Good morning!

Blessings on you and your family, and from all the Huckabee staff! 

Today's newsletter includes:

• Bible Verse Of The Day
• More Big Brother: Big Tech is watching you!
• ICYMI: Holy George Orwell! They're removing words from the dictionary
• ICYMI: Biden fires Trump appointee
• ICYMI: The Navy's Reading List
• Fences work for Democrats, except on the border
• A Reader Writes Back...
• America The Beautiful

Sincerely,

Mike Huckabee

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY 

More Big Brother: Big Tech is watching you!

By Mike Huckabee

Yesterday, we talked about the Orwellian world (see below) in which language is destroyed word-by-word, but control of speech was really just one part of the strategy. With technology already in wide use, Big Broth---I mean, Big Tech is able to track and monitor us constantly, in ways Orwell never imagined.

Of course, everybody already knew that Big Tech was in the business of collecting data on us to sell to advertisers. But did you know that they’re also selling information about us to U.S. federal agencies? Oh, yes.

They’re collecting data on us from many different services and using artificial intelligence to create “secret identities” to better understand our personality traits (!) and purchasing behavior. Typically, you have no way of knowing how they’re doing this, as it’s disguised through “complicated methods.”

According to the WASHINGTON EXAMINER story, now the government, too, is trying to learn as much as possible about you, in this case to aid itself in making decisions about how to deal with you within the criminal justice system. Isn’t that thoughtful of them?

Facebook scoops up information on its users, who number 2.4 billion people every month, by tracking their browsing history. This means everywhere they go online: the news they read, the books they order, the websites they shop at, even (in some cases; I know this wouldn’t apply to you) the pornography they watch.

And since August of 2019, they’ve been using a tool called “Off-Facebook Activity” to see EXTERNAL browsing activity. In other words, they’re watching everything you do, not just through Facebook. According to this story, “All websites visited and many phone apps send Facebook a user’s digital activity that the social media company then uses to target people with ads.” Some of this is very sensitive and personal medical information, such as an app that a woman can use to track her monthly fertility. Yep, it all goes right to Facebook, without the user’s knowledge or consent.

In fact, even though Facebook’s terms and conditions request that app developers not sent them sensitive health information, this appears to be just for show, as records reveal that they’ve accepted it.

As for Google, the nonprofit digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation says Google “gathers user data to build profiles of people using their interests, location and demographics to let advertisers target particular groups of people based on those certain traits, and second, it shares some of its data with advertisers directly and requests them to bid on individual ads.”

Google also is free to sell data about you to third parties, and, of course, they do. In fact, two of the biggest third-party ad companies have actually been bought by Google, so as these companies become more dominant, it means more profits for Google because everything is in-house. It’s a cozy system, and also a complicated one; if you’d like to see more detail about how this works, it's in the EXAMINER story.

Google has a program called “Custom Match” in which its advertisers can ask for the specific types of users they want to reach and Google then places the ads that advertisers buy. You know how it works: if you click on one of those Google ads, you’re sent directly to the advertiser’s website, where you can browse and shop. But did you also know that once you’re there, the ADVERTISER can also collect your location, browsing history, and more? (I assume they, in turn, also can sell your information, just like Google.)

Through a database called SensorVault, Google also sends information directly to law enforcement. Your geographical location, collected by cellphone towers and GPS signals even when you’re not making calls, is stored indefinitely. “The data is so precise,” the EXAMINER says, “that one deputy police chief [said] ‘it shows the whole pattern of life.’” They know everywhere you go and where you have been.

Finally, there’s Amazon. This behemoth offers even more extensive services to its advertisers because of the accuracy of data not just from browsing but from actual purchases and deliveries. THE NEW YORK TIMES has reported that Amazon gives other companies direct data on you, including delivery addresses and credit cards used. And even after you leave Amazon.com, they track your online behavior on other websites. Again, you’ll have no knowledge of this, so wherever you go, just assume they're doing it. As the saying goes, you're not paranoid if it's really happening.

