The Despoiling of America

[kalian]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5646.htm

The First Prince of the Theocratic States of America

It happened quietly, with barely a mention in the media. Only the Washington Post dutifully reported it.<1> And only Kevin Phillips saw its significance in his new book, American Dynasty.<2> On December 24, 2001, Pat Robertson resigned his position as President of the Christian Coalition.

Behind the scenes religious conservatives were abuzz with excitement. They believed Robertson had stepped down to allow the ascendance of the President of the United States of America to take his rightful place as the head of the true American Holy Christian Church.

Robertson’s act was symbolic, but it carried a secret and solemn revelation to the faithful. It was the signal that the Bush administration was a government under God that was led by an anointed President who would be the first regent in a dynasty of regents awaiting the return of Jesus to earth. The President would now be the minister through whom God would execute His will in the nation. George W. Bush accepted his scepter and his sword with humility, grace and a sense of exultation.

As Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court explained a few months later, the Bible teaches and Christians believe “… that government …derives its moral authority from God. Government is the ‘minister of God’ with powers to ‘revenge,’ to ‘execute wrath,’ including even wrath by the sword…”<3>

...much more...

If this doesn't freak you out, I don't know what will... This is
very scary folks. The parallels with the Iranian Ayatollahs comes
to mind. Just read the article...

[4morewars]

1. Didn't we already try religous governance???

Oh yeah, it was called the DARK AGES !!!
:grr:

[Vernunft II]

40. And it´s called the DARK AGES for a reason...

:grr:

[teach1st]

2. Oh, man. They want to export democracy to others by force...

...and replace our democracy with a theocracy.

From the article:
(Romans 13)if taken literally as fundamentalists are apt to do, appears to prohibit any kind of resistance against the policies of a government, including peaceful protests, petitions, and writings. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia appears to endorse that position, for he quoted this same Romans 13 passage in his article, “God’s Justice and Ours,” to prove that Christian doctrine states “government—however you want to limit that concept—derives its moral authority from God.”<53> Government is not only the “minister of God” but it has the authority to “execute God’s wrath.”

The power of the sword is surely the power to kill or maim and certainly the power to intimidate. Scalia believes the power of the sword in this passage is “unmistakably a reference to the death penalty.”

[mistertrickster]

31. So when the Romans, who were God's ordained ministers,

threw Christians to the lions, that's what God really wanted.

Paul never made much sense to me. This is the same guy who said that a slave should obey its master. I just ignore him, especially the part about don't get married unless not getting married would cause you to sin more than getting married.

Neo-platonic syncretic crap that got mixed in with a message of love and forgiveness.

*****

I may go to hell for leading people astray, but as Twain said, "heaven for climate, hell for company."

[RC]

3. Those who live by the sword

die by the sword. They will not go quitly into the night in January 2005. I can see a bloody civil war here in the United States.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. The equivalent of firing on Fort Sumter was in 1981 when

Reagan took the helm.

We don't have to take this. We can engage in a perpetual, if necessary, resistance to relinquishing our democracy, our civil rights, and our future.

If we don't do it now, I promise you it will be too late in a little while.

[Fovea]

32. And Jessie Helms

tried to get Wicca's tax exempt status removed as it was not a 'real' religion.

I remember it well.

[Martin Eden]

5. Armageddon Lobby

Americans Against World Empire is a Conservative/Libertarian alliance that opposes the foreign policy of the Bush administration.

They are a pretty good source for the eschatalogical agenda of the religious right:
http://www.againstbombing.com/ArmageddonUpdates.htm

[walkon]

6. A very chilling read

This is something that all DUers should take the time to read even at the risk of lost sleep and nightmares. I had seen other articles about Christian Reconstruction and Dominionism but this one puts it in the context of what we here at DU rant about everyday - hypocrisy and deceit. But it is part of the plan and necessary to maintaining power if you subscribe to Machiavelli. Karl Rove uses "The Prince" by Machiavelli as his power Bible. Scarier than anything else is that it works and is working in the most powerful democracy/country the world has ever known.

What will prevent us from being ruled by dominionist mullahs here?

[KathCO]

7. This is hard to believe.

While reading the article I was shocked and dismayed but I really think this is the truth of what is going on. I have a hard time actually grasping that there are people who would follow this machiavellistic dominionism. When I first read this I was scared too. I have been doing research on the internet about it and found several places that discuss dominionism or christian reconstructionism but most do not attach the whole machiavelli part. This has changed my perception on everything else. All the stuff in the news and on DU seems to be missing the point. I think that this issue needs to be made more public and people need to be told. I feel bad for any christians who have been duped into believing any part of dominionism and into believing that the bush admin, et al are actually christians and compassionate at that. Please let's start discussing it more on DU. I know some may claim it is just being a conspiracy theorists but in this case I believe this fits.

