Paul Harvey first wrote a commentary with this same title in 1965.
I think it is clearly time for me to update it for 2020.
I’m a God-fearing and God-loving AMERICAN patriot.
I am a Jew who took Jesus Christ as my savior almost 30 years ago.
Today, I feel the devil all around us, like never before in my lifetime…
In any lifetime.
This Coronavirus crisis has the devil’s evil fingerprints all over it.
Not certain I’m right?
If I was the devil, if evil was my middle name, I’d love the Deep State, the corrupt D.C. swamp and most of all, their PR division, the liberal media.
I’d love big government.
I’d love globalists.
I’d love communists, socialists and Marxists- anyone who would put the AMERICAN people in misery and slavery.
I’d dedicate my life to anything and anyone who’d destroy the AMERICAN dream, opportunity and mobility. Because of course, the devil loves misery.
I’d want to enslave the AMERICAN people, ruin their exceptionalism, make them ordinary citizens of a global army of serfs.
I’d want to turn the lives of confident and prosperous Americans, and especially American business owners, into misery and malaise.
I’d want America to be no different than Cuba, or Haiti, or Venezuela, or El Salvador, or any starving country in Africa, or any miserable country anywhere on this globe. Why should America escape my misery and pain?
I’d give my support to anyone who’d take the AMERICAN Dream away.
I’d hate President DONALD J TRUMP.
I’d hate anyone who wants to make America great again.
I’d hate AMERICAN patriots and military veterans and capitalists.
I’d hate first responders. I’d hate anyone who is courageous and does good.
I’d hate business owners who think they are special, who believe in freedom, who think their work ethic and sacrifice have earned them success and prosperity. I’d want to wipe that smirk right off their faces. Id want them to suffer.
To accomplish all this…
I’d want to create a pandemic just like Coronavirus.
It would magically save China’s collapsing economy and prop up their evil communist party.
It would wipe away all of Trump’s magical and miraculous economic achievements of the past 3+ years…in a shocking, depressing, tragic month.
It would crash the stock market; collapse the oil and energy markets; kill tens of millions of jobs; close the entire US economy; shutter millions of small businesses…
Make virtually every American an instant welfare addict and ward of the state; eliminate Trump’s 20,000-person stadium rallies; overwhelm the entire economic system; bring business owners to their knees; reward the Deep State and D.C. Swamp…
Make big government the only option to save a drowning nation, no longer so exceptional…
Make Americans feel powerless and literally turn them into sheep- willing to hide in their homes, accept government telling them if their businesses are “essential” or not; deciding if they can earn a living or not; gain access to a potentially life-saving, anti-malaria drug protocol, or not…
Allow politicians to shred the US Constitution; and increase the surveillance state to levels never before imagined.
Levels like evil communist empires (just like China).
I’d root for a massive overreaction that leaves America shocked, depressed and weakened; and the government’s reaction would be to spend so much money, it would leave America crippled by unimaginable debt for the rest of all time.
And I’d laugh and do a dance to celebrate all the rich and powerful business owners left with nothing, reduced to begging big government to save them.
And you know I hate Christianity more than even America.
I’d create something so vile and frightening, it would close down churches and prevent Easter church services for the first time in the history of America.
And as a bonus, I’d watch government arrest pastors who try to hold church services in defiance of draconian new government rules to stay home. I’d laugh as the “right of assembly” is shredded before our eyes.
And I’d laugh as Americans were so scared and cowering in their homes…they stood by and said nothing.
I’d want a humbled, shocked, weakened, crippled America at the mercy of all of her enemies- China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic terrorists and Muslim nations angry at our lifelong best friendship with God’s chosen people in Israel.
And as a bonus, I’d want everyone in America not only broke and humbled, but also miserable…
So, I’d eliminate all sports, close down movie theaters, shut down Las Vegas, air travel, cruise ships, cancel all vacations and weddings. There would be no way out- except misery, depression and loneliness.
Sex? All dating is canceled. No one can come within 6 feet.
A nation of fun, wild, colorful outgoing people with bigger than life personalities is now trapped in homes- lonely, bored, scared. Suicides will soar. Drug addiction and alcoholism will soar. Depression will soar.
If I was the Devil, I’d be dancing in hell.
Folks, do you understand now?
We’ve just all met the devil. Coronavirus was his greatest creation yet.
His latest evil creation makes 9-11, and Pearl Harbor, and the 1929 stock crash, and the Great Depression, and the polio epidemic, and the Civil War, and even WWII pale by comparison.
Make no mistake about it. We are under massive attack. This pandemic has the devil’s fingerprints all over it. It’s invisible just like the devil himself.
Our country is in shambles. We are all lying on the canvas. Our faith in God is being tested like never before. Some of us are broken.
These are the moments that break even exceptional people.
But we are America. We are relentless. We are blessed by God. We are backed by God. And yes, we are exceptional.
