The Hour of the Wolf - Is Freedom Dying

As I quietly open the door, I glance at my watch. It’s the hour of the wolf. As I walk quietly in the room, the only sound I hear is the sound of my own heart punctuated by the steady beep of the medical monitor. As I slowly walk across the floor, I glance down and see a torn and twisted small stack of papers; I bend down to pick it up.

As I read it I catch my breath, I remember first reading this many years ago as a child. I remember being told how important this small stack of papers was to many people. Maybe at one time it was, but now as I look at the crumbled papers I notice the outline of a dirty footprint on the top page as if someone purposely stepped on it. I sigh and put them on the bookcase along with the other now considered outdated papers and books. As I slowly move closer to the side of the bed, I see another piece of paper in her hands; I lean over and slowly, ever so gently move her hands. I remove it and as I looked over to find a place to put it, I glance down and realize that it’s the announcement of her birth, a document that was once celebrated, but now it has, like other papers and books of hers, been consigned to the dustbin of history. I see a chair against the wall and ever so quietly bring it over to the side of the bed and sit down.

I sit and glance around the room. I see the various books, the computer screens and as much as I don't want to, my eyes once again return to the bed and the faint form lying there. As the deep labored breaths slowly make the covers move up and down, I finally realize why I can’t sleep. I realize that I may be seeing the final days, perhaps hours, of a great lady.

As I sit there, realizing that no matter how hard I try tears begin welling up in my eyes and as I reach up to wipe them away, even though I'm alone, I briefly look around to see if anyone saw them, but there was no one there.

“Thank God”, I think to myself, “No one is here to see the tears, after all a Marine isn't supposed to cry. But Marines do cry! Not from pain or frustration but they cry at the loss of a comrade in arms. They cry at the loss of family and close friends and I am losing one of the few people I have held very near and dear for so many years, so maybe it's okay to cry.

I hear sound behind me, once again wipe my hands across my eyes and turn towards the door to see some of my Brothers and Sisters standing there. They come in, look at the look at the form on the bed, pay their respects and after a while we start chatting and telling “war stories” some funny, some heart breaking. Some good memories, some not so good. They even share some photos and for a few minutes the cares and problems slide away but as enjoyable as this is, my eyes turn back to the bed and form lying there. Once again I feel the tears welling up in my eyes. So, not to be embarrassed I turn and walk towards the window.

I look out and think, “Damn they were right, it IS darkest before the dawn.”

My thoughts were interrupted once again by the door slowly opening and various friends quietly enter the room.

As they look uncomfortably at the form on the bed, the “blanket” of silent uneasiness vanishes like a fog being burnt off by a raising sun. The small talk begins and one of them says, “This illness must have come on fairly suddenly?”

As I look at the bed, I shake my head saying, “Not really, the infection set in many years ago. Outside of a few remissions, the disease continued to spread. BUT the doctors and those who could control it didn’t pay attention, they were too busy with other things or maybe should I say they got complacent. The infection was still there, just below the surface, slowly growing and quietly spreading.”

“But I was told it only started a few years ago” another said, “One doctor told me that it was well under control until recently.”

I shook my head and said, “There's the chart,” pointing to the clipboard hanging on the bed. “Read it for yourself.”

My friend made no attempt to move towards the chart, mumbling, “I'll read it later.”

We continued to quietly chat. We talked about how some of us remembered the birth and the death of “Rock 'n Roll”, when the music was simpler. The songs of young love both won and lost. Songs of love, marriage and family. Songs that didn't make sense, made us laugh but “had a good beat and we could dance to it.” We talked of when movies were fun and everyone in the family could enjoy a night out. We talked about how we were taught respect for our elders, how we would run and play, not worrying about anything more important than behaving ourselves and being home when we were told and how we were afraid that if we did something wrong we would be grounded. Maybe spanked, confined to our own yard, or maybe no T.V. for the night or God forbid, a week.

