Mediaboss Marketing

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Pope John Paul II and President Reagan worked together to bring an end to atheistic Soviet communism. The two had a divine plan to stop the Soviet empire that was engaged in a war on religion and individual liberties. The work of a pope and a president helped bring about the collapse of communism and yielded more freedom and opportunity for people all over the world.

During a trip to his native land in June 1979, the pope stood at the Polish Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and declared, In how many places in Europe and the world has [a fallen soldier] cried with his death that there can be no just Europe without the independence of Poland marked on its map! The courage of Pope John Paul II to call out communism caught the attention of Ronald Reagan even before he was commander in chief of the United States.

As president-elect, Reagan reached out to the Vatican during the transition period following the 1980 election. Assassination attempts on both men delayed a meeting in 1981, but a personal note the president sent soon after the pope was shot defined his admiration of the holy father and his hopes for their close relationship.

In his letter, Reagan shared, Your heroism, and the universal outpouring of love and concern which it evoked, is proof that a single irrational act cannot prevail against the basic human decency which continues to inspire most people in most places. The qualities you exemplify remain a precious asset as we confront the growing dangers of the moment confront them with confidence and faith.

The two of them did as much as any others to not only provide freedom to the people of Poland but to win the Cold War and bring down the Soviet regime. Remembering the principles they followed to accomplish this provides an essential lesson for world leaders today.

The rise of democratic capitalism, along with the collapse of socialism, dramatically improved the living conditions of people all over the world. Data from the World Bank shows that the share of the global population living in poverty was 42.3% during the first year of Ronald Reagans presidency. By 2018, it had dropped to 4.8%. That means that nearly 1.25 billion fewer people were living in extreme poverty.

In 2018, the Brookings Institution released a report saying: For the first time since agriculture-based civilization began 10,000 years ago, the majority of humankind is no longer poor or vulnerable to falling into poverty. By our calculations, as of this month, just over 50 percent of the worlds population, or some 3.8 billion people, live in households with enough discretionary expenditure to be considered middle class or rich. About the same number of people are living in households that are poor or vulnerable to poverty. So September 2018 marks a global tipping point. After this, for the first time ever, the poor and vulnerable will no longer be a majority in the world.

Sadly, most Americans believe that global hunger has increased when just the opposite is true. The number of people living in starvation-level poverty has fallen by more than 80% since 1970.

Here are the facts: Democratic capitalism otherwise known as free enterprise or entrepreneurship is the best way to fight poverty and improve the lives of our citizens here in the United States and to help people in other countries around the world.

Freedom and capitalism go hand in hand. A society must adhere to the rule of law and property rights for a free enterprise system to work. The lack of that freedom explains the failures in Poland and the rest of the areas controlled by the Soviet regime during the height of Communist control. It also explains why countries like Venezuela are in trouble today. Socialist leaders promise power to the people but deliver poverty to the masses. Last year, 9 out of 10 Venezuelan citizens lived in poverty. Time and again, its been proven that freedom is essential for the masses to benefit from a free enterprise system.

There are legitimate concerns about the impact of the global pandemic on the poorest people and countries in the world. Pope Francis wrote about these concerns earlier this week. Capitalism, however, is not the problem. Rather, the severity of the disease is driving the negative impact. The most effective way to combat this global pandemic will be to allow free markets and the private sector to drive innovation in treatment and advancement in prevention. The principles of free enterprise will drive the discovery of new vaccines and effective therapies.

We should learn from the example of Pope John Paul II and President Reagan and the lessons they gave us. Among them, when governments work to provide free and open markets along with more individual liberties, they overwhelmingly reduce poverty. Freedom and prosperity go hand in and hand.

Scott Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin. You can contact him at swalker@washingtontimes.com or follow him @ScottWalker.

More:
When Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan engineered the collapse of communism - Washington Times

Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

"So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.

"When the crowd disappeared, Jesus stoned the sinner to death saying, I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.

Many Christians would undoubtedly recognize the first two of the above paragraphs as part of the Gospel according to John. The third paragraph? After the Wuhan virus, the third paragraph might be the most despicable thing emanating from a nation run by unapologetic Chinese communist thugs.

