More Charles McCarry

I mentioned this author of spy novels in a post last week.  It is amazing how well he diagnosed what was happening in our country and how prescient he was.  Two books, Better Angels and Shelley’s Heart, both interesting reads and the source for some of the best descriptions of the genesis and psychology of the modern pro(re)gressive movement.  The plot is also almost humorously like what we are experiencing, as pro(re)gressives, including those in the CIA, illegally steal an election using computers and then try to prevent discovery of the fraud.  But here are some passages in Shelley’s Heart that are particularly revealing.  Here is a passage describing the corruption of the university ethos to promote the whacked ideology.  Hammett is the academic leading this effort.

“Hammett was interested in reinforcing a certain kind of political behavior, based on a system of beliefs that had already been instilled in his subjects by earlier teachers.  His predecessors had created a tribe of young believers by bestowing such irrestistible rewards as perosnal encouragement and praise, higher grades than were strictly deserved, honors, prizes, scholarships, recommendations for graduate school, and so on.  Hammett build on this foundation by offering a higher order of rewards.  These included knowledge of secrets and the trust this implies, praise, recognition, power, and the psychic support of a like-minded tribe…  By his teaching he gave his pupils a purpose in life:  the reinvention of society, and, by exercising his influence to them jobs in the right places, he made it possible for them to fulfill that life purpose…”

This character ends up as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court overseeing an impeachment trial.  He comes under attack as having an ideological agenda and relies on allies in the media, which he has played a key role in corrupting.  Read this passage and recognize how accurately it describes the dynamic we see during this election.

In regard to the attacks on him–“This implied that the secular religion which was the Cause must also somehow be false and deceptive.  (The support for Hammett) had come from people who held radical beliefs with evangelical passion and would spring ferociously to their defense at the slightest sign they were being questioned.  Hammett knew their minds:  Correctness was virtue; belief was personal validity; doctrine was truth.  All else was evil.  Hammett was the defender of the faith.”

This was written quite some time ago.  Hard to find a better description of the beliefs and tactics of the pro(re)gressives.  And I doubt even the author imagined how widespread this lunatic ideology would become.