Machiavengelicals Exposed
pronounced     "MA'  ke  ya  ven  JEL'  e  kul"

These evangelicals are right about one thing - the times may get bad enough that a rescue will be prayed for even by non-evangelicals used to reason. It's not like the true terrorists aren't extremist & narsicistic in belief & action, creating gods & imagery ever so conveniently for people who are afraid to question authority. A surprizing(?) percentage of foreign citizens think the Bush administration sponsors terrorist activity. But wouldn't we like more balanced types for the leadership of the most powerful country on the planet ? That's why I say, if crudely so, it's "Like Machiavengelical, Boys - raping and pillaging for Jesus!" THE LANCET STUDY posted at the web site of the West Point Graduates Against The War .Org: Mortality before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: cluster sample survey: The conclusions of the 'Lancet' study: 100 Thousand Innocent Iraqis Killed since beginning of the Iraq War. ; also see "Halloween Tidings from the 'War on Terror' by Jim Lobe. [Lancet, 2007 update: approximately 1 million Iraqis Killed] And how do our vets feel about this? At least two vet groups feel obligated to answer that question: IVAW: Iraq Veterans Against The War and Veterans Against The Iraq War and then there's the J-curve (highly accelerated rate of) increase in the 'Brass Resistance' of Military Field Officers, Hi-Level Intelligence Officials, diplomats, etc to future plans for expanded Mid-East warfare, care for veterans, not to mention (their repeated communication of) frustration-become-anger at the Administration's "achievements" including de-stabilizing the US Military capacity (and related National Security) for years to come           As of Fall '04, innocent Iraqi's killed number between 40 ("official" guestimate) and 100 thousand (Lancet study) since the beginning of the current Iraqi War, are mostly women and children, and were killed primarily by helicopter gunships. Considering the administration's attitude towards this and the Abu Graib prison revelations, this Armageddon production tries to justify raping and pillaging whole nations and populations. Could even an "American" neo-nazi be so boldly honest as to make a sign saying "Rape & Pillage for Jesus!" ? Surely, the Neo-Cons might as well - if they were not such stout hypocrits. The Bush Cabal's apparent Third World Strategy: "Go ahead - Cry - and I'll give you something to cry about!" ("Even if your suffering at our hands is legitimate, you are less than we are because we are winners, so stop trying to manipulate our citizens - who we've trained well not to cry about lost civil rights, let alone for the rights of losers like you.")           Sacrificing our own sons and daughters "for God" is also easily rationalized, honored, even celebrated by "sheople" - those who generally don't question authority, and are habitated or practiced in the denial of the pain of others. "Others" here usually means those who are judged to be less, or barely, worthy of God's Love - judged so by sheople's pastors or political leaders who invoke the "God & Armageddon" (fear of damnation) imagery.           Now a merger maniac can become "a crook for God." The Reagan/80's philosophy of 'winning has been justifying corporate theft & Job-Kill or any other activity - so long as the administration or kindred corporations wanted to say it is related to the Iraqi War or to Mid-East oil. The Administration has even been paid (by taxpayers) for lying and false advertizing of their "products" (ie: the Jeff Gannon Talon News Service FRONT) and Congressional reps are being protected from accountability for outright thievery of voting districts (Fall'04). God's on their side, so golly, they're forgiven, while we who complain are just not of the faith.           Karl Rove knows that folks would catch on if the administration just does nickel and dime crime. But if they create a big enough lie or a perform a big enough atrocity, then so many citizens will indignantly respond, "Oh c'mon, *we* [good guys] just wouldn't, couldn't do something like that. Rove knows where the "see no evil" threshold is. He knows that the way to keep sheople in denial (no matter how much other people question it) is to make sure they feel that it would be too painful for them to believe the truth, and then they will find a way to protect themselves from the truth.           There are evangelicals... and then there are Evangelicals that can be conned in by "the Machiavangelical Move."           These people can be psych-typed: a) they are conditioned to avoid questioning of certain or various kinds of authority (conditioned by the experiences in their lives - usually influenced primarily by their parents or parent substitutes), b) their father fell off the pedistal in a traumatic way, and in a way that left them with a need for a "perfect" father - here on earth. This makes a fine key ingredient in setting up the standard "martyr triangle" pathology. This triangle is composed of three sub-personalities - martyr, rescuer, & persecutor. These roles are played out unconsciously, whether only in the mind of the martyr or in 'game-play' with other martyrs. When doing this, the roles rotate and trade off: the "martyr cycle" is the cycling from one sub-personality to another. Most people can occasionally lapse into martyr behaviour under certain conditions, but here I am referring to the more neurotic level of on-going behaviour. To the degree someone is really caught up in this behaviour, they can suspend their otherwise functional political common sense due to their being currently hooked by certain pathological needs: for the "perfect father," to maintain the martyr cycle, and fulfil the kind of evangelism that is born out of the other two needs.           