[Sugarbleus]

20. KathCO, I've been alluding to this for some time on DU..I've

Posted links and tried to add what I believe is going on based on what I've been reading across the net also. I don't think it bothers or sinks in with most DUers nor many everyday christians for that matter. This is extremely serious business and it DOES go on.

Some of the extreme right and thier xtian counterparts are doing things that all can see, some are doing or supporting this neocon movement from the shadows..........it's all for one pupose: to rule everything($) and force certain belief systems ><{{'> on all; even by the point of a barrel if necessary. Some of these characters know exactly what they are doing, others are duped.
The secular conservatives and their race for more wealth are joining hands with the rw xtians to achieve a seemingly common purpose. It's an ungawdly alliance (if I can use that terminology)
One of my newest "favorite" sites is: People for the American Way.
http://www.pfaw.org
They have a "rightwing watch section". It tells you who belongs to what group, what the group is about, and how each group does or does not support the radical conservative movement.

There are many many other sites on the net if one cares to look. It is very scary, especially since America isn't the only place starting to adopt some of these religious beliefs and goals. :scared:

[icymist]

8. The 'anointed' President

should go on and add a little balsamic vinegar and croutons to his 'anointed' head. That would make a pretty good salad. Then again, all that homegrown Texas dope would make me puke!
:puke:

[ixion]

9. here is the core definitions of what we're up against

First: Strauss believed that a leader had to perpetually deceive the citizens he ruled.

Secondly: Those who lead must understand there is no morality, there is only the right of the superior to rule the inferior.

Thirdly: According to Drury, Religion “is the glue that holds society together.”<40> It is a handle by which the ruler can manipulate the masses. Any religion will do. Strauss is indifferent to them all.

Fourthly: “Secular society…is the worst possible thing,” because it leads to individualism, liberalism, and relativism, all of which encourage dissent and rebellion. As Drury sums it up: “You want a crowd that you can manipulate like putty.”<41>

Fifthly: “Strauss thinks that a political order can be stable only if it is united by an external threat; and following Machiavelli, he maintains that if no external threat exists, then one has to be manufactured.”<42>

Sixthly: “In Strauss’s view, the trouble with liberal society is that it dispenses with noble lies and pious frauds. It tries to found society on secular rational foundations.”



This explains why seemingly intelligent people believe the Bush cabal to be 'moral', and denotes the inherent dangers of instititutions like the IMF and WTO. The particular religious and/or spiritual beliefs of a group of people are relevant only in that it is a tool of control. This is not conservativism. It goes way beyond that. Like Christism (my word), the GOP was only a vehicle by which these freaks can spread their 'message'.

I find it tragically ironic that Strauss was a Jew who fled Germany, and then sits down to pen a manifesto nearly identical to the blueprint followed by Hitler.

I see where all this is going, and I fear the worst. These people have hijacked once 'respectable' doctrines and turned them into a dangerous entity that will destroy all those who oppose it.

Will things get better? I doubt it. The 35 million drones produced by this misuse of philosophical tennants follow their 'prince' with a fiercely blind allegance and will not stop until every last one of us who cherishes the intellectual and artistic capacities of the human spirit have been imprisoned or disposed of, IMO.

[Mari333]

11. No wonder these people are in bed with the Moonies

we've been taken over by a cult.
I sent this to everyone I know.

[david_vincent]

10. My local encounter with theocrats

I was in the local stationery store having a map laminated. While I waited, somehow the subject of the separation of church and state came up as I chatted with the gray-haired little old lady at the counter. I can't remember the exact cause of the conversation, but it was something happening in that day's news - possibly the nonsense in Alabama about the 10 commandments statue. When the subject came up, I assumed that this nice lady, somebody's grandma, saw things the same way I do and was appalled by the idiocy of Roy Moore. But in a few moments, I was overcome by the horrid realization that she supported this kind of thing!
Taken aback, I responded to her with a quote: "The government of the United States of America is not in any way founded on the principles of the Christian religion." Then, to drive my point home, I added the name of the author. "John Adams!" I said to her. She stared at me, blank. "John Adams!" I repeated. Again, not the slightest sign of recognition. "JOHN ADAMS!!" I cried, but the name evidently meant nothing to her.
At this point, a young fellow who had been browsing the maps behind us came up to us and, completely ignoring me, leaned in toward the lady and said, "I'm sorry you had to hear that."
Yes, they're here and they're among us. That's why I chose the name "David Vincent" for my DU handle.

