The hypocrisy of the library director in the quaint, western New York village of Fredonia, located one county away from where I write this, is on full, shameful, display for all to see. The man with the double-barrelled surname, befitting of a pseudo-intellectual arbiter of social justice, appears to be busy these days. In addition to assuring that the harmony of the Dewey Decimal System is maintained by not placing books about gay men on the shelves with incest and sexual bondage books, Graham Tedesco-Blair appears to be busy perfecting the Orwellian mental art of doublespeak. Worse, Blair, or Tedesco-Blair — forgive me as I’m as unsure about the use of hyphenated names as I am the absurdity of pronoun reassignment suggestive of self-delusion, is apparently attempting to master the Communist practice of cancel culture. In picturesque Fredonia. Right now. Allow me to explain.

Jack Cashill is a well-known and respected independent writer, documentary producer, and media consultant. He’s written for Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, American Thinker, WND, The American Spectator, and The Washington Times.  He also serves as executive editor for Ingram’s, a regional business magazine. To date, Jack published 15 books under his own name, collaborated discreetly on 20 others, and produced numerous documentaries for regional PBS and national cable channels. Obviously, Jack Cashill is a celebrated academic whose work, as well as his time, is extremely valuable.

Although Jack provides a first-person account of the story here and here, I submit that this incident is bigger than any one of us, and it’s difficult to write about this issue when you’re the primary subject — or perhaps target or victim are more appropriate descriptors. 

Briefly, Jack and his wife have spent the last 35 summers in Chautauqua County, New York. During a recent trip to the charming Darwin R. Barker Library in Chautauqua County, his wife noticed that the book that, in his words, launched his career, 2006: The Chautauqua Rising, was on prominent display within the library. After telling her husband what she saw at the library and in a move that is illustrative of his gentility and classiness, Jack sent a thank-you email to the librarian for putting his book on the library shelves. In response, she asked Jack if he would be willing “to do an author talk/book signing at Barker Library in regards to your newest book, Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from America’s Cities’?” 

In selfless urbanity that is truly Jack Cashill, he agreed to interrupt his summer vacation and give a presentation on his latest work. The event was scheduled for today, September 9, 2023.

Having read the book and finding it extremely informative, considering it provides a first-person account of events that are currently taking place across the US, the people of Chautauqua and neighboring counties would certainly benefit from having Jack appear in-person. There’s nothing like being able to talk with an author and picking up the tidbits that perhaps did not make it in print. I’ve been personally enriched by each such event I’ve attended and this one would be equally, if not more memorable. 

But it won’t be. Why? Because the head honcho of the Darwin R. Barker Library, Graham two-names, the man whose salary is paid by tax dollars, our societal-better, knows what’s best for the people of his community. The people of Fredonia and surrounding areas are being deprived of this event today due to the pettiness and cowardice actions of this library director. Or, perhaps it’s neither, but something far more nefarious traveling through the synapses of addled Progressive thought of Graham two-names.

First, that Jack Cashill was disinvited by email, rather than by phone or in person speaks volumes to me. My working hypothesis is that once Graham learned of the event, he (I’m guessing here) handed whatever manhood he might possess to his significant other, grabbed his laptop, and in a modern-day duck-and-cover exercise, crawled under his desk to type out the following Orwellian email to Jack (Highlights and redacted email address are mine):

From: Graham Tedesco-Blair <director@barkerlibrary.org>

To: Jack Cashill <jackcashill@redacted.com>

Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at 12:58:39 PM CDT

Subject: Barker Library Appearance

Dear Mr. Cashill,

I hope this letter finds you well. We appreciate your willingness to engage with our community and share your expertise during the upcoming event at the Barker Library. However, after careful consideration and consultation with our stakeholders, we regret to inform you that we must disinvite you from the scheduled library appearance on September 9th.

Our decision is not one we have taken lightly. We believe that the diversity of perspectives is crucial in creating a rich and informative dialogue at our library events. Recent developments have led us to re-evaluate the suitability of your views and opinions for our diverse audience, as well as the potential impact they might have on the inclusive and welcoming atmosphere we strive to foster within our library community.