I chuckled and said, “Yep, I sure got a lot of reading done.” Everybody nodded their heads in agreement. As we continued to chat, we talked about going to the birthday celebrations, where everyone celebrated with games, good food, talked with our friends and neighbors, most them were war veterans. There were even some active duty military, though they were far from their home, they were welcomed and made to feel right at home. We had fun and if we were lucky there would be some fireworks to mark the birthday and end the party.

We talked about going to school in our neighborhoods, where the parents knew the teachers and the teachers knew the children. We remembered how we started our school day with a prayer and the Pledge of Alliance. Then we began our classes and God help us if we misbehaved, it was off to Principal’s office and the embarrassing introduction to the board of education firmly applied to the seat of knowledge. That we could tolerate. We could even tolerate being kidded about it by our classmates; it was facing our parents when we got home that really worried us! They had already been called by the either the principal or the teacher. Talk about double jeopardy!

We talked about the Christmas holidays, when the school had the Christmas story performed by the students. We talked about how every year the Christmas decorations on the city square would change. Someone said they remembered when they had a “living” Nativity scene with live people and animals.

We talked of honoring our veterans, both living and particularly those that had fallen in the defense of Freedom. Some of us remember attending a “celebration” at the cemetery where the American flag, at half staffed, waved in the breeze and you looked out across the grassy rolling hills punctuated with the white headstones decorated with with small American flags or Red, White and Blue wreaths. Afterward there may have been family or community gatherings.

Even though it had been fairly dormant, the disease began slowly attacking the brain and began to spread more rapidly. The lady began to change; she didn't seem to want to go to the celebrations any more. She seemed to be too busy or disinterested to attend the PTA meetings. But to me, the scariest thing was when she didn't feel like getting up on Sunday to attend church. It was as if her spirit was being sucked out of her.

As the disease continued to spread, it began moving down through her muscles and eventually to her back. Soon it became harder for her to work; she seemed not willing to do anything. Yet, there was a slight spark where part of her was determined to continue, hoping that maybe that spark would fight off the infection. But, try as she could the disease kept slowly spreading.

Just then the door opened and in walked the doctors, looking very professional in their crisp white coats. They looked over at the form on the bed and began giving advice, a couple even said there would be a cure soon, all we had to do is keep holding on to what hope there is left. I listened nodding my head, then asked, “Can you guarantee that the new treatment will cure the infection? Can you guarantee that the body and mind will completely heal?” The doctors and other visitors turned and looked at me like I suddenly sprouted a third eye.

Finally, one of the doctors looked at me and speaking quietly said, “How dare you question us, we know more than you. Look how important we are and how many people listen to us. We've even written books on the disease and what caused it. Look how hard we’ve worked to get where we are. Look at the sacrifices we’ve made.” I just looked over towards my Brothers and Sisters. He continued, “Just look at us, we’ve been studying this and we know that there will be cure.” I glanced back at the form on the bed and around the room. Some friends were nodding in agreement and finally one of my friends looked at me with a trace of anger in the eyes and with a trace of anger in the voice said, “You should listen to them, they know the cure will work after all, they are the experts.” Then turned and left the room.

I just looked around the room and said, “I realize I’m not as important or all knowing as you and the other experts are, but I have to ask, can you or the others guarantee that the cure will work? And for how long? Where is the inoculation to build up immunity to it so that others don't catch it? Or will it spread and like in the past regress only to flare up again and we'll be back here in a few years? Shouldn’t we be working on a cure instead of chasing every rumor or article that tells us how bad the disease is?” I paused and caught my breathe, glancing around the room. I continued, “I fully realize that the feeling of helplessness can lead to people turning to anyone or anything that may suggest a cure, but shouldn't we call the disease for what it is instead of calling it something that may not be as frightening?"

I was holding back my temper but continued, "While we are looking for a cure, shouldn't we also learn as much about it as we can. Where it really comes from and how it is spread? Shouldn't we be working to cut it off at the source or since it’s all ready in the general population, try to keep the younger generation from being infected? Shouldn’t we learn as much as we can about it, maybe learning how to stop it by seeing how it began?” As I caught my breathe, I looked around and saw that those who came to visit began drift over only to gather around the various doctors, some them were mooning over them like they were guided by God’s own hand, hanging on every word they uttered.

