Easter and Paul Harvey

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 29 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim.  Some of you may remember hearing the great radio commentator Paul Harvey.  If so, you will appreciate the following speech even more.  It was his daily ABC Radio commentary for April 3, 1965, around Easter time.

If I were the devil, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness.  I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but would not be happy until I had taken over the ripest apple on the tree – the United States.  I would then whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please.  Do as you please,’ and to the young I would whisper, ‘The Bible is a myth.’

I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around.  I would say what is bad is good and what is good is square.  To the young I would whisper that work is debasing and cocktail parties are good for you.  I would say NOT to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct.  And the old, I would teach to pray, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington.’

If I were the devil, I’d tell authors to make lurid literature exciting so anything else would appear dull and uninteresting and make dirtier movies for TS.  If I were the devil, I’d get organized, infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, so idle hands could work for me.  I’d peddle narcotics, sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction and tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions … let those run wild.  I would designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts in the land and get preachers to say, ‘She’s right.’

With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule against God in favor of pornography and evict God from the courthouse, the school house, Congress and then in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.  If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.  Then, my police state would force everybody back to work.  

Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave camps.  In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.

Happy Easter!  Happy Resurrection Day!  For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.