Whenever you download a “free” app, your personal data is being taken from you without your knowledge or consent. That used to be called “stolen,” but the fine print in the agreements that nobody reads gives them “permission” to take it. Here’s how they do it and what sorts of information they collect.

Finally, given all this, it might come as no surprise that, according to numerous leaked documents, Amazon intelligence analysts in its “Global Security Operations Center” have even spied on Amazon employees, to circumvent union-organizing activity. This one’s a very interesting read.

Also, Amazon is installing cameras on their trucks that give 360-degree coverage so they can keep an eye on the drivers, and the public as well.

A spokesperson for Amazon said, in part, “Any attempt to sensationalize these activities or suggest we’re doing something unusual or wrong is irresponsible and incorrect.” Far be it from us to sensationalize what they do; we’re just telling you about it. And we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you how this activity can be abused. It can probably be abused in ways we haven't even though of, but you can bet they have.

Besides, their statement is at least half right, in that spying on people isn’t really all that unusual any more. It’s still wrong, though.

And the fact that Big Tech has the ability and the inclination to do these things suggests how easily the government can coordinate with them to achieve their own ends. We'll likely never know everything they’re up to.

ICYMI: Holy George Orwell! They're removing words from the dictionary

By Mike Huckabee

In George Orwell’s book “1984,” people speak a constantly evolving language called “Newspeak,” though the completed version is not expected to be the sole means of communication until about 2050. It’s a language that changes to “meet the ideological needs” of the socialist government that controls all.

And this is happening to our own language in 2021.

In Orwell’s story, revised editions of Newspeak come out periodically, each one smaller than the last but still containing “many superfluous words and archaic formations which [are] due to be suppressed later.” Reshaping the language is a long process.

The goal of Newspeak is to make all modes of thought that are incompatible with the principles of English socialism impossible --- “so much as thought is dependent on words.” As Orwell wrote:

"Its vocabulary was so constructed as to give exact meaning and often very subtle expression to every meaning that a Party member could properly wish to express, while excluding all other meanings and also the possibility of arriving at them by indirect methods. This was done partly by the invention of new words, but chiefly by ELIMINATING UNDESIRABLE WORDS [emphasis mine] and by stripping such words as remained of unorthodox meanings and, so far as possible, of all secondary meanings whatsoever.”

"Newspeak was designed not to extend but to diminish the range of thought, and this purpose was indirectly assisted by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum.”

I would add that even though our thoughts are not totally dependent on words, the communication of complex ideas certainly is. So anyone who is wordlessly thinking/feeling that there is something wrong with the way things are remains essentially “locked in” and can’t communicate this to anyone.

So, congratulations, Dictionary.com. Thanks to your willingness to eliminate problematic words from your lexicon, you win the Newspeak Prize for MOST WORTHLESS DICTIONARY of 2021. You win for your decision to eliminate the word “slave” from the language. Since you are a slave to woke-ness, we will never, ever turn to you for any information regarding language. Ever.

As reported by YAHOO LIFE: “As part of its ongoing efforts to feature language that is more inclusive and reflective of modern-day society, Dictionary.com will no longer include the word ‘slave’ as a noun identifying a person, instead using the adjective ‘enslaved’ or referencing the institution of slavery.”

You see, a word such as “slave” might make people in certain groups feel bad, so it will be struck from the language. Never mind that a word such as “racist” remains, even though it might be wrongly applied to members of another group and make THEM feel bad. That’s perfectly fine; because of their “whiteness,” those people deserve to feel bad, anyway. So use the word “racist” all you want, but the word “slave” has been tossed down the memory hole.

