Tolerance – (Op-Ed By James V. Ferguson, MD)

To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize. ~ Voltaire

Image Credit – Ted Eytan / CC

By James V. Ferguson, MD (contributor to the Tennessee Conservative) –

Seventy-nine years ago, on June 6, 1944, American and allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to free millions from tyranny. Today Main Street and Wall Street, as well as our airways and schools, are being stormed by leftist-woksters who are using the 3-4% of people in the LGBTQ+ community as pawns to promote their Marxist agenda. 

We are supposed to be celebrating a month of “pride.” But, why?  Ordinarily, you take pride in something that you’ve accomplished. How can you take pride in being straight or gay, black or white? I am proud of earning a doctorate in medicine and I’m proud of my second career as a writer. I’m proud of my family and proud to be an American. 

Last month we celebrated Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day is just around the corner. How many remembered D-Day? I’ll probably be labeled as intolerant, but I reject the celebratory month of “pride.” Actually, I am tired of tolerating such lunacy. I’m tired of having LGBTQ+ demands crammed down my throat. I’m tired of being gaslighted (shamed) for not being inraptured by the gender dysphoria of “trans.”

Unless you understand your adversary you cannot resist their tyranny. The best definition I have found of woke is “being alert to invisible injustices perpetrated against disempowered classes of people” (presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy). Actually, I have been awakened and understand this perverse, Marxist philosophy which I reject as inherently racist and destructive. 

Instead of innumerable classes of victims, Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and writer who survived Holocaust concentration camps, described just two groups of people, the decent and the indecent. You could say that decency describes inherent virtues, such as courage, common sense, justice, and moderation. These are the so-called “cardinal virtues” of antiquity. I would add the Apostle Paul’s “theological virtues” of faith, hope and charity as modifiers of the components of decency.

If you want to have a grasp of the transgender component of the woke movement, you should watch Matt Walsh’s recently released excellent documentary entitled What Is a Woman? It has now been viewed on Twitter alone more than 170 million times. Perhaps our Supreme Court 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was challenged by Senator Marsha Blackburn’s question about womanhood and is among the millions of worldwide viewers. 

Tolerance has only emboldened activists, provided political grist for the Machiavellian (scheming) Democrat party and made things generally worse. These people are not stupid. They are just indecent and perverse. I will continue to treat most people decently, but I will not celebrate nor tolerate indecent actors who have not earned civility. The Democrat leadership and their activists, including the corrupt media, have actually become more dangerous than China, Putin or AI (artificial intelligence).

It is my opinion that the decency and tolerance of the silent majority have been key factors in the disaster now sweeping America. It happened on our watch, and now it is our job to fix the mess we allowed to occur.

Last week I began a list of things Americans can do to push-back against leftist-wokeism. To reiterate: 

1. Vote in every election, and in the current circumstances, against Democrats.
2. Be courageous and “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) when you encounter indecency and lunacy. Politely say, “I don’t accept your premise.”
3. Live your life virtuously and righteously (Matthew 5:16) as witnesses for The Way.
4. Share information with others through email, text and social media.
5. Boycott woke companies like Target (the boycotts are making a difference). 
6. I pledge to continue writing this column to encourage others and as an alternative to the manipulative group-think of the mainstream media and the Tech Lords of social media.

The mainstream media continue trying to suppress the truth, but they can’t due to the alternative media (blogs, podcasts, Rumble, The Daily Wire, etc.). Increasing numbers of us have been awakened to the abject lunacy of wokesters, as for example The View or MSNBC. The failed social experiments in Democrat run cities like San Fran-sicko, LA, Portland, etc. are undeniable and an indictment. Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr., a lone sensible Democrat, acknowledges this obvious truth. Perhaps, Mr. Ford is no longer indebted to Congressional reelection money or AOC’s leftist cabal. It’s the difference between reality versus fantasy and facts versus feelings. There are useful idiots and people who are intellectually lazy. And there are those, like ravenous wolves, who prey upon those with weak minds and wills.

The stumbling and bumbling Joe Biden has become a metaphor of America. As a board certified Internist and Geriatrician, I have cared for lots of patients falling and failing due to the ravages of aging. We hear a lot these days about ageism which is discrimination due to someone’s age alone. However, we have every right to question Biden’s ability to do the job of President. He indignantly challenged people to “Watch me.” I have, and no rational or engaged person could have any confidence or trust in this dysfunctional, dishonest and decrepit POTUS. We can be tolerant of Joe’s infirmities, but not his inability to be President of the United States.

Unfortunately, I also have considerable experience with elder abuse. Many have wondered how Jill Biden could have allowed her failing husband to run for President the first time, let alone in 2024. The American people deserve better. Or do they? Americans elected Biden out of hatred for President Trump. I’m no psychiatrist, but hatred is the calling card of evil. The insane left are really just that warped and shouldn’t be in government nor listened to. They need help, not power. 

Years ago The Silent Majority was a buzzword and a political force. But where have they gone? Have they become tolerant or brainwashed? Are they just afraid of being shamed by activists, leftists or wokesters? Perhaps they no longer care. 

The Greatest Generation who won WWII is all but gone. I’m a Baby Boomer and this current mess occurred on our watch, and it is our responsibility to step up and no longer be silent. I know it takes courage, but this is our tour of duty.

Adapted from an article that recently appeared in the Knoxville Focus. Printed here by permission from the Author.

About the Author: Jim is a native of Knoxville, practicing Internal Medicine for more than 40 years, prior to retiring in 2020. Along with learning to become a “gentleman farmer,” he has written essays for the conservative weekly Knoxville Focus since 2007.