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| | {{see also|Democratic Party}} | | {{see also|Democratic Party}} |
| | [[File:Antifa DC.jpeg|right|350px|thumb]] | | [[File:Antifa DC.jpeg|right|350px|thumb]] |
| − | '''Communism''' is a [[left-wing]] anti-democratic and violent ideology dedicated to overthrowing [[capitalism]], replacing it with an unelected "[[dictatorship of the proletariat]]" by [[technocrat]]s and an [[atheist]] elite. Under Communism, the [[political]] system replaces [[private property|private ownership]] of the means of production with a supposed "collective ownership" of the [[economy]], but really maintained for the benefit and profit of a corrupt elite. [[Freedom of speech]] is suppressed in every communist regime. | + | '''Communism''' is a [[left-wing]] anti-democratic and violent ideology dedicated to overthrowing [[capitalism]], replacing it with an unelected "[[dictatorship of the proletariat]]" by [[technocrat]]s and an [[atheist]] elite. Under Communism, the [[political]] system replaces [[private property|private ownership]] of the means of production with a supposed "collective ownership" of the [[economy]], but really maintained for the benefit and profit of a corrupt elite. [[Freedom of speech]] is suppressed in every communist regime. |
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| − | These elites empower [[criminal]] gangsters and hoodlums to keep opposition in check. Because private ownership is illegal in favor of a [[collective]], prisons are emptied of anyone convicted of a property crime. This criminal element is the base of the communists' political power to destroy [[democracy]]. Political opposition is outlawed. Having rejected the culture and habits of the old regime as unjust, many of the worst violent offenders are released from prison to become enforcers for the corrupt ruling elite.<ref>Although the [[Nazi]] regime was not a communist regime, it borrowed much from the [[Bolshevik]]s. The [[Einsatzgruppen]] or mobile death squads were recruited from convicted murderers and mental hospitals.</ref> | + | These elites empower [[criminal]] gangsters and hoodlums to keep opposition in check. Because private ownership is illegal in favor of a [[collective]], prisons are emptied of anyone convicted of a property crime. This criminal element is the base of the communists' political power to destroy [[democracy]]. Political opposition is outlawed. Having rejected the culture and habits of the old regime as unjust, many of the worst violent offenders are released from prison to become enforcers for the corrupt ruling elite.<ref>Although the [[Nazi]] regime was not a communist regime, it borrowed much from the [[Bolshevik]]s. The [[Einsatzgruppen]] or mobile death squads were recruited from convicted murderers and mental hospitals.</ref> |
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| − | In [[Karl Marx]]'s theory, Communism is the final phase of societal evolution that begins with [[socialism]]. Marxist theory alleges that [[feudalism]] evolved into [[capitalism]], and capitalism evolves into socialism, and eventually the highest order of societal evolution is achieved when socialism evolves into communism. Marx's ''Communist Manifesto'' proposes the establishment of a "[[classless society]]" when human society reaches this ultimate perfection, minus any resistors or counterrevolutionaries. Communist societies, however, do maintain a [[class structure]] with the corrupt elite on top, scientists, technicians, and skilled workers recruited from schools who are afforded special privileges, thugs and mobsters who now become the enforcers and police, and everyone else with no political rights. | + | In [[Karl Marx]]'s theory, Communism is the final phase of societal evolution that begins with [[socialism]]. Marxist theory alleges that [[feudalism]] evolved into [[capitalism]], and capitalism evolves into socialism, and eventually the highest order of societal evolution is achieved when socialism evolves into communism. Marx's ''Communist Manifesto'' proposes the establishment of a "[[classless society]]" when human society reaches this ultimate perfection, minus any resisters or counterrevolutionaries. Communist societies, however, do maintain a [[class structure]] with the corrupt elite on top, scientists, technicians, and skilled workers recruited from schools who are afforded special privileges, thugs and mobsters who now become the enforcers and police, and everyone else with no political rights. |
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| − | Communists distinctly despise anyone who holds a [[moral]] code that [[worship]]s or teaches loyalty to anything other than the [[state]] and [[government]]. [[Religious]] believers, particularly, are singled out for persecution and "re-education." The [[Gospels]] are pro-[[private property]], see [[Matthew, Chapter 25#14|Matthew 25:14-30]]. | + | Communists distinctly despise anyone who holds a [[moral]] code that [[worship]]s or teaches loyalty to anything other than the [[state]] and [[government]]. [[Religious]] believers, particularly, are singled out for persecution and "re-education." The [[Gospels]] are pro-[[private property]], see [[Matthew, Chapter 25#14|Matthew 25:14-30]]. |
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| − | Communist societies that have survived into the [[21st century]], including [[China]], [[Cuba]], and [[North Korea]], have reverted to a feudal order of inherited privilege run by the descendants of the original revolutionaries who murdered all opposition and stole the wealth of the rich and powerful of their day. To manage government and society, the party trains and recruits "experts" from government schools who are promised party membership, which brings special privileges not afforded to the [[proletariat]]. Students who do not go along with the party agenda are doomed to a life of limited career opportunities, limited career advancement, or poverty. All live in terror, both party members and non-party members, of running afoul of the party's secret police, which enforces the party's ever-changing, contradictory dictums and agenda. Communist parties are essentially [[criminal]] organizations built on murder and theft, and maintain their power by murder and theft. | + | Communist societies that have survived into the [[21st century]], including [[China]], [[Cuba]], and [[North Korea]], have reverted to a feudal order of inherited privilege run by the descendants of the original revolutionaries who murdered all opposition and stole the wealth of the rich and powerful of their day. To manage government and society, the party trains and recruits "experts" from government schools who are promised party membership, which brings special privileges not afforded to the [[proletariat]]. Students who do not go along with the party agenda are doomed to a life of limited career opportunities, limited career advancement, or poverty. All live in terror, both party members and non-party members, of running afoul of the party's secret police, which enforces the party's ever-changing, contradictory dictums and agenda. Communist parties are essentially [[criminal]] organizations built on murder and theft, and maintain their power by murder and theft. |
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| − | Communism supposedly is "[[democratic]]";<ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/mandel/1968/11/workersdem.htm</ref> however, a "democratic" election in a communist system has candidates from only one party, nominated by higher-ups in the organization. A communist system is intolerant of opposing views and outlaws political opposition. The lack of a political opposition leads to a lack of accountability. | + | Communism supposedly is "[[democratic]]";<ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/mandel/1968/11/workersdem.htm</ref> however, a "democratic" election in a communist system has candidates from only one party, nominated by higher-ups in the organization. A communist system is intolerant of opposing views and outlaws political opposition. The lack of a political opposition leads to a lack of accountability. |
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| − | Governments under the banner of Communism have caused the death of somewhere between 40 million to 260 million human lives.<ref>Multiple references: | + | Governments under the banner of Communism have caused the death of somewhere between 40 million and 260 million human lives.<ref>Multiple references: |
