In 1967 I had a chance to go to Athens, Georgia to watch LSU play the University of Georgia in basketball. It was a much-anticipated matchup with the UGA hopeful knowing they could defeat LSU if they just minded their business and executed their gameplan to perfection. The fans had all heard of “Pistol Pete” Maravich, but assumed the stories were mostly hype.
UGA won the opening tipoff and went down to score the first two points and the fans went wild. Knowing that Maravich was a great dribbler, passer, and shooter, the UGA team went back to the LSU end to assume their defensive positions. In true “Pistol Pete” fashion he dribbled to half court, stopped, shot, and turned around and went back to defend against Georgia without looking back. The ball went through the rim and touched “nothing but the net.” The fans were stunned, fell into silence, and knew they were about to see something special. Before the game ended the UGA fans were cheering Maravich on because they recognized they were seeing greatness. Maravich had pulled a “head fake” on UGA. UGA prepared for one thing, and “Pistol Pete” gave them something unexpected.
“I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual… And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow men.”
Ronald Reagan March 8, 1983
We see “head fakes” from politicians all the time, and the assumption of many is that our population has been dumbed down enough to buy the lies. Nonsense like the “Inflation Reduction Act” which increases inflation; the “Affordable Care Act” which generated premiums for working Americans to levels no one could afford; are just recent examples of obvious political “head fakes.”
In a similar fashion we see another “head fake” on the international political stage. Political “head fakes” have no geographical boundaries. When Russia, our decades long adversary, attacked Ukraine we became obsessed with helping Ukraine. Putin told the Russian people he was saving them from Nazis and fascism, an obvious lie.
We should do reasonable things to help Ukraine preserve their sovereignty, but the rest of the world has not stagnated waiting for a resolution of that conflict. While we watch Russia, China is using Russia/Ukraine and Taiwan as their “head fake.” The Chinese Communist know that our politicians are in a sad state characterized by internal conflict and corruption, and they believe they have a chance to move our society toward Communism. Not Socialism as we scream about, but full-fledged Communism. Socialism and war are their “head fake,” Communism is their goal.
The Chinese have wisely avoided a foreign war for decades and have instead focused on internal affairs and other methods of conquest. Now that they are doing more saber rattling, we should not automatically assume they will go to war. They may, but Taiwan can be conquered like they are attacking western nations. They know that they can create more havoc and do more damage through social media, theft of intellectual property, indoctrination of American and Taiwanese youth, and infiltration of business and government. China could attack Taiwan and tip off a war, but why? There are easier and safer paths to victory and China always seems to understand this fact. When Russia started to get bogged down in Ukraine, Beijing t00k notice. Taiwan could be their Afghanistan, Vietnam, or Ukraine; but why conquer with war, when you can conquer with social media, indoctrination, corruption, and financial manipulation.
“Optimism comes less easily today, not because democracy is less vigorous, but because democracy’s enemies have refined their instruments of repression.”
Ronald Reagan
We should have a good feel for their maneuvering because this is the reality we are living, and our politicians, some businesses, and educators are falling in line with the Chinese plan. Unfortunately, for now we have no counterplan on a national level, and it shows. Our lack of leadership is glaring at all ranks in the Federal Government, and in many cases, we are almost singing out of a Communist hymnal. Corporate CEO’s and Boards usually act more rationally, but even there the Chinese seem to have made inroads. Do not forget socialism because it is real, but it is secondary to the actions of some of our politicians as they show more Communistic behavior. The more our politicians scream about the benefits of Socialism or massive social programs, the greater the likelihood that they are taking money directly or indirectly from Chinese entities.
A brief list of concerns to all Americans should include:
- Administration statements insinuating that children are not the responsibility of parents but the State as a whole.
- Evidence of spying with Christine Fang, the spy who allegedly slept with two mid-western mayors and helped with fundraising for Democratic Presidential candidates.
- Watering down our culture by opening our southern border to masses of immigrants from undetermined locations.
- Corporate leadership putting short-term profits over Country even when evidence of theft of intellectual property is proven.
