2. From Indifference To Responsibility

"Seldom in history have so comparatively few people carried so heavy a load of responsibility, or met so mighty a challenge."

Robert Welch, 1968

Joe Goodbuddy is a composite not only of a number of people known personally to this author but also, unfortunately, of thousands of other American citizens. Ten years ago Joe was a typical carefree middle class American. Happily married, he was raising a young family, pursuing his career in which he made good money, and enjoying his money in his spare time. He scanned the local newspaper regularly, spending most of his time in the sports section but paying cursory attention to national and world events. He had an uneasy feeling something was wrong in his nation and the world, but he didn't let his vague concern interfere unduly with his enjoyment of television and his weekly golf or bowling. He and his wife were nominal members of one of the larger Protestant denominations, attending church regularly every Easter and Christmas, and whenever else it seemed convenient.

Then a friend of Joe's, a John Bircher, laid his hand on Joe's shoulder and began urging him to read. Reluctantly, just to humor his friend, Joe did. What he read was alarming enough to make him consent to view some films, which alarmed him even more. Over a period of months he came gradually and reluctantly to the conclusion that his friend the Bircher not only knew the horrible truth about the national and world scene, but also was engaged in a patriotic effort to rectify the situation. Joe recognized his moral responsibility to do likewise and joined The John Birch Society.

Our newly-awakened Bircher continued his reading and learning, as every good Bircher should. As he began to arrive at a clearer understanding of the Conspiracy, his alarm and concern continued to increase, but so did his determination to fight the evil Conspiracy. He became a dedicated man. He dropped out of his civic club :once he came to realize that, although the club did some good work, there were hundreds of Americans who would do that work for every one who would undertake the much more difficult and more urgent task of saving American freedom. He stopped watching the boob tube. He spent less and less time on the golf course, dropped out of the bowling league, and recruited his wife into the Society. He and his wife began scheduling their activities more and more to fit the requirements of the fight to save America, as all good Birchers should.

One of the more unpleasant facts of life our new patriot learned was that he himself was helping to finance the work of the Conspiracy through his contributions to his church. The shock of this revelation, coupled with his growing realization that he needed God's help to be more effective in the struggle, led him to seek a different church, one not connected with the Conspiracy either through the corrupt National Council of Churches or otherwise.

To some newly-awakened patriots, the statement that Joe's church was connected with the Conspiracy may seem unduly harsh or unfounded. Could such a situation really exist, and if so how could it have been brought about? Let us examine the evidence about this in the next chapter.

 

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