1984 and Today?

Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Michigan, is one of a small number of institutions of higher education in this country that reject the prevailing political correctness and are actually devoted to seeking the truth. Among Hillsdale’s publications is Imprimus, a free monthly “dedicated to educating citizens and promoting civil and religious liberty by covering cultural, economic, political, and educational issues.” It accomplishes this by reprinting major speeches by a wide variety of contributors. The latest issue — it arrived in yesterday’s mail — offers us a wonderful speech delivered on November 17 by Hillsdale’s President, Larry P. Arnn. Entitled “Orwell’s 1984 and Today,” Dr. Arnn’s speech makes what should be obvious connections between Orwell’s depiction of a totalitarian society and what is taking place today in the United States. I first read 1984 back in 1961 when I was in high school, but should probably reread it now so I can measure Orwell’s frightening vision against my lifetime of experience. A Kindle version will be downloaded today.

Please take the time to read Dr. Arnn’s speech and then share it with those generations, our children and grandchildren, whose education has likely deprived them of the truth about our nation, its origins, and the urgency of the crisis we face today. Here’s a direct link to the speech: Orwell’s 1984 and Today. And while you’re at it, sign up for a free subscription to Imprimus and then, if you are able, send them a few bucks to help cover their costs. 

Timely Thoughts

I've hesitated to post anything about the recent elections and their aftermath, but I suppose it's time to write at least a few things about it all. What follows are, of course, my personal views and I do not speak for the Catholic Church.

The Presidential Election. To say I am disappointed in the apparent results of the presidential election would be an understatement. I suppose the outcome is not yet confirmed, so things could change. After all, Al Gore made the nation dance to his tune for well over a month back in 2000. But from a Catholic and Christian perspective Joe Biden does not fill me with hope.

Like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden is one of those “devout, practicing Catholics” who actually rejects much of what the Catholic Church teaches. He seems to support the suppression of religious freedom for which the left wing of his political party is becoming increasingly famous. I suspect this will continue and likely intensify under a Biden administration unless the Supreme Court steps in to protect Americans’ first amendment rights. 

Big government likes the idea of controlling all aspects of peoples’ lives, including their religious teachings and practices. Even in a pandemic, when it comes to the celebration of the liturgy, the bishops make the relevant decisions, not government officials. The UK is also experiencing similar intrusions by government as officials ban the celebration of Mass by Catholics. Speaking in the House of Commons, former UK prime minister, Theresa May, put it well when she said, “Making it illegal to conduct an act of worship for the best of intentions sets a precedent that could be misused for a government in the future with the worst of intentions.” 

The American left has also become increasingly anti-Semitic. AOC and her “squad” of Marxist know-nothings openly despise Israel (and Jews) and have infected many in the Democrat Party with their ideology of hate. They also seem to have the ear of Joe Biden.

More disturbing, however, is Joe Biden’s support of the wholesale slaughter of unborn children up until the moment of birth. As I’ve said before, anyone who will support abortion, the horrific, dismembering killing of the most innocent human lives, will support anything. Mr Biden also tosses Church teaching into the trash by supporting homosexual “marriage” and so-called “transgender” rights. In truth, science (a gift from our God) shows that transgenderism does not exist. Just check the DNA. It’s not changed by either surgery or hormonal additives. A male remains a male, a female a female, just as God made them. 

The Washington Post and the New York Times, two newspapers with a direct line to Joe Biden, just announced that, as President, one of Biden’s first moves will be to scrap all of President Trump’s pro-life policies. When the Supreme Court supported Hobby Lobby and the Little Sisters of the Poor, protecting them from invasive governmental mandates regarding contraception, Joe Biden clearly stated what he would do as president: “As disappointing as the Supreme Court’s ruling is, there is a clear path to fixing it: electing a new President who will end Donald Trump’s ceaseless attempts to gut every aspect of the Affordable Care Act.” 