| | *Anticommunist (April 14, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130607125427/http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/04/289239.html "The Human Cost of Communism - 100 million"]. UK Indymedia. Retrieved from June 7, 2013 archive at Internet Archive. | | *Anticommunist (April 14, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130607125427/http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/04/289239.html "The Human Cost of Communism - 100 million"]. UK Indymedia. Retrieved from June 7, 2013 archive at Internet Archive. |
| | *[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm "''The Black Book of Communism''"]. Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences website: Cold War Studies. | | *[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm "''The Black Book of Communism''"]. Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences website: Cold War Studies. |
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| | *Higgins, David (June 22, 2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008035420/http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365 "Memory and ideology: Washington's newest statue is the Victims Of Communism Memorial"]. Sarasota Magazine website. Retrieved from October 8, 2007 archive at Internet Archive | | *Higgins, David (June 22, 2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008035420/http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365 "Memory and ideology: Washington's newest statue is the Victims Of Communism Memorial"]. Sarasota Magazine website. Retrieved from October 8, 2007 archive at Internet Archive |
| | *Radosh, Ronald (February 2000). [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 "''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''"]. First Things [journal] website. | | *Radosh, Ronald (February 2000). [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 "''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''"]. First Things [journal] website. |
| − | *Satter, David (November 6, 2017). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/100-years-of-communismand-100-million-dead-1510011810 100 Years of Communism—and 100 Million Dead]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved January 15, 2019.</ref> Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term [[democide]] (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to Communism is that it caused the death of approximately 148,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>Rummel, R. J. (November 1993). [http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM "How many did communist regimes murder?"] University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War.</ref> | + | *Satter, David (November 6, 2017). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/100-years-of-communismand-100-million-dead-1510011810 100 Years of Communism—and 100 Million Dead]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved January 15, 2019.</ref> Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term [[democide]] (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to Communism is that it caused the death of approximately 148,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>Rummel, R. J. (November 1993). [http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM "How many did communist regimes murder?"] University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War.</ref> |
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| | President [[Ronald Reagan]] in an address before the British [[House of Commons]] said, | | President [[Ronald Reagan]] in an address before the British [[House of Commons]] said, |
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| | [[File:Wmr1a.jpg|right|259px|thumb|Burnt remains of victims were 'hosed down the drains'<ref>https://archive.is/6nzNI</ref><ref>http://www.cnd.org/HYPLAN/yawei/june4th/</ref>]] | | [[File:Wmr1a.jpg|right|259px|thumb|Burnt remains of victims were 'hosed down the drains'<ref>https://archive.is/6nzNI</ref><ref>http://www.cnd.org/HYPLAN/yawei/june4th/</ref>]] |
| | {{See also|Maoism|Rectification}} | | {{See also|Maoism|Rectification}} |
| − | In China, the [[Chinese Communist Party]] retains an autocratic regime controlled by the party, which allows no democracy or dissent. However, it does allow capitalism, and has experienced a very rapid growth of the private sector and the middle class. Observers expect that the regime's efforts to control public opinion and forestall the will of the people will be more and more difficult. | + | In China, the [[Chinese Communist Party]] retains an autocratic regime controlled by the party, which allows no democracy or dissent. However, it does allow capitalism, and has experienced a very rapid growth of the private sector and the middle class. Observers expect that the regime's efforts to control public opinion and forestall the will of the people will be more and more difficult. |
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| − | The Maoist strategy for world revolution is based on the global version of the strategy employed by the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) which led to Mao's victory in 1949. The analogy went like this: through "people's war" the CCP forces who controlled the countryside of China encircled the cities of China, isolated the foe, and destroyed it piecemeal. The logic followed that the countryside of the world as a reaction to the super-exploitation suffered at the hands of the city of the world would become united and defeat the latter, and in the process establish a world socialist order. This grand design would come about not through the struggles of working classes in revolutionary fervor inside the advanced capitalist countries as prescribed by Marx, but through the vehicle of [[national liberation struggle]]s of the colonial and former colonial peoples of the [[Third World]]. | + | The Maoist strategy for world revolution is based on the global version of the strategy employed by the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) which led to Mao's victory in 1949. The analogy went like this: through "people's war" the CCP forces who controlled the countryside of China encircled the cities of China, isolated the foe, and destroyed it piecemeal. The logic followed that the countryside of the world as a reaction to the super-exploitation suffered at the hands of the city of the world would become united and defeat the latter, and in the process establish a world socialist order. This grand design would come about not through the struggles of working classes in revolutionary fervor inside the advanced capitalist countries as prescribed by Marx, but through the vehicle of [[national liberation struggle]]s of the colonial and former colonial peoples of the [[Third World]]. |
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| | Maoism inspired students and other young people who looked to the Chinese [[Red Guards]] as a model of [[activism]].<ref>Paul Costello, U.S. Anti-Revisionism [http://marxists.architexturez.net/history/erol/1960-1970/index.htm Third Wave, 1960-1970,] Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line. Marxist Internet Archive. Retrieved March 16, 2010.</ref> While some of these young activists were drawn to the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), the full flowering of American Maoism would not come until the proliferation of new groups such as the [[Students for a Democratic Society]] (SDS), [[Weather Underground]] (WUO), [[Black Panthers]] (BPP) and the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) (CP-ML) after 1969. | | Maoism inspired students and other young people who looked to the Chinese [[Red Guards]] as a model of [[activism]].<ref>Paul Costello, U.S. Anti-Revisionism [http://marxists.architexturez.net/history/erol/1960-1970/index.htm Third Wave, 1960-1970,] Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line. Marxist Internet Archive. Retrieved March 16, 2010.</ref> While some of these young activists were drawn to the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), the full flowering of American Maoism would not come until the proliferation of new groups such as the [[Students for a Democratic Society]] (SDS), [[Weather Underground]] (WUO), [[Black Panthers]] (BPP) and the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) (CP-ML) after 1969. |
