THE SPIDER AND THE FLY
Mary Howitt (1799 - 1888) at age of 30 wrote the fascinating poem, long out of copyright but not out of memory, "The Spider and the Fly" –
"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to shew when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, "Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome–will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"
"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."
The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple–there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue–
Thinking only of her crested head–poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour–but she ne'er came out again!
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July back in 1776, I'm reminded of the phrase: "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Often mis-attributed to Thomas Jefferson, this phrase came from a speech made by Wendell Phillips, an American Abolitionist, to the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in 1852: "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few. Only by continued oversight can the democrat in office be prevented from hardening into a despot; only by unintermitted agitation can a people be sufficiently awake to principle not to let liberty be smothered in material prosperity."
As a descendant of Edward Doty, a "white slave" who belonged to one of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and who was emancipated and became a Pilgrim while enroute to the New World, and in 1620 landed in Massachusetts, I am deeply indebted to this principle. I have studied Marxist theory and communist history, along with theology and church history, for over 65 years. My wife and I served in Russia as missionaries for 17 years. The vigilant maintaining of religious and political liberty is vitally important at this point in our history.
In contrast, the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA ("Revcom"), led by Bob Avakian, openly advocates for the violent overthrow of the U.S. constitutional order, rejecting democratic participation in favor of revolutionary upheaval. While groups like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Communist Party USA (CPUSA) use "incremental" legislative methods rather than force, their policies still aim to bit by bit, gradually dismantle the spiritual, economic, and political foundations of American society. Both are expressions of Marxist dogmas that "religion is the opium of the people." The essential motivation behind Marxism is not merely political, it is atheistic, more specifically, anti-Christian.
The primary difference between revolutionary and reformist Marxism is one of tempo vs. destination, revolution vs. gradualism, as both seek to replace our nation's core principles of God-given rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"; for freedom of religious expression, representative government, and free and fair markets. The fact is that socialism is the real OPM of the people – "Other People's Money." Margaret Thatcher once stated – “The problem with socialism is that it eventually runs out of other people’s money.” When the spiritual and material wealth of the people is exhausted, socialism degenerates into despotism.
Winston Churchill wrote – "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." Socialist implementation consistently leads to state-enforced deprivation, religious and political repression, and economic collapse. Wherever socialist systems have been fully implemented, they have produced serfdom and equality in deprivation – often enforced by the state. A Russian proverb says that wherever one sees the “hammer and sickle,” one finds death and famine.
In conclusion, in order to preserve the right to life and freedom of religious expression, our society must move past complacency, wake up, and resist the normalization of anti-Christian and anti-American narratives. We must emphasize that protecting a free society requires a clear-eyed understanding of the consequences associated with atheistic ideologies.
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