Thugs who intend to rewrite Holy Scripture so it aligns with the Politburos sensibilities.

Chinas state-run Xinhua News Agency said late last year that Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Yang had presided over a meeting of so-called scholars and religious people from the grassroots level to discuss making accurate and authoritative interpretations of classical doctrines to keep pace with the times, reveals columnist Matthew Taylor King.

The full version of the Beijing Bible has yet to be released, but the above passage was made public last week as part of a textbook for Chinese high school students. According to the Roman Catholic news agency UCA, the textbook will be used to teach those students professional ethics and law, and the above passage is a moral example, explaining that obedience to the law at all costs is an absolute necessity.

Totalitarian government demands nothing less. And while many Americans should be rightly infuriated by this wholesale bastardization of Christian beliefs and values, they ought to be just as enraged by a progressive-controlled American education system that force-feeds our own students an equally contemptible bastardization of American values and history in the form of Common Core, Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, and the LGBTQ agenda.

Just like Chinas Communist Party, progressives are dedicated to teaching children what to think, not how to think.

Xi Lian, a professor at Duke University Divinity School, illuminated the big picture, noting that the Chinese fear Christianity for three reasons. First, the religion is international, and thus links people in bonds of solidarity and affection that transcend national controls. Second, it is congregational, giving it the ability to mobilize a stable, reliable community capable of toppling dictatorships. Third, Christianitys transcendent vision [and] transcendent values present the Communist Party with an insuperable moral and ideological rivalry, in comparison to the CCPs Marxist-Leninist foundation, that many Chinese view as a spent force.

By contrast, Christianity is thriving: According to the book A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, co-authored by sociologist Rodney Stark and Xiuhua Wang, the number of Christians in China is increasing by 7% per year. Thus, between 1980 and 2007, the number of Chinese Christians increased from 10 million to 61 million. If that trend continues, there will be 295 million Christians in China by 2030.

Again, while that reality is anathema to Chinese totalitarians, Americans shouldnt be too smug. As Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, noted [recently], there is a strong parallel between Chinas efforts to create a new version of Christianity and those pioneered by Protestant liberalism in Europe and America, explains columnist Tyler O Neil.

They arent alone. Last Sunday, in his latest encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All), Pope Francis asserted that the pandemic proved the magic theories of market capitalism have failed and should be replaced by a new type of politics promoting dialogue and solidarity. Pope Francis also revealed that he views the nation-state as an impediment to that agenda, adding, The limits and borders of individual states cannot stand in the way of this.

In short, the pope embraces the globalist agenda, couched in Christian terms. In doing so, he willfully ignores the reality that it wasnt the capitalists who unleashed a global pandemic and lied about it, exponentially increasing its devastation. It was the same Chinese communists intent on making a mockery of the Bible itself in pursuit of unassailable power.

Tragically, the popes current stand should surprise no one. In 2018, the Vaticans foreign minister stated that sinicization and inculturation defined as aligning Christianity with the Chinese communist worldview are the keys to Christianitys future in China.

In other words, communist sensibilities should trump Christian doctrine. How will that work? Perhaps the pope and other equally feckless Christian leaders should examine the realities of life as a Muslim minority in China, where government officials have turned that nations Uyghur Muslim population into de facto slave labor. Slave labor that produces goods for American multinational corporations, whose CEOs worship the god of market share which has reached a new high during the pandemic.

There is much more that could be said about this project, but the most important point for Americans to grasp is that the CCP has learned from the mistakes of the Soviet Union where religion is concerned, warns columnist Cameron Hilditch. Beijings co-opting, repackaging, and careful control of Christianity within Chinas borders is in stark contrast with the Soviets outright, implacable hostility to organized religion.

In America, under the banner of incrementalism, secular progressives have embraced similar efforts to undermine Christianity. And just as in China, their biggest obstacle is people of faith, who are routinely dismissed as bigots for rejecting that secularism in favor of religion.

Yet something revealing and quite timely just occurred. After Trump contracted COVID-19, the outpouring of hate from far too many progressives (with notable exceptions) revealed a stunning callousness impossible to obscure. That it happened so close to the election provides the electorate with perhaps the starkest choice among many regarding the nations future.