The growing leftist movement within the Democrat Party, in its evolving “woke” state, has become increasingly totalitarian. This, of course, is the ultimate goal of all political correctness. PC thought and practice have definite Marxist origins (see discussion here) and are a key element of the left’s political agenda. It’s an agenda of control, one which employs such tactics as “cancel culture” to suppress those who do not toe the leftist ideological line. That’s right, folks, you will be punished for expressing contrary — i.e., conservative, religious, or other unacceptable — views or, perish the thought, actually doing things of which the reigning powers disapprove. 

The left looks to those who have traditionally supported the Democrat Party, but their political grip on these folks is beginning to slip. The party demands that African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, women — basically anyone other than white males — must not think for themselves or do what is best for them and for their families. They must remain on their respective plantations and do what their “masters” tell them. How did Nancy Pelosi put it not long ago when actually challenged by a liberal media type who questioned her response to the homeless? “We feed them!” she shouted. Yes, indeed, she feeds them and cares for them and keeps them dependent, hoping they don’t succeed. Nancy and her friends on the left need the needy to reman always in need.

Governors, Mayors, and Other Elites. Did you happen to catch California Governor Gavin Newsom’s apology? Of course, it was issued only after he was caught dining with a crowd of friends at Napa County’s toney French Laundry Restaurant  (By the way, meals there reportedly start at $350 a head, before wine.) Newsom and his large group of friends, including the head of the California Medical Association, sat together indoors, without masks, and certainly not separated by any social distancing. This elitist and grossly incompetent governor threatens citizens with arrest for breaking his rules, but willfully violates them whenever he pleases. Below is a  photo of the governor and his friends flaunting what they demand of regular Californians. Oh, yes, if you think the governor used his own money to pay for his meal, guess again. I’m pretty sure it was paid for by either of two possible sources: the taxpayers or one of the lobbyists who was present that evening.

In the former Soviet Union, the Communist Party elites were called the nomenklatura and enjoyed extensive privileges unavailable to the average citizen. In other words, they lived like royalty while the people lived in a socialist hell. This is the kind of society the American left would love to see. It’s another good reason for voter-imposed term limits. Send them all packing before they discover how easy it is to feather their own nests. As one wag stated the other day, “If you want to live well during a pandemic, just get yourself elected to something.”

U. S. Bishops. The U.S. Bishops were quick to congratulate Joe Biden after the election. Following the lead of the mainstream media, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, stated, “We recognize that Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has received enough votes to be elected the 46th President of the United States. We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late President John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith.” 

Of course, the USCCB said nothing about Mr. Biden’s rejection of Catholic teaching on a multitude of moral issues. But they did say a lot about “democracy.” This makes one wonder about their understanding of our almost 250-year-old political system which, as a constitutional republic, is in no way a democracy. Assuming Mr. Biden ultimately becomes president, it will be interesting to see how the bishops react when a President Biden implements his distorted moral vision through legislation, regulation, and executive order.

It seems the bishops of Italy responded very differently to the pandemic. The following observations were taken from an article by Sofia Abasolo published in late September in the Catholic Herald. (Click here to read the entire article.) I thought it worth including some of her comments here;

“One example of this occurred during the pandemic emergency. When the country went into lockdown, the bishops were slow to point out that religious worship was a constitutionally protected right, and as such could not be subject to state intervention. Mass was interrupted for several weeks, provoking much criticism from clergy and laypeople alike. And yet I couldn’t help but notice that at no point were churches shut. They remained open for solitary worship every day of lockdown, and worship was legally protected as an essential need, just like buying newspapers or groceries.

“There were two weeks when going out for a walk was prohibited, but going to kneel before the Eucharist was not. What’s more, the sacraments were always available – priests had to be approached to hear Confession and administer the Eucharist (complying with the new hygiene standards), but they were never legally prohibited from doing so, and they never rejected my requests when I asked.

“When it looked as if cinemas would open before Mass was reinstated, the bishops finally spoke up in resistance, and the government responded by amending their decree, announcing the return of Mass (with limits on numbers of attendees) as restaurants and cafes opened up their doors.”

