Following Europe into Socialism

Published June 15, 2012 in the Lynchburg Ledger 

By Bill Wheaton

Press Media Group, LLC

Communist leader Karl Marx said, "Take away the heritage of a people and they are easily persuaded.”  We see that happening right here in America today yet so many of our people remain blinded to reality.

We need only to look at Europe today to see the devastation Socialism brings to a nation.  Greece is for all practical purposes financially bankrupt yet the people continue to resist the austerity measures the European Union, which is itself Socialist, insists on as a condition of a bailout.

Now, Spain is following right on the heels of Greece, in need of a bailout.  The European Union has offered them a $125 billion bailout in order to keep the 17-country Eurozone from breaking apart.

On 11 March 2004 – three days before Spain's general elections, Muslim terrorists attacked Madrid commuter trains in a coordinated attack, killing 191 and wounding 1,800.  In Spain, this attack is referred to as 11-M.

As a result, voters flocked to the Socialist candidates, and they scored a stunning victory.  It took the Spanish Socialists less than eight years to transform Spain’s healthy economy into the economic basket case we see today.

Most recently, we saw a Socialist victory in France’s presidential election.  French voters elected Francois Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate who Barack Obama immediately invited to the White House. 

Last Sunday, French voters went back to the polls for the first round to elect members of the 577 member French Parliament.  Socialists and other leftists scored the biggest victory with 46 percent of the vote.  The second round will be held next Sunday, June 17^th, where the Socialists are expected to dominate.

Hollande and the Socialists are on the verge of leading France in the footsteps of Greece and Spain, into economic destruction.  Italy now seems poised to follow them all.

We may think here in America that we know our nation’s history, but I can guarantee that is not the case.  Over the past 100 years, our American history has been so revised, distorted and rejected that what passes as history today bears no resemblance to reality.

For example, Socialism was tried very early in our history, and failed like it always does.  It was tried as early as 1621 by none other than the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation. 

In a history text book first published in 1872, “A Compendium of the United States from the Earliest Settlements to 1872” on page 35 we read, “The harvest of 1622 was scanty, and the settlers would have suffered greatly had it not been for the friendship of the Indians.  One of the causes of scarcity was the deep religious feelings of the Puritans, who had desired, in imitation of Apostolic times, to have a community of property.  But even amongst the Puritans there were some who would not work, as long as they were permitted to eat the fruit of the labor of others.  And so the system was changed, and, in the spring of 1623, each family had allotted a parcel of ground to cultivate for itself.  All had now to work for themselves, or to do without the necessaries of life.  After the harvest of that year there was never any general want of food.”

The earliest settlers learned what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10,
”For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’”

This is just one of the many lessons from our rich past that we don’t seem to be learning. 

At my church, we are just finishing up a 26-part series by Christian historian David Barton, The American Heritage Series, in our Wednesday Night Discipleship Training classes.  The information Barton presents in this DVD series is indeed eye-opening.  Additionally, Barton backs up his statements with documentation as he has perhaps one of the biggest collections of original historical documents outside the Library of Congress.

Barton tells of how so many of our Founding Fathers were strong men of God and many were preachers of the gospel.  We never hear about them but only about those who historians call Deists, like Jefferson and Franklin.

They don’t mention how Jefferson would ride horseback to church in the Capitol Building (yes, worship services were held in the U.S. Capitol building for many years) when he was President every Sunday regardless of the weather, or how he selected the Bible as a basal textbook for the Washington D.C. public schools.

They don’t mention Franklin’s speech at the Constitutional Convention where he called for prayer before the proceedings every day, citing many Biblical references.

They certainly don’t mention how colonial preachers spoke from the pulpit openly about the injustices brought upon the colonies by King George.  In fact, every single complaint against the Crown found in the Declaration of Independence was first preached from a pulpit in colonial America.

We now find ourselves on the precipice of history.  This fall’s election will determine whether we follow Greece, Spain and France into Socialistic disaster or whether we turn the corner, change direction and begin returning to an America the Founders gave us.

With George Allen’s decisive victory Tuesday and with Bob Goodlatte surviving a challenge, the ballot for the fall has now been determined, except for Romney’s running mate.

I have to admit I still haven’t warmed up to Romney but with Mariela Castro Espin, daughter of Raul Castro, recently endorsing Obama, I am moving quickly in that direction.

Bill Wheaton lives in Concord, Virginia.  Recent columns are available at billwheaton.blogspot.com.  His email address is bwheaton@moreinformation.net.