Absent Economic Sense,   
Moral Passion Fails   

Part 2 of democratic socialism discussion. 

   Jay Richards, of Discovery Institute, says democratic socialists aren't following 20th century socialism. Their ideal is Scandinavian welfare policies.

   The Economist: "Those countries are not socialist. They are free-market economies with high rates of taxation that finance generous public services. 
The socialist part would be unaffordable without the dynamic capitalist part.   

   There was some sentiment for socialism in the early 20th century. But that support faded with the example of communist tyrants in the Soviet Union, Red China and other countries. 

   Among younger people with no memories of those decades, socialism again sounds reasonable. Democratic socialists say they would bring change through voters, democratically. But they overlook that Venezuelan voters elected Hugo Chavez and promises of social aid. Once the beasts are in, there are no more free elections. 

   In the U.S., Richards says young Christians have been attracted to socialist ideas. They have a valid, moral concern for the dignity of every person. 

   "But if you attach a very strong moral passion to a very faulty view of economic reality, you can end up doing a lot of damage," he writes. 

   He adds, while democratic socialists don't endorse pure socialism, at least some voters and candidates are on a trajectory to that end. 

   "That's what I think democratic socialism is. It's a movement in which a population gets more and more accustomed to dependency. Rather than focus on how we create value and wealth for ourselves and others, we focus on how we confiscate the wealth of other people," Richards says. 

   "The more the population is in that confiscatory mode, the more dangerous it gets." 

WORLD magazine

   

   Our Refuge   

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And being with you, I desire nothing on earth.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

Psalm 73:21-28

What Is It?    
Democratic Socialism  
 
   Four more days! Maybe we can peel away from politics for a while. 
You think?

   Today, we're curious about the Democratic Socialists of America. Are they following the Venezuela model? Do they hold the keys to a fairer USA?  

   Given that the DSA exploded from about 6,000 dues-paying members to almost 50,000 after the 2016 election, we ought to check them out. Small as the organization is, they have pulled some politicians to the left, and made inroads with younger voters.

   Advocates say they are open to different political viewpoints. So far, none have argued to confiscate private property or jail those who dissent.

   We hear "Medicare for all" and "free college tuition." 

   Know what would be cool? ...economics professors appearing on the same stage as social theorists. 

   We who enjoy Medicare aren't telling younger, uninsured people to go fly a kite. But, compassion doesn't mean we shouldn't ask where the government would find $32 trillion - with a T - to fund Medicare-for-all, over 10 years. 

   Is the free-market system unfair, as socialists claim, or is it the most fair and beneficial of two imperfect choices? Gallup says 57 percent of Democrats have a positive view of socialism. And 85 percent support Medicare-for-all, as do 52 percent of Republicans. 

   Some DSA leaders would abolish capitalism, and even abolish the U.S. Senate. One steering committee member goes beyond politics to culture and family. He would "democratize" the family by ending "patriarchal relations." And he would "democratize" schools by changing the "hierarchical relationship" between teachers and students. Holy cow!  

Monday: Can wealth and general dependency co-exist? 

Setting Fuse for Peace and Freedom      

Ronneberg

      Continued. Joachim Ronneberg and his team 
      broke into a power plant critical to German
      atomic-bomb development.

   Without knowing its significance to the Germans, using intelligence provided by a Norwegian escapee, Ronneberg crawled through a ventilation duct and found his target - a row of water pipes. He placed his charges and set the fuse for 30 seconds. 

   He and his team escaped both the explosion and Nazi guards, returning to the mountains and "a marvelous sunrise." Tired and happy, they rested without further conversation.

   Still, they had to ski 200 miles, escaping into neutral Sweden, then Britain.

Peace and freedom have to be fought for every day.

   Ronneberg went on to damage bridges and railroads elsewhere, while Allies monitored the power plant. After several months, repairs were finished, but by then, planes were available to bomb the plant. 

   A British military historian later told the New York Times that the February mission "changed the course of the war." This story has been told in books, on television and in a 1965 movie starring Kirk Douglas, The Heroes of Telemark.  

   "We didn't think about whether it was dangerous or not," Ronneberg said later. "You concentrated on the job and not on the risks."

   After years of silence - he didn't consider himself a hero - he warned, "People must realize that peace and freedom have to be fought for every day."

   He died at home, October 21, at age 99. 