Soon they all began to file out, giving the usual platitudes and I politely acknowledge them, telling them that I'll talk to them later, knowing full well that because I question their "idols", I would be an outcast.

I was once again left alone and I looked at the bed, I felt the tears welling up and finally it was as if a dam burst, my tears fell like the rain of a summer thunder storm.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder; I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and turned around to see a Marine in Dress Blues standing there. As I looked at him not recognizing him, he quietly said, “Remember your oath. Remember your training, and most importantly remember you never give up, sometimes you have to sacrifice everything for the good of the many and that can mean losing those who you thought were friends or comrades. Do what you feel is the right thing, to hell with what someone else thinks BUT remember the laws and why you are fighting. If people want to desert you, let them go, they may not be up to the fight no matter what they say, but for everyone that deserts you, there maybe one or two who will listen and learn. It's not about fame or glory; its not about being remembered when the history is written.” Then his voice raised just a little bit, “It’s for her,” as he gestured to the bed.

I turned to look at the bed and as I turned back to look at him and he was gone as quietly as he had arrived; there was no sign of the door closing. I thought to myself, “I'm must be seeing things, its going to be a long day,” I turned back to look at the bed, and though I am not considered the most religious person in the world, I dropped to my knees, something I haven’t done in many years and began to pray:

“God, I know we haven’t been perfect, I know that the mind and the heart may have shut You out, but God please forgive us and remember that deep down the spark of Freedom still flickers in most of us. Please God, give us the strength, the knowledge, and the patience to rekindle that spark into a bonfire of Freedom that will never be put out and by Your Will that fire will never grow dim again. Amen.”

I got up, bushed the dust off my knees, wiped the tears from my eyes and walked over to the bed, gently leaned over and to adjust the covers.

Her lips began to move as if attempting to say something and her hand slid out from under the blanket and pointed and quietly, almost a whisper, said, “Take them; hold them close, no matter what happens to me, don't let them be forgotten.”. I nodded and gently placed her arm back under the blanket. I adjusted her covers, bent over, wiped the tear that ran down her cheek, gently kissed her fore head and whispered, “Rest well Lady Liberty, I may not have the answers, but I have the spirit of Freedom that was instilled in me as a young boy and I will continue to fight, perhaps gather more like me. I pray that before I pass on to my final muster, I will see you standing tall again, holding the flame of Freedom high for the world to see.”

I picked up the papers, look at them and noticed that they were the same papers I had put on the shelf earlier.

I looked down and read the words that changed the world,”When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands...” I sighed.

The other was the one that had picked up off the floor with the dirty footprint. I look down and read,“We the people....”, as I attempted to bush off the dirty footprint and straighten it out, tears once again came to my eyes. I turned to leave, halted and shook my head. I looked again. There standing in front of me, like little wisps of fog were men and women dressed in various uniforms of America’s military, some modern, some vintage. They just stood there and all I could think to do was salute and say, “As long as I possibility can, I will fight for the Freedom that you died for and your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Semper Fidelis.”

I would like Igor and Riceman, my friends and colleague for their time and editing.

Martin Luther King in Favor of Population Control, You Decide

Anyone who listens to or watches Glenn Beck knows of the great admiration he has for Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) and his non violent approach to the problem of segregation. Glenn has also gone into great detail about Margaret Sanger and her views on Eugenics. However, Glenn fails to mention that MLK was one of four persons to receive the first PPFA Margaret Sanger Award in 1966.

Dr. Carl G. Hartman, for “his singular contribution to human knowledge of the reproductive processes”

General William H. Draper Jr., for “his singular contribution during the past decade to the mobilization of public awareness and government action to resolve the world population crisis”

President Lyndon Baines Johnson, for “his vigorous and farsighted leadership in bringing the United States government to enunciate and implement an affirmative, effective population policy at home and abroad”

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., for “his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice (Didn't Glenn Beck warn his audience about dangers of anyone or organization that preaches social justice...OM) and human dignity”.

