If you do not think communist are a threat to the US now, what about 10 years ago, when the Soviet Union was still Soviet?
Do you think then, there was a powerful communist apparatus in the US?
I think that the Soviet Communists where primarily a threat to the US through their military power esp. their nuclear weapons. The danger from Soviet agents in the US existed but it was much weaker. They could steal some important information or incite some protests maybe even subtly influence US politics in negative ways on a specific issue or two, but overall the Soviet Union's ability to influence US politics was not very strong. Their power in US politics was not only less then that of the Republican or Democratic parties it was less then the AARP, or the NRA, or the ACLU.
I wonder what happened to them. They just shut down, like robots?
Some of them are probably dead, more of them went home or became less active. Presumably some are still here and active but by themselves they are not currently a major threat to our democracy.
But it certainly isn't silly at all, to think we are not safe from communism. North Korea is communist,
do you think Bush is silly to say they are a big threat to world security? I don't.
North Korea's threat is 1 - The fact that they have supported terrorism and presumably continue to do so. 2 - The fact that they have a large army on the border with our ally and trading partner South Korea. 3 - That they have ballistic missiles that could hit Japan, South Korea and other nearby countries. 4 - That they are working to develop longer range missiles. 5 - That they sell weapons and weapons technology to other unsavory states. And 6 - That they are working on nuclear weapons and possibly might even already have a few.
All of these are dangers but they are primarily matters of international politics and/or military concerns. They are not currently a major threat to or within the US, they are more of a threat to our friends in Asia.
I am not saying Communism is not a threat, and I don't think Karen would say that either. The point is rather that it is not a currently active major internal threat for the US. It has potential to become an active major threat inside the US but it is not one at this time.
If you need me to try to explain this in a different way I will try, but if you understand my point and just disagree it might be better at this time to agree to disagree rather then to go around in circles.
Tim |