An image of G. Bush Jr has been skillfully projected as "providing the connection to God" in a way that not only feeds into that martyr connection, but does it with particular emphesis on the Armageddon 'persecution' and Jesus 'rescue' aspects - with fear of rejection by THE father - eternally - as base motivating principle. (He's even used the phrase, "God told me to strike" in reference to his being re-elected: considering the stats from the polls, I guess that makes him the messianic der-Elect. But I digress...) So... Guess who gets to play the Martyr role - hint: it's not going to be Dubya. And Rove probably isn't playing at all - except from the puppeteer's position.           PS: Watch out for the *Crusade* word, as well as any movies (incl. video or other rampantly pushed productions) that play up the 'Conquer World-Evil for God' routine;           NPR (National Public Radio) 2/26/05: Made note of Bush's repeated use of the "crusade" word. Later, the (THE) music awards spot was all about "the crucifixion" - nominated heavily for lots of awards; interviewed composer John Debna (sp?) said he was told "adamantly" by director/star Mel Gibson, "that for the most horrific scenes, the music had to be the most beautiful." (also see Suskind ref/link below) -- 2'05, Christopher Pringer "The emotional frontier is truly the next frontier to conquer in human understanding. The opportunity we face now, even before that frontier is fully explored and settled, is to develop our emotional potential and accelerate rather dramatically into a new state of being."           -- The HeartMath Solution* by Doc Childre and Howard Martin, (c) 1999, Harper SanFrancisco To TOP  of PAGE   References and Links for helping understand current evangelical complexities (and confusions) But first, a word from our sponsor:    One Definition of Insanity       How much is spent on military budgets a year worldwide?    How much of this is spent by the U.S.?    What percent of US military spending would ensure the essentials of life to everyone in the world ? (according the UN, & includes education, of course)       $900+ billion    50%    10% (That is about $40 billion, the amount of funding initially requested to fund our retaliatory attack on Afghanistan).       So, if the main rationale for war generally boils down to lack of sustainance...   well, the above means that EXCUSE doesn't even shake out with Reality.   "It's about Terrorism" ? How many would support extremists if would-be supporters already had all they needed ?   However, if this war spending is about someone's lifestyle or RELIGION not being like our own   (like the religion of our OWN extremists,' that is)...    And "because they hate us because they're jealous of our freedom" ?     Believing that one past homework hour would be another definition of insanity. Because any psychologist, let alone anthropologist, will tell you that this [freedom jealousy thing] from a politician is a lie of the most divide and conquer oriented, machiavelian sort, playing essentially on the religious fervor of those who feel but are afraid to think for themselves.   Even more to the bottom line of it all: all related arguments are actually about related beliefs and emotion, and not about the facts of the matter. Otherwise, compromises could've been brought about long, long ago. But then we could say that about most any political matter.    Wanna   Get   Back?   (By Bringing us back to Reality, that is ?) STILL   WANT   YOUR   VOTE   TO   COUNT ? V O T E     W I T H     Y O U R     D O L L A R ! Please Use These Resources As Needed       'George Bush and the rise of Christian Fascism' by Rev. Rich Lang (March 2004) [If that link doesn't work, I've created a page for it at this site (Carolyn found the link not working after posting Rev. Lang's new article on Sarah Palin). -cp 09/22/08.] 'George Bush and the rise of Christian Fascism' is a powerful sermon fired off by the most astute Rev. Rich Lang, of Seattle's Trinity United Methodist Church, about theocratic fascism. Nails the Machievangelical movement on every corner of its shadowy charade. I can't say enough about this sobering description of our challenge. His adept focus addresses the specific theological tresspasses that the Christian fascists engage in.           For example, "Apocalyptic theology believes that Jesus dying for my sins is far more important than the teachings of Jesus. We see this in the recent movie PASSION OF THE CHRIST. What this creates is a spirituality that can overlook the teachings of Jesus." I hope I can add one more important quote from Rev. Lang. It's the one I was looking for when first doing this page:           "Mr. Bush certainly sees himself as a Messiah figure. Listen to his language after 9-11: 'I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.' Or, in his 2003 State of the Union speech: 'I will defend the freedom and security of the American people'. He has become the nation. He is its embodiment. According to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, - Bush told him: 'God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.' This is Biblical language ... it isn't political script. This is Bush's soul language. He understands himself as a man with a Divine mission. It also means that for him leadership is not 'representing the people' rather leadership means transcending the will of the people. George Bush already knows the truth before the evidence is presented. He is guided by God and must blaze the trial even if the people are reluctant."       "The Origins of the Neo-Conservative Mind - Political Comparative Analysis" by Alan Wolfe and "How The Democrats Were Betamaxed" was written by Laurie Spivak Professor Alan Wolfe uses fascist philosopher Carl Schmitt to help us understand contemporary politics & the eerie relevance to the current moment in American history. Spivak focuses on countering the conservative smoke & mirror show. Wolfe and Spivak provide much for answering questions & considerations put forth in "Questions for [healing] Disillusionment," "Recovering the Citizenry," and related theme web pages. (These Q&C-loaded pages emerged in response to the current political mind-bog: the apparently unconscious psycho-political dumbfounding of many American citizens who have, according to most everyone else on the planet, blindly allowed current trends due to taking our democracy for granted. Q&C pages by yours truly; links provided below) Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism By Michelle Goldberg             At *Talk To Action | Reclaiming Citizenship, History, and Faith* Michelle Goldberg says, "I've just published a book called "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism," and since it appeared, I've been asked several times what Christian ... Christian nationalists believe in a revisionist history, which holds that the founders were devout Christians who never intended to create a secular republic; separation of church and state, according to this history, is a fraud perpetrated by God-hating subversives.      One of the foremost Christian revisionist historians is David Barton, who, in addition to running an organization called Wallbuilders that disseminates Christian nationalist books, tracts and videos, is also the vice-chairman of the Texas Republican Party. The goal of Christian nationalist politics is the restoration of the imagined Christian nation. As George Grant, former executive director of D. James Kennedy's influential Coral Ridge Ministries, wrote in his book *The Changing of the Guard:* 'Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ -- to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness ...      But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice.      It is dominion we are after. Not just influence.      It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time.      It is dominion we are after.      World conquest. That's what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish."'      [Whoooaaaa!!!!!!] from the "US Christian Flag" designer's website             Among many more reviews at Kingdom Coming.Com, Publisher's Weekly says - “In an impressive piece of lucid journalism, Salon.com reporter Goldberg dives into the religious right and sorts out the history and networks of what to most liberals is an inscrutable parallel universe. She deconstructs 'dominion theology,' the prevalent evangelical assertion that Christians have a 'responsibility to take over every aspect of society.' Goldberg makes no attempt to hide her own partisanship, calling herself a 'secular Jew and ardent urbanite' who wrote the book because she "was terrified by America's increasing hostility to... cosmopolitan values. ..."             New Book Examines Christian Nationalism - at NPR Fresh Air from WHYY, May 11, 2006 - Includes recorded interview of Journalist Michelle Goldberg, a senior writer for the online magazine Salon, and covers the Christian Right. In her new book, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, she writes that Christian nationalists believe the Bible is literally true -- and they want to see the nation governed by that truth.             Related: America's Religious Right: Saints or Subversives? by Steve Weissman at TruthOut.Org       Theocracy Watch .Org It's a huge site maintained by the faculty of Cornell University, Plenty of educational materials!       Church and State 3-Pack via Alternative Radio Org: 3 experts on the ominous intrusion of radical Christianity into politics and government. The program pack contains the following programs: Apocalypse Now: Christian Fundamentalism by Chip Berlet - including Stats on how many people believe how much in/about the apocalypse; American Fascists: The Radical Christian Right by Chris Hedges; and American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips. I know, the picture is as scary as it is ridiculous - but it fits the warnings about those "who believe" apocalypse is now. More about Chip Berlet: a senior analyst with Political Research Associates, the Somerville, Massachusetts-based organization. PRA monitors and reports on the political right wing. His articles appear in The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Progressive magazine. He is the editor of "Eyes Right: Challenging the Right Wing Backlash" and co-author of "Right-Wing Populism in America." Berlet's Program Titles at AR include: "Conspiracy Theories: The Right Woos the Left," "The Rise of the Religious Right," "Mobilizing Resentment," "Debunking Conspiracy Theories," "Apocalypse Now: Christian Fundamentalism," and, with Holly Sklar: "Oklahoma, Militias & Conspiracy Theories." His essay, "The Christian Right, Dominionism, and Theocracy," helps us understand many key concepts underlying the political/theocratic predicament, and how it is that "This is a wedge issue ...largely being ignored by the mainstream media and most Christian evangelicals ...that can only be effective if we learn how to distinguish among the many different theological, political, organizational, and other aspects of Christian belief and political participation." Essay referenced by Berlet: "Christian Reconstructionism" by Frederick Clarkson       Evangelical Leader Threatens to Use His Political Muscle Against Some Democrats       Crossing the Church-State Line, By Sidney Blumenthal, Salon.com Nov 11 2004 -"From the White House, Rove operated a weekly conference call with selected religious leaders. Evangelical churches handed over their membership directories to the Bush campaign for voter registration drives. According to the Washington Post, 'clergy members attended legal sessions explaining how they could talk about the election from the pulpit.' ..."       