Now, this citation reads quite innocently enough UNTIL you read MLK’s acceptance speech, which I am posting exactly as posted on Planned Parenthood’s website. Note: All emphasized are mine.

Mrs.Coretta Scott King delivered her husband’s acceptance speech on hisbehalf.

Before reading Dr. King’s speech, Mrs. King declared, “I am proud tonight to say a word in behalf of your mentor, and the person who symbolizes the ideas of this organization, Margaret Sanger. Because of her dedication, her deep convictions, and for her suffering for what she believed in, I would like to say that I am proud to be a woman tonight.”

Family Planning — A Special and Urgent Concern by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of flying saucers. While we need not give credence to these stories, they allow our imagination to speculate on how visitors from outer space would judge us. I am afraid they would be stupefied at our conduct. They would observe that for death planning we spend billions to create engines and strategies for war. They would also observe that we spend millions to prevent death by disease and other causes.Finally they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet. (In other words, Sustainability, the backbone of Agenda 21...OM)  Our visitors from outer space could be forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane men whose future is bleak and uncertain.

There is no human circumstance more tragic than the persisting existence of a harmful condition for which a remedy is readily available. Family planning, to relate population to world resources, is possible, practical and necessary. Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess.

What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victims.

It is easier for a Negro to understand a social paradox because he has lived so long with evils that could be eradicated but were perpetuated by indifference or ignorance. The Negro finally had to devise unique methods to deal with his problem, and perhaps the measure of success he is realizing can be an inspiration to others coping with tenacious social problems.

In our struggle for equality we were confronted with the reality that many millions of people were essentially ignorant of our conditions or refused to face unpleasant truths. The hard-core bigot was merely one of our adversaries. The millions who were blind to our plight had to be compelled to face the social evil their indifference permitted to flourish.

After centuries of relative silence and enforced acceptance, we adapted a technique of exposing the problem by direct and dramatic methods. We had confidence that when we awakened the nation to the immorality and evil of inequality, there would be an upsurge of conscience followed by remedial action.

We knew that there were solutions and that the majority of the nation were ready for them. Yet we also knew that the existence of solutions would not automatically operate to alter conditions. We had to organize, not only arguments, but people in the millions for action. Finally we had to be prepared to accept all the consequences involved in dramatizing our grievances in the unique style we had devised.

There is a striking kinship between our movement and Margaret Sanger’s early efforts. She, like we, saw the horrifying conditions of ghetto life. Like we, she knew that all of society is poisoned by cancerous slums. Like we, she was a direct actionist — a nonviolent resister. She was willing to accept scorn and abuse until the truth she saw was revealed to the millions. At the turn of the century she went into the slums and set up a birth control clinic, and for this deed she went to jail because she was violating an unjust law. Yet the years have justified her actions. She launched a movement which is obeying a higher law to preserve human life under humane conditions.Margaret Sanger had to commit what was then called a crime in order to enrich humanity, and today we honor her courage and vision; for without them there would have been no beginning. Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by nonviolent direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her. Negroes have no mere academic nor ordinary interest in family planning. They have a special and urgent concern.

Recently the subject of Negro family life has received extensive attention. Unfortunately, studies have overemphasized the problem of the Negro male ego and almost entirely ignored the most serious element — Negro migration. During the past half century Negroes have migrated on a massive scale, transplanting millions from rural communities to crammed urban ghettoes. In their migration, as with all migrants, they carried with them the folkways of the countryside into an inhospitable city slum. The size of family that may have been appropriate and tolerable on a manually cultivated farm was carried over to the jammed streets of the ghetto. In all respects Negroes were atomized, neglected and discriminated against. Yet, the worst omission was the absence of institutions to acclimate them to their new environment.Margaret Sanger, who offered an important institutional remedy, was unfortunately ignored by social and political leaders in this period. In consequence, Negro folkways in family size persisted. The problem was compounded when unrestrained exploitation and discrimination accented the bewilderment of the newcomer, and high rates of illegitimacy and fragile family relationships resulted.

