Diana West’s American Betrayal has evoked a flurry of reactions, pro and contra, ranging from ad hominem attacks to adulation, even while folks in many instances have not read the book. Yet while the blogosphere has focused largely on specific historical details and West’s interpretations of such details in the book, which I myself admittedly found highly convincing, confirming the writings of folks such as Ion Pacepa, Yuri Bezmenov, Anatoliy Golytsin, M. Stanton Evans, Paul Kengor, Trevor Loudon, J.R. Nyquist and numerous others, I believe many of the reviews have completely belied the below broader insights of the book, in light of the current condition of Western Civilization.

1. The seeds of the destruction of the foundations of our country, via the creation of the welfare state, international policy bodies and the inculcation in and infiltration of the academia and media by leftism and leftists were planted by Communists, Communist-sympathizers and fellow travelers before and during the FDR administration

2. The anti-Communists through poor marketing and tactics, and the efforts of anti-anti-Communists in academia and the media were defeated in the court of public opinion, the effects of which continue to paralyze all those attempting to protect our freedom today, in particular the so-called counterjihadists

3. As a result of the socialists winning the war of ideas heretofore, Americans by and large are no longer able to process facts (let alone separate facts from opinion) using logic and reason in order to maintain any semblance of the Republic which was bequeathed upon them. The narrative is paramount — facts be damned (see Martin, Trayvon)

4. All of which lead me to believe that we have converged with the socialists in the cultural, political and economic spheres. Stated differently, we won the Cold War and lost the peace

Look at the major news stories of any given day in any mainstream publication, and tell me if these points can be disputed.

How many of Marx’s ten planks have we not yet constructed?

What sector of our economy is not either hyper-regulated or outright socialized?

What issue is not framed in terms of race, class or gender?

What do the terms, fairness, justice and equality denote in today’s vernacular?

What is the moral state of our country, and in which direction is it trending?

I believe Diana West’s thoroughly researched work is at once an eminently credible and bloodcurdling. Even if you disagree, everyday life in 21st century America shows us that we have succumbed to the ideology of leftism, to the detriment of Western Civilization and all of mankind.