Learning from Victims of Communism What We Must Never Forget
Today's Democrats oppose teaching about the threat of communism while advocating for anti-capitalist policies.
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) was created by an Act of Congress in 1993. Its mission is to educate "about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism and to advocate for the freedom of those still held captive by communist regimes." The VOC offers free curriculum resources for the public, including teachers and parents, to instruct and learn about the horrors of communism so it's not repeated by future naïve generations.
Democrats called these efforts racist.
The rise of socialism in America should be of grave concern to our free market capitalist nation. Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin acknowledged that socialism was a steppingstone or transition to communism. A research poll in 2020 showed an astounding 36 percent of Americans held a positive view of socialism. College campuses around the nation promote Marxist ideologies and celebrate communist dictators. Prime examples of why the VOC curriculum must be distributed widely.
In 2023, Virginia Republicans sponsored a bill that would recognize November 7th as Victims of Communism Day, require it be observed in each public and secondary school statewide, and provide instruction on the dangers of communism.
Democrats, led by the teachers' union, shut down the bill—ridiculously claiming it was racist and would cause anti-Asian hate because 4 out of 5 modern communist states are in Asia.
Former 2024 Republican Senate nominee Hung Cao knows firsthand the dangers of communism—his family escaped communist Vietnam. Cao said, "By these Democrats' logic, if teaching communism creates Asian hate, then what does teaching about slavery create?"
It's clear that leftist groups and leaders in America either approve of communist principles or they're uneducated about the dangers of socialism and communism. Actions by the new Democrat Party reveal their communist tendencies.
Communism and the New Democrat Party
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels details their measures to achieve a new communist system. The glaring similarities with today's Democrat party are chilling. Here are some of those measures and comparisons:
Manifesto: Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
Democrats: Democrats proposed $30 billion to create a "public developer" within the federal government who would build "social housing."
Manifesto: A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Democrats: The mantra of the left is to tax the rich, with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) pushing legislation to "tax extreme wealth" and "reduce inequality."
Manifesto: Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
Democrats: Increasing taxation on estates is a key issue for Democrats, led by Kamala Harris. She wanted to increase the already outrageous tax of 40 percent up to 65 percent. That would nearly abolish inheritances by nearly wiping them out and turning the money over to the government.
Manifesto: Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
Democrats: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and other Democrats have called for the Federal Reserve to be a fully public institution (central bank), rather than a private-public institution.
Manifesto: Equal liability of all to work.
Democrats: Democrat Socialist Bernie Sanders proposed a mandatory $15 minimum wage where funding would come from the federal government, but jobs would be assigned locally and would include benefits. Experts called his plan "usurping the market." The Democrat Party platform proclaimed, "Disparities in wealth cannot be solved by the free market alone," and the "federal government must play a role."
Manifesto: Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
Democrats: Obama's agriculture secretary pushed the rapid growth of federal subsidies to farmers which harmed small family farmers. Democrats advocate an end to single-family home zoning—putting an end to the suburbs and requiring people to live in groups rather than on their single family property.
Manifesto: Free education for all children in public schools.
Democrats: This has already been achieved and Democrats are staunchly opposed to any tax breaks for families who choose alternatives to public schools.
The Dangers of Communism Must be Taught
VOC's curriculum, Communism: Its Ideology, Its History, and Its Legacy, is non-partisan and free. They also offer both in-person and online professional development credit for teachers. The curriculum can be taught in full—approximately 4 weeks to teach the entire course—or it can be taught in part. Lessons align with approved national history standards used by most states. For example, every state requires teaching about the causes of World War II and the VOC has lessons on the topic.
The VOC's Witness Project tells powerful stories about both past and present victims of communism such as Grace Jo whose family was killed, and she was nearly starved to death in communist North Korea. Rushan Abbas who fled communist China is also highlighted for her efforts to help the persecuted Uyghurs in China. Both are examples of the dangers of communism continuing to take place today.
The VOC curriculum can be used in homeschools, private schools, public schools, or individually for anyone interested in learning more on the topic. Encourage your local public-school boards to make it a policy that at least a portion of the curriculum be taught to students. It's imperative that the dangers of communism (and socialism) are taught so that history is not repeated. No American should hold a positive view of these dangerous ideologies.
(MORE COMMENTARY: We Still Need Justice for JFK and 61 years of Deep State Gaslighting)