For the Negro, therefore, intelligent guides of family planning are a profoundly important ingredient in his quest for security and a decent life. There are mountainous obstacles still separating Negroes from a normal existence. Yet one element in stabilizing his life would be an understanding of and easy access to the means to develop a family related in size to his community environment and to the income potential he can command.

This is not to suggest that the Negro will solve all his problems through Planned Parenthood. His problems are far more complex, encompassing economic security, education, freedom from discrimination, decent housing and access to culture. Yet if family planning is sensible it can facilitate or at least not be an obstacle to the solution of the many profound problems that plague him.

The Negro constitutes half the poor of the nation. Like all poor, Negro and white, they have many unwanted children. This is a cruel evil they urgently need to control. There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted. That which should be a blessing becomes a curse for parent and child. There is nothing inherent in the Negro mentality which creates this condition. Their poverty causes it. When Negroes have been able to ascend economically, statistics reveal they plan their families with even greater care than whites. Negroes of higher economic and educational status actually have fewer children than white families in the same circumstances.

Some commentators point out that with present birth rates it will not be long before Negroes are a majority in many of the major cities of the nation. As a consequence, they can be expected to take political control, and many people are apprehensive at this prospect. Negroes do not seek political control by this means. They seek only what they are entitled to and do not wish for domination purchased at the cost of human misery. Negroes were once bred by slave owners to be sold as merchandise. They do not welcome any solution which involves population breeding as a weapon. They are instinctively sympathetic to all who offer methods that will improve their lives and offer them fair opportunity to develop and advance as all other people in our society.

For these reasons we are natural allies of those who seek to inject any form of planning in our society that enriches life and guarantees the right to exist in freedom and dignity.

For these constructive movements we are prepared to give our energies and consistent support; because in the need for family planning, Negro and white have a common bond; and together we can and should unite our strength for the wise preservation, not of races in general, but of the one race we all constitute — the human race.

Again from the website:

Margaret Sanger was too ill to attend the award ceremony in May 1966. She died the following September. Mrs. Sanger would have been deeply honored and pleased to have heard such beautiful tributes from kindred heroes in the struggle for equality and civil rights, Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King Jr.

About two weeks after the award ceremony, Dr. King wrote the following letter to Cass Canfield, chairman of the Executive Committee of the PPFA — World Population Emergency Campaign:

Dear Mr. Canfield:

Words are inadequate for me to say how honored I was to be the recipient of the Margaret Sanger Award. This award will remain among my most cherished possessions. While I cannot claim to be worthy of such a signal honor, I can assure you that I accept it with deep humility and sincere gratitude. Such a wonderful expression of support is of inestimable value for the continuance of my humble efforts.

Again let me say how much I regret that at the last minute urgent developments in the civil rights movement made it impossible for me to be in Washington to personally receive the award. My wife brought glowing echoes of the wonderful reception and impressiveness of the total occasion.

I am happy to be the recipient of the Margaret Sanger Award and I can assure you that this distinct honor will cause me to work even harder for a reign of justice and a rule of love all over our nation. (My emphases...OM)

Sincerely yours,
Martin Luther King Jr.

Now, to be “fair and balance” Tanya L. Green writes “ that Martin Luther King accepted the Planned Parenthood “Margaret Sanger Award” without being aware of Sanger’s plan to exterminate Black people. This award was later repudiated by Dr. King’s niece who argues that King was not aware of Planned Parenthood’s duplicity.” (I guess one JUST ACCEPTS an award without knowing the history of the founder and the organization...OM)

This may well be true; I have no reason to doubt Dr. King’s niece, HOWEVER, one should ask, why hasn’t Glenn Beck or anyone else for that matter who discusses Agenda 21, and its theory of Sustainability (overpopulation and environment), want to show the entire history, why pick and choose?

Let me know what you think

Martin Luther King, Jr. - Don't Shoot the Messenger

Note: When I first wrote and posted this, I, unlike a lot of Americans, continued to read and research, as of now I have concluded that Martin Luther King was what I must now call an American Communist.

