Kerby Anderson

One weapon used by progressive activists is the “cancel culture.” It is an organized attempt to ruin your reputation or destroy your business. Vince Vaughn was the target of leftists because he was caught on camera talking to President Trump and shaking his hand. Another example was the attempt by students at Oberlin College to put Gibson’s bakery out of business. Vince Vaughn’s career will probably survive, and a court actually awarded the Gibson family millions from the school. We might not fare so well if the progressive mob targets us. That would certainly be true if government or business starts working against you. A few years ago, I wrote of the Obama administration’s program known as Operation Choke Point. Pressure was put on banks to decline loans to gun manufacturers and other operations. When the Trump administration put a stop to Operation Choke Point, progressive activists decided to start targeting banking institutions with smear campaigns so they would stop lending to businesses and industries they define as undesirable. That would not only include gun manufacturers but fireworks manufacturers, oil and gas companies, companies doing business with Israel, and just about any business owned by a conservative or Christian. Bank regulations prohibit such discrimination, but that hasn’t stopped some of these activists from weaponizing these banks for their political purposes. That is why the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the subject. The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, along with more than a dozen other US senators, sent a letter of concern to regulators before the hearing. These progressive activists have found a way to force their views on society without winning an election and without convincing Congress to implement their desires. We cannot let a liberal mob intimidate banks into denying credit to legitimate businesses and industry.