Monday, January 12, 2015

The Truth Shall Make You Free



 The term “Iron Curtain” was initially used by Winston Churchill in a 1946 speech.  In it Churchill outlined the two overarching strategic threats facing the post-WWII world; war and tyranny.  He spoke of the special relationship the US and Britain shared and role they could play to stabilize events and prevent war.  He then addressed the uncertainty of Soviet Russia’s long-term intentions and threat to tranquility they posed.  Said Churchill: 

A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory. Nobody knows what Soviet Russia and its Communist international organization intends to do in the immediate future, or what are the limits, if any, to their expansive and proselytizing tendencies…..From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.…The Communist parties, which were very small in all these Eastern States of Europe, have been raised to pre-eminence and power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control.”

I can clearly recall the Iron Curtain.  In 1980-81, I was a young infantryman, stationed in the former West Germany during what might be described as the most frigid point of the Cold War.  The Soviet Union had just invaded Afghanistan, Iran was holding our hostages, and Jimmy Carter was at the helm -- moving our nation’s morale towards a muddled malaise. 
Led by the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact was in a face-off of apocalyptic proportions with the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization.   The likely scenario had the Warsaw Pact invading from Eastern Europe, through East Germany, into West Germany, and onto the rest of Europe.  We were outnumbered in a big way.  It was estimated that NATO had just 6,615 tanks to confront the 16,000 of the Pact, in terms of combat aircraft 1,810 facing 2,500.   The conventional thought amongst us GIs; after enough Americans were killed we’d have the political will to go nuclear.

That border between the two Germanys, like the walls around the encircled city of Berlin, graphically displayed the physical nature of the face-off.   Perhaps you too can remember the images of Eastern Europeans trying to escape to the freedom and economic vibrancy of the West.  They would brave barbed wire and mine fields, armed guards and attack dogs, all in an attempt to flee the repressive ideology and underperforming economy of the communist Utopia.   That Iron Curtain was not only employed to keep those behind it trapped in the darkness of totalitarianism, it was also emplaced to keep the West’s light of liberty from shining in.

Today there’s an “Information Curtain.”  Its physical boundaries are more difficult to delineate; it’s a noncontiguous curtain, but those that are behind it are in darkness nonetheless.  What territory lies behind the modern day Information Curtain? Liberal academic institutions, the press rooms of the main stream media, Hollywood, the Democratic Party, Islamic enclaves and urban ghettoes, politically correct government schools, union halls, and secularized bureaucracies are just some of the areas behind the Information Curtain.  These disparate, and seemingly diverse factions, are all united in their desire to reject the truth and in their dedication to destroy anyone that dares to declare it in their midst. 

The rulers of these regions are committed to keeping out truth.  Their strategy is deception disguised as truth.  Their offensive tactic is to demand tolerance, to deny the existence of absolute truth, of right and wrong – then intolerantly destroy anyone they deem wrong, who doesn’t embrace their revelation of right.  Their defense is to dismiss disagreement as “hate speech” or “fill-in-the-blank phobia.”  These modern day Pravda promoters rely on the media and misinformation to maintain control; developing false narratives that intentionally exchange the truth for a lie.  The theory of evolution, the philosophy of moral equivalence, multiculturalism, secular humanism, climate change, and the normalization of aberrant sexual behavior are all part of their politically correct propaganda.  

The Free World is in desperate need of a leader today. There’s no Reagan to declare, “Tear down this wall!  No Churchill to challenge the curtain.    One of Churchill’s favorite songs was the Battle Hymn of the Republic – our Republic.  At his request it was played at his funeral.  My hunch on some of his favorite lines:   

“In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free. 
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; His truth is marching on.”

8 comments:

  1. Amen, Colonel. Another line of that favorite song that comes to mind is that one so relevant to the searching eye of God:

    "He has sounded forth the trumpet
    that shall never call retreat,
    He is SIFTING OUT THE HEARTS of men before His judgment seat,
    Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet,
    Our God is marching on!"

    May God find us swift to obediently answer Him and jubilant to follow Him, pursuing His glory in all things!

