strategy to control new media. I don’t consider myself any of those things, but that doesn’t make censorship ok. I’m not sure how to fight back effectively against the trend towards speech controls on the internet, other than to continue doing what I’ve always done. That is to say that I will always speak my mind, stand up for the right to free expression, and continue calling out bullshit when I see it.

It’s sort of crazy to me how I’ve been lumped in with racism, bigotry, and other assorted charges. I’m called far right even though I still hold my leftist positions. In fact, although I value my independence, it would not be inaccurate to call me a disillusioned leftist who was discarded because I didn’t agree with the more extreme elements in that coalition. The fact that this site and my political opinions are called far right shows you that the label itself is not being used in an honest way.

You should be suspicious every time you hear it.