For decades, left-wing publications have lied about influential liberty-oriented organizations to discredit and mitigate their impact. A recent example is a Daily Beast write-up on The John Birch Society, the parent company of The New American.
On October 11, the Beast published a piece by Kelly Weill, whose resume includes frequent stories on “far-right” groups. This one was titled “Far-Right John Birch Society Wants Anti-Mask Protests to Fuel Its Comeback.”
Anti-mask protests in Knoxville, Tennessee, prompted the piece. A federal judge overruled the governor and imposed mask mandates on K-12 public school students. This outraged sensible parents, and a JBS coordinator facilitated a gathering of concerned parents in a local park. Multiple people spoke at the event, and one of them suggested blocking the schools and bringing them to a “screeching halt.” The man was not the organizer, nor did he represent the JBS. His frustration is another example of why the JBS advocates that instead of struggling against public schools, parents should abandon them altogether.
The man’s comments drew media attention, including that of the Daily Beast. But after Weill was told that the JBS did not endorse blocking the schools, she resulted to writing a good old-fashioned hit piece by re-hashing multi-generational media lies.
Weill bolts out of the gate with deceit. The headline is deceptive. There is nothing “far-right” about adhering to the Constitution. It’s the Republican and Democrat parties that continue to move toward socialism. Barack Obama’s policies would be considered conservative by today’s leftists. Meanwhile, JBS has stood its constitutional ground on all issues.
The subhead says “The John Birch Society used to boost segregation. Now it’s back to attack schools over mask mandates.” The JBS never “boosted” segregation. If Weill had any journalistic integrity, or the slightest concern for facts, she would’ve heeded the request to retract that part. The lie is a twisted version of the JBS’ opposition to more federal intrusion into peoples’ lives during the Civil Rights era. Civil-rights legislation should have come from the states and the communities, rather than being used as a stepping stone toward more federal power. That’s why the JBS resisted the Civil Rights Act. Opposition was against the feds’ unconstitutional coercive actions, not integration. The last few years, if nothing else, have vindicated this position, as there is hardly any aspect of personal life the government doesn’t poke its nose into.
When it came to integration, the JBS led by example. JBS founder Robert Welch openly promoted and supported an end to segregation. Some JBS chapters were already integrated before the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This has been confirmed by a government investigation into the JBS. This is a very inconvenient fact never reported by fake news producers.
Furthermore, when it comes to the tired lies about racism and the JBS, not only was the JBS integrated during a time when the Democrat Party was the party of the Ku Klux Klan, but the JBS actively opposed the Klan. Reverend Delmar Dennis was a member who, with permission from JBS headquarters, and at great personal risk to himself, infiltrated the White Knights of the KKK of Mississippi for the FBI. He played a crucial role in bringing down some of its members. Afterward, he went on a speaking tour for JBS exposing the Klan.
Daily Beast also tries to stealthily connect the JBS to anti-maskers who harass people wearing masks. Weill implies Birchers harassed masked kids and parents walking to school. It was pointed out to her that JBS members do not harass people for wearing masks because that would be as asinine as the masked people who harass the maskless. In fact, the comment she cites from the JBS field coordinator makes it clear his suggestion was to peacefully walk the children to school and say the pledge. What part of “peacefully” could be understood as harassment?
I e-mailed Weill to point out the lies about segregation and harassment of those walking to school, but she never responded. She already wrote the story she wanted. Facts were sacrificed at the altar of the narrative.
However, the Daily Beast did get one thing right: the JBS’ stance on public schools.
As detailed on the Save Our Children from Public Schools campaign, parents should hold zero hope for government education. There is a longstanding agenda to make American students dumber and emotionally and psychologically broken. This is evidenced by the Common Core curricula introduced under the Obama administration, and all the detrimental “woke” curricula becoming commonplace over the past few years. Citizens have been trying to reform public education for decades, yet it’s only gotten worse.
If you’d like to learn the truth about the JBS, visit jbs.org. More importantly, if you’d like to get involved in saving America, consider joining an organization with 62 years in the trenches and a ground game that’s been standing in the Deep State’s way for decades.
