Socialism’s Trojan Horse
- From: Captain Compassion <daranc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2005 22:37:39 -0800
Socialism?s Trojan Horse
December 8th, 2005
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5058
It seems not a month goes by when we are not treated to some dire
environmental prediction. Only last week we were told that Europe is
on the verge of being plunged into an ice-age of sorts. And this as a
result of global warming of all things. Allegedly involving
disruptions in the flow of the warmth-exuding Gulf Stream, the
mechanism behind this impending calamity is admittedly not easy to
grasp. Howard Dean conceded as much himself, but he then quickly added
that he had spoken to Al Gore who had explained the whole thing to him
with eye-opening clarity. Yet a few days later Mr. Dean was still
unable to coherently explain the theory on national television.
Confused but undeterred, Mr. Dean told us that we should all go and
?listen to Al. He knows so much about all this, it?s just amazing.?
We will have to take his word for it. After all, Al Gore should know
since he has been in the business of expounding on catastrophic
environmental scenarios for many years. Needless to say, he is the
perfect epitome of the environmentalist zeal which has been inundating
us with doomsday forecasts since the 1960s. None has come to pass yet,
and it does not look one will take place any time soon. In this
connection, one cannot but bemoan the fate of countless trees felled
for all the books and articles inscribed with those missives of doom.
Yet in spite of their zero prediction value, the influx of such
theories shows no signs of abatement.
Fortunately, the outlook has improved (for trees) with the advent of
the internet, which Mr. Gore has once claimed to have invented. The
e-book would appear to be an especially responsible means of
ecological panic-mongering, since it is paperless and can be disposed
of in an environmentally friendly manner. A click of a mouse deletes
it painlessly from your hard drive ? no recycling required. This
technique should make us not only responsible stewards of our planet?s
resources but also of our personal time.
Incidentally, those allegedly shrinking natural resources are not only
as plentiful as ever, but we have more of them as we have become more
adept at discovering new deposits. This should come as a relief to
those who have been listening for decades to warnings and rants about
how we are consuming our planet into depletion. Today that critical
point is apparently no closer than it was when the depletion mania
began. We would do well to remember how the environmentally-conscious
were giving us only a decade (two at the most) to mend our profligate
ways. We never really did, and yet we are still here. Our environment
is cleaner than at any time since the start of the Industrial
Revolution and we have access to more raw materials and natural
resources than ever before. All this thanks to one of the greatest
wonders that has ever appeared on the face of our planet ? free-market
capitalism.
One can only wish that the green lobby could be laughed off, but
unfortunately it can?t. Despite all of its unfulfilled prophecies and
the apparent wackiness, it has become a powerful force on the western
political scene. Laughter can be therapeutic, but it does not change
things in the political arena, at least not in this instance. Not yet.
What we need more than anything is to understand the true nature of
the environmental campaign so that we can properly grasp its insidious
nature and inherent dangers. Let us begin, then, with some basic
observations.
*****
A strong centralised state which controls society?s means of
production is ? as Marx emphatically taught ? the central feature of
socialism. Tellingly, this is also the state of affairs toward which
environmentalism inexorably inclines, and which it has been remarkably
successful in effecting.
Environmentalism derives its impetus from an ominous insinuation:
Modern civilisation is headed for extinction as a result of
self-inflicted environmental damage. The chief perpetrator is none
other than the business establishment which in its relentless drive
for profit devours natural resources while giving off poisonous
derivatives of production.
The only effective way to safeguard our survival, then, is to bring
wayward business under control by regulating its operation in order to
minimise its destructive impact.
This kind of oversight, environmentalists argue, can only be carried
out by a government with the power to implement the radical measures
called for by the gravity of the impending crisis. One of them is
production targets for various business sectors to ensure that the
levels of pollution do not exceed acceptable standards. Another is to
compel businesses to conduct their commerce in environmentally
?friendly? ways.
Since businesses normally resist these kinds of measures ? as they
make their operation more costly and difficult ? government must have
at its disposal extensive monitoring capabilities to ensure
compliance. But most importantly, it must have the power to persecute
and punish those who refuse to submit.
All environmental efforts thus lead ? in one way or another ? to a
government that has more and more control over the private sector
until it inevitably becomes its supreme arbiter. By incessantly
expanding its powers at business?s expense, environmentalism is
furtively realising the essence of socialism ? a strong state which
oversees and controls society?s means of production.
In short, a careful look at the policies and measures advocated by
environmental activists cannot but lead us to the conclusion that the
movement is being used as a cover for advancing a leftist agenda.
The movement?s true nature can be seen not only from its effects, but
also from its appeal to credentialed leftists.
