Will fight for freedom

Socialism is not communism. People in my generation spent a large part of our lives fighting communism. We know what communism is, and it is not socialism. If you like your Social Security, Medicare, military, public schools and roads, fire and police departments, you are a socialist, not a communist. Communists want to destroy capitalism. Socialists do not want to destroy the goose that lays the golden egg.

Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. Russian leaders have feared European aggression. They defeated both Napoleon and Hitler. Stalin created vassal states around Russia to protect himself against aggression. Putin is trying to do the same today, only now he has a like-minded, would-be dictator in the White House to help him. Fortunately, our fathers created a world order in 1945 to preserve freedom for everyone. Now that world order is under attack by the American president.

The United Nations charter was drafted in the United States and signed by the five permanent members on Oct. 24, 1945, to preserve peace and freedom in the world. The charter is a treaty requiring all member states to respect and observe “human rights.” Human rights were defined in the Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948. The nations of the world recognized in 1945 that when nations do not respect human rights, human beings will go to war to take what is rightfully theirs: freedom!

But what is freedom without food, water, and clean air? What is freedom if we have to live underground due to global warming? People will go to war to protect human rights. Look what is happening in Hong Kong and Belarus. If you want people to live peacefully, protect their human rights. Take them away, and there will be war.

RUUD DuVALL

Fayetteville