Dakota Beacon

I have a confession to make:  I have been less than alarmed and even complacent about the whole BLM claim to espouse the views and philosophy of Karl Marx.  

That is until I picked up the results of a recent Gallup poll. 

The results stated that 65% of those identified as democrats had a favorable view of socialism.  It’s probably due to ignorance.  Somehow people have it in their heads that socialism is not as bad as communism. 

There was probably no one more articulate about the nature of Marxian-socialism (communism) and the dangers it posed to the future of America than Ronald Reagan.  From Hollywood in the 40s to the California governor’s mansion and finally to the White House, he consistently portrayed it as the antithesis of representative democracy.

In a series of statements in the early 1960s, Reagan began to use the terminology of a literal war.  “The truth is, that the United States is losing that war because we refuse to recognize that we are in it.” Ronald Reagan

In an address he gave in Fargo, North Dakota in 1962 Reagan said this:  “This war was started 50 years ago when Karl Marx made the statement that capitalism and communism can’t exist side by side.”  Reagan was quick to point out the USSR as an evil force that denied the very existence of God.  Reagan made no distinction between socialism and communism.  

By definition, a socialist democracy cannot exist.

Reagan often quoted the following:

“A nation no longer under God is a nation “gone under.””  There was no confusion about the socialist/communist agenda with him.

One simple way for the country to stay on track came in 1954 during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. The President heard a sermon preached by a Scottish man named George Docherty at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church just two blocks from the White House.

The preacher started his message by reviewing the importance of God’s role in the early days of this country.

He noted how influential Americans used the precepts and precedents in Scripture to shape the culture which defined American life and values.  Just as it was evident to this preacher how crucial it was to keep God at the center in the beginning of our country, it now followed that God’s influence would distinguish America from other nations which would not acknowledge Him.

Familiar with the Declaration of Independence, “The Gettysburg Address” (and the many writings and speeches Lincoln delivered), Docherty was no stranger to the emphasis on the inalienable rights endowed by a creator and championed by the founders and Lincoln as well.  

After hearing his son recite the original pledge he said this:   

“Without the phrase “under God,” the pledge of allegiance to the flag might have been recited with similar sincerity by Russian children at the start of their school day. After all, the USSR professes to believe in liberty and to recognize justice for every person. But that one fundamental concept alone makes the United States different.

As soon as the phrase “Under God” is added to the pledge of allegiance, it separates our world view from that of the Communist and changes entirely the interpretation of liberty and individual freedom.

Afterwards, President Eisenhower stood in support of legislation introduced to add the words to the pledge; four months later, it was signed into law.

Reagan had a way of bringing God into the conversation about American way of life without sounding like a religious fanatic.  He wasn’t as much a proponent of religion as he was a testimony to the eternal benefits of a relationship with God.

America, Reagan believed, is the “Last Best Hope” on this planet.

The freedom she stands for is our birthright endowed by God and meant to be preserved.  

How can we flirt with Marx and Lenin when they are the antithesis of everything we have come to know and love?