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  2. That is an inspired post. I am constantly amazed by the waves of lies and "themes" that wash over Western nations. It's complete and utter garbage but you encounter it at every turn. Any leftist invited on to FoxNews can be guaranteed to try to evade what is being asked and to inject some absurdity into the debate. The "religion of peace" deal is defended like Ft. Knox (which may be empty) and the slaughter, torture, and injustice of the communists in the last century are assiduously hidden from view and the focus placed on some failing of the U.S. 150 years ago.

    Your thought is distilled excellence: "Their strategy is deception disguised as truth. Their offensive tactic is to demand tolerance, to deny the existence of absolute truth, of right and wrong – then intolerantly destroy anyone they deem wrong, who doesn’t embrace their revelation of right. Their defense is to dismiss disagreement as “hate speech” or “fill-in-the-blank phobia.”

    It is difficult to believe that our national political debate takes place on this level and is so base and dishonest. But as the great Holmes said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." The impossible today being that liberals love this country and are interested in honest debate.

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  3. PS - In 1962, I once camped at a campsite in Berlin right on the border fence between it and E. Germany. I threw a stone over the fence and it made a very slight noise but with in minutes there was three or four E. German guards arrived at the very spot where I was and were shining their lights all around, including on the bushes behind which I was hiding.

    I minor adventure in the scheme of things but I knew after that how zealously they guarded that border.

    I was also in a cattle truck in OCS in '68 when the company commander came around to announce that the Soviets had invaded Czechoslovakia.

    Bygone era and all that but the same players are still at it, I figure.

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  4. Ugh.

    ...within minutes three or four E. German guards arrived at the very spot where I was and shone....

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  5. It's interesting that, in light of having listened to an excellent reading of The Screwtape Letters while driving cross-country recently, every habit of deceit, debauchery, and disfigurement of that which is good is so obviously the result of the work of Satan and his "lesser devils," as Lewis puts it. Once you've noticed the work of Satan behind all the advancements of the Muhammaditans, the dinosaur media, and the "progressives" in all political parties, it becomes impossible to ignore. Sadly, this battle will last until the One who can finish it returns. Until then, please understand that this is a war against more than rotten flesh and blood.

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  6. Great reminder FP - it is not against flesh and blood - nor will it be won by flesh and blood.....‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

    "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord."
    Your comment has stirred another thought that I'll try and distill in the next post - thanks again for the feedback!

    ---break-----

    COL B Bunny - thanks you for your feedback and your service...that nuclear cloud in Europe back then was palpable...the storm clouds are gathering again. Bless you brother!

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  7. Thank you, brother.

    That was another lifetime ago and, alas, in a different country in important respects.

    The enemy then did us the favor by being visibly the swine they were. After that, the enemy -- always among us but not yet as bold as now -- cloaked themselves with the familiar labels of "Democrat" and "liberal" but added "progressive," "globalist," and "multiculturalist." It became harder to see their purpose and I think Americans just could not and cannot process the reality that some of their fellow citizens do want a "fundamental transformation" of our wonderful country and do want to see the Constitution trashed.

    The thought I cling to (bitter clinger that I am) is that while Americans may be way too slow to grasp that we are in a deadly earnest fight against progressives, Muslims (all), and, especially, globalist enemies of the nation state, they will still run out of patience way before it's too late. The Muslims for one cannot not help themselves and so jump the gun way too many times and Obama and his masters are helping to show unmistakably that leftists are mortal enemies of the historic American (white) nation.

    I can modify the above categories with "most" or "some" but they are workable ones for present purposes.

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  8. FrozenPatriot, I'm not a man of faith but I frequently think how so much of the sickness that we see today fits well with the hypothesis that there are powerful satanic forces at work in the world. It seems that lies, deception, and murder are the currency of political life and the trademark of a certain religion.

    The Holmesian formula works well in this instance: "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

    It seems an unlikely way of interpreting the world for a non-believer, I know, but I do sleep with the light these days. I know Satan doesn't exist but, well, just in case, you know.

    :-)

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