One of the many signs of a lackluster visionary and poor leader is when he or she exports propaganda in order to serve his or her own self-serving interests.  In the circumstance of a politician, he or she may deceive their constituency with lies and rumours if he or she was confident that it would secure votes.

This point brings me to Congressman Allen West of Florida, who, actually, can’t be taken too seriously on many, if not all, serious political matters.

On many occasions, West has made sensational, if not downright ludicrous, statements concerning both the Islamic faith and the attitudes of Muslims in the US.  For example, in this video commemorating 9/11, West considers the Islamic faith ‘a theocratic-political ideology and construct’ and not one of the great religions of the world.  He frequently bases his conclusions of the Islamic faith and Muslims on the stereotypical myths rooted in Western-centric perceptions of the Muslim world which date back to the Crusades and Medieval times.

Just recently, however, West may have outdone himself when he said ‘I have here in my hand a list of 205 communists…’ He was referring to members of Congress.

By using the term Communist, West is no doubt indulging in a sinister fear-mongering campaign with the American public, which all too frequently and incorrectly associates ‘Communist’ with, and only with, the brutal Stalin or the ‘God-less’ USSR.

McCarthyism is alive and well.