Nov. 16, 2023
Perspective by Bill Osmulski
Don’t let the little things slide.
That was a key message that Tucker Carlson shared with Wisconsin conservatives during an event hosted by the MacIver Institute earlier this month.
Tucker spoke about his brother, who always had the courage to stand up against the creeping liberal agenda long before most people realized what was happening. He would often confront the principal over little things at the school where both their families sent their kids. Tucker said, in hindsight, his brother was the only one who understood what was going on and why it was important to stand up to it. Everyone else just wanted to go about their routine and never thought anything was a big deal. Obviously, that’s been a big mistake that our society is paying for.
Last week, MacIver hosted Tucker Carlson who told conservatives they have to be willing to stand up and fight for the future of the country and their kids. #MacIverhostsTucker pic.twitter.com/toePk4SxbQ
— MacIver News Service (@NewsMacIver) November 15, 2023
Even veteran journalists, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of insanity all around us, are tempted to let the small things go. Tucker’s speech was a solid reminder that it’s important for all of us to stand up against government abuse and radicalization whenever we encounter it.
Following Tucker’s speech, Wisconsin Right Now published a story about the City of Wauwatosa’s Christmas purge. Deputy City Administrator Melissa Weiss directed city workers to avoid red and green decorations and to refer to snowmen as “snow people.” The story has made national headlines and forced the city to retract the policy. One of the reporters, Jessica McBride, credited their attendance at the Tucker event with inspiring them to publish the story.
“One reason Jim and I did all these Tosa stories is because we went to the Tucker Carlson thing in Brookfield and his main message was that people need to stop accepting things that are totally insane and just say, no. That’s insane and we’re not saying or doing x, y or z,” McBride explained on Facebook. “So, no, we aren’t calling snowmen snow people and cities don’t get to oppose red and green decorations at Christmas time without exposure. Because, you know, that’s insane. Period.”
I needed a little push too, for a much smaller story. I had just written a letter to the editor about Edgerton High School taking out billboard ads to brag that they made the US News and World Report’s “Best High Schools” list four times in a row. I pointed out that the high school has actually dropped 1,724 spots in the national rankings since 2020, and that the school district was attempting to deceive the community about it. The Edgerton Reporter published the letter, and I thought that fulfilled my responsibility to the community and to the truth.
Later, Vicki McKenna asked me to come on the radio to talk about it, but I thought it was too small an issue and too local to make much fuss over. Tucker’s speech changed my mind too. The truth is, it’s not just the Edgerton School District that’s lying about its performance to parents and taxpayers. People need to know how that district is going about it, so they can keep an eye on officials in their districts.
We all need to step up and not just let these little things slid by. It’s a group effort. Hopefully, Tucker is able to convince more people of that than just a handful of conservative reporters in Wisconsin.