Breaking Hitler's Things    

Hydro-power plant

   
   Did you ever wonder why the Nazi's never succeeded in making nuclear bombs? It wasn't that Hitler's scientists weren't capable. 

   Five saboteurs (plus four) helped prevent Germany's creation of a super weapon that could have won the war. 

   "The plan was audacious, requiring a midnight parachute jump onto a snow-covered plateau, cross-country skiing in subzero temperatures, and an assault on an isolated, heavily guarded power plant in Norway." - Washington Post. The five-man commando team didn't know just how critical their mission would be. 

   This Norwegian plant was the world's leading commercial supplier of heavy-water, a moderator that scientists were using to develop weapons-grade plutonium. This was Germany's sole source. (Americans used graphite.) 

   When Germany invaded Norway in April 1940, Joachim Ronneberg fled to Britain and joined an espionage unit that Winston Churchill called his "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." By 1942, the Allies knew that Nazis were increasing production at the hydroelectric power plant. 

   Forty-one saboteurs already had died when their gliders crashed in bad weather. Nazis executed the survivors. 

   Ronneberg, then 23, and four commandos he selected, parachuted into Norway in February 1943. They landed in the wrong location, waited out a snowstorm inside a cabin, and unexpectedly met up with four local fighters on a plateau northwest of the plant. 

   To reach their objective, they scrambled down a steep gorge, crossed a frozen river and climbed up the far side, avoiding a guarded bridge. At the changing of the guard, Ronneberg cut a gate chain with heavy-duty metal cutters.

Tomorrow: the rest of the story

Let the Little Children   

Following are excerpts from a column by Andree Seu Peterson,

troubled by what adults allow - intentionally or not - children to see.  

~ ~ ~

   "Here is what I know about the afterlife: There will be 'a severe beating' 

or 'a light beating' awaiting those who frolicked while the Master was away
 (Luke 12:47-48), depending on degree of sin. 

   "And the deepest darkness is reserved for those who 'cause one of these little ones to sin: It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea' (Luke 17:2). 

   "We are all about the children in this country. Except when we are not. We're about children except when we want a divorce, or when we want to have an abortion. 

   "Or except when we do whatever we want to do and call it art and say it's up to moms and dads to monitor their children's viewing habits."

   From Revelation 22:10-12, she quotes the Lord himself: 

   Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. 
Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. 

   Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. NIV 

~ ~ ~

   Why would Mrs. Peterson write about judgment? Maybe, because without her knowledge a relative took her young son to see The Silence of the Lambs. He didn't sleep well for a week, and the images are somewhere in his brain for life. 

   As for divorce and abortion, above, there is grace and forgiveness for those of us who repent of these and many other sins, and seek the Lord and Savior. Jesus' final words in the Book offer the "tree of life," while his stern warning to wrong doers needs to be heeded. 

      Jimmy 

   

   

   

   

If He is Right     

   Last week, we summarized the views of former National Security Council member Richard Higgins. He identified groups he says aim to control the U.S. Government. Yesterday, we imagined how the Higgins analysis might explain the Obama Administration.

   If he is right, if we doubt what the U.S. would look like, California here we come. This could be our future: sanctuary cities, defiance of federal laws, homeless people owning the streets, over-regulation, anything goes, and high taxes. 

   Many are leaving the Golden State for Utah. What happens when there is no more alternative? Washington already has us hooked on unsustainable Social Security and Medicare. Nice for seniors, but the statists are not done. 

   Portland, Oregon and Seattle are city examples of "progressive" policies. 

   Enemies attacked the World Trade Center in 1993 and finished the job on 9/11/01, while individuals did their part in Orlando, the Boston and other sites. Those are violent actions.

   Non-violent activities are more concerning for our future. According to Higgins, Black Lives Matter, Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center and the Islamic Society of North America conspire with our political left. Not to mention our media. 

   Certain bankers, businesses and establishment Republicans also cooperate, he said, apparently unconcerned with where this leads. 

   There is no debating Marxists. They adopted theories developed in Europe in the early 20th century and nourished in American universities. They who accuse us of intolerance are themselves intolerant. 

   Voting (we the people) is our privilege and our power. Not just next week but for decades to come. Opponents of the Bill of Rights and other foundations need only 51 percent of the vote, and they are close, if tight U.S. House races are any indication. Moderate Democrats simply are carried with the leftist tide.

      Jimmy