Is This Going to Start in a Week?

A memo to all the cops in the NYPD has reportedly put them on notice: Starting Sunday, October 25th be prepared to be called to control demonstrations and riots (my paraphrasing). I read the report without surprise.

We've talked about this. There's trouble brewing. The election will be the catalyst for that trouble. Be aware. And be prepared.

Before we get into what to do to prepare, consider the recent stories about "right-wing" extremist groups. One in Michigan is alleged to have plotted to kidnap the Governor of that state. A bunch of people were arrested. I think they're being held without bail. Of course, we give the benefit of the doubt to the accused in this country. So until proven guilty, they're to be considered innocent. That's how our system of government works. Other countries differ. But here we presume innocence.

Whether these folks actually were going to carry out this plan or not, the reason I bring them up now is that there seems to be a seed being planted by certain media to cause people to fear right-wing groups creating trouble if Trump loses the election. Will that happen? Well, we won't know unless Trump loses.

And yet, my experience has been that the same people dreading right-wing extremists remain either unconscious of or unwilling to acknowledge those who already have caused trouble. And they're not right-wing extremists. In fact, they're Marxist-Socialist-Communist groups. (Take your pick, they're weaved from the same cloth.) We saw them in action after George Floyd died. And, for many of us, we've seen them in action ever since. These are the folks we need to be aware of, to keep our eye on. They're the ones who've already rioted, looted, maimed and murdered.

Now it gets a little tricky. The George Floyd demonstrations serve as a good example of this trickiness. Not everyone who demonstrated can be considered a Communist. Some are just people protesting what they perceive to be an injustice. (Same applies to demonstrations over other incidents since then.) Fair enough. But there's a hard core of trained operatives who take advantage of the desire to right a wrong. They're not interested in righting wrongs. They're interested in creating mayhem. Why? If you study history, you'll find out. 

For instance, consider the Bolsheviks who prevailed in the Russian Revolution that ultimately created the Soviet Union, run by the Communist party. They were a rather small minority of those protesting the Czar and the injustices they perceived in Russian society at the time. And yet that small minority prevailed in the end. The Bolsheviks believed in their cause, were well financed and organized, had a plan, executed that plan in a disciplined manner. Other groups just protested, for the most part. They expressed their emotions, may even have believed their actions would lead to a better Russian society. But they didn't prevail. 

And with the success of the Bolsheviks came the nightmare of the Soviet Union ruled by a ruthless Communist Party - a nightmare that continued until pretty recently.

You need to understand this to really understand what's likely to be going on some time after October 25th. It's not going to those right-wing extremist groups that will potentially destroy our society and overthrow the government.

At this point, of course, the idea that the government will be taken over by a small group of Marxist-Socialist-Communist trained operatives sounds absurd. But remember that whoever is financing their activities has the big stake. And while I can't say I know just who is doing the financing, it's not unreasonable to expect that such persons are wealthy and/or powerful - likely a combination of both. 

Today's not the day to get into all that. If you're aware that such people exist, you already know what I'm talking about. If you're not, I suggest do a little digging and get up to speed.

Why? Because October 25th is only a week away. And whether or not there's trouble that particular day, the days before, during, and after the election will provide fertile soil for the trouble-makers to plant and sow mayhem - at the very least.

So don't be surprised if and when the you-know-what hits the fan, OK?

Am I going to - or should you - lose sleep over all this? Will I - or will you - be on pins and needles as the 25th approaches? I don't know about you, but I won't. In the end, I have to remind myself that all will unfold according to God's plan. Not that He wants mayhem to rip through our lives; but He may permit those who do to perpetrate their crimes. And if so, there's some way that the consequences of such crimes will ultimately find their way back to the plan of a loving God - Our Father in fact - Who seeks to love us despite our faults and sins. That's the context in which I try to take each day one at a time, even when there's potential trouble brewing.

In that light, I try to stick with charity - aka love: for my family, my friends, my neighbors, even my enemies, which would include those trained operatives looking to destroy our society. 

Cap this off with something from the Catholic Church's Divine Office readings for this morning:

God is charity: and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)

Be careful, be strong. Keep the Faith.