The Influence Of The Christian Right On U.S. Middle East Policy. Foreign Policy in Focus By Stephen Zunes, The Project Against the Present Danger, June 28, 2004. Stephen Zunes analyzes the considerable influence of the Christian Right on U.S. foreign policy, which is the result of an electoral strategy adopted by the GOP in the late 1970s. "Since capturing this pivotal constituency, Republicans have won four out of six presidential races, have dominated the Senate for seven out of 12 sessions, and have controlled the House of Representatives for the past decade. . . . The Christian Right constitutes nearly one out of seven American voters and determines the agenda of the Republican Party in about half of the states, particularly in the South and Midwest." -- Zunes's long analysis concludes with a specific recommendation: "Those who support justice for the Palestinians should . . . reproach congressional Democrats for falling captive to the Christian Right. Such a rebuke . . . would likely enhance the ability of those who support peace, justice, and the rule of law to highlight the profound immorality of congressional sanction for the Israeli occupation."        On the dangerous global ramifications of Evangelical politics - Bill Moyers On Receiving Harvard Medical School's Global Environment Citizen Award. "For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington. Theology asserts propositions that cannot be proven true; ideologues hold stoutly to a world view despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind. And there is the danger: voters and politicians alike, oblivious to the facts... These true believers subscribe to a fantastical theology concocted in the 19th century by a couple of immigrant preachers who took disparate passages from the Bible and wove them into a narrative that has captivated the imagination of millions of Americans.       In "The danger in America today is the coupling of theology and ideology," Moyers said, "Theology asserts propositions that do not have to do with the improvement of truth. Ideology embraces a worldview that cannot be changed. Governments have married ideology and theology and have become immune to local discourse... We are seeing a rise in the resurgence of tribalism that is manifested in religious fundamentalism. [The world doesn't] have, at this point, a large spiritual or political or cultural leader who is speaking beyond the polarities of tribalists and globalization to try to peel through that universal human intuition... Religious ideology can also be a barrier to communications between different nations... There is still an element of separation among certain peoples of the world, despite the growth of economic globalization."       At the Daily Nexus posts the Moyers UC Santa Barbara Discussion on Iraq, President Bush, Poetry by Stephanie Trujillo       The Armageddon Plan Published in the March, 2004 issue of The Atlantic by James Mann           "At least once a year during the 1980s Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld vanished. Cheney was working diligently on Capitol Hill, as a congressman rising through the ranks of the Republican leadership. Rumsfeld, who had served as Gerald Ford's Secretary of Defense, was a hard-driving business executive in the Chicago area—where, as the head of G. D. Searle & Co., he dedicated time and energy to the success of such commercial products as Nutra-Sweet, Equal, and Metamucil. Yet for periods of three or four days at a time no one in Congress knew where Cheney was, nor could anyone at Searle locate Rumsfeld. Even their wives were in the dark; they were handed only a mysterious Washington phone number to use in case of emergency..."        "freestyle evangelicals" (Dubbed so by University of Akron political scientist John Green and Steven Waldman, editor of the online faith newsletter beliefnet.com) are the more moderate evangelicals that may make up about 10% of the nation's electorate. For example, they blame Bush for failing to fix a "broken" healthcare system and for "selling off the environment to the highest bidder."        Time Magazine’s Expose On Evangelicals, Religion And Politics “A Must Read ARTICLE”: Evangelicals in America; 25 Most Influential Evangelicals; Bush and the Religious Right; The Democrats - Trying Out a Soulful Tune. (02-04-05) Subscription Required For Most Articles On the other hand... there's these...        The Interfaith Alliance The leadership of The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation responded with regret and concern minutes after President Bush announced that the nation had launched a war with Iraq, in a letter to the White House and a web feature displaying “Statements For a Nation At War” from national civic and religious leaders. TIA Activists are urged to log onto www.interfaithalliance.org and read the statements that have been submitted from national religious and opinion leaders from across the country. TIA Activists are urged to be hate-violence-monitors and report any such violence to their local law enforcement authorities as soon as possible. Please contact TIA at field@interfaithalliance.org as well, as we work to document hate violence in our communities. Interested citizens can subscribe to alerts and updates via interfaith_list@capwiz.mailmanager.net.        World Conference on Religion and Peace Encouraging religious communities and leaders to join together to work for tolerance and peace for all humankind, Most Rev Desmond M Tutu, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, wrote letter of support asking for support.       "Smoke, Mirrors, Quippy Reflections, Shadowy Figures, Questions 'n Elections" including "A Poor Posse of Psycho-Political Pyro-Lyricism for a Posturing Pauper... Dedicated to the novice, our reicheous king, our hero? our saviour? Our royal derrieric sting..." (- by yours truly, adding this early just in case some of these other ref's get too heavy ) Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.           -Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. general and 34th president (1890-1969)   Found these on the web: "In Our Own Image" ? "The vision that gets Lord Dub through the day" I say definitely door #4      (altho' haven't seen the movie, "The Guantanamo Years") and if you web-search "Gunship Jesus" or "Fighting Jesus" there is much much more, some quite disturbing. At this writing I haven't tried "Killin for Flag Wavin Jesus," or "Genocide for Jesus and the American Way," or maybe "Sanctified Sadism for Jesus"? (Couldna thunk it without ya, Mel.) To TOP  of PAGE   Sarah Palin's "Callin" I am adding these links in between the two sections of References on Evangelism. Above are the more basic to understanding their "general" relevance to current politics. Below are those more concerned with extremist Christian Fascism. At this time (Mid-September '08) I can't say I'm not sure that the references for Palin doesn't slide her into the lower section - therefore, the pun may or may not be intended. -9/16/08. Big debate on whether we should revise our approach on Palin - because, "maybe she's not worth all the attention after all," seems to be the emerging refrain. Except that at the debate "she proved she can sure stand there and say stuff." (As in 'amazingly harmless' all of a sudden. Was that center of the Karl Rove hurricane, or was he on vacation?) Anyway, I added the more recent links mainly since they are about all the players as much as about her. -cp. 10/2/08 "SARAH PALIN: God’s Warrior" 8 September 2008, by Rev. Rich Lang [the 1st of the color-backed complete short essays just below] Important Letter from a friend, 15 September 2008 [the 2nd complete essay just below, with links to some scary stuff!] --- Added 10/2/08: --- Church Lunch with Republicans in Indiana = McCain is Toast by billysumday of DailyKos.Com, 29 Sep 2008 [Some interesting Republican feelings here] Mad Dog Palin By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com, Posted 27 September 2008 [Warning: While some important points are made, this one errs on the side(?) of blistering slaps. And it uses the language of a blunt young culture. In doing so, it may represent many new(?) voters, thus provide a potential means of education for more gentle folk.] --- Added 9/16/08: --- Palin: Wrong Woman, Wrong Message By Gloria Steinem, the Los Angeles Times [Opinion], 4 September 2008 Probably the best overall analysis of Palin/McCain & vrs Obama/Biden on the issues (of all the articles here.) Oh, well if Palin can say, "Palin/McCain ticket" then... -bcp. Obama and the Palin Effect By Deepak Chopra | Posted: Friday, 5 September 2008 The Palin Choice: The Reality of the Political Mind by: George Lakoff, Daily Kos, 1 September 2008 "Drill, Drill, Drill" by Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues" Huffington Post, 8 September 2008 Note: What neither Steinem or Ensler has addressed yet, is the near panic that Palin has somehow initiated in certain circles. I've received two postings sent for the purpose of helping women through trauma. My take on this has to do with all the hope that Hillary gave, then there was the loss of that hope, then we were teased with a fake feminist with the strategy of reframing what feminism actually is. May I suggest (to those whose foot the shoe fits): What about putting that angst/confusion/rage/etc into a pro-active vote come November? Meanwhile (before & after), discuss the realities/falsehoods, political and otherwise, related to "feminism," and let others (and oneself) to agree to disagree as necessary. And let that free things up to more consciously work on the 'stuff' around Hillary not being president (instead of projecting it). Besides, it's not like she's going off the political scene or anything like that. -cp, 10/2/08 the famous Anne KilKenny Letter: "The Sarah Palin I Know" Garrison Keillor's take on the situation By Garrison Keillor, Huffington Post, 1 September 2008 PORTRAIT OF AN OSSIFIED AMERICA By Jérôme Fenoglio, Le Monde (Paris), 7 September 2008 (Translation by Mark Jensen) Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper): Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean” by Charley James, LA Progressive.Com, 5 September 2008 [His first article here is heavy with much not-distinctly-quoted parts from the KilKenny Letter. But this links to his second article, which provides a few more new things. -cp] About that posting going around, "BOOKs Palin tried to Ban" (etc) CAREFUL! SNOPES has a page on it [Call me paranoid, but IMO, in the SNOPES version, there are some interesting gaps in the story, or in the communications purported to be the extent of the story. But Please read it yourself, maybe they were just trying to summarize(?) Snope's stated "sources" for their report is Garance Burke of AP and Rindi White of Anchorage Daily News. It just left me wondering if either a) the librarian was "encouraged" to leave out certain parts of the exchanges (if not whole events), or if b) Karl Rove managed the overall "fact-finding" on it. AS WELL AS the exaggerated rumor that's out there (in which "the list of books Palin tried to ban" includes a dictionary (!). No one believes Palin is THAT stupid politically, whether her religion would push her that direction or not. (In fact, though admittedly ignorant of so much, her screwdness would seem comparable to that of Karl Rove.] But such a posting on the internet provides a little setup for folks like me who would add this to our web sites, except that we are paying attention, right? Ok then. Such a strategy, a Rove-signature strategy, by the way, would be to gain more sympathy points for Palin. In any case, I'm waiting for the real list - and the real story. -cp] SARAH PALIN: God’s Warrior - by Rev. Rich Lang Also the author of 'George Bush and the rise of Christian Fascism'      The Christian Right is electrified over the nomination of Sarah Palin. So far what few have picked up on is that Palin comes directly out of the Christian Dominionist movement which affirms that followers of Christ have a God-given mandate to seize political, military and economic control of the world, claiming victory and embracing a divinely pre-scripted destiny of universal Christian rule.      