“The bishops finally spoke up in resistance...” How many of our bishops have publicly resisted the government’s intrusion into the religious freedom protected by our Constitution?

Persecution of Christians. Pew Research Center, among the more reliable sources of information on what’s happening in the world from a religious perspective, has issued a study on religious persecution for 2018. This is the most recent year for which complete data is available. The results of their study are not encouraging. The persecution of Christians has increased worldwide to a level higher than any year since 2007, when Pew began these annual studies. The study claims that Christian persecution and harassment occurred in 145 of the world’s 198 countries. It also determined that 75% of all victims of religious persecution are Christians. Some other shocking findings: 

• 8 Christians are killed every day because of their faith;
• 23 Christians are raped or sexually harassed daily;
• 182 Christians churches or buildings are vandalized weekly
• 102 Christian homes or businesses are damaged or destroyed weekly

Every year these numbers have grown, something that should give us pause and prepare us for things to come. President Trump has aggressively pushed for greater emphasis on religious freedom at the United Nations. He has consistently called on the entire international community and business leaders to protect this most basic human freedom. He also established a new Conscience and Religious Freedom division within the Department of Health and Human Services. We can only hope that a Biden administration will continue this focus on religious freedom and not just resurrect the failed policies of the past. Some links to relevant Pew Research:

Increased Government Restrictions on Religion

Religious Restrictions Around the World

COVID-19 Deaths. Here’s an interesting fact you probably won’t encounter in the mainstream media because they seem to focus only on that which increases public fears. Do you know that 1% of U.S. counties account for 34% of U.S. deaths from COVID-19? Isn’t that interesting? Also, almost 15% of U.S. counties have experienced one or no COVID-19 deaths. 

I’ve included below a list of the 50 U.S. counties with the greatest number of COVID-19 deaths (as of November 14). I am fairly certain most, if not all, of these counties are run by Democrats. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s city is represented by 4 of the top 10 — Brooklyn (Kings Cty), Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan (New York Cty) — a fact he and Governor Cuomo inexplicably blame on President Trump. The rest of the “top 10” include Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Miami, Detroit, and Houston. 

50 Counties with the Most COVID-19 Deaths

RANK	COUNTY NAME	STATE	TOTAL DEATHS
1	Kings County	NY	7,450
2	Queens County	NY	7,321
3	Los Angeles County	CA	7,266
4	Cook County	IL	5,797
5	Bronx County	NY	5,019
6	Maricopa County	AZ	3,797
7	Miami-Dade County	FL	3,707
8	New York County	NY	3,204
9	Wayne County	MI	3,119
10	Harris County	TX	2,908
11	Middlesex County	MA	2,351
12	Nassau County	NY	2,229
13	Essex County	NJ	2,172
14	Bergen County	NJ	2,083
15	Suffolk County	NY	2,023
16	Philadelphia County	PA	1,934
17	Hidalgo County	TX	1,765
18	Palm Beach County	FL	1,622
19	Clark County	NV	1,617
20	Broward County	FL	1,585
21	Hudson County	NJ	1,542
22	Hartford County	CT	1,532
23	Orange County	CA	1,524
24	Westchester County	NY	1,486
25	Middlesex County	NJ	1,462
26	Fairfield County	CT	1,454
27	Bexar County	TX	1,449
28	Union County	NJ	1,391
29	Essex County	MA	1,390
30	Dallas County	TX	1,373
31	Riverside County	CA	1,367
32	Oakland County	MI	1,282
33	Passaic County	NJ	1,277
34	Worcester County	MA	1,212
35	Suffolk County	MA	1,205
36	Macomb County	MI	1,166
37	New Haven County	CT	1,157
38	Norfolk County	MA	1,147
39	Richmond County	NY	1,105
40	San Bernardino County	CA	1,097
41	Ocean County	NJ	1,087
42	Hennepin County	MN	1,044
43	Cameron County	TX	996
44	Providence County	RI	986
45	San Diego County	CA	926
46	Tarrant County	TX	924
47	Montgomery County	MD	905
48	Montgomery County	PA	904
49	St. Louis County	MO	901
50	Prince George's County	MD	883

It’s all very interesting. 

