I don’t often comment, at least not overtly, on politics. I suppose it’s a deacon thing: best not to speak too often about secular subjects that might skew opinions of me and my words on the important stuff, causing those who think otherwise to consider me a jerk...or far worse. But the American political scene has become very strange indeed, so I just can’t help myself. I must say something.
I’ll begin by stating something everyone seems to ignore. The battle we see taking place all round us is not a political battle; it’s a spiritual battle. The so-called Democratic Socialists are not in any way democratic and neither are they like the mild-mannered but incompetent Western European socialists. When we listen to their words we quickly conclude they are full-fledged communists. And believe me, communists are driven by a special kind of evil. It’s an evil that despises God, especially the Judeo-Christian God that the vast majority of our nation has worshipped throughout our history.
Now, I'm not saying that large numbers -- at least among registered Democrats -- who support the Democratic Socialists are all evil. No, they're really more akin to what Vladimir Lenin reportedly labeled, "useful idiots." Far too many haven't a clue about the consistent failures of socialism and communism wherever and whenever they've been tried. And so these nodding supporters are essentially political "idiots" or perhaps more kindly, just grossly uninformed. They are also very useful to those seeking power since they vote based on their ignorance.
I had my first up-close-and-personal experience with communism in 1951. (I was a seven-year-old.) My dad was an Army officer stationed in West Germany, and he took his family with him. At some point Dad decided we should visit Berlin for a few days. Berlin was a divided city completely surrounded by communist East Germany. The communists ruled East Berlin while the Allies governed West Berlin.
We boarded a train in West Germany, passed through a good hunk of communist East Germany, and arrived in West Berlin. On the train we encountered armed Soviet soldiers, apparently there to ensure all passengers were "legitimate". They were not pleasant, obviously trained to intimidate.
Dad had arranged for Mom, my elder brother, and me to take an Army Special Services bus tour of East Berlin. (This was almost a decade before the infamous Berlin wall was built.) As we passed from West to East Berlin, the difference was apparent. West Berlin was booming in the midst of remarkable rebuilding to erase the horrendous damage of World War II. That half of the city was experiencing a true economic miracle. East Berlin, though, was just a pile of rubble, with only one exception. Some buildings that faced west were built as phony facades that appeared to be newly built or rebuilt buildings. But there was nothing behind the facades. A beautiful example of an essential element of the communist's public persona: they must lie...about everything.
Far worse, though, was what we encountered as we looked through the windows of our bus. On every corner we saw a pair of armed Soviet soldiers. As the bus approached, they lowered their AK-47s and aimed them directly at the bus. They followed us with their gun barrels until the bus approached the pair on the next corner. This was repeated throughout the "tour." It's relevant to mention the bus was filled almost exclusively with dependents, women and children, who were apparently seen as a threat. To communists any threat, whether great or negligible must be eliminated.
Here we have an example of another essential element of the communist public persona: out-threat the threat; i.e., the only effective rule is one that presents a believable threat to any person or group that might resist or disagree. And if the threat continues, pull the trigger.
Yes, indeed, I learned a lot that day as a child of seven. The images are fixed deep in my memory and will always remain there to color my beliefs.
Looking at the American left we find it rarely argues effectively for its policies, because its policies have consistently failed. They, therefore, do two things. First, they simply lie about them, speaking either in meaningless generalities or tossing brash statements designed to get attention, but words they can laughingly renounce later. Second, they attack their opponents, usually with baseless ad hominem attacks. Note how the left tends to attack President Trump personally rather than present any solid, believable arguments for their policies. They also tend to avoid real debates, especially with intelligent, knowledgeable opponents who can expose their lies.
And their latest tactic? They don't hide their beliefs, even if they can't defend them. They just toss them out there, expecting enough folks to respond enthusiastically and VOTE.
I've been fortunate to travel throughout much of the world and sadly have witnessed the ravages and pain caused by communism. It's all about power, folks, and the evil application of money to gain and retain power.
Ok...that's enough, at least for now. I suspect I'll take more than a few hits, but I'm at the age where I really don't care.