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| − | [[North Korea]] remains a brutal dictatorship controlled by the same family. [[Laos]], and [[Vietnam]] are also run by the old Communist cliques. | + | [[North Korea]] remains a brutal dictatorship controlled by the same family. [[Laos]], and [[Vietnam]] are also run by the old Communist cliques. |
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| | ===Xi Jinping Thought=== | | ===Xi Jinping Thought=== |
| − | In October 2017, an amendment including [[Xi Jinping]]'s name was added to the CCP's party constitution, marking the first time a living leader's name was added since [[Mao Zedong]], reflecting Xi's standing within the Communist Party. The amendment was approved by all 2,300 delegates attending the party congress, is called "Xi Jinping Thought for the New Era of Socialism With Chinese Special Characteristics." | + | In October 2017, an amendment including [[Xi Jinping]]'s name was added to the CCP's party constitution, marking the first time a living leader's name was added since [[Mao Zedong]], reflecting Xi's standing within the Communist Party. The amendment was approved by all 2,300 delegates attending the party congress, and is called "Xi Jinping Thought for the New Era of Socialism With Chinese Special Characteristics." |
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| | The move placed Xi on the same level as Mao and [[Deng Xiaoping]], whose names also appear in the party constitution in articles reflecting their principles. The political principles of [[Jiang Zemin]] and [[Hu Jintao]], Xi's predecessors, were added to the party constitution, but their names were not. | | The move placed Xi on the same level as Mao and [[Deng Xiaoping]], whose names also appear in the party constitution in articles reflecting their principles. The political principles of [[Jiang Zemin]] and [[Hu Jintao]], Xi's predecessors, were added to the party constitution, but their names were not. |
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| | Xi Jinping Thought is an effort to avoid the demise of Communist party power such as happened in the [[Soviet Union]] as the result of ''[[Perestroika]]'' and ''[[Glasnost]]'' reform movements instituted by Soviet General Secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]. | | Xi Jinping Thought is an effort to avoid the demise of Communist party power such as happened in the [[Soviet Union]] as the result of ''[[Perestroika]]'' and ''[[Glasnost]]'' reform movements instituted by Soviet General Secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]. |
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| − | Jin Canrong, a professor and associate dean of the School of International Studies at Beijing's Renmin University of China, laid out a multi-pronged strategy involving a range of malign actions to subvert the United States while strengthening the communist regime.<ref>https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/xi-jinpings-adviser-outlines-plan-for-ccp-to-defeat-us-including-manipulating-elections_3748196.html</ref> Jin emphasized that Xi was unlike his predecessors in his ambitions. Previous CCP leaders, such as Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao worked hard to develop the regime's power but didn't dare to use it, he said. “No matter how much power you have, it’s nothing if you don’t dare to use it,” Jin said. “Chairman Xi dares to use it. [Xi’s authorities] have the power, dare to use that power, and all of its attacks make the other party bleed.” | + | Jin Canrong, a professor and associate dean of the School of International Studies at Beijing's Renmin University of China, laid out a multi-pronged strategy involving a range of malign actions to subvert the United States while strengthening the communist regime.<ref>https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/xi-jinpings-adviser-outlines-plan-for-ccp-to-defeat-us-including-manipulating-elections_3748196.html</ref> Jin emphasized that Xi was unlike his predecessors in his ambitions. Previous CCP leaders, such as Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao worked hard to develop the regime's power but didn't dare to use it, he said. “No matter how much power you have, it’s nothing if you don’t dare to use it,” Jin said. “Chairman Xi dares to use it. [Xi’s authorities] have the power, dare to use that power, and all of its attacks make the other party bleed.” |
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| − | Xi's global strategy to bolster the regime's global power has two pillars, according to Jin. One is the [[Belt and Road Initiative]] (BRI), the other is the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). | + | Xi's global strategy to bolster the regime's global power has two pillars, according to Jin. One is the [[Belt and Road Initiative]] (BRI); the other is the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). |
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| | Xi's ambitions, however, cannot be revealed to the outside world, the professor said. When Xi took power in 2012, he urged the country to realize the “Chinese dream.” This meant becoming a “moderately well-off” country by 2021, and then a “strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and modern socialist country” by 2049. Jin explained that Xi's target is actually to replace the United States as the world's only superpower by 2049. “[Chinese] Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps on saying [at press briefings] that China loves peace. But no reporters at the press briefings believe this,” Jin said. | | Xi's ambitions, however, cannot be revealed to the outside world, the professor said. When Xi took power in 2012, he urged the country to realize the “Chinese dream.” This meant becoming a “moderately well-off” country by 2021, and then a “strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and modern socialist country” by 2049. Jin explained that Xi's target is actually to replace the United States as the world's only superpower by 2049. “[Chinese] Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps on saying [at press briefings] that China loves peace. But no reporters at the press briefings believe this,” Jin said. |
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| | [[File:America Under Communism.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Is This Tomorrow - America Under Communism]] | | [[File:America Under Communism.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Is This Tomorrow - America Under Communism]] |
| | {{see also|Committees of Correspondence of Democratic Socialism}} | | {{see also|Committees of Correspondence of Democratic Socialism}} |
| − | With the collapse of Soviet Communism and the conversion of Chinese Communism to "state-run capitalism," the spiritual and ideological center of world of Communism and the [[Marxist-Leninist]] tradition shifted to the [[United States]]. Several prominent American Communists, rudderless without [[Moscow]] direction, formed a new organization in 1992 called the [[Committees of Correspondence for Democratic Socialism]]. | + | With the collapse of Soviet Communism and the conversion of Chinese Communism to "state-run capitalism," the spiritual and ideological center of the world of Communism and the [[Marxist-Leninist]] tradition shifted to the [[United States]]. Several prominent American Communists, rudderless without [[Moscow]] direction, formed a new organization in 1992 called the [[Committees of Correspondence for Democratic Socialism]]. |
| | [[File:Socialist International logo.png|left|100px]] | | [[File:Socialist International logo.png|left|100px]] |
| | The initial organizational conference was held in [[Berkeley]], [[California]], July 17–19, 1992. Charlene Mitchell, a former leader of the California Communist Party, speaking at the conference said, "the collapse of [[socialism]] in [[Central Europe]] and the [[Soviet Union]] left the [[United States]] in a near unchallenged position of world leadership." Mitchell continued, | | The initial organizational conference was held in [[Berkeley]], [[California]], July 17–19, 1992. Charlene Mitchell, a former leader of the California Communist Party, speaking at the conference said, "the collapse of [[socialism]] in [[Central Europe]] and the [[Soviet Union]] left the [[United States]] in a near unchallenged position of world leadership." Mitchell continued, |