Introduction

I remember back when a co-worker and eventually a very good friend of mine said to me, “Have you seen or heard Glenn Beck (Glenn)?”

I looked at him and said, “No, who is he?”

He went on to explain that he was a conservative talk show host on CNN. So like any person approaching something new, I opened my mind and tuned in. I liked what I saw and became hooked. I felt that maybe I had found someone who would entertain, yet educate and unlike most sheeple in America, I'm always willing to listen to another opinion and I'm definitely open to learning.

I followed Glenn from CNN to Fox and even though the 5:00 time slot overlapped with my work schedule, I did what anyone with a DVR would do, I recorded his show. In fact I ended up burning some of the shows to DVD for future reference.

When he started the 9-12 Project, I was lucky enough to find one of the first websites that “welcomed” me and my rants. In fact, I was privileged to have Glenn read one of my comments on air. However, I ended up leaving that site when the Site Administrator violated my trust, as I would become accustomed to with other 9-12 sites and Glenn Beck himself. I would later join another site that, though some were Glenn Beck fans, they thought for themselves.

When Glenn left Fox, I was very disappointed to say the least. I thought at least I could still listen to him on the radio. Yes, I still listen to him today. However as I've continued to listen to Glenn, I began seeing that Glenn's message began to change and he began to develop a rather selective view of history, particularly when it comes to his almost worship of Martin Luther King (MLK).

Martin Luther King Jr.: Communist, Socialist or Progressive

When Glenn began his admiration, bordering on idol worship, of MLK's non-violent approach to the race problems in the sixties, I started wondering exactly where was he heading with this admiration? Was he doing what a majority of people do who put a person on a pedestal, ignoring the real history of the person or just taking a selective view?

As Igor, my friend and editor, is fond of saying when I challenge things at work, “You're opening a can of worms.”

Yes, I may be doing just that and most likely I will unleash a Hell storm of criticism, name calling and most likely down right hate. This is NOT my intention; I will present the facts and allow you the reader to look at the facts presented and make up your own mind.

Once again, I ask, “Don't shoot the messenger.”

Let's begin by setting the rules. To begin with, as most of my readers know I will be using sources, direct quotes. The second rule is I am going to ask the devoted fans and followers of Glenn to think back and remember. BUT most importantly keep an open mind and remember when Glenn said,

“You've got to demand the truth from yourself.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Communist?

This is the not the only place where I feel Glenn is completely off base. But, for the purpose of this post it is the only one I'm going to deal with.

Do Glenn Beck fans remember him saying, and I paraphrase,

“Progressives are Communists with patience”

From this statement, one can and should conclude that Progressives are Communists and that would mean that Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) who was one of the founders of the Progressive Party was a Communist, though at the time, just as today, the terms were interchangeable. Though Roosevelt did believe in "Social Justice". [1]

There are some who will say that the differences between Communism, Socialism and Progressivism are just a case of semantics, but there are differences and the problem or question that arises is, what are the differences?

I could spend a great deal of time and the rest of this piece going into the differences in the ideology and methods of Communism, Socialism and Progressivism but I won't; instead I will just give a brief history. Spoiler alert: Watch this space for a more in depth study in the differences.

Lets just say look at the history of Socialism.

After the Revolutions of 1848, the Socialist ideology split into three distinct factions.

The “Revisionist” socialists were those who promoted gradual reform by using compromise, the democratic process and non violence to achieve the nationalism of state and local public works.

The “Anarchic” socialists who believed that both the state and private property should be abolished and society should be composed of small collectives of producers, distributors and consumers.

Last comes the “Bolshevik” socialists, who believed in using revolutionary (violent) tactics to raise the conscious of the working class (proletariat) in order to advance socialism through an absolute dictatorship. It is what would eventually spur Lenin to lead the Bolshevik Revolution (Russian Revolution) of 1917 that would morph into what today people call communism. When most people speak of Communism today, they speak of a country ruled by a dictator whose power was achieved in most cases by violence and asserts complete control over production.

