First advisor and Step-brother Gary, came across something interesting and intending to give his friends a smile, sent out Opinion from a Former Judge via Text. At the risk of looking a gift horse in the mouth, some research ensued.
The originating source of publication turned out to be The Epoch Times. According to Wikipedia, The Epoch Times is a far-right international multi-language newspaper and media company affiliated with the Falun Gong religious movement. The newspaper has websites in 35 countries but is blocked in mainland China. It opposes the Chinese Communist Party, promotes far-right politicians and Ex-President Donald Trump. A 2019 report by NBC News showed it to be the second-largest funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising after the Trump campaign. The Epoch Media Group’s news sites and YouTube channels have spread conspiracy theories such as QAnon and anti-vaccine misinformation. In 2020, The New York Times called it a “global-scale misinformation machine”.
Know your sources!
Inspite of the highly questionable nature of the publication from which it comes, Opinions of a former judge is worthy of consideration. The words of the former judge, Keith Alber, appear in quotes below. Commentary follows quotes.
“What was printed in 1954 as a possible diabolic nightmare has become an emerging reality.
I hope that Americans will unite enough to pen a good finish – Go dwelling. Keith M. Alber”
The first quote is the conclusion of Mr. Alber’s post, and WinLoseorDraw fully concurs with Mr. Alber’s call for American unity!
“I am a student of law whose age is 85. My first year of college was 68 years ago. One class I took was political science. A half-page of my textbook essentially outlined a few steps to overturn a democracy:”
Without signing on to The Epoch Times no further information about the political science text is available at this time, and the theoretical agency for these hypothetical political changes is unknown and possibly never stated.
- “Divide the nation philosophically.”
Check! America is unquestionably divided philosophically, although there is no single agency for this dilemma. The fault lies equally with extremists on both sides of the political divide.
- “Foment racial strife.”
Check! The perfectly healthy multi-ethnic diversity of America is on some level under more stress today than before, during, and immediately after the Civil War. Again, look to both sides of the political spectrum for the causes.
- “Cause distrust of police authority.”
Check! We live in a Democracy! The Rule of Law is essential, and the implementation of those laws must be unimpeachably equitable.
- “Swarm the nation’s borders indiscriminately and unconstitutionally.”
Check! People everywhere will continue to yearn for freedom and a better life. Unfortunately, access must be regulated. If everyone who wants freedom and a better life is allowed to come illegally, they would only create a worse version of what they left behind.
- “Engender the military strength to weaken it.”
Whoever wrote that textbook in 1954 couldn’t have been more wrong! The inclusion of willing women in the military can only strengthen it. A 90 pound man cannot carry a 250 pound comrade off the battlefield any more effectively than a 90 pound woman. All other arguments against women in the military are just as fallacious.
“Overburden citizens with more unfair taxation.”
Check in the sense that the spending is out of control, and, by extension, taxes are way too high. Check in the sense that the tax code is way too complicated and convoluted, creating lots of tax loopholes for people who can afford expensive tax lawyer teams.
Check in the sense that in a true Democracy all citizens should shoulder the cost of government equally, excluding the infirm who should get a hefty tax credit.
- “Encourage civil rioting and discourage accountability for all crime.”
Extremists on the right claim this is happening. It’s not! Civil Protest that sometimes ends in deplorable rioting does sometimes happen. People must be allowed to speak their minds, but rioting should be punished with the full force of the law. As for ‘accountability for all crimes,’ that much goes without question. However, the level of accountability for crimes without victims is much too high, and decriminalization of those crimes should occur as soon as humanly possible. People must be free to make their own lifestyle choices!
- “Control all balloting.”
The control of balloting is essential, and it is currently being done appropriately and effectively. There will always be a few illegal ballots, but those of us who are currently using that fact as a gigantic political issue, are undermining our Democracy. If you are doing that, just Stop!!!
- “Control all media.”
Check in the sense that neutrality is noticeably absent right now. If you are seeking out a political echo chamber, you can certainly find it. Patronize media that retains some semblance of objectivity. Don’t digest and regurgite the fake stuff you find on social media.
Overall, Mr. Alber’s 1954 textbook passage does seem prescient of many of the problems we are faced with today.
Proposed: Let’s heed Mr. Alber’s timely warning and work together to make things right.
It sounds similar to Cloward and Piven. Agitation, revolution, and domination are fundamentally fun.
…and inevitable. Why fight it?
If we fight, we fight to make the inevitable less inevitable
I suppose those two kneejerk socialists could have been the original authors, but I assume otherwise. As I said, (or implied) when I googled The Epoch Times, my research came to a screeching halt, so I do not know the prime source. Perhaps that will come to light.