Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Who are You? And Should I Listen to You?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4

Joanna Scutari, a self-proclaimed “logician” and self-trained constitutional "expert", has been running around the South for a few years giving presentations to small conservative groups on the U.S. Constitution. She operates under the pseudonym "Publius Huldah".

Her conclusions on many topics are not only controversial, they are considered by real constitutional experts to be flat wrong, particularly regarding the Article V state convention method of proposing amendments and her support for nullification.

The question has arisen as to whether her choice to hide behind a pseudonym matters or not. The question behind the question: who is Ms. Scutari and should I listen to her?

Lest you think the use of a pseudonym and knowing the true identity of a speaker is not a question for serious discussion, be aware that some of the issues Ms. Scutari discusses in her presentations are very serious indeed. When it comes to how the states should address federal overreach, the very future of our constitutional republic hangs in the balance. This is about what lawful, moral and civil methods all citizens should and could use to prevent our country from falling off a political cliff or a financial cliff -- an event that most people believe is not too far in our country’s future unless there is a quick and thorough course correction.

When having serious presentations on such a serious topic, does hiding behind a pseudonym matter? Does hiding your background matter? Does knowing your speaker matter? Yes to all three questions.
First, just think about Ms. Scutari’s choice to use a pseudonym. If you decided you wanted to learn about the constitution and then start making public presentations about what you have learned, would you have chosen to use a pseudonym? Have any of you heard any speakers who make serious, live presentations on how to save our country, or on any constitutional law topic, using a pseudonym? Of course not. Most people who want to be taken seriously on serious topics in live presentations use their real names. Why use a pseudonym? To hide your lack of training or recognized expertise? To hide something in your past? To provide entertainment value to your presentations? Why? At best, the choice to use any pseudonym is just bizarre. At worst, it could be used to hide sinister motives and objectives.