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    Setting Brushfires of Freedom by Don Jans

    History Repeating Itself in USA

     

     

    By Richard Eber

    Does the removal of James Bennet, editorial page editor of the New York Times for printing an op ed of a US Senator calling for bringing in troops to repel civil disobedience ring a bell? How about a Catholic chaplain at MIT, Father Daniel Patrick Maloney, forced to resign after sending g out an email which stated, “Everything we say (or don’t say) is treated with suspicion, rather than charity.”

    Not one profession or individual seems to be exempt from being purged by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) do not fly list.  Whether it is a high school Principal who stated, “just because I don’t walk around with a BLM sign should not mean I am a racist. “, or an Emergency Room Doctor, dismissed for publicly speculating why African Americans have been especially hard hit by the Covid-19 virus;  free speech is out the window.

    Even if this reign of terror sounds familiar, there is no comp in the United States that fits very well.  Going back to the Mc Carthy era of the 1950’s, a relatively small amount of people were cited as being communists. In the BLM world today, the upheaval is much greater, spreading to all levels of society.

    Junipero Serra statue – David Pu’u

    Reviewing where similar events can be traced in world history, we inevitably find ourselves comparing present day events to the Cultural Revolution in China that occurred over fifty years ago between 1966 and 1976.

    Under the leadership Chairman Mao, he called upon young people to eliminate his rivals in schools, factories, farms, local government, and even the communist party itself.  At the same this movement threw out past Chinese History while replacing it with ideology found in Mao’s Red Book.  The Red Guard Youth Group became a prominent enforcer of the new social order that was being created

    As might be expected, violent confrontations ensued for several years forcing the government’s People’s Liberation Army eventually being needed to restore order from the chaos created by the Cultural Revolution.  When the movement ended in 1976 it is estimated over 3 million lives were lost plus those who starved because of the famine it created.

    How does this dark history in China compare with what it is transpiring in the United States today?

    It is too early today but the comparisons are eerie.  A good place to start is the rejection of history that can be found in both movements.  In China a key part of Mao’s purge of his enemies centered on purging what had happened before the Communists took over in 1949.  Following the protests after George Floyd’s death, BLM and Antifa have tried to do the same thing conveniently rewriting American history to fit their social narrative.

    Much revered personages ranging from Christopher Columbus to Junipero Serra have found themselves under scrutiny for their ill treatment of Indians in the New World.  Even the Fathers of our Country George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are under the gun for having slaves in their plantations.

    Any mention or discussion of the Southern side of the civil war is becoming off limits.  Statues of Robert E. Lee, Stonewell Jackson, and Jefferson Davis are finding themselves being removed by angry mobs.  Even President’s Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant are under attack by the BLM for alleged racist actions.  There is concern that the proud history of the United States is being lost because of the Cultural Revolution going on today.

    God is under attack as well.  Much like in China in the 1960’s organized religion in America is being discouraged.  Churches have been attacked by angry BLM and Antifa mobs. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, government agencies have been slow allowing religious institutions to conduct services, considering them to be non-essential.

    During the upheaval in China, they did not have a constitution like we have to protect the rights of citizens.  Unlike this country there was no freedom of speech or due process to shield the masses from social tyranny.  Unfortunately even our first amendment is not strong enough to ward off the wrath of the new Progressive social order.

    Thousands of individuals from law enforcement officers to poets are under attack for being bigoted and racist-white supremists. There is now reluctance by people, especially with white skin, to express themselves for fear of recrimination.  With reverse discrimination being the law of the land, we can expect this segment of the population to be quiet until the BLM hysteria subsides.

    Ironically, a parallel situation existed in China during their cultural revolution.  Ordinary citizens, who were forced to stay silent or publicly support the Red Guards, found themselves waiting out the turmoil until things quieted down.  Confessing sins, real or imaginary, was all that could done to survive.

    Is similar attitude is already taking place with the Middle Class in America.  Much like their brothers and sisters in China, most folks are too scared to speak their minds.

    Meanwhile the revolution continues at home. With help from the liberal media, the BLM movement is trying to instill guilt to the populace to further their cause.   Redistribution of wealth, destroying capitalism, breaking up Wall Street, The Green New Deal, and Reparations to the families of former slaves, are all part of their plans.

    Even Joe Biden is falling into place vowing to likely select a female African American running mate to oppose Donald Trump.  Given’s the elderly former Vice President’s strategy of staying home and avoiding public appearances, he is currently the prohibitive favorite to win the Presidency in November.

    With the U.S. economy being so strong and the unemployment level so low prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, we can ask why the BLM movement and the rise of Antifa has become so dominant?

    Are kids brainwashed in school while their parents being given a similar treatment by the liberal news media?  As a whole, is law enforcement in this country as biased and racist like its critics contend?  Are we better off with fewer police officers protecting us or even disbanding them in some cases?

    Is society so disenchanted by our present form of government that they want to throw in the towel and start from scratch?   Is a stronger form of socialist government what people really want?

    The Chinese people and government following their decade of turmoil eventually came to their senses and even admitted that their Cultural Revolution was a mistake.  I just hope their our “Gang of Four”  including  Kamala Harris, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, do not lead us down a similar path of ruin.

    Source:


    Richard Eber studied journalism at the University of Oregon. He writes about politics, culture, education restaurants, and was former city and sports editor of UCSB Daily. Richard is president of Amerasa Rapid Transit, a specialized freight forwarder.

    The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.


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