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| | {{see also|2020 Leftist insurrection|Defund the Police}} | | {{see also|2020 Leftist insurrection|Defund the Police}} |
| − | 2020 left wing riots were an effort by the [[DNC]] and [[mainstream media]] to spark a race war in the [[United States]] in advance of the [[2020 presidential election]].<ref>https://creativedestructionmedia.com/analysis/2020/05/28/the-last-7-days-media-and-the-reckless-push-for-race-war/</ref> On the [[BLM]] homepage, which features a “[[Defund The Police]]” petition front and center, if a user chooses to donate, they're rerouted to a site hosted by ActBlue, the [[DNC]]'s official payment portal.<ref>https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/expenditures.php?cmte=C00401224&cycle=2020</ref> ActBlue claims to be tax exempt organization and all donations to it are tax-deductible. The terms and conditions also link to ActBlue and mention "Campaign Finance Laws".<ref>https://secure.actblue.com/content/fineprint</ref> [[Joe Biden]] is a top beneficiary of the ActBlue's fundraising efforts.<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/politics/biden-black-lives-matter-defund-the-police/</ref> | + | 2020 left wing riots were an effort by the [[DNC]] and [[mainstream media]] to spark a race war in the [[United States]] in advance of the [[2020 presidential election]].<ref>https://creativedestructionmedia.com/analysis/2020/05/28/the-last-7-days-media-and-the-reckless-push-for-race-war/</ref> On the [[BLM]] homepage, which features a “[[Defund The Police]]” petition front and center, if a user chooses to donate, they're rerouted to a site hosted by ActBlue, the [[DNC]]'s official payment portal.<ref>https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/expenditures.php?cmte=C00401224&cycle=2020</ref> ActBlue claims to be a tax-exempt organization and all donations to it are tax-deductible. The terms and conditions also link to ActBlue and mention "Campaign Finance Laws".<ref>https://secure.actblue.com/content/fineprint</ref> [[Joe Biden]] is a top beneficiary of ActBlue's fundraising efforts.<ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/politics/biden-black-lives-matter-defund-the-police/</ref> |
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| | =====Antifa No go zones===== | | =====Antifa No go zones===== |
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| | =====Repressive measures against Associated Press reporters===== | | =====Repressive measures against Associated Press reporters===== |
| | [[File:Full-spectrum-cyber-effects-final-p4-large.gif|right|300px|thumb|US Government document from 2010 part of the Snowden leaks and sharing agreements with the [[UK]]. The [[Five Eyes]] program of the English speaking world (United States, United Kingdom, [[Canada]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]]) use [[social media]] for “[[propaganda]],” “[[deception]],” “mass messaging,” “pushing stories”, and "discrediting” the intelligence agencies' enemies with false information spread online.<ref>https://theintercept.com/document/2014/04/04/full-spectrum-cyber-effects/</ref> Like the [[atomic bomb]], this technology was created during the [[Cold War]] to defeat Communism and was expropriated by the American left to destroy America and enslave its people.]] | | [[File:Full-spectrum-cyber-effects-final-p4-large.gif|right|300px|thumb|US Government document from 2010 part of the Snowden leaks and sharing agreements with the [[UK]]. The [[Five Eyes]] program of the English speaking world (United States, United Kingdom, [[Canada]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]]) use [[social media]] for “[[propaganda]],” “[[deception]],” “mass messaging,” “pushing stories”, and "discrediting” the intelligence agencies' enemies with false information spread online.<ref>https://theintercept.com/document/2014/04/04/full-spectrum-cyber-effects/</ref> Like the [[atomic bomb]], this technology was created during the [[Cold War]] to defeat Communism and was expropriated by the American left to destroy America and enslave its people.]] |
| − | In May 2013 the [[Associated Press]] announced telephone records for 20 of their reporters had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department. News sources reported the US Attorney's office for the District of Columbia was conducting a criminal investigation into publication of a foiled May 2012 terrorist plot. While journalists are protected, leakers in the government are subject to prosecution. The Justice Dept. subpoenaed the phone records of AP from [[Verizon]] and other service providers.<ref name=verizonslate>{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Ryan|title=Verizon Wireless Secretly Passed AP Reporters' Phone Records to Feds|publisher=www.slate.com|date=May 16, 2013|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/16/verizon_wireless_passed_ap_reporters_phone_records_to_the_feds.html|accessdate=}}</ref> The AP claimed these acts were a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into news-gathering.<ref name=TTSanchez>{{cite web|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|title=US Justice Department secretly seizes Associated Press phone records|publisher=The Telegraph|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/10055318/US-Justice-Department-secretly-seizes-Associated-Press-phone-records.html|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=TG130513>{{cite web|author=Washington (AP)|title=US government secretly obtained Associated Press phone records|publisher=The Guardian|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/13/america-government-associated-press-phone-records|accessdate=}}</ref> The "intrusion" is the frightening off of government sources, the bread and butter of the Washington news gathering industry. CEO Gary Pruitt of AP stated: "These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know;"<ref name=CNNJohns>{{cite web|author=Matt Smith and Joe Johns|title=AP blasts feds for phone records search|publisher=CNN|date=May 14, 2013|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/13/us/justice-ap-phones/?hpt=hp_t2|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=holder>{{cite web|author=Gary B. Pruitt|title=AP letter to Eric Holder on seizure of phone records|publisher=USA Today|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/05/13/doj-seizes-ap-phone-records/2156819/|accessdate=June 1, 2013}}</ref> a "conceivable right to know" would be a hunt for leakers of FISA information within the administration. | + | In May 2013 the [[Associated Press]] announced that telephone records for 20 of their reporters had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department. News sources reported the US Attorney's office for the District of Columbia was conducting a criminal investigation into publication of a foiled May 2012 terrorist plot. While journalists are protected, leakers in the government are subject to prosecution. The Justice Dept. subpoenaed the phone records of AP from [[Verizon]] and other service providers.<ref name=verizonslate>{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Ryan|title=Verizon Wireless Secretly Passed AP Reporters' Phone Records to Feds|publisher=www.slate.com|date=May 16, 2013|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/16/verizon_wireless_passed_ap_reporters_phone_records_to_the_feds.html|accessdate=}}</ref> The AP claimed these acts were a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into news-gathering.<ref name=TTSanchez>{{cite web|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|title=US Justice Department secretly seizes Associated Press phone records|publisher=The Telegraph|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/10055318/US-Justice-Department-secretly-seizes-Associated-Press-phone-records.html|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=TG130513>{{cite web|author=Washington (AP)|title=US government secretly obtained Associated Press phone records|publisher=The Guardian|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/13/america-government-associated-press-phone-records|accessdate=}}</ref> The "intrusion" is the frightening off of government sources, the bread and butter of the Washington news gathering industry. CEO Gary Pruitt of AP stated: "These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know;"<ref name=CNNJohns>{{cite web|author=Matt Smith and Joe Johns|title=AP blasts feds for phone records search|publisher=CNN|date=May 14, 2013|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/13/us/justice-ap-phones/?hpt=hp_t2|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=holder>{{cite web|author=Gary B. Pruitt|title=AP letter to Eric Holder on seizure of phone records|publisher=USA Today|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/05/13/doj-seizes-ap-phone-records/2156819/|accessdate=June 1, 2013}}</ref> a "conceivable right to know" would be a hunt for leakers of FISA information within the administration. |
