The Februay 21, 2011, edition of The New American magazine included a review written by Thomas R. Eddlem for the book ‘You Can Still Trust The Communists…To Be Communists (Socialists And Progressives Too)’ by Fred Schwarz and David Noebel. Mr. Eddlem says it’s a “very valuable and important book”.
I’m thinking I might buy a copy of it, and not for what it says but for what it shows.
Anyone who has spent any time reading ‘Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends’ is aware of the fact that I have spent years studying Communism/Socialism. I mean, how could a defender of Senator Joseph McCarthy – as I am – not be fairly well versed in the ways of Communism? Just undertaking a serious study of McCarthy would necessitate gathering a lot of information about McCarthy’s mortal enemies: the Commies and their Fellow Travelers.
Of course, when one learns about Communists, it is only natural that he or she will also gather along the way knowledge about all of the other “Socialist dogs”, such as the Fabians, the Keynesians (e.g., NeoConservatives), various types of Fascists, and every stripe of Dumb-O-Crat, and so forth and so on.
I have plenty of Communist-related titles in my bookcases, from classics such as John Stormer’s ‘None Dare Call It Treason: 25 Years Later’, Douglas Hyde’s ‘Dedication And Leadership’, Whittaker Chambers’ ‘Witness’, and Stephane Courtois’ ‘The Black Book Of Communism’, to lesser known works like Clarence Carson’s ‘Basic Communism’ and Richard Wurmbrand’s ‘Was Karl Marx A Satanist?’ (I don’t suppose I even need to mention Karl Marx’s ‘The Communist Manifesto’, do I?)
So, although I am sure I would learn a thing or two about Communism by reading ‘You Can Still Trust The Communists…To Be Communists (Socialists And Progressives Too)’, I have to suspect that the bulk of this book will simply be rehashing information I’m already familiar with.
And yet, I’m thinking of purchasing the book anyway. Why? Because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the cover illustration! I think I need to have that in my house. Take a look… below is the Beatles’ original – an iconic album cover – followed by the updated Schwarz/Noebel take on it:
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Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
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Sergeant Commie’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
It’s very difficult to make out all of the faces because of the poor quality of the image, but in the upper right corner I have identified Antonio Gramsci, and in the lower right corner is “Hanoi” Jane Fonda (next to Castro). It looks to me like the dude playing a banjo in the lower left area might be Pete Seeger, and I love the fact that an actual “Beatle” made the cover: that’s a black and white photograph of John Lennon just to the left of Marx in the yellow band uniform.
The only thing I might have done differently is to have put Lenin’s face where we now find Marx, so that Lennon would be standing next to Lenin (who would be wearing John Lennon’s yellow band uniform from the original album cover photo).
Anyway, regardless of this book’s text; regardless of how much or how little new stuff(s) I might or might not learn from it, I think I needs me to have ‘You Can Still Trust The Communists…To Be Communists (Socialists And Progressives Too)’ in my home library. That is just CLASSIC imagery.
Imagine there's no Lennon
It's easy if you try
No Marx below us
Above us lotsa pie
Imagine all the Commies
Gone since yesterday…
Imagine there's no Commies
Although it’s hard to do
No Socialists nor Fascists
And no Liberals too
Imagine all the people
Left the hell alone!
You may say I'm a loony
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll wise up
So our problems will be done
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
POSTSCRIPT: This ain’t got nuttin’ to do wit’ nuttin’ but, on my other blog, I just posted a very old picture of Yours Truly that a friend of mine happened to run across and Emailed to me.
Check it out! I really was young (and nearly “cool”) once, in a galaxy far, far away.
Link: DOING MY BEST “JAMES DEAN”
YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Without question John Lennon was a commie. That's why it is hard at times to acknowledge as a music lover what that band did for music. Not just them, their producers, exc. If you strip those songs down they really are not any better than a lot of what you hear from run of the mill bands of that era. What made them different was the technological innovation (guitarists wouldn't be buying half the sounds effects they do today had the Beatles and their producers not invented them in the studio on the Sgt. Pepper recording). But ya, his politics SUCK!!!! His musical ability as a song writer is OK. But heck brother you and I both know that all rich commies want communism for everyone else but themselves. Lennon owned cattle, Michael Moore has a law suit currently trying to collect millions. They want us to be starving and having our last onion confiscated, all while were imprisoned for not turning it over to the state (actually happened that a wife just lost her husband in Russia from starvation, was harvesting their only onion to feed her dying children, and the soviet communists imprisoned her for not giving it to the state).
ReplyDeleteHeck, it's not uncommon for commies to find talented youth (like Lennon), turn them into commies, and have them be the useful idiots they need. Anyway, good post.
Brer Marc
BR'ER MARC ~
ReplyDeleteI had no use for John Lennon. He was Rock music's biggest hypocrite and one of it's biggest jerks. Obviously, I don't believe anyone should be murdered (heck, I don't even support capital punishment), and I wish Lennon had not been killed by that nut. But frankly, I don't miss the guy and I don't believe the world is worse off without him.
Lennon denied being a communist, while actually admitting that his most famous solo song, "Imagine", was The Communist Manifesto set to music.
And yes, of course, you're right that these wealthy, idealists always want Collectivism for the rest of us but Capitalism for themselves. Hypocrites ALL!
As for the music... I loved the Beatles when I was in high school, but now have a so-so opinion of their stuff(s). The Beatles were greater than the sum of their parts, but in truth, their best work came about as a reaction to the work of others.
For instance, lyrically, it was Bob Dylan who drove the Beatles to begin writing more complex and/or abstract songs. Prior to Dylan's influence, they were writing things like "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Eight Days A Week".
And it was Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys who inspired (and frightened?) the Beatles into becoming much more adventurous musically. "Sgt. Pepper's" was their attempt to answer "Pet Sounds". (For my money, "Pet Sounds" wins that challenge by a good margin.)
As a solo artist, John Lennon mostly bored me, with only a few exceptions. Still like "Instant Karma" and "#9 Dream". But I NEVER liked "Imagine", even before I knew it was Communist ideology set to sleepy piano tinkling.
And, boy, you sure are right that Lennon was a "Useful Idiot"! Heck, he was practically the "Useful Idiot" poster child!
Incidentally, Br'er, since you liked that "Jesus Saves" picture so much, let me direct you to another version of it that I myself took in the early 1980s.
Unfortunately, the street sign looks too dark on my blog, but you can still read it if you look closely.
Scroll down toward the bottom of THIS BLOG BIT and watch for the "Jesus Saves" photograph.
It's the combination of the sign and the street name that inspired me to photograph it. See whatcha think, Brotherman.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
This is a clever cover and it seems to indicate that the author has a sense of humor if the book follows in this vein. If you get it, I hope you review.
ReplyDeleteI went back to look at the earlier "Jesus Saves" photo and, yes, it's a good one with the juxptaposition of the street name.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Jesus Saves on hope st. That was no accident. Even LA had some righteous people naming streets at one time. Loved that picture. Loved grabbing it to, and I'll catch up on that blog bit I don't remember too.
ReplyDeleteBOID 'N' BR'ER ~
ReplyDeleteYeah, "Jesus Saves"... I "Hope".
;o)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'