Now, since MLK did not believe in a violent approach to achieve social change, one can and should conclude that MLK was not a communist as defined by the Bolshevik philosophy. However he did have militant elements within his organization but as he said:

“Our militant elements were used, not as small striking detachments, but to organize.” [2]

The idea of violent tactics to achieve Marxism is not the only separator between communism and socialism, but according to the early American socialists there are other differences.

According to W. D. P. Bliss,

“Socialism puts its emphasis on common production and distribution; Communism on life in common. Communism makes less of existing political institutions as instruments; Socialism would very largely use them."

Or as Victor L. Berger wrote,

“The definition of Socialism, as generally accepted now, is “the collective ownership of all the means of production and distribution.”[3]

While,

“Communism proposes the common ownership of the means of production, or, in some cases, the means of production and consumption. Socialism, on the contrary, asks only for the common ownership of the means of production, as made necessary by the modern development of the tool into the machine. Socialism leaves consumption, i.e., the selection and the enjoyment of the means of life to the free will and the taste of the individuals”[4]

So using these two statements from the principle founders of the American Socialist Party in 1901, one should conclude that there is a difference between Socialism and Communism.

Did MLK believe that the government should control production, distribution and even consumption? If he didn't once again, he's not a Communist.

Socialism or Progressivism? Or are they the same thing?

Now this is where people really have to stop, think, and look at the facts and answer some very difficult questions and draw their own conclusions.

The first and most important question is:

“If there is no difference between the doctrines of the American Socialist Party and those who claim to be Progressives and the doctrines of the American Progressive Party, does that mean that they are the same only with different names?”

Next ask the question:

“If celebrated Progressives were also members of Socialist Party of America or Socialists, again does that mean that Progressives are Socialists?”

Remember when Glenn said on On May, 2014,

“Progressives have a longer time table”

Well, so do the Revisionist Socialists.

Martin Luther King, Jr. a Progressive

SOCIAL JUSTICE

According to the Center for American Progress, The Progressive Intellectual Tradition in America,

“In terms of its political values, progressivism throughout the years stressed a range of ideals that remain important today:... Social justice, the proper arrangement of law, society, and the economy to ensure that all people have the formal and informal capacity to shape their own lives and realize their dreams.”

Does everyone remember when Glenn said,

“I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.”

Or how about when he said,

“If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop.”

Now, I must ask, if Glenn believes that “Social Justice” is such a code word and his followers should run away or report the priest to the bishop, then why does Glenn embrace MLK, a minister, who said in a 1963 speech at Western Michigan University, entitled "Social Justice",

“I think with all of these challenges being met and with all of the work, and determination going on, we will be able to go this additional distance and achieve the ideal, the goal of the new age, the age of social justice.” (My emphases...OM)

Why would Glenn fail to mention that according to The Nation magazine, Martin Luther King, Jr was named one of “The Fifty Most Influential Progressives of the Twentieth Century” where the author says,

“...not only about civil rights but also about economic justice” (My emphases...OM)

and

“The struggle for civil rights radicalized him into a fighter for economic and social justice.” (My emphases...OM)

Why would Glenn praise a person for his nonviolent approach to civil rights and yet fail to mention that when Planned Parenthood Federation of America announced MLK was going to be named along with three others to receive the first PPFA Margaret Sanger Award in 1966 [3] it said,

“...for his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity.” (My emphases...OM).

Population Control

Once again, flashing back to Glenn's programs on Fox, his viewers were introduced to Margaret Sanger, Eugenics (particularly against Blacks) and her founding of Planned Parenthood of America, the world's leading abortion factory, under the guise of “women's health”. Isn't abortion the ultimate violence, considering that an unborn CHILD has no way to defend his/her self?

