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Despotism by Design: Autocratic Governments

Despotism by Design: Autocratic Governments
By Todd Strandberg

The high point of freedom in the world was 1991. That was the year a coalition of 34 nations led by the United States showed Iraq that bad things can happen when you try to annex your neighbor.

In 1991, we also learned that Communism doesn’t work. Once the Soviet Union was dissolved on December 26, America was declared the winner. Most of the Soviet Union’s former client states turned to Uncle Sam and Western Europe for guidance.

The last 25 years have seen a relentless decline in freedom. The biggest cause of the slide has been Islamic terrorism. Every time a Muslim decides to commit mass murder, the government reacts by taking away our rights.

It was because of the shoe bombing that we now have to take our shoes off at the airport. It was because of 9/11 that I had to pass through a dozen metal detectors when I traveled up to New York City.

The most troubling reason why we are losing our liberties is the simple lack of outrage. When the Supreme Court said it had jurisdiction over gay marriage, the moral majority had no reaction. When the President Barak Hussein Obama declared all he needs is pen to write new laws, there was no groundswell to remind him that Congress is the only legislative branch.

We don’t even recognize when other countries make a sham out of liberty. Vladimir Putin has the title “President of Russia,” but it has nothing to do with free elections. Putin’s regime has gone from a mild form of authoritarianism to an outright dictatorship.

Last month Putin signed a so-called anti-terrorism bill into law that infringes on the rights of missionaries and evangelists. Among other things, the measure bans evangelism outside of churches, bans missionary activities in residential neighborhoods and requires Christians to obtain authorization in order to share their faith with others—even on the Internet. As a result of these new laws, churches could face over $15,000 in fines if they are caught in violation.

Before last month’s coup in Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan was already well on his way to turning the nation into a mirror of Iran. Since the failure, Erdogan has acted quickly to set up a dictatorship. He has fired or dismissed 70,000 people from the education system, and closed more than 130 media outlets. Western leaders have chosen to just look the other way.

The nation of South Africa has been long praised as an example of success because it managed to throw off the shackles of the apartheid system. Lately, South Africa has been looking more like a banana republic.

The African National Congress party has used the general term of “national interest” to restrict the freedom of the press. A recent poll revealed that 83 percent of South Africans believe that corruption has been increasing and 79 percent believe that the government is doing a poor job of combating it.

I was surprised to learn that freedom in South Korea is in decline. President Park Geun-hye has been using national security laws to clamp down on the press and political rivals. The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has been actively censoring Web content that is deemed threatening to national security. In its last reported year, there was a 27 percent increase in the number of Web pages that were blocked or deleted by the KCSC.

A wave of oppression has even swept over Europe. You would think with all the Islamic terrorism that they have endured would cause nationalism to dominate political discussions. But here hasn’t been much talk about the escalating terrorism because it’s been stamped out by calling it “hate speech.”

People who open forums to simply express their views about immigration policy our being arrested and threatened with jail time. In Sweden, you are not allowed to post news reports that link Muslims to the rise in rape crimes. People in Germany have had their homes raided just because they started a Facebook page that had a negative view of Angela Merkel’s Muslim immigration policy.

I think the only logical explanation for why despotism is breaking out everywhere like a bad rash is because of our closeness to the Tribulation. The spirit of Antichrist is busy setting the stage for the man who will briefly have the whole world bowing at his feet. The one positive thing about this inrush of iniquity is I believe that the Church is the restrainer that must be taken out of the way before the Beast can be revealed.

“… this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (I John 4:3).

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

–Todd

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