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| | =====Repressive measures against the American people===== | | =====Repressive measures against the American people===== |
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| | =====Warrantless wiretaps===== | | =====Warrantless wiretaps===== |
| | {{see also|Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act}} | | {{see also|Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act}} |
| − | The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 would give the administration authority to conduct warrant-less spying and dictatorial power over Internet.<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/04/should-obama-control-internet Should Obama Control the Internet?], ''Mother Jones'', April 2, 2009.</ref> | + | The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 would give the administration authority to conduct warrantless spying and dictatorial power over the Internet.<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/04/should-obama-control-internet Should Obama Control the Internet?], ''Mother Jones'', April 2, 2009.</ref> |
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| | *Section 215—drastically broadens the kinds of information the government can demand under Foreign Intelligence Security Act to "any tangible thing" while lowering the burden of proof to obtain such an order. According to the ''[[Washington Post]]'' this measure "allows investigators probing terrorism to seek a suspect's records from third parties such as financial services and travel and telephone companies without notifying the suspect. The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized the provision, saying it violates the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens." | | *Section 215—drastically broadens the kinds of information the government can demand under Foreign Intelligence Security Act to "any tangible thing" while lowering the burden of proof to obtain such an order. According to the ''[[Washington Post]]'' this measure "allows investigators probing terrorism to seek a suspect's records from third parties such as financial services and travel and telephone companies without notifying the suspect. The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized the provision, saying it violates the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens." |
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| − | *Section 206—grants the authority to use secret "roving wiretaps." "In the past, authorities had to seek court approval for each electronic device carried by a suspect, from a cellphone and a BlackBerry to a home computer," writes the ''Post'', "But under the provision, one warrant can cover all of those machines." "Unlike roving wiretaps authorized for criminal investigations," the ACLU explains, "section 206 does not require the order to identify either the communications device to be tapped nor the individual against whom the surveillance is directed, which is what gives section 206 the Kafkaesque moniker, the "John Doe roving wiretap provision." | + | *Section 206—grants the authority to use secret "roving wiretaps." "In the past, authorities had to seek court approval for each electronic device carried by a suspect, from a cellphone and a BlackBerry to a home computer," writes the ''Post'', "But under the provision, one warrant can cover all of those machines." "Unlike roving wiretaps authorized for criminal investigations," the ACLU explains, "section 206 does not require the order to identify either the communications device to be tapped nor the individual against whom the surveillance is directed, which is what gives section 206 the Kafkaesque moniker, the " John Doe roving wiretap provision." |
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| − | *Section 6001—or the "lone wolf" provision, which allows for secret FISA surveillance orders against people who have no connections to a terror group or foreign nation. "The government justified this provision by imagining a hypothetical "lone wolf," an international terrorist operating independently of any terrorist organization," explains the ACLU, "but there is little evidence to suggest this imaginary construct had any basis in reality." | + | *Section 6001—or the "lone wolf" provision, which allows for secret FISA surveillance orders against people who have no connections to a terror group or foreign nation. "The government justified this provision by imagining a hypothetical " lone wolf, " an international terrorist operating independently of any terrorist organization," explains the ACLU, "but there is little evidence to suggest this imaginary construct had any basis in reality." |
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| − | Rod Beckstrom, formerly in charge of coordinating the US government's cyber-security operations, in a resignation letter to Secretary of Homeland Security [[Janet Napolitano]],<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/BeckstromResignation.pdf Letter from Rod Beckstrom to Janet Napolitano], [[Wall Street Journal]], March 9, 2009.</ref> cited the expanded control over the nation's computer security efforts poses “threats to our democratic processes.” <ref>''[https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2009/03/11/US-cybersecurity-head-quits-citing-growing-role-of-spy-agencies/UPI-64411236692969/ U.S. cybersecurity head quits, citing growing role of spy agencies]'', Shaun Waterman, [[UPI]], March 11, 2009.</ref> | + | Rod Beckstrom, formerly in charge of coordinating the US government's cyber-security operations, in a resignation letter to Secretary of Homeland Security [[Janet Napolitano]],<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/BeckstromResignation.pdf Letter from Rod Beckstrom to Janet Napolitano], [[Wall Street Journal]], March 9, 2009.</ref> cited that the expanded control over the nation's computer security efforts poses “threats to our democratic processes.” <ref>''[https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2009/03/11/US-cybersecurity-head-quits-citing-growing-role-of-spy-agencies/UPI-64411236692969/ U.S. cybersecurity head quits, citing growing role of spy agencies]'', Shaun Waterman, [[UPI]], March 11, 2009.</ref> |
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| | =====Persecution of dissidents===== | | =====Persecution of dissidents===== |
| | :{{See also|1/6 insurrection hoax}} | | :{{See also|1/6 insurrection hoax}} |
| − | In September 2014 [[Dinesh D'Souza]] was arrested and sentenced to 5 years probation.[http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/dinesh-souza-5-years-probation-campaign-donations-article-1.1949769] | + | In September 2014 [[Dinesh D'Souza]] was arrested and sentenced to 5 years' probation.[http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/dinesh-souza-5-years-probation-campaign-donations-article-1.1949769] |
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| | [[Andrew McCarthy]] noted this about D'Souza's indictment: | | [[Andrew McCarthy]] noted this about D'Souza's indictment: |