A constitutional republic can survive many things. Government-endorsed soullessness isnt one of them.

The rest is here:
China Rewriting the Bible to Align It With Communism - Patriot Post

LETTER from SCOTT DUNCAN

To the Editor:

I grew up in a small town in Upstate New York where the streets were lined with big maple trees. Some streets had still had slate sidewalks. There were many of those big beautiful old Victorian houses you see in villages across Central New York.

I remember marching down the street in the parades. I was a Cub Scout and then a Boy Scout. I think I even got to carry the American flag one time. We would end up at the American Legion where they would serve hotdogs and bug juice as many of the village residents milled around.

In those days I was proud of America, it was my country, it was a nation of immigrants who all came together for a better way of life. Thats the way I saw it at my young age.

As I got older I discovered the truth about many things: the shootout at OK corral with Wyatt Earp had nothing to do with justice. It was about a monopoly of gambling and prostitution.

The founding of my country was the result of mass liquidation of the indigenous species thatwere already here. Millions were murdered.

And then there was the fact that there had been wars almost every year since the founding of this country.

We are an island: Why do we invest so much in military? Eisenhower warned about the military industrial complex, but nobody listened. Greed and power were too tempting.

The AMA was created to form a monopoly to drive away homeopathy doctors. It was not about freedom or a better healthcare system. The American Cancer Society was started to form a monopoly. So much power and greed.

I am embarrassed. The reality is every country in the world has blood on its hands. Its time to stop whining about the past, forget about restitution. We should just move forward as a country and try to do better America has evolved into a petty country. We think everything is black or white. Democrats or Republicans, socialism or democracy, communism or democracy.

Politicians spend time backbiting each other. Its more about their character and how much money they can put into advertising than the quality of their character or the ability to do the job.

Then there are all those people who fear socialism or communism its like they feel its an either/or situation. Sure socialism can breed lethargy, but then capitalism breeds greed and self-centeredness.

Hopefully, one of these days we will get somebody who focuses on the needs and problems of the people, not the government and corporations. The corporations have gained so much power and control they have taken away much of our freedom.

So think about what America really is and what it can be for all, not just you!

I am not well-versed in history but I think the early settlers saw this land as a place of new beginnings for all people regardless of race or religion.

A land of opportunity in fairness for all equality and justice

When its time to vote in any election, forget about what he said or she said, think about what they can do for all the people and not just the One Percent or yourself.

Its not a popularity contest, its not about protecting your beliefs. It is a responsibility to run a nation. It should be done with dignity, compassion, iron-willed determination and a love for a nation that embraces all races and religions and all economic needs in a peaceful environment.

Whether we like it or not, it is not just ourselves anymore but we are part of a global community and we had better start acting with maturity, and not like a reality TV show.

SCOTT DUNCANHardwick Forest

See more here:
DUNCAN: Come Together To Build Better U.S. - AllOTSEGO

Richard A. Gallun Published 9:00 a.m. CT Oct. 8, 2020

I was born during the Great Depression to a Milwaukee family that had owned a tannery for nearly a century.My family was well off and Republican.They hated FDR, whom they considered a socialist. Starting when I was in grade school, my parents instilled in me the belief that, when the masses found that they were a majority, they would "vote themselves a living," doing so with our money.

I followed in my parents' conservative footsteps.As a teenager, I defended the causes espoused by the John Birch Society opposition to communism, wealth redistributionand government interference in the economy. Later, I supported Sen. Joe McCarthy in his crusade to root out commies. Even with McCarthy, the Republicans were still the defenders of liberty and the rule of law.

As I reached voting age in the late 1950s, I saw the Republicans as not only the keepers of these ideals but also as defenders of the environment and fiscal responsibility. They invoked their historic leader, Abraham Lincoln, to give them cover as leaders in the cause of racial justice. This stuff was pretty attractive as a political perspective and it seemed to reflect history as I knew it.

Laterelections turned to pocketbook issues.Ordinary Americans struggled with the burdens of inflation, high-interest ratesand unemployment. Republican stances on economic issues anti-unionismand opposition to public welfare pitted them against the poor. Eventually, they realized that to grab the votes of the less-well-off they needed a better weapon than"trickle-down economics."