[KathCO]

12. hmmm

I was reading some posts at the christianforums.org site which is for anyone really and found a few people who believe that liberals are bad and never christian and that we should protect bush who is a wonderful person. There was even someone who argued for the having a theocracy that excluded non-christians from government completely. This was evidence to me that there really are people who have "fallen under their spell"

[Mari333]

13. Here is some more on their mindset

http://www.endtimesnetwork.com/oldnews/domantigov.html

[mhr]

14. I Must Profess Ignorance On This Topic. Taken Literally, This Is Scary!

eom

[ixion]

15. And it should be taken literally

These people are serious as hell about making sure that those of us who don't abide by their version of "God's Law" are either jailed or terminated.

[teryang]

16. A proto-fascist cult

First ran into this in the Army in eighties. These fundies in the lesser levels of government are amazingly venal.

[ixion]

17. the problem is that they are no longer in the 'lesser levels'

but have saturated the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

[KathCO]

18. kick

[KathCO]

19. Kick again

[kalian]

22. Kicking...

[bain_sidhe]

21. YIKES! If you go to the source

of this article, http://www.yuricareport.com/ you'll see a NEW report on legislation introduced that would prevent courts from hearing claims based on separation of church and state (more or less) Here's a clip from the new article:

Today the Yurica Report learned that on February 11 , 2004 Dominionist leaders in congress made their move; they introduced a bill in both houses called The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004. Among the sponsors of the bill are Rep. Robert Aderholt (Alabama), Rep. Michael Pence (Indiana), Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, Sen. Zell Miller (Georgia), Sen. Sam Brownback (Kansas), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (South Carolina).

The House version is H.R. 3799 and the Senate version is S. 2082. The bill limits the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts to hear cases involving “expressions of religious faith by elected or appointed officials.”

Although the claim by its sponsors appears to be that the intention is to prevent the courts from hearing cases involving the Ten Commandments or a Nativity Scene in a public setting from being reviewed, the law is drawn broadly and expressly includes the acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law by an official in his capacity of executing his office. John Giles, Alabama President of Christian Coalition said, "The greatest unbridled abuse by the federal judiciary for over forty years has been in the area of redefining the acknowledgement of God as the sovereign source of law...We define this as judicial activism, making law from the bench. These unconstitutional rulings have gone unchecked by other branches of government."

Here's a quote from the bill itself:

To be added to Sec. 1260 of Title 28, Chapter 81 of the U.S. Code:

“Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Supreme Court shall not have jurisdiction to review, by appeal, writ of certiorari, or otherwise, any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an element of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official personal capacity), by reason of that element’s or officer’s acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.”

The authors take on this is that "Because the judiciary is “an element” of the federal, state and local governments, this wording, if it becomes law, may allow any judge to institute biblical punishments without being subject to review by the Supreme Court or the federal court system."

I say again, YIKES!!!!!

[ixion]

23. exactly... these people are hellbent on ridding the world of

intellectual reasoning. This is something we need to take very seriously.

I sent these articles to everyone I know.

[ixion]

24. okay, so I had a disturbing dream last night

That was about this very thing. I call it a 'Stepford' dream. I was in a town that appeared 'normal' on the surface, but it was in truth a place where something very sinister was transpiring.

I spent the rest of my dream trying to find a way out, not knowing who was 'real', not knowing who I could trust, and with an ever-deepening feeling that the odds of actually finding a way out were not in my favor.

We are on the road to 'Stepford', my friends. We are on the road to a twisted, nut-house style theocracy where the 'Law of God' (whatever that is) is above the Laws of Man. This does not bode well for those of us who actually think things through for ourselves.

And it starts with things like allowing the Ten Commandments to hang in a courthouse. It starts with forcing people to say 'under God' when the pledge alligence to the Theocratic States of 'Murika. It starts when fundies are allowed to create a constitutional amendment about who may marry (this one makes me ill, as the constitution is not the place for such things).

As we roll on down the future path of history, we need to realize that to throw out science in lieu of biblical fairytales, to create a theocracy which pre-emtptively attacks any soverign nation perceived as a 'threat', to allow known scientific principles to be replaced with creationism, will only in the end recreate the Dark Ages that we've struggled so hard to put behind us.

I can only hope that collectively, we're able to stand up and put a stop to this madness.

[mac2]

25. Doesn't this sound like the Europe.....

our founding fathers didn't want for us?

This is not a democracy with freedom of religion..it is a theocracy. Tyranny used for power.

[indepat]

26. Brain-washing is what they practice, brain-washed is what they are:

sick beyond reason much less comprehesion.