We want to emphasize that this decision is not a reflection of your qualifications or your commitment to your field. We respect your expertise and dedication, but given the nature of our audience and the current discourse surrounding certain aspects of your work, we believe it is in the best interest of the library and its patrons to make this difficult decision.

We understand that you might have prepared for this event, and we apologize for any inconvenience this decision may cause.

Once again, we appreciate your understanding and wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Graham Tedesco-Blair, Director
Darwin R. Barker Library
7 Day Street
Fredonia, NY 14063

director@barkerlibrary.org
716.672.8051

Wow. The mind-bending Orwellian contradictions on display in that email would be enough to make Mitch McConnell stop mid-speech just to make sense out it. I dare say that I’ve heard Joe Biden, even when he loses control of the teleprompter and wanders off script, make more sense than the contents of that message.

As an investigator who has interviewed hundreds of people over the last three decades, from the comfort of their own homes to the steel and concrete settings at Attica and Rikers, I have a feeling that there is much more to this “disinvitation.” I’ve gotten less complicated explanations from people in prison than what exits within this email, and they’ve made more sense. I suspect that Graham two-names does not want his bias as a “fellow traveler” show.

There is an overwhelming vehemence with which the Leftist idealogues fight against contrarian opinions, in the name of diversity, even those backed by facts. That such fact-based information is disallowed in order to promote inclusivity to a diverse audience is ridiculous. The contradictions contained in that email are staggering yet serve as “exhibit A” in Leftist thought and practice.     

Please permit me this digression if it really is one. In the span of a generation, times have certainly changed. Today, “the culturally evolved” among us celebrate “Drag Queen Story Hours” at public, tax-funded libraries across the US. Minors and toddlers are exposed to the most indecent, abhorrent, and morally bankrupt words and deeds by gender fluid “role models” who push — no — exceed the very bounds of decency. A generation ago, these “role models” would be arrested and charged for child abuse and violating public decency laws, as would their parents for exposing their children to this frenzy of depraved hyper-sexualization.

You’ve undoubtedly seen the pictures, heard the words, and watched the assault on our most vulnerable in real time as our most enlightened “betters” lecture us on diversity and tolerance. Dare to speak out in protest against subjugating our children to this perversion of moral sensibilities, you will be labeled a domestic terrorist by our authoritarian overlords. In some cases, you’ll be cited or even arrested for your protestations by those who are just “following orders.”  

Turning back to the cancelled event, please allow me one last digression (and full disclosure). I consider Jack Cashill to be not only one of the brightest minds of our time, but a friend and a friend of my broadcast, The Hagmann Report.

During a recent lunch with Jack and Eric “the Tech” on the same day as his in-studio appearance on August 22, 2023, our conversation drifted to several topics, We even discovered that we held opposing views about a couple of matters. 

For example, while some people might find that discussing the Baconian theory of Shakespearean authorship tedious and boring, the alleged subterfuge was not the issue. No, the real issue was that although we disagreed —— and to the delight of the waitstaff, no food or utensils were thrown, no voices raised, and even more importantly, no cancellations of future appearances on the Hagmann Report were entertained.

Speaking of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era, the Shakespearean term “cuckhold” comes to mind in reference to the email and its author. Too harsh? Hardly, considering the tactics of the Communist Left embedded within our society, including the quiet village of Fredonia.

In summary, I don’t believe that it’s nearly enough for us just to see how much of a hostage we’ve allowed ourselves to become to the Leftist, Progressive, Communist group think who refuse to allow public discourse when such discussion would likely destroy their worldview. I believe that it requires something more from all of us. Otherwise, the entirety of Western society will continue to suffer from a perverted political correctness that has resulted in snuffing out any positive intellectual discourse about various subjects, including “diversity,” a condition allegedly sought by the Left.

But we won’t be permitted to know, not today, not at the Darwin R. Barker Library, because Graham Tedesco-Blair knows what is best for you, even better than you do for yourself.