Freedom from Communism

            The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the great need to teach the younger generations about Communism and the horrible actions that are taken by its supporters. It seems that a good share of Americans (11% in a 2011 Rasmussen poll) think that communism is better than a free market system to “provide a better system of politics and economics.” 

            The percentage of young Americans who have a favorable opinion of socialism – the stepping stone to communism – continues to grow: “53% under 30 years of age have a favorable view of socialism (Reason-Rupe, 2/12/15) – 69% of Millennials would vote for a socialist candidate (Gallup, 6/22/15).

            These numbers make it obvious that the younger generations do not know of the atrocities that have been done in the name of communism. Glenn Beck has been discussing these horrors for years. His company prepared a video that gives six facts about communism that are never discussed in our world today. Beck says that “Communism is looked at as something we can borrow from liberally…. The truth is that [communism] is among history’s most proficient killers.” Here are Beck’s six facts about communism.

1. Nearly 100 million people died under communist regimes.

2. Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, aka “Chairman Mao,” was responsible for executions, imprisonments, forced famines and labor camps that killed an estimated 65 million of his own countrymen.

3. Cuban Revolutionist and pop-culture icon, Che Guevara, ordered hundreds of executions by firing squad without trials. He famously said, “We executed many people by firing squad without knowing if they were fully guilty. At times, the Revolution cannot stop to conduct much investigation.” He also famously hated America, free speech, and rock n’ roll music.

4. An estimated 7,000,000 people perished under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Many died from famine after the government’s forced collectivization of farmland.

5. 33-42 percent of American millennials say they are unfamiliar with Mao, Guevara and Lenin.

6. Among the millennials who are familiar, at least a quarter have a favorable impression of Guevara, Marx, and Lenin.

            I was born towards the end of World War II and lived during the time of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. I lived my childhood, youth, and even young adulthood under the threat of communism. I heard about its horrors but could not comprehend how truly terrible it is. However, I understood enough to know that my life in the United States was much happier and healthier than the lives of those living in communist countries. If we are to keep the United States free from communism, we must teach the younger generations about its atrocities. One good way to start this instruction is by watching Beck’s video.