It should be noted that our English dictionary still isn’t shrinking quite as fast as the Newspeak dictionary, simply because new politically correct terminology has to go in. For example, the story about Dictionary.com’s abolition (ha) of the word “slave,” includes the following:

"The change is one of 7,600 updates the online resource has announced, which also include the addition of terms relevant to race, social justice and identity, such as ’BIPOC’ (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and ‘Critical Race Theory.’ The latest updates --- which also include capitalizing ‘Indigenous’ when referring to people, and adding entries for ‘racialization,’ ‘disenfranchisement’ and ‘overpolice’ --- follow those announced last September. That round of revisions saw the capitalization of the word Black in reference to people, and the addition of terms relevant to mental health (specifically, suicide and addiction) and LGBTQ identity.”

Um, we'd like to point out that the above paragraph is already out of date, as “LGBTQ” has added at least a couple more letters and a “plus” sign, just to make sure every conceivable gender variation is specifically covered.

Also –- better sit down, snowflakes –- our use of the word “black” to describe a person will not be capitalized, just as the word “white” will not. We have read the rationale for capitalizing “black” and leaving “white” in all-lowercase and do not accept it. “African-American,” on the other hand, will be capitalized, as it refers to a geographical location that is capitalized. “European” will also be capitalized, for the same reason. That is how it will be according to the stylebook here at Huckabee.com, where we make the rules. And if we want to refer to a slave as a slave, we sure as heck will, whether it’s Samson or Miss Jane Pittman. Doing so is being honest, not disrespectful or “dehumanizing,” as if anyone could dehumanize Miss Jane Pittman.

Also, to the people at Dictionary.com: You’re proud of yourselves for this and say you’re ready for the backlash. I hope you think seriously about the reason for the backlash and don’t just dismiss it as (sigh) racism, because it isn’t. A dictionary is supposed to reflect how language is used, not dictate it, at least unless we’re all living in Oceania. Are we?

It’s time to stand up to this.

Here’s another jaw-dropping example of virtue signaling, from Columbia University in New York, where they’re holding “secondary” graduation ceremonies segregated by race, gender/sexuality, and (yes) income!

Even though these are “virtual” ceremonies this year, the school’s events “provide a more intimate setting for students and guests to gather, incorporate meaningful cultural traditions and celebrate the specific contributions and achievements of their communities,” they say.

Here’s another write-up at THE COLLEGE FIX. You’d swear it was from the BABYLON BEE.

And as long as we’re talking about standing up, here’s a strong commentary on the lie of systemic racism by Scott Johnston, bestselling author of CAMPUSLAND.

By the way, the novel CAMPUSLAND looks supremely entertaining.

It occurs to me that the word “racist” is being thrown around so much, maybe non-racists are finally overcoming their fear of being called one. Or that maybe they’ve figured out the best response isn’t a groveling apology but, “I know you are but what am I?”

Finally, Bill Maher offered a real wake-up call to the “woke” who are so obsessed with trivia about race and social justice –- like a few Dr. Seuss drawings that no one but them even thinks about –- that they’ll cause us to lose a very serious competition with China for world domination.

If that happens, “microaggressions” will be the last thing to be concerned about.

Americans are “a silly people,” Maher said during his monologue on Friday, referring to a line about the bickering Saudi tribes in the movie LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. China can build a dam, he said, while Americans fight over “what to rename it.” Just for that line, we should name our dam after Bill Maher, if it ever gets built. See the video (strong language warning) here.

As it currently stands, some Americans are proudly “woke,” but as a country we’re going broke, and ever more divided. Removing words from the dictionary? I think more people are realizing that we have to reject woke-ness and end the madness now.

ICYMI: Biden fires Trump appointee

By Mike Huckabee

Friday, President Biden fired EEOC General Counsel Sharon Fast Gustafson after she refused to resign under pressure from the White House. Gustafson was a Trump appointee confirmed by the Senate in 2019 to what is supposed to be a four-year term at an “independent” government agency.

The White House gave no reason for wanting Gustafson gone, so it appears that they just didn’t want a Trump appointee who was known for protecting religious freedom rights. Critics called it alarming that someone tasked with preventing discrimination should be fired just for being appointed by the “wrong” party and defending First Amendment rights that the White House doesn’t care about.