To put this in perspective, within the Bible there are two competing, contradictory narratives. One narrative posits God as a tribal warrior electing one people, while excluding others. This God commands ethnic cleansing of the enemy, strict codes of public purity, and hierarchical political order. God is an almighty king. The second narrative is a repudiation of this. God, in this perspective, is universal and embraces diversity, compassion, and mercy. All of the nations of the earth have gifts and graces, and are beloved. God is partnering love.      Palin emerges from the radical Christian extreme that interprets the Bible, and Christian life from the perspective of a tribal god whose purity demands that those who cannot or will not conform must be brought into obedience. Palin is a product of the end-times spirituality that embraces any means necessary to impose righteousness on a people who are fundamentally in rebellion against the holiness of our Creator.      With George Bush, the Christian Right got caught up in his messianic pretensions. With Palin the real deal has arrived. She is a product of right-wing Christian culture. She has been formed in the image of the blood thirsty, righteous warrior god, who has a seething contempt against the plurality of a culture defined as immoral and therefore as enemy to be brought into obedience.      Palin’s contempt for American culture was on display in her mocking comment, “Al-Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's (Obama) worried that someone won't read them their rights.” Never mind that it is these civil rights that most clearly define American idealism and democracy, never mind that civil rights are an affirmation of equality, and a limit to the power of the State. In Palin’s faith-based world, such focus on civil rights are secondary to the righteous zeal of one who will continue the messianic madness that believes we possess the capacity to rid the world of evil.      Indeed, the culture war is back full throttle. Palin has the capacity to win the hearts and atrophied minds of both small town working class America, as well as the growing phenomenon of young urban professionals who are increasingly attracted to conservative sanctuaries like the 10,000 member Mars Hill Church.      Christian fascism is alive and well. In a world that has spun out of control the appeal to a “strong man” is powerfully seductive. And coming from the lips of a sexy, spitfire, stealth candidate, I worry that such an appeal will win the day.      --- Rev. Rich Lang is the Pastor of Trinity United Methodist in Ballard. He can be reached through www.tumseattle.org Important Letter I received this from a friend [KA] doing research on Palin (I've edited it for length, braketing mine -cp): Begin Letter:      Previously sent to an associate on [BW] who compiled the video now taken off INf. Clearing House Site:      [BW] mentions in one piece how he has had several videos that were taken off of UTube on the Dominionists and 3rd Wave Church since July. As I relayed how Inf. Clearing House author is being hounded by Feds ...I can imagine they are dogging [BW], especially now that they think they have their magic bullet in Palin.      As I quickly scanned through some of the content last night, and realized how much inf. there was as I clicked on headlines, see this (http://dogemperor.dailykos.com/) [way-loaded w/links! -cp] I came across more about Palin's connection to the Domininists, that greatly concerns me. We have been plagued by them in our own state of WA. The Domininists /Reconstructionists have been around quite awhile, in our state, the Craswells (Ellen who ran for Gov. and her husband, Bruce) were heavily involved with the LeHayes that got Clarence Thomas into power. (Tim LeHaye co-authored the Rapture Books [Links below].) Their Spiritual Leader guru is (still living?) a man named (Rushdoonie) I may be spelling his name wrong. They believe in death to homosexuals, indentured servitude, farthest right scary beliefs you can imagine, (making Armageddon for Jesus) so I am glad that on this Daily Kos site it mentions the youth camps in Palin's church are scrutinized by Southern Poverty Law Center as these camps are a brainwashing cult. They need watching. Make sure you find and watch "Jesus Camp" if you have not already.      If you go to [this link], (Daily KOS) it takes you to a link of her church site and I think he explains her connections in a brief manner with other links with Palin's involvement in helping to finance fringe and questionable youth camps, etc ...and check on the headings.      I will keep checking to see if I find the same video. It was a combination of films from the church's own site...so I think by going to the church site below one might find those group trance hysteria clips as they must be quite proud of them if they had them on their site previously.      I agree we need succinct quick delivery of this inf. and I hope it can be condensed for easy assimilation to people and especially Faith groups who need to understand we are not dealing with a normal person of Faith here...it is an abomination and distortion of all that is truly good in legitimate churches that uphold love, light and peace.      