Feb 15 2016

The world according to Webster

 

 

InkSpot-main_FullDear editor:

It really hasn’t been too far back in time in which the overwhelming majority of Americans regarded socialism and communism as being undesirable, evil systems of government! That was true in both the Republican Party under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and in the original (less liberal) Democratic Party led by President John F. Kennedy. The communist countries have always been regarded as some of America’s worst enemies!

Unfortunately, we now have a president who is prone to want to become close friends with communist leaders, terrorist leaders and all sorts of radicals. Is it any wonder that the modern-day Democrats have become so soft on communism and socialism?

How sad and tragic it is to see the Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders getting so much support in the presidential race! His supporters are largely coming from the under-30 population who are woefully ill-informed about the whole truth concerning socialism and communism.

Bernie is attracting all of the freeloaders in our society who just want to live off government handouts and they believe that they deserve it! This has largely been taught to them by their nutty socialist professors. Many of them also have not had the biblical work ethic taught to them at home either.

I wonder how many of those young folks of the millennial, entitlement generation have ever honestly asked themselves why so many people living in communist countries often want to leave there and come to America? Just look at Cuba! Talk to some of the Cuban-Americans and find out why they left. Did the communist dictator Fidel Castro make Cuba a good place to live?

How about North Korea? Would you like to live there? Communist Red China? Venezuela? Remember the late dictator Hugo Chavez? Vladimir Putin? All “real nice guys” who are communist!

Remember the old Soviet Union which included many communist East European nations, such as East Germany? There was a wall that had been built completely surrounding East Berlin — to keep the people from escaping the terrible communist rule!

Some of you may be saying that socialism and communism are not exactly the same. True, but keep in mind that socialism is only one step away from communism!

Let’s look at the definition of communism in Webster’s Dictionary: “1. any economic theory or system based on the ownership of all property by the community as a whole; 2. A hypothetical stage of socialism, formulated by Marx, Engels, Lenin, and others, to be characterized by a classless and stateless society and the equal distribution of economic goods and to be achieved by revolutionary and dictatorial, rather than gradualistic means … a one-party political structure, and an emphasis on the requirements of the state rather than on individual liberties; cf Socialism; 3. often a political movement for establishing a communist system …”

Notice the leaders are always dictators? You want this kind of government for America?

Too bad that the Bernie Sanders socialist supporters can’t go to a communist country to live for several years!

They would have almost no freedoms there. Try it!

Lloyd Hoffman
Hot Springs

P.S. No! I’m no Hillary fan either!

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2016/02/15/the-world-according-to-webster/

2 comments

  1. This brilliant retort appeared in the paper two days ago, under the title “Truth is the victim.” Indeed, it is..

    Dear editor:

    The real victim of this presidential election is the acceptance of inaccuracy as truth and exaggeration as fact. Being wrongheaded seems too often the norm.

    Which leads me to Mr. Hoffman’s polemic on Sanders and socialism. I can appreciate the choice that some Americans wish to live today with a cold war mentality and simultaneously accept short cuts in rational dialogue. However, his arguments are both unconvincing and sophomoric.

    First, there are too many preposterous generalizations, or better, too much baloney. To wit: “Bernie is attracting all of the freeloaders in our society who just want to live off government handouts …” or better yet, “Many of them (nutty socialist professors) also have not had the biblical work ethic taught to them at home either.” Myopic and disingenuous. And asking me to leave the country for having a contrary opinion is, well, actually a communist ploy.

    The writer focuses on a socialism that is not what Sanders is talking out. Socialism is not “baby communism.” Communism is essentially a political system; socialism is an economic system that can exist under a variety of political systems, including democracy. The list of democratic socialists includes quite a few of the “smartest people in the room:” Tony Blair, Willy Brandt, Nelson Mandela, Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Jawaharlal Nehru — get the point!

    We too quickly forget that many bastions of capitalism — in the USA and UK, for example — have programs and principles that are socialistic in both nature and intent. The military and defense: taxpayer dollars pay for a military that protects all equally, regardless of your contribution. Libraries, police, fire — all taxpayer funded, all services for all people. Medicare, college scholarships, shall I go on? Democratic socialism is focused on economic fairness for all, not Big Brother.

    And please, leave Cuba alone. Yes, there were terrible dictators and a one-party system. But the country is improving and helping open up the country is the right-headed thing to do. We all need to be supportive — remember Cuba is 60 percent Roman Catholic, 5 percent Protestant and other Christian denominations, there are dozens of Christian churches throughout Cuba — and the pews are full. Fear-mongers need not worry, Cuban tanks will not be landing in Key West; I’ve been there — there are no working tanks.

    Finally, learning from movies. In a scene in “The Abyss” when the water creature first appears in the submersible, one character (captain) denies what he saw. The other character (wife) admonishes him, “You’ve got to see with better eyes.” And listen with smarter ears. And feel with a stronger heart. Consider yourself admonished.

    Michael Preble

    Hot Springs

  2. Lordy, lordy, such ironic leaps of illogic on Leap Day! So this is what rushing to defend the bruised honor of little brother Lloyd looks like? From February 29, 2016, here is (cue the kettle drums) “Messengers of warning“…

    Dear editor:

    Noah preached repentance while building the Ark, but people ignored the message and mocked him. Immediately, scoffing unbelievers became believers when God shut the Ark’s door and rain began to fall.

    Again, the earth was populated. Again, people forgot God, but God never forgot the people. In fact, through the ages, God continued to send repentance messengers. Frequently, God’s prophets were ignored, mocked, persecuted, murdered and the trophy at an immoral party was John the Baptist’s head.

    Jesus, God’s Son, came as the uniquely sinless messenger, with a message of repentance and forgiveness. His ultimate message of love admonished us to love those who hate us. His miraculous birth, life, death and resurrection changed the world, and yet, He was brutalized and crucified.

    Nevertheless, His message of love lives. It inspired His Apostle John to write in his First Epistle, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” And, thankfully, over 2,000 years later, love continues to motivate Christians to courageously stand-up and speak up for God-given rights of freedom and Christ-like principles.

    Fast forward: Lt. Col. Ollie North’s message was ignored and he was ridiculed when he warned Congress and our entire nation that Osama bin Laden was the major threat to our country. Osama bin Laden is gone, but the evil he “swallowed” and “spewed” has spread throughout most of the world. He helped inspire the fanatical movement that boldly beheads Christians and openly threatens to destroy America.

    Hot Springs has courageous messengers of warning and Lloyd Hoffman is one of them. In spite of criticism from unbelieving scoffers, his letters to the editor continue. They honor Christ as Savior, God as Creator, and support the American flag, Constitution and military. Please recognize his forceful writing for what it is intended: Not anger at those who disagree; rather, sincerely passionate concern for his fellowmen and country. We would do well to be more concerned about radicals who promote cruel death of Christians, than concern about Christians who persuade (not force) others to accept a life of love that leads to heaven. Why should persuasion of compassionate Christians who offer spiritual life, be more bothersome than radical Muslims who threaten untimely physical death?

    Finally, please consider this opinion? The greatest threat to our freedom may not be radical Muslims. It may be a president who demonstrates contempt for Christian values, arrogantly circumvents our Constitution, courts and Congress, supports immigration without assimilation, disarms law-abiding citizens (our largest army of defense), and undermines our economy and security by taking our taxes to arm those who endeavor to conquer us.

    Robert C. Sowell

    Hot Springs

    P. S. Someone has said that “Love is not God, but God is love” and someone else said, “If you have love, you don’t need anything else. If you don’t have love, it doesn’t matter what else you have.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.