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx slammed Biden for the unwarranted and unprecedented firing “to make room for his leftwing friends” and demanded that Gustafson be “reinstated so she can complete her four-year term, independently and free from undue political influence.”

If Biden faced the type of media scrutiny that Trump did, something might come of that. If Trump had tried to fire an independent Obama appointee for no reason other than naked politics, there would have been a media nuclear firestorm. The Biden White House was counting on the lapdog media snoozing through this latest outrageous abuse of power. And so far, they appear to be correct.

ICYMI: The Navy's Reading List

By Mike Huckabee

Three House Republicans are questioning why the Navy has added three radical “critical race theory” books to its official reading list for members.

In their letter of complaint, they wrote, “All three books reinforce the view that America is a confederation of identity categories of the oppressed and their oppressors rather than a common homeland of individual citizens who are united by common purposes and fidelity to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and codified in the Constitution.”

When contacted by Fox News, a Navy spokesperson replied that “exposure to varied viewpoints improves the critical thinking skills of its sailors.”

Finally, something I can agree with “critical racial theory” wokesters about! So taking their own words, I propose that colleges and universities return to their original mission, which was to sharpen students’ critical thinking skills by exposing them to varied viewpoints, by ending their Soviet-style purge of conservative books and speakers, and reinstitute “diversity” of thought by hiring more conservative faculty members.

For the record: at Harvard, conservatives make up just over 1% of the faculty…

…and only 7% of incoming students identify as conservative, compared to 37% of the population in general…

…And a recent study found that the overwhelming liberal leanings in US universities are perverting academia, by breeding an attitude that it’s okay to discriminate against and silence conservatives, and an atmosphere of intimidation that’s making conservative faculty and students censor themselves out of fear of retribution.

So if the Biden Administration believes that we have to include anti-American racially-divisive books in the Navy reading list because it’s so imperative to expose people to varied viewpoints to improve their critical thinking skills, then how about whipping out that executive order pen and denying federal funds to universities that fail to protect free speech and discriminate against conservative academics and students?

Fences work for Democrats, except on the border

By Mike Huckabee

The fencing around the Capitol will finally be scaled back and the razor wire topping removed after the US Capitol Police determined that “there does not exist a known, credible threat” (what was their first clue?) Also, after even some embarrassed Democrats began feeling heat from constituents that they look like banana republic tyrants in a war zone, hiding behind troops and fences while forcing their unpopular radical agenda onto the public. It suggests that their real worry isn’t an army of invisible, white supremacist, Trump-voting insurrectionists but the vast majority of their own fed-up constituents.

And while thousands of National Guard troops remain there, dealing with lousy conditions and sickening food, the Capitol Police spokesman said it’s anticipated that the National Guard will “begin to reduce its posture at the Capitol in the coming weeks.”

Of course, some questions remain. Like, if there is “no known credible threat,” why are fencing and troops remaining there at all?

If Congressional Democrats believe that troops and fences work to protect them from threats, then why do they fight like rabid weasels to keep troops and fences from being placed on our border, to halt the very real threat of massive illegal immigration, COVID-19 spreaders, drugs, criminal gangs and terrorists?

And why do they have meltdowns at the idea of sending federal troops to stop actual violent, insurrectionist leftist thugs like Antifa from attacking police, businesses and government buildings?

Maybe they're trying to make us believe that troops and fences only work when they’re living and working behind them. If so, then they deserve to feel embarrassed.

PS - Leave it to the meme-makers to perfectly illustrate what all those troops and razor wire fences look like to the public:

A Reader Writes Back...

My hubby and I appreciate anything and everything you have to say, Sir! You bring clarity to what is going on in this crazy world and you come from a Godly perspective...I have been praying for years, since President Trump was elected that the scales would fall off of people's eyes and they would see what is truly going on and choose Jesus...I really believe people like you are going to be a huge part of that...thank you for advancing your view of the world on all the platforms you are a part of ....YES....to the blog!!!

America The Beautiful

God's creation is all around us. To learn more about Theodore Roosevelt National Park, visit its website here.