Wow!  I experienced it firsthand.  I wrote an article defending the biblical take on an issue.  The mainstream media misquoted me and took my words out of context to portray me as someone I am not -- a rabid hater.  Recklessly, without reading my original article to learn what I actually said, several news sources reprinted a reporter's distortion of my article.

Folks, I have no problem standing up for what I believe or even being hated for it.  But the media had thousands hating me for something I never said.  Associates became nervous about being associated with me.  Public figures began denouncing me.  It was a very stressful situation.  My stress did not come from the left hating me. I was stressed over how the left's lies about me negatively affected the lives of others in my life.

Here is the scariest effect of the media's gang character-assassination.  For about thirty seconds, I actually thought about framing my words to be more politically correct.  I thought perhaps it would be wise to frame my words in such a way that the media could not distort and use them against me.  You know, the old "you can catch more flies with honey" thing.

Well, the problem with that strategy is that the media seeks to destroy conservatives, especially black conservatives such as myself.  Therefore, they will spin any- and everything I say into a negative to scare me into shutting up.

Whenever conservatives simply speak the truth, they are branded extremist by the mainstream media and advised by consultants to "moderate their tone."  Meanwhile, liberals/Democrats make the most outrageous over-the-top statements without a peep of criticism from the mainstream media or their party.  Democrat VP Biden said, "They [Republicans] gon' put y'all [blacks] back in chains."  Democrat Rep. Andre Carson said the Tea Party movement would "love" to see black Americans "hang from a tree."

Democrat Alan Grayson said, "Republicans want you to die quickly."

Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters said, "The Tea Party can go straight to hell."  Think about that, folks.  Millions of Americans who oppose Obama ignoring the Constitution and cramming his socialist/progressive agenda down their throat have been told by a Democrat to go to hell.

Has anyone in the media accused Democrats of being mean-spirited?  Has any Democrat denounced a fellow Democrat's outrageous statements?  No.

But conservatives/Republicans wrestle with each other to be first at the microphone to denounce the slightest faux pas by someone on our side.  They kick fellow conservatives/Republicans to the curb, saying, How could so-and-so have said something so stupid?  He's done!

I know what many of you are saying: Lloyd, grow up!  Character assassination is a mainstay of politics, particularly Democrat politics.  I realize that, but this was the first time the full-assault wrath of the MSM slapped me in the face.  My "right" cheek is still bruised.  I now understand why so many people back away from their words and succumb to pressures to embrace the media's consensus on issues.

We see it all the time.  A pundit makes a statement opposite of the MSM's consensus.  The MSM gang assaults the pundit.  Then the pundit dials back his original comments.

The left uses a three-step technique to silence opposition and shame you into embracing the leftist agenda.  I learned about this technique via an article by the late Fred Hutchison.

As an example, let's use the issue of gun control.

Step One: Desensitization.  The left pounds away 24/7 on the news, movies, etc. that Second Amendment advocates and gun owners are irresponsible rednecks who do not care about children being murdered.  This is to "desensitize" citizens to the idea of being stripped of their constitutional right to bear arms.

Step Two: Jamming.  Jamming means to "shame" gun owners into silence regarding their desire to own firearms and their opposition to being disarmed.  Jamming is based on the idea that most humans feel shame when they believe they are not thinking, feeling, or acting like the masses.

Step Three: Conversion. Conversion is when the public has become receptive to the idea of government ignoring the Second Amendment.  The MSM portraying gun owners as cruel, heartless idiots is a psychological attack in the form of propaganda designed to convert the emotions, minds, and will of Americans to side with anti-gun activists.  If it is done skillfully enough, anti-gun activists will be perceived as heroes.

Patriots, we cannot allow the left to bully us into becoming silenced conservative lambs.  On every issue, the left/MSM sets the narrative, giving the issue a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.  Anyone daring to disagree with their consensus will be destroyed.  Their bullying is working.  More and more Americans are afraid to speak their minds.

Special thanks to courageous advocates for truth, justice, and the American way, such as Pamela Geller, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, to name a few.  Trust me, folks, when I say it ain't easy.  These patriots, as I am, are emboldened and driven by our love for the greatest nation on the planet.

Losing America is not an option.  Therefore, we will not become silenced conservative lambs.  Please join me in saying, neither will you!