Republicans found their solution in the Dixiecrats, loyal Democrats who despised the racial policies of both parties.To get the Dixiecrat vote, Republicans only had to sacrifice a few values like racial equity, the right to privacyand separation of church and state. And while their strategic revision represented a departure from historical values, the party got its moneys worth. This alliance rendered changes in the electoral map that gave the Republicans every election they were to win thereafter. The Southern strategy was a grand slam.

During his two terms, President Ronald Reagan followed the Republican script admirably, but he endorsed the sacrifice of a couple of causes that were beginning to fall under siege when he first came into office gun safety and protection of the environment. From a standing start in 1980, the Republicans had fallen totally into the hands of the National Rifle Associationby the time of the Columbine shooting in 1999.

As far asthe environment was concerned, Republicans had possessed a good record going back to Teddy Roosevelt, and more recently, President Richard Nixon had established the Environmental Protection Agency. But despite these credentials, starting with Reagan, and especially after 2000, the Republicans always sided with business over the environment.

George H. W. Bush executed the job of president with clarity of Republican values, overseeing the fall of the Soviet Union and building an unchallengeable coalition for the first Gulf War. But he violated his promise of no new taxes, when taxes were required for fiscal integrity. He was evicted for the sin of balancing the budget.

As a candidate, Georg W. Bush abandoned his fathers fidelity to financial discipline right out of the box. He went on to cut taxes twice and to leave the next administration with a deep operating deficit. What was more important, he led us into a needless war. By the time he left office, the Republicans had sacrificed two more values fiscal integrity and opposition to foreign adventurism.

My falling away from the Republicans was largely a function of the complete abandonment of their traditional values.

After President Donald Trump won, I thought Republicans would reject him as they observed his foolish and often criminal acts. But they never did, and the wise soon left the party. The acquiescence of the Senate to Trumps corruption makes all the Republican senators still holding office as guilty as the president himself. They had the authority to stop him but chose not to.

Having replaced honesty and integrity with hypocrisy, the Republicans have only one remaining value, that of staying in power.

I am not asking you to become a Democrat, as I have done.I am asking you to think hard about candidates in this particular election and whether the Republican Party as it is currently configured and particularly its candidate for president truly represents the party and values you signed on for.

Richard A. Gallun is a longtime Wisconsin businessman who has served as a fundraiser for many charitable causes. He was also Wisconsin campaign finance chairman for Ronald Reagan's first run for president in 1976, finance chairman for Senator Bob Kasten, R-Wis.,from 1979-87, and finance chairman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin 1989-91.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/solutions/2020/10/08/wisconsin-businessmans-reluctant-divorce-republican-party/5900715002/

See the original post:
Opinion: A Wisconsin business leader and his reluctant divorce from the Republican Party - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

To the Editor:

In response to Mr. Miles opinion letter which appeared on September 12. I am familiar with Turkeys ethnic cleansingin 1922 (my mothers familyis from Aivali, Asia Minor) and my fathers town in Cyprus 1974 (Tumbou).However, America first.I love Greece. My children and grandchildren speak, read and write Greek. I think in Greek, but our country, America, comes first.That is what President Trump has been trying to do. The Democratsfrom day one (Schumer, Pelosi) said they would veto everything the president would propose. Maxine Waters saidto disrupt the lives of all Republicans go in their face, etc.The Democratsare ruining everything we stand for. My parents were Democrats.I, too, until I witnessed the disgracefulKavanaughhearings which was Feinsteins farce.Democrats are jealous because Hillary lost and Trump gets to do the things he promised. The Democrats espouse Communism. I saw firsthand Communism in Venezuela.Barefoot children begging for money to buy food.The mud houses on the side of the mountain. Alsoa close relatives grandfather was shot and killed by a Communist neighbor in the southern Peloponnese.Communism is reprehensible.

I feel religiousleaders should not influence voters one way or another. They should focus on the killing of full term babies. That should be on their conscience. Also we should put all the haters of American laws and traditions on a slow boat to China.

AglaiaTheodosiouTassa

Woodside, NY

Go here to read the rest:
America First | archive , opinions , letter to the editor - The National Herald