Occasionally I visit the site "RenewAmerica.us", noted for its total nutcases. These often provide hilarious comedy relief. Many things they posit are so wrong as to literally hurt my head (or maybe its because I pounded it on the desk, but anyways.)
So imagine my surprise when I visit there and the first three columns (discounting founder Alan Keyes) were semi-reasonable! A column by Sean Turner discusses the phenomenon of "Activist Judges" reasonably, the usually-reliable David Hines notes the surreality of politics today, and Matt Abbot publishes a reader's letter on lesser evil.
Of course then I got to Jan Ireland.
The title of Ireland's article is "Communism morphed to socialism and still targets America". Blissfully, I read on.
[...]
But, slyly, the evil of communism did not fully die.
It exists today in the form of socialism. The 45 communist goals read into the Congressional Record in 1963 clearly show its relationship to socialism, and reveal its continuing goal to take over America. (Google "45 communist goals")
Europe is commies! Liberals are commies! They hate America!
Socialism happens in America when government veers from its constitutionally granted powers, and decides it can "redistribute."
Redistribution apparently being something the federal government isn't supposed to do. Err, wait, that's
exactly what it does.
It shifts the tax burden,
Yeah... from those who live on the edge to those that can afford it. Damn socialists!
designates some as "more equal" than others
I thought we were talking about socialism....I guess not?
manipulates media, denies some rights
Hmm, that sounds familiar...
and relinquishes other rights. These things have been happening incrementally for decades in America.
Ummm... No comment.
Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution listed specific rules for taxation. The 16th Amendment modified that. What has come about, however, would confound the Founders. Half of the wage earners in America pay 96% of all income taxes. By definition the other half pays little ... or none.
Inequity is not only at the bottom. Multimillionaire Teresa Heinz Kerry reportedly paid a much smaller percentage of taxes than did our substantially less rich President Bush.
Minorities in America, by declaring the right ethnicity, can win special privileges. Asians, however, usually need not apply. Few seem to worry about the inherent "soft bigotry of lowered expectations" this causes.
Well, first off, Teresa Heinz Kerry is a multi-billionaire, and George isn't exactly poor himself. Then again, George is Everyman, so of course he doesn't have a wealthy family, a old-boys-network safety net, an expensive family compound, or any of that stuff. Silly lefties!
Once you get up there in wealth, richer folks do seem to pay a smaller portion of taxes overall, partially because while income tax rates increase, there are many taxes that cease to apply meaningfully to them, such as the payroll tax. On top of that, the cut of the so-called "double-taxation" on dividends makes it easier than ever to make low-tax profits with investments. I'm glad the Right is finally admitting that the richer you get, the less taxes you pay. It is slightly ridiculous that Jan Ireland makes this point in an article about the evils of socialism. Maybe cognitive dissonance will kick in sometime.
The careers of extremely liberal (and biased) news anchors stretch over decades, their sinking ratings exceeded only by their mounting errors. But Fox News Channel, scrupulously fair and balanced, is gang attacked.
I ain't touching this one. Maybe she needs to go see a certain documentary... I'm not sure about everyone else here at dKos, but I find it extremely tiring how many conservatives view any viewpoint but one outrageously slanted towards them to be a "liberal bias". And by the same token Fox is "fair and balanced" because it slants heavily rightwards. Even after all the Clinton none-scandals, the completely ridiculous Gore none-scandals, the silly treatment of the two Johns by the "Liberal" press, and the fawning jingoism displayed towards Bushco. No real new points here, just ranting.
Not a peek of anything Christian is tolerated in public, not even a tiny cross under a collar after school. Yet by default, the religion of secularism is vaulted.
What the heck is she talking about? Professional victims, indeed.
I do find it curious how Ireland (and many others) insists that the Left has a 'state religion' of Secularism. It never seems to cross their minds that we'd rather not have any 'state religion' at all. No matter what we say, though, they smugly insist that we are smothering poor, persecuted Christianity (rolls eyes) with that insidious cult Secularism. More on this later.
Politicians publicly extol the United Nations, at the peril of our own American sovereignty. Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry has repeatedly called for subjugating our interests to the dictates of the UN. Yet a look inside the UN reveals manifest corruption, dictators as rulers, and a visceral hatred of the freedom of America.
The first line could be considered
somewhat accurate. Part of the entire point of the UN is lessening nationalism. The strange part of this point though is that everywhere else usually gives up
more sovereignty in order to be in the U.N. or organizations such as the World Bank. It's not like we've been any particular respecter of sovereignty lately.
The second and third lines, however, seem to show that the UN, and its lackey Kerry, are commie socialists who hate freedom. That of course being why Democrats feel the need to call election monitors in for Florida. Because we, and the UN, hate freedom.
...
Moving on.
It is time to look again at some of the communist goals:
Capture one or both of the political parties in the US.
And obviously they've captured the freedom-hating Democrats. Damned Democracy-promoting commies!
Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions, by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
Hilariously I believe this was originally meant to support such basic American institutions such as racially pure marriage and "seperate-but-equal-well-sorta-equal-anyways". Ireland, by context, obviously refers to gay marriage and abortion. However of course what this means is that "court decisions I agree with are bastions of Americantasticism, but those I disagree with are obviously the work of nefarious Commies. Even when it's the same court."
Infiltrate the press.
Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures.
Don't be silly, Ireland. There couldn't possibly be a movement which has subverted the opinionmakers, built a foreign-funded media empire which lies and exhibits extreme bias, has gained virtual control of the Radio bands, and bashes opposing Presidential and legislative candidates with fiction and pseudoscandals? OH WAIT.
Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."
You know, those damned Bible-discrediting commie pink founding fathers. (Many of the founding fathers were Deists. Deism explicitly rejects the Bible and other revealed documents). See my points above about the religion of Secularism.
Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
You can pray in schools, I'm pretty sure. What you can't do is lead the students in prayer. You can also wear WWJD? paraphrenelia and other such religious merchandise. Again, what you can't do is have top-down imposed religion. That's part of why so many oppose "Under God" in the (almost mandatory) Pledge of Allegiance. Wingnuts of course point to this as an example of "we-are-a-religious-nation", somehow forgetting it was only added in the 50s to an explicitly not-religious Pledge.
Discredit the American founding fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
Is someone promoting this view? I'd love to know who.
Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of "the big picture."
Funny coming from someone so ignorant of history. Most students pretty much only take American history except when World or other history classes are mandated. And by belittling American culture, does she mean belittling the Golden Arches? Heh.
Promote the UN as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one world government, with its own independent armed forces.
Wha?
Those are 9 of the 45. Americans must realize that communism has morphed to socialism, and it still is targeting America. Subsequent articles will address the progress of additional goals.
Oh god. A whole SERIES of these articles?