The Facilitator cheerily engaged the audience in winsome banter as he highlighted the night’s activities. Lively applause followed the introduction of each “leader” of each sub-group assigned with a portion of the vitally important task of “transforming” our county. For as the “Master Plan” solemnly reminded us “the fate of the community is in their hands.”

As I looked around at the movers and shakers in attendance, I couldn’t help but think of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” tale and wondered who in the room represented the Vain Believers and who represented the Swindlers.

A vain Emperor who cares for nothing but his appearance and attire hires two tailors who are really swindlers that promise him the finest, best suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or “just hopelessly stupid”. The Emperor cannot see the cloth himself, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position; his ministers do the same. When the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they mime dressing him and the Emperor then marched in procession before his subjects, who play along with the pretense. Suddenly, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all and the cry is taken up by others. The Emperor cringes, suspecting the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession.

Perhaps you’ve forgotten the story. It’s worth remembering because there are always the vain among us and, of course, swindlers who seize the opportunity to walk away with our wealth.

What is the garment they are weaving on looms of the imagination? It is called “fundamental transformation” and is woven with the invisible threads of “fairness”, “sustainable development” and “global citizenship”. To enhance the deception, the “tailors” of this grand scheme demand more and more of the currency of our conscience and the true wealth of prosperity: our faith and property.

In vain do we fall prey to their scheming:

• when we cannot see the false tradeoff of freedom for security

• when we cannot see the illusion of “free money”

• when we cannot see that the end goal is elimination of private property

• when we cannot see the paralysis of fear mongering through class envy, political correctness, and environmental quackery

• when we cannot see through mindless entertainment that detracts from our gatekeeper responsibilities

• when we cannot see the evil in using taxpayer money to subsidize private enterprise

• when we cannot see that honest debate between good people is being co-opted by high-minded people who deem themselves our superiors

• when we cannot see the danger in failing to teach the next generation the principles that define American exceptionalism

• when we cannot see that the inmates run the asylum and have not the will to run them out!

Let us, with childlike faith, continue to speak the “naked” truth until those around us take up our cry: “they have no clothes on at all!”