There is no honor in lies. There is no honor in liars. And Idaho’s liars have profited off their dishonor too long.
That’s why I think Idaho should give a big “thank you” to Eric Posey of Post Falls for standing up to one of Idaho’s far-right lies.
Last week, an Idaho jury awarded Mr. Posey $1.1 million in a civil suit against a blogger who claimed Mr. Posey, a drag show performer, had exposed himself to children—which he did not do. The lie amounted to the sort of free speech abuse that former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes likened to yelling fire in a crowded theater. The blogger’s lie piggy-backed onto the “conservative” rhetoric of the day that accused good people of being “groomers.”
Among many propaganda projects hatched by far-right communication networks, the “groomer” ploy has been successful. Extremist groups have rallied to the cry to protect children from obscenity. That’s nonsense of course. We all live here. We know our libraries. We know our librarians. We trust them because they have earned our trust.
But the slurs have done their damage. During this year’s primary elections, Idaho’s majority party shifted even further to the right.
Still, I believe in the power of truth. I believe that in truth we find justice.
I am running for governor to fight for truth and justice. Together, we can stop the lies about librarians, school teachers, performers, LGBTQ people, political opponents, and anyone who looks like an easy target for cruel, darkly funded, anti-democratic campaigns.
I am running for governor because I believe that all of us—the right, the middle, the left, and even the apolitical and disaffected—ALL OF US want fairness and respect and love.
I take heart knowing that the bloggers, the operatives, the haters, and the muckrakers, the whole steaming pile of them, are not so powerful as they would have us believe. Otherwise, why would they need to dishonestly label themselves with words like “Liberty” and “Freedom” and “Patriotic” and “Rights”?
If the truth about who you are is so repellent that you cannot be honest about that, then yours is not a movement that can last long.
Mr. Posey just won a battle. It’s up to the rest of us to continue the struggle.