I am glad you are interested in this. We need many eyes on this and sharing of inf. to stop a take over by them. Bush is a simple minded puppet and more on the side like a childish pawn. Rev. Hagee, McCain, Palin, Karl Rove and all the DC based Domininists are in the thick of it. I can not begin to express my concern. The Dominionists are a form of white supremacists, the puzzle was always Clarence Thomas's involvement, again, a token pawn, as Palin is to appeal to feminists. Unfortunately, they are brilliant strategists, Karl Rove has his hand all over the choice for Palin. This reads like a bad science fiction movie and I am sorry to say this is real and we must all work to stop them for the protection of Earth and all living things. Rossi is another one to keep out of office and help is needed on that front to protect our state. I would bet he is backed by these same far right group.      From Daily KOS:      "A look at the home website of Palin's church tends to be revealing. Among other things, a particular Assemblies buzzword associated frequently with Hillsong A/G and New Zealand Assemblies churches shows up ("Destiny", here, is a buzzword for "Joel's Army", and is being preferred even as the phrase "Joel's Army" is getting enough negative spin that even the Assemblies is now having to do some rather massive spin control); cell churches are promoted (of the same sort that are linked to short-term and longterm psychological damage and are among the most coercive tactics ever documented in spiritually abusive groups). The church, like a number of other large Assemblies churches, is the center of a dominionist broadcast TV center whose programming is carried across multiple channels in Alaska.      In a trend that has been recently documented by no less than Southern Poverty Law Center (in its recent report on the Joel's Army movement), the church operates a Seven Project-esque targeted recruitment campaign aiming at teens (this is common across the Assemblies and across "Joel's Army" groups in general; fully a third of the documented national-level front groups operated by the Assemblies target teens).      And...believe you me, Palin's church is definitely "Joel's Army".      Mike Rose, pastor of Juneau Christian Center (Palin's church), is noted to be connected with the "Third Wave Movement"--a movement in neopente dominionist circles that is the major theological home of "Joel's Army". In fact, he's quite closely connected with Rodney Howard-Browne, a major (in fact, for some years, the major promoter) of "Third Wave" neopente dominionism, and actively promotes this insanity in his church: "      -KA To TOP  of PAGE Evangelical Fundamentalist Bigotry Even Mormons Jumping Off Bush Bandwagon As War Takes Its Toll (April '07) "DETROIT -- Iraq is lost militarily and politically. Even the Mormons are now abandoning President George W. Bush's mad war. That's akin to the Swiss Guard deserting and leaving the pope to fend for himself with the Vatican under siege. Other than his own greedy family members, oil barons and military contractors, no group of Americans has stood so steadfastly behind the Bush administration than the members of the Church of Latter-day Saints. ..." and BYU Campus Protests Dick Cheney Speech (April '07) "sfgate, 11:49 PDT Provo, Utah (AP) -- Some students and faculty on one of the nation's most conservative campuses want Brigham Young University to withdraw an invitation for Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at commencement later this month. Critics at the school question whether Cheney sets a good example for graduates, citing his promotion of faulty intelligence before the Iraq war and his role in the CIA leak scandal. ..." Stan Goff: our own special form of fascism     Rachell Elliott:      Do you think the U.S. is in danger of becoming a fascist society?                        Stan Goff:      "It's worrisome. If we do see something like that in this country, I don't think it will look like Italian fascism, or Spanish fascism, or German fascism. It will be our own special form. The people who are closest to that kind of consciousness right now are right-wing Evangelicals, who make up a huge percentage of the Republican Party base. There is a powerful undercurrent of white supremacy in their worldview. It's easy to make fun of them, but we need to be wary. Even though these right-wing Christian Zionists can appear ridiculous sometimes, they are politically well organized and very powerful. It's a big mistake to underestimate them, especially if you are an oppressed minority, or queer, or if you're female; they are incredibly misogynistic."     [editor comment:] Yup: Dubya even invokes the "Crusade" word. Seems that we white folk are so good we can do evil for God, be forgiven, & then divinely rescued - all in one fell swoop!           Click to see/print Full Size Source: Stan Goff On Why U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers Us All By Rachel J. Elliott, The Sun Magazine, Nov 2004, Pages 4-12 [links to a pdf file] 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism The 14 defining characteristics of fascism, according to political scientist Lawrence Britt. How many apply to the US? You can watch a short video here and decide for yourself. “Christianizing” military students This is in the context of the commanders of at least one of the military academies. From Antonia Zerbisias. Fellow activist, Dorli (who sent the link) calls it "More than disturbing." [Editor's Note: More on Bush's "Crusade" references in the below "Messianic Bush" links. Also, Rush Limbaugh even has a spot on Armed Forces Radio, but *Progressive Radio* does not, last I heard...] "Evangelical Christianity Has Been Hijacked" by the Religious Right - So says Evangelical leader, sociology professor, and Baptist minister Tony Campolo. He is author of a new book, Speaking My Mind        On "the Messianic Bush" Without a Doubt October 17, 2004 By RON SUSKIND, senior national-affairs reporter for The Wall Street Journal from 1993 to 2000. He is the author most recently of *The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House and the Education of Paul O'Neill.