Masters of Deceit

April 23, 2010 7:58 AM

Around 1934 the Soviet Russian government had a policy of "Departments of Agitation and Propaganda" (abbreviated "agitprop") associated with the Central Committee and other organs of the Communist Party. "Propaganda," referring to Marxist-Leninist doctrine, meant "whatever deserves to be propagated." By distinction, "agitation" meant appealing to emotions, getting the public riled up, essentially, pure rabble-rousing. Both agitation and propaganda were intended and used for spreading the word about how wonderful Marxism, socialism, and Communism would be when completely implemented.

The Communists became very good at agitation and propaganda, and the heirs of the Soviet Communists, the New Leftists of the "Progressive" movement and its congressional caucus, are unsurpassed in their skill at both. In 1958 J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the FBI, had a book published under his name with the title, "Masters of Deceit." I consider the book, still available, as required reading for Tea Party supporters and other advocates of the Constitutional plan of the US Founding Fathers. Deception is not just an occasional tactic of the Left, but hard-wired into their system.

The Marxists were secular followers of the religiously-oriented German philosopher Hegel, whose concept of dialectics opened the door to intellectual chaos.  The basic idea is that every concept is in a conflict with the opposite concept, and that the conflict can be resolved with a third concept that bridges the first two.

A good illustration is the phrase used by writer George Orwell, "freedom is slavery."  Of course, freedom is not slavery but the opposite of slavery. According to "dialectics" freedom and slavery are merely warring opposites which can be resolved into some kind of hybrid.

It is common sense that no man should be free to punch his neighbor in the nose unless attacked first, and according to the rule of law, there has to be limits. Freedom is still freedom, even with limits. A communist, however, uses "dialectics" to muddy to water.

A communist might say there is no such thing as freedom because men would be always punching each other in the nose unprovoked. Neither would there be such a thing as slavery, for a slave is free to do certain things such as breathe and think private thoughts. The concepts of "freedom" and "slavery" would be nothing more than "bourgeois" mind tricks to fool the oppressed masses. Dialectics, however, would resolve the conflict between freedom and slavery by synthesizing them both into something else. Such a synthesis might result in a Marxist concept like "social justice," a result of which is that nobody is free, but the majority do not think of themselves as slaves. Propaganda mission accomplished.

To a person with a clear mind and common sense, the Marxist distortions of thought with "dialectics" seems absurd, and unlikely to be taken seriously. Consider, however, the kind of agitation ("global warming will kill all the cute polar bears") and propaganda ("Obama is our historic first Black president who has restored the bad reputation of the US") that go on in the public schools, university indoctrination, and the mainstream media.

Under the present political regime, government control is "reform" or an "overhaul." Obama is "a supporter of the free market." Tea Party advocates are "violent" whereas Iran's ruling mullahs are potential partners for negotiation, agreement, and, with the audacity of hope, peace.

To call such assertions lies is a gross understatement. They are the products of the bogus logic of dialectics, of the refined agitprop of the New Left, and of deliberate, sustained, unremitting plan to deceive Americans into accepting New Left premises without even knowing what premises are being accepted. The "reach-across-the-aisle" brand of Republican has already accepted them.

Are the men and women now in control of all the levers of power in the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal government masters of deceit? In my opinion they, along with their toadies in the schools and mainstream media, make the Soviet Communists of the 1950's look like mere amateurs.