More Left Wing Garbage from Hollywood

McCarthy and his henchmen were not right! As Americans, they were as wrong as I can ever imagine wrong to be! You write like someone who is not altogether aware that our country is one of free thought and that, at one time, it was not a crime nor was it illegal to be interested in or have membership in the Communist Party. Even after President Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act in 1954, the party survived in this country...in fact it still does! It would, perhaps, be a good thing if you educated yourself in these matters so you can come to understand exactly how wrong Senator Eugene McCarthy was and why he was wrong. Communism, when taken too far, is not unlike any other political ideology insofar as it can, and often does, become dangerous. The Communism of Karl Marx was born from Socialism, yet another ideology that can be questionable! It was Marx who held the belief: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." This is not, in and of itself, a recipe for disaster! Another idea from Karl Marx had was: "Free the lower class from poverty and give the poor a fighting chance." Is this something that makes your blood run cold? No, it isn't! The test, however, and most important aspects of any idea that sounds right or good would be how one would go about accomplishing them. Therein lies the rub, I believe!

It was a very different time in our history that allowed such varied thoughts to be open for discussion and belief. Throughout our history, the brightest and best minds in our country partook of all manner of ideology and considered it. I, for one, hope we always will! You cannot simply discard an idea because it has been thought of or has been primarily associated with Communism, Socialism, Capitalism and whatever else is out there. It's not unlike anything else we ponder, examine and do. You consider all aspects and then you take what you need or want and leave the rest behind! It is, I believe, the way intelligent man has always come to its conclusions.

For you to state the following: "It used to be "I'm NOT a communist." Now it is, "What's wrong with being a communist?" So McCarthy was right." is not only short sighted, it is disingenuous. Even though we've come so far as to reject Communism in its final versions, based on what we've seen from those countries who employ it, we can still learn from it in today's world. No, I am not a Communist but I can still consider the thoughts of someone who can make a case for some of its best tenets without condemning that person to the fires of hell or ruin his or her life for it! McCarthy couldn't and that's only part of what was wrong with him and his movement. To cast people into the abyss and accuse them of being UN-American and worse is just wrong! Those whose names were on the Hollywood Blacklist were not, for the most part, true Communists and everyone knows it! They knew it then...but when a person becomes so powerful as to hold every aspect of your life in their hands, we all suffer the consequences. We all lean toward some political system. Is it not a matter of degree which would then render our thoughts "off the wall" or off the charts? I don't think that anyone sits so squarely in the middle that it renders him or her the perfect political specimen!

I think you might avail yourself of and see a couple of great films having to do with McCarthyism and being an American. One is "Good Night and Good Luck" and the other is "1776." There are, of course, hundreds of writings and articles you could consider concerning these matters but, in the end, nothing is absolute! No matter how hard one may try to make it so, nothing is written in stone. It's not one way or the other, black or white or my way or the highway. Grey areas do exist and there is "wiggle room" in our way of life, our laws and our Constitution. It was designed to be so and thank God the framers and lawmakers thought to make it so.