Fighting communism still is important

#Communism, Bertil Haggman, Florida legislature, Lloyd Brown, Sweden

Fighting communism still is important

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Eye on Jacksonville is read in Sweden.

We learned of this via a comment from an opponent of communism who lives in Sweden and reacted to this column on American vs. Communism.

Bertil Haggman also was delighted that the Florida Legislature this year tried to require government schools to teach students about communism.

The effort failed, narrowly. It was approved in the House and Senate but died on the calendar.

The bill called for a comparative discussion of the political ideologies of communism and totalitarianism vs. the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States.

Communism has killed more people than any other ideology on Earth.

Haggman is with The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, an educational, research, and human rights bipartisan nonprofit devoted to commemorating the more than 100 million victims of communism around the world and to pursuing the freedom of the more than 1.5 billion people still living under communist regimes.

Haggman’s organization provides materials that can be used by schools for that purpose. He has been active in fighting communism in Sweden for many years.

Sweden, although a capitalist nation and a democracy, has struggled with socialism for years.

Currently, the Swedish Communist Party, which now is called Party of the Left, has about 10 percent of the electorate and has been in the ruling coalition in parliament since 2014. It always votes with the ruling Social Democrats, Haggman told Eye.

Although the old Soviet Union has fallen apart, Red China is thriving – thanks in large part to the fact that it has allowed some free enterprise to emerge – and becoming more militaristic every day.

It is something Florida students need to know at a time when our own nation is seeing sympathy for socialism, the first cousin to communism, grow among people who don’t know any better.

We hope the bill’s sponsors will push it through next year.

Lloyd was born in Jacksonville. Graduated from the University of North Florida. He spent nearly 50 years of his life in the newspaper business …beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor for Florida Times Union. He has also been published in a number of national newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet sites. Married with children. Military Vet. Retired. Man of few words but the words are researched well, deeply considered and thoughtfully written.

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Lloyd Brown

Lloyd was born in Jacksonville. Graduated from the University of North Florida. He spent nearly 50 years of his life in the newspaper business …beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor for Florida Times Union. He has also been published in a number of national newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet sites. Married with children. Military Vet. Retired. Man of few words but the words are researched well, deeply considered and thoughtfully written.