Remember Tiananmen Square... and a warning

It's been 20 years since the massacre in Tiananmen Square in China.

The Chinese government is doing all it can to prevent the people of China from speaking out to the world about it. The government has blocked their access to Internet resources like Twitter, Hotmail, Facebook, and other message boards.

The Chinese people are not free. They read only what their government allows them to read. They hear only the news that their government wants them to hear. They see only government approved movies and tv shows. They hear only government approved music. They view only government approved artwork. Even foreigners can be subject to China's censorship. Remember the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games? Some journalists found their stories highly censored or even banned by the Chinese government.

The Chinese government dictates every single aspect of its citizens' lives. Those people are not free.

A big question, one that we Americans should review amongst ourselves every day - especially with our young people, is: How did the people of China - or any communist/socialist government - allow themselves to fall subject to such control?

They fell under the magical, romantic spell of the First Face of Communism/Socialism.

I see that Communism/Socialism has two faces.

The First Face is the pretty one. It appeals to the masses. The working people. The poor. The underprivileged. The have-nots.

This face says things like, "The rich get richer while the poor get poorer." "The rich aren't paying their fair share." "We need a redistribution of wealth." "The free market has failed." "The rich (or "Big Business" or "The current administration") is out of touch with working-class citizens." "We need more government programs to take care of the people." "We need to educate our youth not just in the classroom but through engaging them in acts of service." "The government is here to take care of you in your golden years." "The government should bail you out if you're in trouble." (Do any of these things sound familiar?)

This face is especially alluring in times of economic difficulty. When unemployment is high and the cost of living is expensive, desperate people flock to a message of hope, however unreasonable or dangerous it may be. They do not look at the long-term effects and they do not look at the entire picture. They see only the promises of immediate relief.

Soon, this romance is consummated and the people elect the new system into action. It goes well for a while. A bounty of new jobs are created with the commencement of new government projects. More people become recipients of government money through various programs - which are called "benefits," "entitlements," or "security." People stop relying on themselves for housing, money, education, health care or food... they become dependent on the government.

It is then - when the people are dependent on the government - when the Second Face appears.

This face is the one with all the rules and restrictions. It makes its appearance gradually. It introduces laws buried in the last paragraphs of lengthy bills. It says its rules, however uncomfortable, are "for the good of the people." It says that "we've all got to make sacrifices." Youth are forced into government service. Property rights are taken away. The government exercises eminent domain. Choices are reduced. Independent businesses are regulated out of existence. Large corporations are partially (or fully) owned (or backed) by the government. Free speech becomes challenged by "fairness doctrines" which later become outright censorship.

By the time it's all over, the people are so confused at the maze of laws and regulations and so intimidated by the thought of opposing the government that they resign themselves to silent submission.

That is, until people like the brave students at Tiananmen Square speak out.

We should remind ourselves of things like this and then remind ourselves that freedom isn't free. You can't plant a garden and then just leave it alone and expect it to bear fruit. You have to continuously tend it - water it, weed it, fertilize it. We have to maintain our vigil around the Constitution and hold our elected officials accountable to it without fail or falter. The moment we let our guard down is the moment that dangerous weeds spring up in our garden of freedom.