Communism

                    The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the threat of communism in our nation today.  The main difference between progressivism and communism is their ideas about changing society.  Both progressivism and communism seek to destroy capitalism and the United States of America, but progressives seek to "guide" society until it "evolves" into their preferred system while communists prefer to use violent revolutions.  The Occupy movement was a revolution while the supporters of the Obama Administration work toward an evolution. 

We know that unions were behind many of the people who took part in the Occupy movement; we should not be surprised that a union man made recent news talking about communism.  Mike Golash, a former but major District of Columbia union boss, used to run D.C.'s chapter 689 of the Amalgamated Transit Union; he was/is responsible for organizing workers on the D.C. metro.  He was caught on camera making some shocking comments.  The Daily Caller highlighted the following comments from Golash's speech during an Occupy DC "People's Assembly" on August 19, 2012.

"Progressive labor is a revolutionary communist organization….  Its objective is to make revolution in the United States, overthrow the capitalist system and build communism."  He said that he, along with his comrades, is "trying to learn something from the historical revolutions of the past:  the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, the revolutions in Cuba and Eastern Europe."

                    "The capitalists - they have their organizations:  the FBI, the CIA, the secret police, the military, the army, etc., etc.  They have organizations to maintain their power.  It's foolish to think that without a disciplined organization made up not of a few people but of millions and millions of people, [we] can bring down capitalism."

                    Bacon Rebellion posted an interesting article about Mike Golash.  "Go to the ATW website and you'll see that the union is interested in a lot more than simply improving the wages and working conditions of its members.  States Golosh on the president's page: 

"`Workers' real leverage against the bosses lies in their ability to shut down production and call their coworkers into the streets.  The threat of economic hardship to the bosses and social instability in society causes a real fear in the bosses' heart.  Direct action by workers is the motor that drives us forward to a better standard of living and a more just society, not election results.'

"If that doesn't give you pause about selling your SUV and riding the Metro to work, check out the August/September edition of the ATU newsletter.  One article writes about New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the most inflammatory of terms:  `It is no coincidence that it is primarily poor black residents that live in the hardest hit areas; slavery and racist laws made sure that the most vulnerable areas of the city are poor black areas.'  (Sounds like CNN!)  The union also describes the employment of immigrant `guest workers' as `a new kind of slavery.'"

There are communists in our nation who are seeking to destroy capitalism and America as we know it.  The communists came into the United States during World War II and slowly infiltrated every part of our government and society.  They are seeking a violent overthrow of our government and way of life. 

Ezra Taft Benson, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and late President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often spoke about communism and the danger it brought to our nation.  He quoted an article written by the late FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and entitled "Turbulence on the Campus."

"According to the latest statistics there are 34,500,000 full-time students enrolled in more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning.  A high percentage of these young people are serious and concerned.  They know they live in a world of change, challenge, and conflict, where their very best will be required.  There is in today's campus turbulence a new style in conspiracy, a conspiracy that is extremely subtle and devious and hence difficult to understand.  It is a conspiracy reflected by questionable moods and attitudes.

"Often called the new leftist conspiracy, it has utter disrespect for law, contempt for institutions of free government, and disdain for spiritual and moral values.

"As parents and teachers, you should know more about this new-style perversion that is erupting in civil disobedience and encouraging young people to mock the law.  Every town and every teacher must recognize the absolute need of instructing and guiding our young people to respect the law and to realize that freedom does not mean license, that with citizen's rights go corresponding duties.  We want our young people to be good citizens, able to think for themselves, to have personal convictions, but we want them to be loyal to our constitutional principles and the democratic traditions that have molded this country." (See An Enemy Hath Done This [1969], pp. 300-301).

A few pages later in his book Benson quoted Hoover again:  "We must now face the harsh truth that the objectives of communism are being steadily advanced because many of us do not readily recognize the means used to advance them.  … No one who truly understands what it really is can be taken in by it.  Yet the individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists.  The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst (J. Edgar Hoover, The Elks Magazine, August 1956; P.P.N.S., p. 273)" (p. 308).

Do you believe that communists are in our nation and working towards a violent revolution?  I do.  I believe that they have been here for more than sixty years and that they have nearly completed their preparations.  Benson spoke often of the dangers of communism; he wrote:  "I warn you, unless we wake up soon and do something about the conspiracy, the communist-inspired civil rights riots of the past will pale into insignificance compared to the bloodshed and destruction that lie ahead in the near future" (p. 310).

If the words of Hoover and Benson do not convince you that our nation is headed for big trouble, how about this statement by J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: "I say unto you with all the soberness I can, that we stand in danger of losing our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back; and once lost, we of this Church will, in order to keep the Church going forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure than we have yet known, heavy as our sacrifices and grievous as our persecutions of the past have been" (in Conference Report, April 1944, pp. 115-116; P.P.N.S., p. 89) (p. 310).

President David O. McKay spoke in the April 1966 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and left no doubt about the need for members of the Church to stand up and defend freedom:  "In order that there may be no misunderstanding by bishops, stake presidents, and others regarding members of the Church participating in nonchurch meetings to study and become informed on the Constitution of the United States, Communism, etc., I wish to make the following statements that I have been sending out form my office for some time and that have come under question by some stake authorities, bishoprics, and others.

"Church members are at perfect liberty to act according to their own conscience in the matter of safeguarding our way of life.  They are, of course, encouraged to honor the highest standards of the gospel and to work to preserve their own freedoms.  They are free to participate in nonchurch meetings that are held to warn people of the threat of Communism or any other theory or principle that will deprive us of our free agency or individual liberties vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States.

"The position of this Church on the subject of Communism has never changed.  We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God's work among men that exists on the face of the earth.

"In this connection, we are continually being asked to give our opinion concerning various patriotic groups or individuals who are fighting Communism and speaking up for freedom.  Our immediate concern, however, is not with parties, groups, or persons, but with principles.  We therefore commend and encourage every person and every group who is sincerely seeking to study Constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us.  We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it.

"Supporting the FBI, the police, the congressional committees investigating Communism, and various organizations that are attempting to awaken the people through educational means is a policy we warmly endorse for all our people…. (The Improvement Era, June 1966, p. 477; Conference Report, April 1966, p. 109) (as quoted by Benson in An Enemy Hath Done This, pp. 318-319).

Communists have been working to take control of this nation for many years.  Between World War II and the late 1960s or 1980s, there was much talk about communism in our nation.  President Ronald Reagan fought openly against communism and uttered those famous words "Tear down this wall," meaning the Berlin Wall.  There has not been much talk about communism since the end of the Reagan Administration.  We have been distracted by the behavior of Bill Clinton, the fight against terrorists, and the destructions of Obama.  Communists are becoming more open in their tactics and will use progressives and radical Muslims to do their dirty work.

Ezra Taft Benson had the assignment to host Mr. Khrushchev (USSR) when he visited the United States for half a day.  Benson was opposed to the visit before it took place and felt it was a mistake afterwards.  While they talked face-to-face, Khrushchev indicated that Benson's grandchildren "would live under communism" and arrogantly declared something like this:  "You Americans are so gullible.  No, you won't accept communism outright, but we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you'll finally wake up and find you already have communism.  We won't have to fight you.  We'll so weaken your economy until you'll fall like over-ripe fruit into our hands."

Americans have been warned over and over again about the possibility of losing our freedoms.  We have watched as President Barack Obama and his supporters have weakened our nation and our economy, and yet we know that approximately half of our nation continues to support Obama.  Will it take blood running in our streets to finally convince these people of the dangers facing us?  I hope not!  I will continue to cry:  "Awake!"  "Arise!"  "Stand forth in defense of our nation!"