Like Belshazzar: The Self-Destruction of Rep. Diane Watson (D-Havana)

"Whittaker Chambers . . . wrote that the crisis of the Western world exists to the degree in which the West is indifferent to God, the degree to which it collaborates in communism's attempt to make man stand alone without God. And then he said, for Marxism-Leninism is actually the second-oldest faith, first proclaimed in the Garden of Eden with the words of temptation, 'Ye shall be as gods.' The Western world can answer this challenge, he wrote, 'but only provided that its faith in God and the freedom He enjoins is as great as communism's faith in Man.' "
-- Ronald Reagan, March 8, 1983

What's wrong with Marxism? And what's wrong with a member of the U.S. Congress praising Fidel Castro? To begin with, as I said, it is a repudiation of the American founding. Our nation was not established by theoretical philosophes, and it did not grow strong and flourish by heeding the flattering "words of temptation."

America is not, has never been, and never will be perfect. It is a drastic misreading of the preamble of the Constitution to suppose -- as so many intellectual idiots have done -- that we are charged with pursuing "a more perfect union" like Dorothy and her friends skipping down the yellow-brick road to Oz.

Knowing that perfection cannot be achieved by human effort in this fallen world, yet we survey the globe and scour the pages of history to find that nation which has ever been so privileged, so honored, so generously graced with God's blessings. Though such grace can never receive from mankind its full recompense of gratitude, we may inquire whether any nation has ever done so much to spread those blessings to so many, as has the United States of America. And what blessing could be greater than liberty?

Yet it is this precious blessing which Diane Watson would have us forsake. For what is Marxism, except the abnegation of liberty? Ms. Watson invokes the specter of racism -- a dishonest insinuation that should not intimidate men and women of goodwill -- and thus reminds me of David Horowitz, the ex-Marxist who has aptly described the communist philosophy as universal racism.

Socialism is the antithesis of philanthropy, even though the advocates of socialism repeatedly proclaim their philanthropic motives, so that like the Pharisees, priests and scribes of ancient Jerusalem, they may be praised as virtuous humanitarians because of the good intentions with which they pave the road to Hell.

Do you not see, Ms. Watson, that with your praise of Fidel Castro and his murderous henchman Che Guevara, you have already wrought your own destruction? Do you think that you own that seat in Congress, that it is your personal property, to do with as you wish? Do you suppose that there is no one -- not a single citizen of your district -- who could defeat you in an election?

There have been many like you before in history, Ms. Watson. One such, imagining himself indestructible, was congratulating himself and celebrating his good fortune with his colleagues, when he received a mysterious message.

Just now I have realized that I have been paying you, the representative of the Third Congressional District of California, an unintended measure of disrespect. For in researching your life, I discover that you achieived the highest degree of educational attainment and that it is my honor to address Dr. Diane Watson.

Understanding that I address such an eminent scholar, I therefore assume your mastery of history both ancient and modern, and your knowledge of many languages. Thus, in considering your special field of expertise, I am certain the message which was so mysterious to your predecessor will to you be elementary, Dr. Watson:

Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.

You do know Aramaic, don't you, Dr. Watson?

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(This is the second part in a series. Readers are encouraged to hit the tip jar. Expect further updates . . .)

TONIGHT: David Horowitz in D.C.

I'll be in Washington tonight to see David Horowitz's 7 p.m. speech at the State Plaza Hotel (2117 E Street, NW):

The George Washington University Chapter of the Young America's Foundation is pleased to announce that they will be hosting David Horowitz at a dinner this Thursday, March 26th to discuss his new book, One Party Classroom.
The son of two life-long members of the Communist Party, and a former supporter of Marxism as well as a former member of the New Left in the 1960s, Horowitz later renounced his "left-wing political radicalism" and became an advocate for conservatism. He is a founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center and has served as president of that organization for many years. He is the editor of the conservative website FrontPage Magazine, and his writings can be read on news sites and publications, including the conservative magazine NewsMax.
Horowitz’s new book, One Party Classroom, is a non-fiction outlining the liberal bias on college campuses. The book includes a list of the top 150 most radical classes in American school’s course catalogues and is broken down into 12 chapters, each focusing on a particular school. The range in size of schools is astonishing; from large state schools to small private schools, a telling sign of the widespread bias. Through careful examination of the school’s curriculum and course catalog, Mr. Horowitz shows that these biases have resulted not because of administrative oversight, but are due to a sincere effort by the University to use the classroom as a platform for liberal bias. The book does not focus on individual classes, but instead investigates the underlying factors that make the existence of radical classes possible.
"Exposing bias in education is one of the main missions of the Young America's Foundation. We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to bring Mr. Horowitz to George Washington to discuss this very important topic. While the recent firing of Ward Churchill was a step in the right direction to end bias, there is still a long way to go. We are eager to help spread the message by bringing Mr. Horowitz to the University," Travis Korson, Director of Press said.
The event will be held at 7:00pm in the Diplomat Room of the State Plaza Hotel. The hotel is located at 2117 E Street, NW Washington DC. The event will be televised by C-Span and is free and open to the public.

(Cross-posted at Right Wing News and AmSpecBlog.)