Let’s start with communism. The reason my mother, Phyllis Schlafly, was motivated to be active in politics was because of the threat of communism. Long before the culture wars or the second wave of feminism, communism posed an existential threat to the freedoms of the United States. The leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, told Americans, “We will bury you.” Even though the West ultimately defeated the threat of the Soviet Union, communism still threatens our liberties. Communists crave power.
“The United States is a giant island of freedom, achievement, wealth and prosperity in a world hostile to our values,” said Phyllis. She spent her life advocating for the success of America as a bulwark against the forces that wanted to destroy or take over our country.
She encouraged the formation of thousands of small groups in the 1950s to study communism. Her opposition to communism forms the basis of her entire ideology. Despite the abject failures of communism in the 20th century and the millions of lives killed due to communism, this pernicious ideology lives on. We must continue the fight against communism as it masquerades as other ideologies.
What’s wrong with communism?
- Atheism. The state replaces God to form one nation under government.
- Government ownership of everything and everyone. The state controls the industry and sets the prices. The state sets wages and compensation. The state controls people’s bodies. “Under the nanny state of the left, nothing remains ‘private’ for long,” said Phyllis.
- Predetermined outcomes that pretend to enforce equality. The result is that everyone is equally miserable.
Globalism is communism by another name. Any “world” organization seeks to undermine American sovereignty. “It should be clear that teaching Americans we are now part of a global economy and teaching schoolchildren they are citizens of the world is a deceitful message to con us into a plan to add the poor countries around the Earth to our list of welfare handout recipients,” said Phyllis.
Climate change is communism by another name. The effort to control carbon or control our choice and use of energy is about government control of humans. This desire to control people’s behavior is not about changing the climate. The smart ones can’t even decide if the climate is getting warmer or cooler! “Of course, climate changes. Many changes are due to factors over which humans have no control, such as winds, ocean currents and sun activity. But the liberals want us to believe that climate change is also caused by gases expelled when humans burn so-called fossil fuels,” said Phyllis.
Feminism is communism by another name. Feminists prefer Big Brother over a husband. “Feminism is doomed to failure because it is based on an attempt to repeal and restructure human nature. Women have babies and men provide the support. If you don’t like the way we’re made, you have to take it up with God,” said Phyllis.
Equity is communism by another name. If you want the best to win, then you are an anti-communist. America is built on equality of opportunity, not equitable outcomes determined by the State. “The purpose of our military is to field the finest troops possible to defend our nation and win wars. The goal of feminists, however, is to impose a mindless equality, regardless of how many people it hurts,” said Phyllis.
Government schools are communism by another name. “Our public school system is our country’s biggest and most inefficient monopoly, yet it keeps demanding more and more money,” said Phyllis. “Behind frequent protestations by public officials about local control of the schools, a federal curriculum has been quietly imposed by law. Elementary and secondary school education used to be organized around subjects such as reading, math, history, geography, language, and science. While smatterings of those subjects are still taught, the focus has been shifted from academic subject matter to teaching attitudes, beliefs, values, themes, behaviors, and job skills. This is indoctrination, not education. Left-wing professors write the textbooks and the teachers’ unions control the public schools, so the ideology is what those groups deem politically correct,” said Phyllis.
Multiculturalism is communism by another name. Communism divides people into superficial features and pits groups against each other. Government leaders want to direct hatred and envy between groups so that government can be the solution. “The United States is the world’s most stunning example of a nation that has peaceably and successfully assimilated people from many disparate cultures. So why are some people trying to separate us into factions, emphasizing what divides us instead of what unites us?” said Phyllis.
Communism suppresses the individual. Individual choice and individual rights are threats to state control. “Putting women in military combat is the cutting edge of the feminist goal to force us into an androgynous society,” said Phyllis.
Other bad ideas should be stopped, such as open borders, which undermines the American rule of law. “The most dangerous area where our laws are not being faithfully executed are the laws designed to protect Americans against the millions of aliens who enter our country illegally every year. How can we protect homeland security unless the government stops the invasion of illegal aliens?” said Phyllis.
Transgenderism is another bad idea. “Anyone with a child knows that children learn about the world through binary options: up or down, hot or cold, big or little, inside or outside, wet or dry, good or bad, boy or girl, man or woman. But the radical feminists, who staff women’s studies departments at most colleges, have propagated the idea that we have to get rid of the ‘gender binary’ along with the expectation of distinct roles for men and women,” said Phyllis.
When “communism” gets bad press, the communists repackage the ideas to be more palatable, such as “progressive”. Change the label, but the content remains the same; individual liberties are lost when government has more power. Communists treat people as disposable commodities, not as free-thinking individuals with inherent rights from God.
Phyllis Schlafly used the tactics she learned in fighting against communism in many other political battles throughout her long career. On this centennial, it is fun to read her quotes and see how little has changed. For example, “Feminism has changed the way women think, and it has changed the way men think, but the trouble is, it hasn’t changed the attitudes of babies at all,” said Phyllis. She was a realistic and pragmatic leader.
Phyllis Schlafly organized women to work for important issues: the sanctity of life, defense of the family, real education, a sound economy, and a strong military to keep America safe. She gave a voice to the silent majority.
“What you learn from my life is, first of all, that anybody can be a leader. You can be a leader. I wasn’t born that way — I developed it, I worked at it. And also that the grassroots can organize and take on all the powers that be and defeat them,” said Phyllis.
Happy 100th Birthday, Phyllis! We are proud to be your Eagles.