We still have faith in America and capitalism. We know God is still by our side. We still have faith in our G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) President Donald J Trump.
In Trump we trust. In America we trust. In God we trust.
You will never, never, never, ever defeat America. You win round one. But we know God is in control of this 16-round championship fight. And America will never yield. America will never break. No matter what you throw at us. Screw the devil.
We will fight you to the death. We will fight you from sea to shining sea. We will fight you in New York and Miami and Dallas. We will fight you in Hollywood and Beverly Hills and Vegas and Peoria and Omaha and Washington DC.
We will fight you in the streets, and in the mountains, and in the desert, and on the Vegas Strip, and on the beaches, and at sea.
You cannot beat us. You cannot break us. You can never win. We are America, the greatest nation in world history, ever blessed by God.
You wanted war. You’ve got it! Let’s roll.
God bless America.
Oh and Mr. Devil, one more thing…
KISS OUR ASS.
Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King and Burglar
As a new Freddie King fan I have begun acquiring some of his music. To date, I have bookends of his career: Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King which was released the year I was born, 1961 and Burglar released in 1974 two years before Freddie’s death and the beginning of my teenage years. I also enjoy the compilation album, Freddie King, Ultimate Collection.
Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King
The album Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King is an all instrumental album and includes his breakout hit, “Hide Away”. Many of these tunes are pretty catchy, and “San-Ho-Zay” is another on the album that I especially like.
Track listing:
- Hide Away – 2:43
- Butterscotch – 3:04
- Sen-Sa-Shun – 2:54
- Side Tracked – 3:07
- The Stumble – 3:14
- Wash Out – 2:38
- San-Ho-Zay – 2:40
- Just Pickin’ – 2:33
- Heads Up – 2:33
- In the Open – 3:11
- Out Front – 2:40
- Swooshy – 2:19
Musicians:
- Fred Jordan – guitar, rhythm guitar
- Freddie King – guitar, vocals
- Phillip Paul – drums
- Gene Reid – saxophone
- Clifford Scott – saxophone
- Sonny Thompson – piano
- Willis Williams – bass guitar
Burglar
When Burglar was recorded, Freddie had left Shelter Records and signed with RSO Records based in the UK due to persuasion from his lifelong fan, Eric Clapton. As the credits in the liner notes indicate this was a massive production which included some of the most prominent musicians of the time beginning with Slowhand himself plus JJ Cale, Issac Hayes and George Terry. The sound of Burglar could be described as Blues meets Funk.
Track listing:
- Pack It Up – 4:10
- My Credit Didn’t Go Through – 4:09
- I Got the Same Old Blues – 3:27
- Only Getting Second Best – 3:47
- Texas Flyer – 3:48
- Pulp Wood – 3:13
- She’s a Burglar – 3:51
- Sugar Sweet – 3:50
- I Had a Dream – 5:02
- Come On (Let the Good Times Roll) – 3:32
Credits:*
Artist / Credit
- P. Arnold Vocals, Vocals (Background)
- Patrick Arnold Vocals (Background)
- Brian Auger Guest Artist, Organ
- Bud Beadle Sax (Baritone)
- Misty Browning Vocals, Vocals (Background)
- J. Cale Composer
- Ron Carthy Main Personnel, Trumpet
- Gonzalez Chandler Composer
- Eric Clapton Guest Artist, Guitar, Main Personnel
- Roy Davies Clavinet, Composer, Keyboards, Main Personnel, Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric)
- Robert Davis Composer
- Bob Defrin Art Direction
- Roger Dopson Liner Notes
- Tom Dowd Producer
- Mick Eve Saxophone
- Mick Eves Sax (Tenor)
- Steve Ferrone Cabassa, Composer, Drums, Main Personnel
- The Gonzales Horn Section Arranger, Horn, Horn Arrangements
- Steve Gregory Horn Arrangements, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
- Barry Hammond Engineer
- DeLisle Harper Bass, Composer, Percussion
- Isaac Hayes Composer
- Richie Hayward Composer
- Gary “Gazza” Johnson Composer
- Earl King Composer
- Freddie King Composer, Guitar, Main Personnel, Primary Artist, Vocals
- Steve Klein Engineer, Remix Assistant
- Slick Lawson Photography
- Mel London Composer
- Chris Mercer Horn Arrangements, Sax (Tenor)
- Jamie Oldaker Drums
- Peter Palombi Cover Illustration, Illustrations
- Greg Perry Composer
- David Porter Composer
- Carl Radle Bass
- Jerry Ragovoy Composer
- Dick Sims Keyboards, Organ
- Bobby Tench Composer, Guitar
- George Terry Guitar
- Mike Vernon Audio Production, Composer, Drums, Percussion, Producer, Remastering, Remixing
- Donnie Vie Vocals, Vocals (Background)
- Pete Wingfield Clavinet, Composer, Keyboards, Piano, Piano (Electric)
*(reposted from the album summary on Allmusic.com)