The Big Lie
 
A central tactic of Nazi propaganda was to repeat a lie over and over again until it became accepted as truth.  This is what is known as "the big lie" technique. 
 
Ironically, the left is deploying Nazi propaganda tactics to promote the big lie that after the Charlottesville riots Donald Trump said that white nationalists and neo-Nazis were "very fine people." 
 
This is a complete and total lie. 
 
Any totalitarian society that practices the big lie technique would admire the degree to which left-wing pundits and politicians have repeated this smear against the president.  It comes up over and over again in almost every public policy debate these days by people who must know it is a lie. 
 
We have addressed this issue before, but it cannot be left unanswered.  It is important for you to let young people in your life and friends at church know that the people pushing this hoax are lying to them, just as they were lying about the Trump campaign colluding with Russia. 
 
Here are some helpful points to keep in mind when discussing this with friends and family members.
 
President Trump did not say that white nationalists and neo-Nazis were "very fine people."  He not only did not say that, he specifically condemned them.  Let me repeat that.  The president specifically condemned white nationalists and neo-Nazis.

Here is the official transcript of the president's press conference.  And here are the most relevant portions:

"TRUMP: Excuse me, excuse me.They didn't put themselves — and you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. . .
 
"You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name. . .
 
"And you had people — AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE NEO-NAZIS AND THE WHITE NATIONALISTS BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BE CONDEMNED TOTALLY.  But you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.Okay? And the press has treated them absolutely unfairly. . . "

The president specifically said that he was not talking about neo-Nazis and white nationalists as "very fine people."  He said the Nazis and white nationalists should be "condemned totally."  President Trump reiterated that he was talking about the people who were there the day before the riot to protest the removal of the Lee statue.

Here's the video of the president's remarks condemning neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

Even CNN's Jake Tapper says the charge that the president praised neo-Nazis is false.

Here is a CNN article from August 2017 in which they correctly reported that the president was referring to those who "came out to protest the removal of Robert E. Lee's statue who were 'fine people.'"

Following the Charlottesville riot, President Trump addressed the nation from the White House and said this:

"As I said on Saturday, we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence.  It has no place in America.
 
"And as I have said many times before:  No matter the color of our skin, we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God.  We must love each other, show affection for each other, and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry, and violence.  We must rediscover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans.
 
"Racism is evil.  And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.
 
"We are a nation founded on the truth that all of us are created equal.  We are equal in the eyes of our Creator.  We are equal under the law.  And we are equal under our Constitution.  Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America."

Watch this Prager U video for a concise summary of the "very fine people" hoax.

Reasonable people can argue about whether it is appropriate to tear down historical monuments.  The left wants to tear down moments to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson too. 
 
But there is no excuse for anyone to lie about the president's words.  For example, when Joe Biden launched his presidential campaign, his entire announcement speech was built around the "Charlottesville hoax."  It is a degree of demagoguery and a lust for power that should disqualify someone for higher office. 
 
There are millions of minority children and people of all races who are hearing news commentators, movie stars, sports figures and politicians saying we have a monster in the White House who supports Nazis.  And, by the way, his border guards are building "concentration camps." 
 
This extreme rhetoric is driving some on the left, namely Antifa, to justify violence against the president's supporters.
 
 
 
The Protests Continue
 
There is no sign that the momentum of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement is waning.  Over the weekend, an estimated 1.7 million people took the streets of Hong Kong amid torrential rain. 
 
Yesterday, President Trump warned the Chinese government that it would be very hard to move forward with a trade deal if there is another violent crackdown like Tiananmen Square. 
 
Not surprisingly, Taiwan has been publicly supportive of the Hong Kong protests.  Some leaders of Hong Kong pro-democracy movement think Taiwan could be a model for Hong Kong's future.  Taiwanese officials have offered asylum to leaders of the pro-democracy movement.
 
Ironically, Beijing is lashing out at Taiwan for encouraging criminal elements and "undermining the rule of law."
 
But here's the disturbing reality:  China will not allow this standoff to continue much longer.  It is just weeks away from celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China.  These pro-democracy demonstrations are a tremendous embarrassment to Beijing and its autocratic ruler, Xi Jinping.