- Investment managers ignoring the lack of financial transparency and auditing of Chinese companies.
- Outsourcing strategic resource and component creation to China.
- Weakening our nation by intentionally creating a dependence on foreign oil.
- The sale of large blocks of farmland to foreign governments, some within range of military bases.
- The sale of key food producers to foreign governments.
- Spy balloons floating over military installations with no definitive reaction from our government.
- Using our own schools to teach our children to hate our Country and its history, and to question our greatness.
- Massive obesity problems, especially with young men of military service age.
- The promotion of gender issues, intentionally destroying our youth and our culture.
- Attacking First and Second Amendment rights to silence and disarm our population.
- A general “dumbing down” of our youth through poor instruction, low expectations, and social media.
- Large funding of our universities and colleges by Chinese businesses, and placement of Communists within the colleges.
- Vilification of and defunding our police, allowing criminals to work with impunity in major cities.
- Opening the southern border to drug traffickers with little concern from the highest levels.
- Creating unsustainable national debt thus weakening our ability to defend ourselves militarily.
- Passing out massive support payments in the wake of Covid, discouraging work, and creating a permanent welfare class.
- Using the FBI/NSA/CIA/IRS to investigate religious institutions and classifying them as terrorist organizations when their beliefs conflict with liberal positions like abortion.
- Using the FBI/NSA/CIA/IRS to go after political opponents while those same agencies turn a blind eye to obvious corruption among the permanent Washington class.
- The creation of a two-tiered justice system where Washington elites are never held accountable for crimes the rest of us would be jailed for at once.
- Promotion of policies and programs that support fatherless homes and abortion.
- Teaching nonsense in our schools with concepts like safe spaces, preferred pronouns, gender fluidity, and blocking parental rights.
- An aging Congress with a poor understanding of technology and therefore, no clue how to combat China.
We and our culture are being attacked on so many fronts that preserving our Nation and its ethos seems almost impossible at times. A similar tactic used by Hitler preceding his takeover of Germany was to create such chaos and hatred behind the scenes that he looked like the one person who could restore order to German society. The turmoil we are experiencing is neither random nor spontaneous.
But the Chinese underestimate the resolve of the people of the United States. Our culture and methods are so foreign to them that they cannot relate to how we function. Communism works from the top down; Democracies work from the bottom up. This concept is so obscure to totalitarian communist nations that they cannot understand how we work through the daily disorder. Democracies have their flaws, but as a political system they are the best mankind has produced. Chaos is an inherent part of the messiness of Democracy and preferable to any Communist or Totalitarian form of government.
Our nation is resilient and always comes to a position that preserves our freedoms precisely because of this bottom-up distinction in control. At times we move slower, but we keep bureaucrats from taking total control as in Totalitarian nations. A lot must be done, but it will be done! Our nation invented the Internet, silicon chips, electronic communications, the light bulb, alternating current, artificial hearts, GPS, the Space Shuttle, the personal computer, and now leads the way in Artificial Intelligence. In the long run Democracy coupled with Capitalism will always outpace Communism coupled with Socialism.
China is the largest atheist nation on earth with an estimated 91% of their population having no religious grounding. The Chinese therefore have a different concept of right versus wrong. They have no moral foundation, no behavioral boundaries, which explains many of their actions. But nations, like people, with no moral foundation eventually collapse. The State is not something to look up to and idealize, and eventually it always shows itself. Their lack of a moral footing shows in their theft of intellectual property and treatment of their own people.
In contests between nations and ideologies there are always ebbs and flows in strengths and strategies. Right now, the chaos created by China is troubling, but my bet is that the modern democracies will play to their strengths and win in the end. For sure we need to be more careful about who we send to Washington to stand up for our interests. We need to have our eyes open when those in Washington talk about Socialism or the evils of Capitalism, because they are really advocating for Communism.
“Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.”
Ronald Reagan January 5, 1967: Inaugural Address
Never bet against America, we are a people who understand the value of Freedom!
