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Friday, March 29, 2024 - 07:59 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

We live, as you may have noticed, in the age of "woke" capitalism. Companies aren't just selling products, they're selling more than that. You see it everywhere, in movie trailers, corporate press releases and numerous TV commercials. The message is always the same: Companies aren't just soulless profit-seekers; they have values and principles. They care. They probably care more than you do. Once upon a time, corporate America flattered its customers. Now they dare you to be as virtuous as they are. Are they actually virtuous, though? Or is it a cynical ploy?

Consider this. Last Friday, Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets basketball team, tweeted what seemed like a noncontroversial statement. He wrote: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." Now, China, as you may have seen, is trying to crush Hong Kong, and it's not hard to pick a side. China is a racist Communist ethnostate that bans dissent and murders its political opponents. They have Muslims interned in forced reeducation camps at this very moment. They viciously suppress the freedoms that we Americans take for granted.

You'd think every American would stand with Hong Kong without even thinking about it. But not the NBA. The NBA is on China's side. So, Morey was forced to delete his tweet. The NBA issued a statement making it clear that under no circumstances do they support Hong Kong or human freedom.

Steve Kerr is the coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. On the question of American politics, he has no problem speaking his mind. He embraces hard-left orthodoxy. He doesn't hesitate to demand stricter gun laws. In the words of one fawning media outlet, and there are many, Kerr "speaks truth to power." So what truths was Kerr ready to speak to China? None, it turns out. Choosing between freedom and fascism turns out to be a confusing choice.

"It's a really bizarre international story," Kerr said, "and a lot of us don't know what to make of it. So it's something I'm reading about just like everybody is, but I'm not going to comment further than that."

"Not going to comment further"? A "bizarre international story"? In other words, Kerr is a phony. He's brave when the crowds applaud, but when money is at stake, he shuts up and obeys like a cowardly corporate stooge. Looking at pictures of the kids in Hong Kong holding American flags as they fight for their freedom, it's hard to imagine how a man like Kerr can look himself in the mirror. And yet, he's not alone.

Since this controversy started, two fans were kicked out of a game in Philadelphia for offending Beijing. The Philadelphia 76ers were playing a team from the Chinese Basketball Association. A 76ers fan who lived in Hong Kong for two years and his wife brought signs to the game reading "Free Hong Kong." Security confiscated the signs, and when the couple yelled, "Free Hong Kong," they got kicked out. The team issued a statement reminding people that the couple was warned about their continuing disruption of fans' experience.

Imagine if you lived in Communist China and you escaped and came to the United States because you love freedom, only to discover that corporate America was doing the bidding of the very regime you escaped from.

There are countless Steve Kerrs in corporate America. Just last year, right outside of Washington, Marriott International fired one of its employees. Why? He liked a tweet that recognized Taiwan as a country. That's it. The tweet offended China, so Marriott did the fascists' bidding and fired the tweet-liker.

Pandering to China is so common and so flagrant in Hollywood that the show "South Park" produced an entire episode mocking it. "South Park" was banned in China after the episode aired. You have to respect the creators for making the episode anyway and Comedy Central for airing it. Most companies in America would never do that. Why? China's population is 1.4 billion. Businesses want access to that market. For many companies, if it's a choice between supporting our country and our people or getting rich in China, it's no contest.

Businesses exist to make money for their owners. But organizations like the NBA regularly lecture Americans on social issues. By aggressively curbing Americans' freedom of speech so they can make more money from a brutal authoritarian regime, these organizations have shown where their true values lie. We're calling a technical foul.

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Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel

Tucker Carlson currently hosts Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (weekdays 8 p.m. ET). He joined the network in 2009 as a contributor.

“Tucker Carlson Tonight” features powerful analysis and spirited debates, with guests from across the political and cultural spectrum. Carlson brings his signature style to tackle issues largely uncovered by the media in every corner of the United States, challenging political correctness with a "Campus Craziness" segment and tackling media bias and outrage during "Twitter Storm."

Carlson co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend” starting in 2012, until taking on his current role at “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

While at Fox News, Carlson has provided analysis for “America's Election Headquarters” on primary and caucus nights, including in the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, as well as the 2014 midterm election. He also produced a Fox News special, "Fighting for Our Children's Minds," in 2010.

Prior to working at Fox News, Carlson hosted “Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered” on PBS from 2004 to 2005 and “Tucker” on MSNBC from 2005 to 2008. He joined CNN in 2000 as its youngest anchor ever, co-hosting “The Spin Room” and later CNN's “Crossfire,” until its 2005 cancellation. In 2003, he wrote an autobiography about his cable news experience titled "Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News."

Carlson graduated with a B.A. in history from Trinity College in Connecticut.

Neil Patel

In addition to his role as publisher of The Daily Caller, Neil Patel is co-founder and managing director of Bluebird Asset Management, a hedge fund investing in mortgage-backed securities.

Before starting his two companies, Neil served in the White House from 2005 to 2009 as the chief policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney. From 2001 to 2004, Neil was staff secretary to Vice President Cheney. Prior to joining the Bush administration, Neil was assistant general counsel at UUNET Technologies. Earlier in his career, Neil practiced law with Dechert Price & Rhoads. He also served as Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China. 

Neil received his B.A. from Trinity College in Connecticut and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as associate editor of the Journal of Law and Policy in International Business.

Neil lives in Washington, D.C., and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife, Amy, their two daughters, Caroline and Bela, and their son, Charlie.

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