As previously mentioned, why does Glenn neglect to mention or educate his viewers that MLK was among the first recipients of the first Planned Parenthood for America (PPFA) Margaret Sanger Award in 1966? Where, in his acceptance speech MLK wrote, and which his wife presented said,

“Finally they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet. Our visitors from outer space could be forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane men whose future is bleak and uncertain.” (My emphases...OM)

Or,

“There is no human circumstance more tragic than the persisting existence of a harmful condition for which a remedy is readily available. Family planning, to relate population to world resources [Isn't this straight out of Agenda 21?...OM], is possible, practical and necessary.” (My emphases...OM)

MLK and the Communist Belief in Government Supplied Jobs

Glenn has constantly ranted and raved that WE, the People, need to demand and work for a smaller federal government, government that stays out of American's lives.

If Glenn truly believes this, then once again, one must ask why Glenn had not completely done his homework OR if he did, just why did he chose to ignore that MLK also believed in one of the ultimate government controls; that the federal government should supply jobs,

“We must develop a federal program of public works, retraining, and jobs for all—so that none, white or black, will have cause to feel threatened. At the present time, thousands of jobs a week are disappearing in the wake of automation and other production efficiency techniques. Black and white, we will all be harmed unless something grand and imaginative is done. The unemployed, poverty-stricken white man must be made to realize that he is in the very same boat with the Negro. Together, they could exert massive pressure on the government to get jobs for all. Together, they could form a grand alliance. Together, they could merge all people for the good of all.”[5]

Now, is this not the same socialist belief that was outlined in the Socialist Party Platform of 1908:

“The immediate government relief for the unemployed workers by building schools, by reforesting of cutover[sic] and waste lands, by reclamation of arid tracts, and the building of canals, and by extending all other useful public works. All persons employed on such works shall be employed directly by the government under an eighthour work-day and at the prevailing union wages.”

Conclusion

Some who will read this, may feel that this is a hit piece on Glenn Beck and Martin Luther King, Jr., it is not my intention. But since Glenn is ever so fond of quoting Thomas Jefferson,

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”

Well, I am boldly questioning and asking why Glenn is not telling the FULL story and presenting all the facts concerning MLK? I will leave it up to you to make up your own mind and answer that question.

I will also ask, “Can a person believe in just a few items from an agenda and not believe in that agenda? Or can one just pick and chose, ignoring the facts." I feel it is like being a little bit pregnant.

You decide.

A special thanks to Igor and The Riceman for their editing and advice in the preparation of this piece.

References not linked

[1] Foster, William Z., History of the Communist Party of the United States, International Publishers, New York, New York, 1952. [William Z. "Bill" Foster (February 25, 1881 – September 1, 1961) was a radical American labor organizer and Marxist politician, whose career included a lengthy stint as General Secretary of the Communist Party USA. He passed through the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World, as well as leading the drive to organize the packinghouse industry during World War I and the steel strike of 1919.]

[2] King, Jr., Martin Luther, "Let Justice Roll Down", The Nation, March 15, 1965.

[3] Berger, Victor L., "American Socialism", Social Democratic Herald, No. 1, July 9, 1898, pp. 3-4. [Victor Berger (1860 - 1929) In 1901 Berger joined with Eugene Debs and Morris Hillquit to establish the American Socialist Party. The party was very strong in Milwaukee and played a major role in the city's government for the next fifty years. In 1910 Berger became the first socialist in the United States to be elected to Congress. The following year he proposed a bill to provide old age pensions. Berger was a strong opponent of America's involvement in the First World War, describing it as a "the wholesale murder in Europe". However, as Shane Hamilton has pointed out: "the main thrust of Berger's anti-war stance was socialistic, not pacifistic."
In 1918 Berger was charged under the Espionage Act and after being found guilty was sentenced to twenty years in prison. While free on appeal, Berger was elected to Congress in 1919 with an increased majority. In 1921 the Supreme Court overturned Berger's conviction.
As well as representing the people of Milwaukee in Congress, Berger edited the Milwaukee Leader (1911-1921) and served as chairman of the American Socialist Party (1927-1929). He was a strong opponent of the American Communist Party and warned against the "folly of imitating Soviet models, condemning the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat." A collection of his speeches and editorials, Voice and Pen, was published in 1929.]

[4] Ibid

[5] Alex Haley’s interview with the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.in Playboy, January 1965.