Target Rich Environment

The G.I.N. had this one queued up on Friday but I just now got to it.  On the Wilmington (DE) News Urinal, there’s been a lot of back and forth since a minister said something about how Jesus Christ was a communist. Along with the usual “render unto caesar” nonsense, a lot of folks have come out in agreement.

Here’s Bob Zembower of Wilmington, Delaware’s attempt (my comments are parenthetical) (link):

History books show Christ and communism connected

October 23, 2009

Recent posts regarding the dialogue about Christ and communism fail to display the remotest understanding of either. (Ok Bob, Show us what you know that we don’t!)

It is easy to understand, given the teachings of American history in our schools (don’t worry Bob, it won’t be long until they start giving even more props to communism in schools) and the same type of limited truth promoted in most churches. (I’m going to go off topic here and say this sentence would’ve been better using “that” to start rather than “it”. In context, you’re saying that American History as taught in our schools and limited truth in churches would help those who don’t have the remotest understanding of communism and Christ.  I digress. But there are a lot of different churches, and to characterize “most” as promoting limited truth is a big test.  There’s not even elaboration on what truth is missing that’s evident to you.)

The fact is (get ready for it), communism was practiced quite successfully by the American Indians and other indigenous peoples worldwide for 10,000 years without conflict or failure. (Oh no, Bob!!! What did you major in, Disney-fied Native American Studies? Fingerpainting? First of all, communism and communal living are not the same.  Communism, being an -ism, is a product of Western civilization. Some indigenous societies had characteristics that could be idealized as “communism,” but there’s a huge difference between the Communist Manifesto and the ways of indigenous peoples.  I assume that by “without conflict” you could mean inter or intra-tribal.  What do you base that on?  That would mean that never was there conflict between tribes or within tribes for power.  I’d bet your paycheck there were both.  And here’s where it becomes a complete joke- without “failure”?  C’mon Bob, never say never! If there were no failures, what of the Anasazi (link) “ruins”? Or Mayan Collapse (link)? Absolute statements make absolute fools!)

There is no doubt that if you read the words of Christ, not the Bible, (what if you read Christ’s words in the Bible?) or the heretical rantings of mega preachers (made out of straw) living in luxury, Christ did believe in “from each according to his capabilities, and to each according to his needs.” (WRONG.  He never said that, and more importantly, he never demanded a godless government apply this tenet.)

Don’t confuse communism with the frightened overreactions of Stalin (he was just a misunderstood, cuddly little huggie bear), or democracy with the frightened overreactions of George W. Bush. (Actually, I don’t confuse “communism” with Stalin, I read it straight from the manifesto, which says faith must be eliminated. And you had to mention GWB, didn’t you?  Why is it that every application of communism winds up murdering citizens?  Would Christ approve of that?)

When asked the question, “When did American forces attack and occupy Russian soil,” most Americans answer, “Never,” and they fail to understand the distrust Stalin felt after our invasion of Russian soil in 1918. (Seriously Bob, you should write a follow-up letter on other ways we misunderstand Stalin)

Bob Zembower, Wilmington

People like Bob Zembower are why every freedom loving individual should be armed to the teeth.  If you don’t think people willing to glaze over the horrors of communism wouldn’t be willing to repeat them, you’re as delusional as our pal Bob.

As a sidenote, Bob is correct in the fact that American troops were in Russian soil (snow, really…) during the Russian Civil War.  Nobel Peace prize winner President Woodrow Wilson sent them there (link).  It is because of this that Joe Stalin became a murderous thug, responsible for some deaths of 40 million of his countrymen, and he knew what Bob Zembower knows about”most churches,” which is why he shut down almost 50,000 of them.