A big part of the fun of writing a column is poking fun at the people you disagree with-something I've done quite liberally in the past. But every now and again you have a sort of journalistic duty to point out the faults of people who are, at least in theory, on your side.
The last time I had to carry out this duty was in spring of 2006, when Students for Academic Freedom, led by Stephen Miller, Trinity '07, were shilling for David Horowitz's latest college campaign to force professors to sign "Academic Freedom Pledges" and institute an affirmative action program for conservative professors.
It didn't really work out for them.
But now, just as SAF is fading from view, a new self-styled conservative group has cropped up: the national Terrorism Awareness Project, led by Miller, which is shilling for David Horowitz's latest college campaign to scare people about terrorism. Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Not that I have anything against terrorism awareness in principle, of course. Terrorism is a serious problem that all civilized people should stand against with strength. The fight against radical Islamic terrorism in particular has many fronts and will probably last for many years to come.
But as it turns out, I was already aware of terrorism before Mr. Horowitz and his merry band of marionettes deigned to warn me about it, and I get the feeling you probably were as well. In fact, the terrorists themselves like to stay in the public mind. They even pop out a video now and again to make sure we haven't forgotten them. If terrorism were subtle, it would rather defeat the point.
So even though Miller and Co.'s activities last week were nominally an "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" program, I think we can set aside the absurd "Awareness" part of that title. The program was not an appeal to the intellect but to the emotions, and to one in particular.
The flier for the event, available at www.terrorismawareness.org, shows a cloaked woman about to be executed by a man holding an assault rifle. No caption is given but "Islamo-fascism." The "Islamo-Fascism Week Guide," available from the same site, advises handing out pamphlets such as "The Islamic Mein Kampf" and the perennial classic "Jimmy Carter's War Against the Jews."
Now I certainly recommend the first of those pamphlets for a good chuckle, and I'm no fan of Carter, but I think you get the point. Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week's only purpose is to scare you.
And while terrorism is legitimately concerning, the fear is in this case backed by intense intellectual dishonesty. The literature and films pushed by TAP omit some facts and distort others to drive the reader or viewer to a specific emotional reaction. An example: the so-called documentary "Obsession," loudly lauded by the aforementioned "Guide," neglects to mention that there are several terrorist groups from competing divisions of Islam fighting against each other. "Global, unified Jihad" is the conclusion, whatever the facts say.
And here's what really galls me: These people who are trying to scare you with misinformation dare to call themselves conservatives. They anoint themselves to save America and its young people (that's you and me) from our big, bad, left-wing professors. In fact, Miller, speaking from these very editorial pages, was considered for several years to be the voice for conservatives at Duke.
He wasn't then and isn't now. I've fought this perception in my own small ways for two years now, and with his graduation I was content to let the matter drop. But last week he showed he was willing to do even more long-term damage to conservatism on this campus just to see his name in The Chronicle one more time.
So here's the truth: There's nothing conservative about lying to people. There's nothing conservative about trying to scare them into submission. Propaganda was not the tool of choice for Burke, Goldwater, Friedman or Reagan. I could name the men who used it, but you know them already.
By all means we should educate ourselves and others about the threat of terrorism. We should learn where terrorists come from and what their motivations are. We should study how to fight them now and how to prevent future generations of terrorists from arising.
But let us always hold firm to the truth above all. Leave the fear-mongering lies to the bad guys.
Oliver Sherouse is a Trinity junior. His column runs every Wednesday.
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