A Tyranny Of Words

The events of recent years have underscored the power of words, especially when those words are used over and over again, sometimes resulting in a bad ending.

For example, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a matter for the individual states to decide, and not the Federal government, there were massive protests staged, one of the more prominent ones including New York senator Chuck Schumer.

"I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price! You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions!"

Not long after, one Nicholas Roske traveled from his California home to Washington, D. C., his mission being "to kill a specific United States Supreme Court justice." He arrived at the house of Justice Brett Kavanaugh armed with a Glock-17 pistol, among other implements, but was spotted by two U. S. Marshals, who quickly arrested him.

Coincidence?

In the wake of the January 6th insurrection in Washington, D. C., many politicians and the legacy media presented a constant drumbeat of Donald Trump as "a threat to democracy." It became so that it was all but inescapable. Indeed, past remarks included singer Madonna's desire to blow up the White House and actor Johnny Depp's observation about an actor murdering a president (John Wilkes Booth and Abraham Lincoln).

As was seen in the 2024 election campaign, there were not one, but two assassination attempts on the presidential candidate's life.

Was the constant bombardment of "democracy" enough to push two people over the edge to take action?

More recently, there has been many statements critical of Trump aide Elon Musk, comparing him to the Nazis and exhorting him to "go back to South Africa." (Mr. Musk has been a U. S. citizen for many years.) Subsequently, there have been numerous assaults on the Tesla vehicles manufactured by Mr. Musk, along with attacks on Tesla dealerships. How much of an impact did those statements have?

Nazi propaganda minister Joeseph Goebbels said that, "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."

It appears to be common practice these days, not only on the national stage, but locally as well. But what could be the results?

In their constant war on Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, opposition groups such as the 10,000 Hawks, Keep Tweed Small, and Save Our Shoreline have been known to resort to some curious rhetoric in characterizing the Airport Authority or Avports, the airport's management company, as, shall we say, less than honorable.

The above-named groups have bandied about statements such as "They (the Airport Authority/Avports) don't care about the children," "Somebody's making money," and the ever popular, "The Airport Authority can't be trusted."

Here's my question: Could the repeated use of these statements eventually put the lives of airport personnel in jeopardy?

I ask this because I have followed Tweed Airport for quite some time now, and in the past, airport opposition has issued statements which could be construed as menacing.

In 1985, when Air Wisconsin commenced service from Tweed to Chicago/O'Hare International Airport, airport opponent Donna Melillo advocated placing baby carriages and strollers on the runway to hinder aircraft operations. Where I come from, we call that, "sabotage."

At about the same time, another airport opponent, one Ralph Milone, stated that he would "do something to end (then-mayor Ben) DiLieto's career." This remark resulted in a visit by the New Haven Police to Mr. Milone's residence to hear him explain in greater detail just what he meant.

The kicker here is that at no time did opposition leadership condemn either of the above statements. Nowhere did you hear, "We denounce those statements, and would never endorse any action that would place human lives in jeopardy! This is not who we are!"

Judging by their silence ("tacit approval" is more like it), I'd have to say that this is exactly who they are.

And their rhetoric has not abated. They continue to paint a sordid picture of Tweed and the airlines which serve it, with statements such as, "This is capitalism's last gasp," and, "Tweed Airport has no business in the Morris Cove!," let alone their usual tired allegation linking Avports with a worldwide investment firm. Members of the opposition have even resorted to attempts to "shame" flight-bound travelers in the airport parking lot.

I have to wonder not so much whether, but when something will happen where some nebbish, exposed to their constant anti-airport diatribes, decides one day, "By golly, these people have to be stopped," with what could be a tragic outcome.

I pray that I'm wrong.