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| | The [[FISA Act]] was passed in 1978 on recommendation of the Church Committee specifically to protect the civil rights of people such as Obama's mentor [[Frank Marshall Davis]] and Obama's neighbors who got Obama started in politics, [[Bill Ayers]] and [[Bernardine Dohrn]]. Both regaled Obama with tales of FBI surveillance and harassment in the pre-FISA age, which had thwarted the communist revolution in America. On becoming president, Obama was determined to seize control of the institutions and apparatus that had frustrated generations of communist revolutionaries and turn them against Obama's imaginary enemies. | | The [[FISA Act]] was passed in 1978 on recommendation of the Church Committee specifically to protect the civil rights of people such as Obama's mentor [[Frank Marshall Davis]] and Obama's neighbors who got Obama started in politics, [[Bill Ayers]] and [[Bernardine Dohrn]]. Both regaled Obama with tales of FBI surveillance and harassment in the pre-FISA age, which had thwarted the communist revolution in America. On becoming president, Obama was determined to seize control of the institutions and apparatus that had frustrated generations of communist revolutionaries and turn them against Obama's imaginary enemies. |
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| − | Not since the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]], has an outgoing administration sought to undermine and sabotage an incoming president. | + | Not since the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] has an outgoing administration sought to undermine and sabotage an incoming president. |
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| | =====Justice Department corruption===== | | =====Justice Department corruption===== |
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| | =====Forced abortion===== | | =====Forced abortion===== |
| − | In March 2009 the [[Obama administration]] announced it would send $50 million to the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA. UNPFA actively promotes abortion and is working closely with Chinese population control officials to implement China's forced abortion policy. The Chinese Communist Party's coercive one-child rule has resulted in forced abortions, involuntary sterilizations and other [[human rights]] abuses.<ref>[https://www.lifenews.com/int981.html Group Confirms Obama Would Fund Forced Abortions if UNFPA Money Restored], by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor, November 12, 2008.</ref> | + | In March 2009 the [[Obama administration]] announced it would send $50 million to the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA. UNFPA actively promotes abortion and is working closely with Chinese population control officials to implement China's forced abortion policy. The Chinese Communist Party's coercive one-child rule has resulted in forced abortions, involuntary sterilizations and other [[human rights]] abuses.<ref>[https://www.lifenews.com/int981.html Group Confirms Obama Would Fund Forced Abortions if UNFPA Money Restored], by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor, November 12, 2008.</ref> |
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| − | UNFPA officials work side-by-side their Chinese colleagues and even share the same offices.<ref>[https://www.lifenews.com/int1138.html Obama Administration Announces $50 Million for Pro-Forced Abortion UNFPA], by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor, March 26, 2009.</ref> | + | UNFPA officials work side-by-side with their Chinese colleagues and even share the same offices.<ref>[https://www.lifenews.com/int1138.html Obama Administration Announces $50 Million for Pro-Forced Abortion UNFPA], by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor, March 26, 2009.</ref> |
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| | ===Secular Leftism in the 21st century=== | | ===Secular Leftism in the 21st century=== |
| | {{see also|Decline of the secular left}} | | {{see also|Decline of the secular left}} |
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| − | Historically, the largest advances of the [[secular left]] has been through utilizing the power of the state (see: [[State atheism]] and [[Atheism and communism]]). For example, secular leftists use the power of the state to promote [[evolution]]ary ideology and to censor [[creationism|creationist]]/[[intelligent design]] models of origins (See: [[Suppression of alternatives to evolution]] and [[Atheist indoctrination]]). | + | Historically, the largest advances of the [[secular left]] have been through utilizing the power of the state (see: [[State atheism]] and [[Atheism and communism]]). For example, secular leftists use the power of the state to promote [[evolution]]ary ideology and to censor [[creationism|creationist]]/[[intelligent design]] models of origins (See: [[Suppression of alternatives to evolution]] and [[Atheist indoctrination]]). |
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| | The historian Martin Van Crevel points out that sovereign states are losing power/influence due to technology democratizing access to information, welfare states increasingly failing, [[fourth-generation warfare]] being waged against countries and sovereign states increasingly losing their ability to maintain internal order.<ref>[The Fate of the State] by MARTIN VAN CREVELD</ref><ref>[https://www.sonshi.com/martin-van-creveld-interview.html Martin van Creveld interview]</ref> | | The historian Martin Van Crevel points out that sovereign states are losing power/influence due to technology democratizing access to information, welfare states increasingly failing, [[fourth-generation warfare]] being waged against countries and sovereign states increasingly losing their ability to maintain internal order.<ref>[The Fate of the State] by MARTIN VAN CREVELD</ref><ref>[https://www.sonshi.com/martin-van-creveld-interview.html Martin van Creveld interview]</ref> |
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| | ===Collapse of Soviet communism=== | | ===Collapse of Soviet communism=== |
| | [[File:Timecommiecover.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Time magazine]] from 1989]] | | [[File:Timecommiecover.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Time magazine]] from 1989]] |
| − | The shooting down by the Soviets on September 1, 1983, of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] may have been a contributing factor for the downfall of the Soviet Union as well as for the whole Soviet block. It being a catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union may be inferred from the fact that NATO had decided, under the impetus of the U.S. administration, to deploy Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe, primarily West Germany. This deployment would have placed missiles just 6–10 minutes striking distance from Moscow. But support for the deployment was wavering and many doubted that the missile deployment would find enough support to effect it. When the Soviet Union shot down Flight 007 with 269 people aboard, including conservative Democratic Congressman [[Larry McDonald]] —an act which U.S. President Ronald Reagan characterized as a "massacre"—enough support was galvanized for the deployment. The deployment caused great resources of the Soviet Union to be diverted from inner economic use to military expenditures to counter the U.S. and NATO missile deployment. | + | The shooting down by the Soviets on September 1, 1983, of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] may have been a contributing factor for the downfall of the Soviet Union as well as for the whole Soviet block. It being a catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union may be inferred from the fact that NATO had decided, under the impetus of the U.S. administration, to deploy Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe, primarily West Germany. This deployment would have placed missiles just 6–10 minutes' striking distance from Moscow. But support for the deployment was wavering and many doubted that the missile deployment would find enough support to effect it. When the Soviet Union shot down Flight 007 with 269 people aboard, including conservative Democratic Congressman [[Larry McDonald]] —an act which U.S. President Ronald Reagan characterized as a "massacre"—enough support was galvanized for the deployment. The deployment caused great resources of the Soviet Union to be diverted from inner economic use to military expenditures to counter the U.S. and NATO missile deployment. |