Political Correctness

Among modern man's more puzzling traits is his seeming unwillingness to name that which is trying to destroy him. It's a particularly dangerous trait since it even goes so far as to disguise its own name. We are urged to call it "political correctness" which has both an innocent and positive ring to it. But political correctness really has little to do with true politics, and because it is inherently deceiving, it is far from correct. In truth it is nothing but a lie. 

I've always believed that all lies have their origin with Satan and his flunkies. He is, after all, the father of lies, as Jesus reminded those who refused to accept Him:

"You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies" [Jn 8:44].

How many today accept these words of Jesus? How many accept that Satan even exists? I'm reminded of that line from the movie, The Usual Suspects, when Kevin Spacey's character Verbal says: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn't exist." This revelation didn't originate in Hollywood, but is actually found in the book of Revelation:

"The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it" [Rev 12:9].

Yes, he "who deceived the whole world" continues to deceive, and has many willing to help him. The idea of political correctness, indeed even the actual term, was a clever semantic innovation by Stalinists in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. Its purpose, then and now, is to bully and/or brainwash the public in order to squash debate on any subject that might undermine the state's ideological foundation. For the communist this includes virtually every subject imaginable, from art to science, from architecture to engineering, from philosophy to politics, and, yes, even religion. We don't call them totalitarians for nothing. 

Because atheism is among the basic tenets of communist ideology, that original political correctness and its modern descendants strive to eliminate all things religious from the public square. Christian values are particularly troublesome to authoritarian and totalitarian regimes because of Christianity's embrace of freedom, the freedom of the individual to choose the good. This, of course, runs afoul of the state's desire to control every aspect of the citizen's life. 

In a totalitarian state political correctness can be enforced rather easily: the government need only exert its extensive state power through education, forced re-education, imprisonment, or even execution. But in a constitutional republic like the United States, the application of political correctness demands a more subtle approach. By flooding the educational establishment with ideological fellow travelers, the state can control the thinking of future generations. Other tactics include publicly accusing violators of being homophobic, racist, sexist, or any other convenient "ist" that connotes hatred. Once applied by the elites and their allies in the media, these labels tend to stick, and go on to ruin reputations and remove the targets and their ideas from the public discourse.

Progressives also target constitutional protections, particularly those supported by our Bill of Rights. They ridicule the Constitution as another old document, or as President Obama said in his 2017 farewell address, "It's really just a piece of parchment" and presumably no longer applicable to the lives of modern Americans. For progressives it must instead become a "living document," one demanding constant change so it can reflect our society's evolving norms. I also recall when Barack Obama echoed this interpretation by stating, "The Constitution is a living document; no strict constructionism." Such thinking, of course, makes the Constitution as written by our founders irrelevant.

Many see political correctness as essentially harmless, but I suggest it becomes truly dangerous when those who exercise state power adopt it as their governing attitude.  Just look at the record of the police in the U.K. In the 12 months ending in March 2008, the police in the U.K. made 1.5 million arrests, while nine years later, in the 12 months ending in March 2017, they made only 780,000 arrests. Now this might lead one to believe that this almost 50% decrease in arrests resulted from a corresponding decrease in crime. But this assumption would be wrong...very, very wrong. Although arrests were down by 48%, crime increased drastically. In just the past year violent crime in the U.K. increased by almost 20%, rape by 22%, knifings by 26%, and in a nation where gun ownership is almost non-existent, gun crime increased by 27%. Similar increases were reported for both burglary and robbery.

Why so few arrests in the face of so much crime? The answer is simple. Instead of solving real crimes, the police have focused on "hate incidents" and "malicious communications." In London, which by the way is now more dangerous than New York City, arrests for making offensive online comments rose 53%. And so freedom of speech, once a cherished right among the British, gets crushed by political correctness...and so do peoples lives.

St. Michael, protect us...from ourselves.