More Canonizing of John Lennon

This fits into the category of "me too". One of my daily must-reads isThe Dawn Patrol. today (okay it's actually yesterday by now) she mentioned that Rolling Stone had named John Lennon's "Imagine" as the number three greatest song of all time. Personally I rate it way behind Ringo Starr's rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
I remember in 1971, in 7th grade Fairwold Junior High School (Now WG Sanders Middle School) was still having a morning devotional over the PA (don't ask me how we got away with that, because I don't know). One of the intros used for the devotional was "Imagine" (don't ask me to explain that one either). I had never actually paid much attention to the words until later and it left me scratching my then 13-year-old head going, "what?".
Well, I have imagined all that Lennon asked us to in that song, and I really don't see that as a society I wish to be a part of. What Mr. Lennon left out of his utopian vision was the loss of freedom of thought and expression that accompanies the fruition of the Communist Manifesto.
Why do I mention the Communist Manifesto? Because Lennon claimed that "Imagine" was the Communist Manifesto set to music.
Now I am a big fan of the early work of the Beatles. When they got into obscure symbolism and attempted mysticism they lost me. After the break up I could only stand to listen to Ringo Starr. George doing the Hare Krishna airport chant turned me off, and Paul was trying to find his musical nich with Linda...in my opinion. I couldn't stand to listen to John and Yoko...or John by himselfr for that matter, and "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance" were the reasons. Not to mention the fact that given the choice of listening to Yoko and fingernails on a blackboard I will easily choose the latter.
Did Lennon really think the USSR, or China or Cuba were the Shangri-La's he seemed to think? Probably, it's not like we can ask directly. I find there is still a lot of naivite when it comes to communism. As I expected, my college-sophmore son has taken such a view of communism ( know I did at that age). he asked me if I had ever read the Manifesto or Das Kapital, to which I respond, "yes, have you?"
I further ask him if he has ever compared those works to the "Programe of the German National Socialist Workers Party[aka the Nazi Party]" and defy him to show me a major difference. As yet he hasn't.