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| − | Between 1989 and 1991, many Communist governments fell. The [[Berlin Wall]] in [[Germany]], which had become a symbol for the division between the Communist states and the rest of Europe, was torn down largely in response to Ronald Reagan in 1989, and there was also a large revolution against Romanian dictator [[Nicolaie Ceausescu]] which led to Ceausescu's arrest on December 22 that year and his subsequent execution on December 25 following a quick trial. In 1991, the USSR broke up into several countries - each of which reformed to capitalism. Some of these remained under autocratic governments, but some have embraced democracy. With the collapse the remnants of Communist parties have dropped their old names and ideologies, but still operate on the left of the political spectrum. | + | Between 1989 and 1991, many Communist governments fell. The [[Berlin Wall]] in [[Germany]], which had become a symbol for the division between the Communist states and the rest of Europe, was torn down largely in response to Ronald Reagan in 1989, and there was also a large revolution against Romanian dictator [[Nicolaie Ceausescu]] which led to Ceausescu's arrest on December 22 that year and his subsequent execution on December 25 following a quick trial. In 1991, the USSR broke up into several countries - each of which reformed to capitalism. Some of these remained under autocratic governments, but some have embraced democracy. With the collapse, the remnants of Communist parties have dropped their old names and ideologies, but still operate on the left of the political spectrum. |
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| | In 1992 President Boris Yeltsin announced that the Russian people had been liberated and that Communism in the former Soviet Union was dead. [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/BorisY] Pres. [[George H. W. Bush]] imagined the global threat had passed by telling Congress, "Communism died this year."<ref>[https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=20544 Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union] - January 28, 1992</ref> Liberal historians called the death of the Soviet Union, "the end of history," when in fact the Communist disease only went into remission. The seat of the global Marxist revolution relocated from Moscow to [[Berkeley]], [[California]], under the [[vanguard party]] name, [[Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism]]. | | In 1992 President Boris Yeltsin announced that the Russian people had been liberated and that Communism in the former Soviet Union was dead. [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/BorisY] Pres. [[George H. W. Bush]] imagined the global threat had passed by telling Congress, "Communism died this year."<ref>[https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=20544 Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union] - January 28, 1992</ref> Liberal historians called the death of the Soviet Union, "the end of history," when in fact the Communist disease only went into remission. The seat of the global Marxist revolution relocated from Moscow to [[Berkeley]], [[California]], under the [[vanguard party]] name, [[Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism]]. |
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| | In 1955, Chinese communist leader Chou En-lai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref> In 2015, the [[Communist Party of China]] reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/china-communist-party-atheism-zhejiang-ban-religious-members-christianity_n_6599722.html China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism]</ref> | | In 1955, Chinese communist leader Chou En-lai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref> In 2015, the [[Communist Party of China]] reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/china-communist-party-atheism-zhejiang-ban-religious-members-christianity_n_6599722.html China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism]</ref> |
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| − | The atheism in Communist regimes has been and continues to be [[militant atheism]] and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.<ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2000/March_2000_4.html</ref><ref>http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/frroman1.aspx</ref><ref name="nysun.com">https://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref name="newsmax.com">http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref><ref name="findarticles.com">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref><ref name="worldnetdaily.com">http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref><ref name="theworldnow.wordpress.com">http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref> | + | The atheism in Communist regimes has been and continues to be accompanied by [[militant atheism]] and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.<ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2000/March_2000_4.html</ref><ref>http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/frroman1.aspx</ref><ref name="nysun.com">https://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref name="newsmax.com">http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref><ref name="findarticles.com">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref><ref name="worldnetdaily.com">http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref><ref name="theworldnow.wordpress.com">http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref> |
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| − | Marxists justification for its persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church was based upon the claim that the Church was a "willing tool of Tsarism."<ref>http://www.marxist.com/religion-soviet-union170406-6.htm</ref> | + | Marxists' justification for its persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church was based upon the claim that the Church was a "willing tool of Tsarism."<ref>http://www.marxist.com/religion-soviet-union170406-6.htm</ref> |
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| | The clergy openly stated its support for the counter-revolution (White Revolution). Lenin proclaimed that a Communist regime must show itself to be merciless toward the question of religion. There was no place for the church in Lenin's regime. This led to anti-religious decrees and propaganda. All church property was expropriated by the new Soviet government.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-42047/Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics#277888.hook</ref> | | The clergy openly stated its support for the counter-revolution (White Revolution). Lenin proclaimed that a Communist regime must show itself to be merciless toward the question of religion. There was no place for the church in Lenin's regime. This led to anti-religious decrees and propaganda. All church property was expropriated by the new Soviet government.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-42047/Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics#277888.hook</ref> |
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| − | During the late 1930s and later 1940s the restrictions on church activity were loosened as Stalin needed all the support he could get for the war. This doctrine of co-operation between the church and state continued throughout the existence of the Soviet republics and the other Warszawa pact nations. Though never going as far as a leader of the Soviet Union asking [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_barrow/2007/03/hiding_behind_god.html god to bless the country] the clause in the Soviet Unions constitution addressing the separation of church and state was rendered useless. | + | During the late 1930s and later 1940s the restrictions on church activity were loosened as Stalin needed all the support he could get for the war. This doctrine of co-operation between the church and state continued throughout the existence of the Soviet republics and the other Warszawa pact nations. Though never going as far as a leader of the Soviet Union asking [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_barrow/2007/03/hiding_behind_god.html god to bless the country], the clause in the Soviet Union's constitution addressing the separation of church and state was rendered useless. |
