Mr. Farah goes to Washington

By Joseph Farah

WASHINGTON – A friend asked me why we decided to move to Washington.

My answer? That’s where the bad guys are.

Another acquaintance suggested I would become corrupted by this city – that it would “eat me alive.”

My response? He that is in me is greater than he that dominates this city.

Yes, this is my first official column from inside the beltway. From now on, this is home. It’s also the new battlefield.

When WorldNetDaily incorporated as an independent, for-profit newssite a few years ago, we decided to set up shop far from this madding center of political activity. It was a deliberate decision – a calculated one. We didn’t want the distractions. We wanted to build our business quietly, in the relative obscurity of rural southern Oregon. We didn’t want to risk becoming polluted by the conventional thinking in this town.

But now we’re at a new stage of development. The demands of travel and public appearances are greater. The opportunities for media exposure have increased.

It’s also time for WorldNetDaily to focus on building up our reporting resources – and where better to concentrate that effort than right here in the belly of the beast.

It may not be popular right now to refer to the nation’s capital as the belly of the beast, but, in a very real way it is. Concentrations of power are always dangerous to liberty. And, never before in the history of the world has more power been concentrated in one city than it is today in Washington, D.C.

Even though we are involved in what I consider to be a righteous war against Islamist terrorism in all its many manifestations, the real, long-term danger to America’s freedom begins right here, where, every day, more laws are created than the people could possibly even read, let alone thoughtfully approve, let alone obey.

Bad decisions are being made here about how to spend your money more frequently today than ever before. Your personal freedoms are being compromised. Your heritage of liberty and self-government are being denied. Your rights to life, liberty and property are being destroyed.

Never before in American history has a vigilant watchdog on government been more needed.

That’s why we came. That’s why we will make our stand here. That’s why we will expand our base in Washington. This is the pressure point. This is the chokepoint. This is where we will shine the light.

Sure, I could have remained comfortable in the woods. My own freedom would be greater. My own safety would be more assured. But this is a time to challenge the status quo. This is a time for agitation. This is a time for hard work. This is a time for risks.

The WorldNetDaily mission has always been to serve as a watchdog on government – to expose fraud, waste, corruption and abuse wherever we find it, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. What better place to do that than Washington, D.C.?

When I told my wife, who knows me best, that some people feared I might be co-opted by the pressures of the beltway, do you know what her reaction was?

She laughed.

“They don’t know you, Farah,” she said.

Those who do know me and WorldNetDaily know we will never compromise. We will never knuckle under. We will never give in to get along. We will never join the club. We will never sacrifice our commitment to our profession for comfort or security. We will never abandon our values because of peer pressure. We will not be bullied, intimidated, coerced or tempted to yield one square inch in our battle to spread freedom and promote responsibility.

What can one small news agency do? That’s what people asked five years ago when we got started. We’ve accomplished much since then. But it’s just the beginning.

I want to ask all of you for your prayers and continued support of our mission as we take this next step.

We may be in Washington, but we are not of it.

We are still outsiders in this culture and we will remain so as long as I have the strength to breathe the precious air of freedom and dream visions of a better way of life.

Editor’s note: How can you help support this mission? WorldNetDaily has established two programs for readers: Voluntary Subscription Payments and our Legal Defense Fund. Your contributions (not tax-deductible) are always welcome and appreciated.


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Joseph Farah

Joseph Farah is founder, editor and chief executive officer of WND. He is the author or co-author of 13 books that have sold more than 5 million copies, including his latest, "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament." Before launching WND as the first independent online news outlet in 1997, he served as editor in chief of major market dailies including the legendary Sacramento Union. Read more of Joseph Farah's articles here.