[ixion]

27. kick

for that passion... :argh:

[Cronus Protagonist]

28. Here;'s a lovely photo to help illustrate the article

http://bushspeaks.com/home.asp?did=40



"FUCK BUSH" Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[Rich Hunt]

29. no myth

The tone of this is a bit alarmist and maybe overstated, but the connections between the neo-cons and the fundies are definitely there.

Look what Irving Kristol has to say about it:

http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/000tzmlw.asp?pg=1

But it is only to a degree that neocons are comfortable in modern America. The steady decline in our democratic culture, sinking to new levels of vulgarity, does unite neocons with traditional conservatives--though not with those libertarian conservatives who are conservative in economics but unmindful of the culture. The upshot is a quite unexpected alliance between neocons, who include a fair proportion of secular intellectuals, and religious traditionalists. They are united on issues concerning the quality of education, the relations of church and state, the regulation of pornography, and the like, all of which they regard as proper candidates for the government's attention. And since the Republican party now has a substantial base among the religious, this gives neocons a certain influence and even power. Because religious conservatism is so feeble in Europe, the neoconservative potential there is correspondingly weak.

I got an infuriating e-mail in my inbox today about how this talk of 'neo-conservatism' is nonsense, that it's the same old stuff, and that progressives should know better. How nice that some 'progressives' take no interest whatsoever in what is going on with the right. These are probably the same people who are voting for Nader. I've lost all patience with these people.

[zonmoy]

30. Not surprising

Being raised in an evangelical christian home I have observed their attempts at making the community, nation, and ultimately world a christian theocracy.

[reprehensor]

33. Bump. What an article. n/t

[reprehensor]

34. Related Article.

Fact-finding sidetracked by theology

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/story_Editorial.php?storyid=57879

Elsewhere in the same debate, Bumiller badgered Kerry to state whether he’s a "liberal." When he objected to her repeated interruptions, she curtly reminded him, "You’re in New York."

Really quick, Ms. Bumiller: Is the pope a liberal?

My point’s an elementary one. To anybody with a strong interest in the visible world, two huge issues surfaced last week that should figure prominently in the 2004 debate. Both are 100 percent secular; neither got raised during the Democratic debate.

The first was Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s astonishing contention that Social Security benefits will require trimming to close huge deficitsthe ones caused by Bush’s millionsfor-millionaires tax cuts.

Astonishing because Greenspan chaired the commission that in the 1980s successfully raised payroll taxes to make the system fiscally sound at least through 2042. Also because three years ago, Greenspan testified that Bush’s tax cuts would prevent the government from running excessive surpluses. He now urges that we loot the Social Security Trust Fund to cover his own "fuzzy math." This isn’t a matter of faith, it’s a matter of arithmetic involving promises made to American workers over generations. Then there’s the White House’s failed attempt to run out the clock on its own 9/11 commission by staging a transparent farce in which House Speaker Dennis Hastert pretended to refuse the president’s plea to grant it a two-month extension, then relented under bipartisan Senate pressure. This after months of refusing to turn over key documents or permit key White House aides like Condoleezza Rice or Bush himself to testify. Why, you’d almost think they had something to hide. Theology, in such circumstances, is always preferable to facts.

More at link.

[ixion]

35. kick

:kick:

[BeHereNow]

36. One More Time...

Kick, 'cause I think this is the most dangerous group
on the planet!
These people are really the anti-thesis of Christianity.
As a Christian, I am thoroughly enraged at the
way they have twisted the teachings in what I consider
to be the most beautiful book I have ever read.
I truly hope the REAL ministers in the world are going
to start speaking out about this false Christianity and
working to expose just how UN-Godly these people are.

BHN

[many a good man]

37. I wish the author would...

...rewrite her intro and get rid of that PhotoShopped pic of Bush* as bleeding heart; The picture sets the tone that this is a joke piece. The intro uses overwrought symbolism (sword and scepter?).

Once you get past the intro you find a serious, solid look at a movement that is stealthily gaining power in all areas of government. Its too bad the author almost ruins it all with a poorly conceived intro and cover sheet...

[Emillereid]

38. Is this for real -- these people are wackier than wacky --

Bush and Bin Laden -- the clash of the fundamentalisms! God, I want off this planet!

[Paradise]

39. Everyone's got to read kalian's OP!

It's my first bookmark.

[JohnyCanuck]

41. Kick for the newbies n/t

n/t

[ixion]

42. another related article from OpEdNews.com

And again I restate my hypothesis: This is one of the most serious reasons why BushCo needs to be voted out of office, and why these fanatics must never be allowed to seize power again, because their goal is nothing short of dominionism.


http://www.opednews.com/burgwin031404_taste.htm