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| | Dr. [[Martin Luther King]] said, "for the Communist there is no divine government, no absolute moral order, there are no fixed, immutable principles; consequently almost anything - force, violence, murder, lying - is a justifiable means." <ref>''Stride Toward Freedom : The Montgomery Story'', Martin Luther King, Jr., Harper and Rowe, New York, 1958, p. 92.</ref> | | Dr. [[Martin Luther King]] said, "for the Communist there is no divine government, no absolute moral order, there are no fixed, immutable principles; consequently almost anything - force, violence, murder, lying - is a justifiable means." <ref>''Stride Toward Freedom : The Montgomery Story'', Martin Luther King, Jr., Harper and Rowe, New York, 1958, p. 92.</ref> |
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| | ====Social gospel==== | | ====Social gospel==== |
| − | Some Communist ideology has made its way into the Church as a [[Social Gospel]], interpreting the Gospel as less redemptive of sin and more of a public works campaign and activism. They often cite Jesus feeding the masses and warnings to the wealthy who believed self-seeking is all this world has to offer. Communists often cite the Acts of the Apostles, as early Christians practicing some form of sharing for the common good: | + | Some Communist ideology has made its way into the Church as a [[Social Gospel]], interpreting the Gospel as less redemptive of sin and more of a public works campaign and activism. They often cite Jesus feeding the masses and warnings to the wealthy who believed self-seeking was all this world had to offer. Communists often cite the Acts of the Apostles, as early Christians practicing some form of sharing for the common good: |
| | {{Cquote|And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45, KJV) | | {{Cquote|And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45, KJV) |
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| | Atheism is a part of Marxist-Leninist and [[Mao Zedong|Maoist]]/Chinese Communist ideology (See: [[Atheism and communism]]). | | Atheism is a part of Marxist-Leninist and [[Mao Zedong|Maoist]]/Chinese Communist ideology (See: [[Atheism and communism]]). |
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| − | Widespread sloth in the former [[Soviet Union]] helped cause much poverty.<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255693/Last-pictures-life-iron-curtain-collapse-USSR.html Poverty, prostitutes and the long, slow death of the Soviet Union: Haunting pictures show desperate struggle to survive in last days of USSR, ''The Daily Mail'']</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/29/world/soviet-openness-brings-poverty-out-of-the-shadows.html?_r=0 Soviet Openness Brings Poverty Out of the Shadows], ''New York Times''</ref> A study performed in the former Soviet Union found that over 50% of the work force admitted to drinking alcohol while on the job (See also: [[Atheism and alcoholism]]).<ref>[http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/communism-computing-china/workethic.html Communism and computer ethics]</ref> In the former [[Soviet Union]], a popular joke was that the workers pretended to work and the Soviet Union pretended to pay them.<ref>[http://ipezone.blogspot.com/2015/08/you-pretend-to-work-putin-pretends-to.html You Pretend to work and Putin pretends to pay you]</ref> | + | Widespread sloth in the former [[Soviet Union]] helped cause much poverty.<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255693/Last-pictures-life-iron-curtain-collapse-USSR.html Poverty, prostitutes and the long, slow death of the Soviet Union: Haunting pictures show desperate struggle to survive in last days of USSR, ''The Daily Mail'']</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/29/world/soviet-openness-brings-poverty-out-of-the-shadows.html?_r=0 Soviet Openness Brings Poverty Out of the Shadows], ''New York Times''</ref> A study performed in the former Soviet Union found that over 50% of the workforce admitted to drinking alcohol while on the job (See also: [[Atheism and alcoholism]]).<ref>[http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/communism-computing-china/workethic.html Communism and computer ethics]</ref> In the former [[Soviet Union]], a popular joke was that the workers pretended to work and the Soviet Union pretended to pay them.<ref>[http://ipezone.blogspot.com/2015/08/you-pretend-to-work-putin-pretends-to.html You Pretend to work and Putin pretends to pay you]</ref> |
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| | On the other hand, [[Harvard University]] historian Niall Ferguson declared: "Through a mixture of hard work and thrift the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] societies of the North and West Atlantic achieved the most rapid economic growth in history."<ref name="blog.tifwe.org"/> | | On the other hand, [[Harvard University]] historian Niall Ferguson declared: "Through a mixture of hard work and thrift the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] societies of the North and West Atlantic achieved the most rapid economic growth in history."<ref name="blog.tifwe.org"/> |
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| | *Radosh, Ronald (February 2000). [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 "''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''"]. First Things [journal] website.</ref> | | *Radosh, Ronald (February 2000). [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 "''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''"]. First Things [journal] website.</ref> |
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| − | Similarly, an influential book which concerns itself with Russian Communist torture, repression and atrocities is [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]'' which won Solzhenitsyn a [[Nobel Prize]].<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.html</ref> In 1983, Alexander Solzhenitsyn in which he gave his explanation of the cause of why millions of people died under Russian Communism: | + | Similarly, an influential book which concerns itself with Russian Communist torture, repression and atrocities is [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]'' which won Solzhenitsyn a [[Nobel Prize]].<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.html</ref> In 1983, Alexander Solzhenitsyn gave his explanation of the cause of why millions of people died under Russian Communism: |
| | {{Cquote|Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened. Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.}} | | {{Cquote|Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened. Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.}} |
| − | In Communist [[North Korea]], abuse and killing in prison camps is occurring today.<ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5596</ref><ref>http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/nkdefec3.htm</ref> In addition, the North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean Christians.<ref name="nysun.com"/><ref name="newsmax.com"/> | + | In Communist [[North Korea]], abuse and killing in prison camps are occurring today.<ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5596</ref><ref>http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/nkdefec3.htm</ref> In addition, the North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean Christians.<ref name="nysun.com"/><ref name="newsmax.com"/> |
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| | In 1999, the publication [[Christian Century]] reported that "China has persecuted religious believers by means of "harassment, prolonged detention, and incarceration in prison or `reform-through-labor' camps and police closure of places of worship."<ref name="findarticles.com"/> In 2003, owners of Bibles in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were forced to close.<ref name="worldnetdaily.com"/> China continues to practice religious oppression today.<ref name="theworldnow.wordpress.com"/> | | In 1999, the publication [[Christian Century]] reported that "China has persecuted religious believers by means of "harassment, prolonged detention, and incarceration in prison or `reform-through-labor' camps and police closure of places of worship."<ref name="findarticles.com"/> In 2003, owners of Bibles in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were forced to close.<ref name="worldnetdaily.com"/> China continues to practice religious oppression today.<ref name="theworldnow.wordpress.com"/> |