The case of Mikhail Gorbachev is a case in point. The last president
of the Soviet Union, he is now one of the world?s most prominent
enviromental activists. A strange role, indeed, for a man who once led
a nation with such an abysmal record. During its existence the Soviet
Union wrought monumental ecological damage including the greatest
man-made environmental calamity ever ? the explosion of a nuclear
reactor at Chernobyl ? which happened on Mr. Gorbachev?s watch.
The way he handled this crisis tells as much about his real attitude
to the environment as about anything else. His first reaction was not
to launch a clean-up operation, but to conceal the fact. Initially he
and his politburo comrades denied that anything happened at all. Then,
when radioactive clouds reached countries hundreds of kilometres away,
he claimed that it was only a ?minor? accident. It was only under the
pressure of growing evidence that Gorbachev finally admitted the
truth. While mounting the cover-up, the time and energy that could
have been used to contend with the unfolding ecological disaster were
irretrievably lost. But that was not all, for Gorbachev also decided
to sacrifice the lives of thousands whom he refused to evacuate or
even notify of the danger. Scores died and countless others suffered
from diseases caused by exposure to radiation. Many could have been
saved had Gorbachev and his comrades done the decent thing. Chernobyl
is a striking demonstration of communists? characteristic disdain for
both human life and the environment.
Today the man who presided over this tragedy is President of Green
Cross International and one of the leading campaigners on the
environmental circuit. What an irony that he is worshiped by those who
regularly use violence against businesses whose ecological impact is
marginal at best. There are no such bad feelings for Gorbachev, who
should really be their enemy number one for the eco crimes he
committed in the Soviet Union. Yet they honour him as their hero. How
are we to explain this?
Gorbachev?s statements make it clear that even after the Soviet
collapse he remained a committed communist. Since he could no longer
credibly operate under the banner of Marxism-Leninism, he had to look
elsewhere for his ideological home. This he found in the enviromental
movement whose leaders were only too eager to embrace someone whose
fundamental views they share. The fact that Gorbachev is responsible
for more ecological devastation than any other individual in history
has been cheerfully dismissed by the same people who blacklist others
for infractions negligible in comparison. We should not be surprised,
given that the movement is ? in its heart ? far more intent on
implementing a leftist agenda than on protecting nature. The
transformation of Mikhail Gorbachev from a staunch Marxist-Leninist to
a prominent environmentalist is a revealing illustration of this.
Gorbachev?s conversion from red to green is not an isolated instance.
Many other former communists have also expressed their enthusiasm for
the environmental cause. This should make us immediately suspicious.
It is hard to accept that those who not so long ago made up brutal
regimes are suddenly so concerned with the fate of trees and
butterflies. Can anyone really believe that Gorbachev ? a man who did
not hesitate to sacrifice the lives of thousands of his people ? truly
cares about some obscure marshland birds on whose behalf he now makes
speeches?
The real reason for this transmutation is the discovery by former
communists that the environmental movement can be easily used as a
vehicle for their continued efforts. In this they are being aided by
their green comrades from the West with whom they are now jointly
implementing a socialist agenda right under the eyes of the largely
unsuspecting populations.
In a very real sense, environmentalism is a Trojan horse. Hauled into
western democracies as the guardian angel of their survival, it has
been used to chart a course that would have had little chance of being
accepted without its camouflage. Capitalism-averse forces in their
green disguise have been thus able to shape societies by trumping up
the threat of ecological annihilation which was never real in the
first place.
They have already made considerable progress by boosting up states
that control increasingly larger portions of the means of production.
Countries like Germany and France show us just how effective their
efforts have been. Marx himself would not have been displeased. Even
though the ideology bearing his name has been discredited, its basic
principles are nevertheless being furtively realised.
Socialist elements which were always a formidable presence in 20th
century democracies did not abandon their cause with the worldwide
downfall of communist regimes. They have merely changed their mode of
operation. Today they pursue their objectives surreptitiously under
the guise of good causes, having duped well-meaning people with their
cover-up programme. The devious manner of their functioning is one of
the reasons why they have been able to achieve such impressive gains.
There is constant evidence that the nature and goals of socialists
have not changed. The only thing different now is their colour.
Vasko Kohlmayer defected from Communist Czechoslovakia at the age of
19. He lives in London and works in the publishing industry. He can be
contacted at vasko_kohlmayer@xxxxxxxx
--
"The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing
their memory, or their backbone, but we're not going to sit by and
let them rewrite history." -- Dick Cheney 11/16/2005
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography" -- Ambrose Bierce
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy." -- John Updike
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
daranc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Socialism’s Trojan Horse
- From: Topaz
- Re: Socialism’s Trojan Horse
- Prev by Date: Re: Suppose you or i shot a running man with a backpack on
- Next by Date: Sudbuing Iraq brought some peace to elsewhere in the middle east
- Previous by thread: Re: Suppose you or i shot a running man with a backpack on
- Next by thread: Re: Socialism’s Trojan Horse
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