* "Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy adviser to Ronald Reagan and a treasury official for the first President Bush, told me recently that ''Just in the past few months,'' Bartlett said, ''I think a light has gone off for people who've spent time up close to Bush: that this instinct he's always talking about is this sort of weird, Messianic idea of what he thinks God has told him to do.'' Bartlett, a 53-year-old columnist and self-described libertarian Republican who has lately been a champion for traditional Republicans concerned about Bush's governance, went on to say: ''This is why George W. Bush is so clear-eyed about Al Qaeda and the Islamic fundamentalist enemy. He believes you have to kill them all. They can't be persuaded, that they're extremists, driven by a dark vision. He understands them, because he's just like them. . . . ''This is why he dispenses with people who confront him with inconvenient facts,'' Bartlett went on to say. ''He truly believes he's on a mission from God. Absolute faith like that overwhelms a need for analysis. The whole thing about faith is to believe things for which there is no empirical evidence.'' Bartlett paused, then said, ''But you can't run the world on faith.'' ... ...It was during a press conference on Sept. 16, in response to a question about homeland security efforts infringing on civil rights, that Bush first used the telltale word ''crusade'' in public. ''This is a new kind of -- a new kind of evil,'' he said. ''And we understand. And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while.''... In a speech in Alaska two weeks later, Bush again referred to the war on terror as a ''crusade.'' A senior adviser to Bush told Suskind, [you are] ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' Suskind "nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism," but was cut off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' the Bush advisor continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''       Anti-Semitic beliefs of Evangelical Fundamentalism (re: 1977 book, Armageddon Now!, by Christian historian Dwight Wilson)        The "Left Behind" series the best selling novels, enthusiastically depict Jesus returning to slaughter everyone who is not a born-again Christian. These books depict the world's Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and secular humanist, along with many Roman Catholic and Unitarians, as being heaved into everlasting fire: "Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and ...they tumbled in, howling and screeching." If Saudi Arabians wrote an Islamic version of this "Left Behind" series, we would furiously demand that sensible Muslims repudiate such hatemongering. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, co-authored of the series of books. They stated, their books do not celebrate the slaughter of non-Christians but simply present the painful reality of Scripture. Jenkins said, "We can't read it some other way just because it sounds exclusivistic and not currently politically correct." In the interest of fairness, Evangelicals have done a superb relief efforts in Darfur. Source: Column of Nicholas D. Kristof, Seattle PI, 26 Nov 2004, page B6; Truth Out .Org reference       Elaboration on "Left Behind" series (http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/071804C.shtml): Evangelical Christian book speaks of ethnic cleansing of non-Christians If the latest in the "Left Behind" series of evangelical thrillers is to be believed, Jesus will return to Earth, gather non-Christians to his left and toss them into everlasting fire: "Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and a yawning chasm opened in the earth, stretching far and wide enough to swallow all of them. They tumbled in, howling and screeching, but their wailing was soon quashed and all was silent when the earth closed itself again." These are the best-selling novels for adults in the United States, and they have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. The latest is "Glorious Appearing," which has Jesus returning to Earth to wipe all non-Christians from the planet. It's disconcerting to find ethnic cleansing celebrated as the height of piety. If a Muslim were to write an Islamic version of "Glorious Appearing" and publish it in Saudi Arabia, jubilantly describing a massacre of millions of non-Muslims by God, we would have a fit.        James Dobson, founder of the Focus on the Family: None of the post-election rhetoric about "bridging gaps" and "reaching out" comes from the religious right.           James Dobson, founder of the Focus on the Family, is quoted in the media as telling a White House operative that many in his camp believe the nation was "on the verge of self-destruction" for having abandon traditional family roles and values and that, thanks to the election outcomes, "God has given us a reprieve." Source: Column of Hubert G. Locke, Seattle PI, 26 Nov 2004, page B6. via News You Don't Have to Lose (Use keywords for site search if link to this posting not visible when get there)        Comment: Translation of "traditional family roles": a woman's first duty is the making and keeping of her home, the husband serves as domestic shepard and women and children ...are completely subordinated to (the husband's) blessed, God-ordained shepherding. Someone needs to be the head, God has ordained that this should be the man (I Corinthians 11:3).. Christ is subject to God, man is subject to Christ, and woman is subject to man... As one of the Promise Keeper leaders,Tony Evans, said, "I am not suggesting that you ask for your role back (in your marriage), I am urging you to take it back. There can be no compromise here." As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. (Esphesians 5:24). Source: The Fundamentals of Extremism, The Christian Right in America, by Kimberly Blaker, pages 83- 85. via News You Don't Have to Lose (Use keywords for site search if link to this posting not visible when get there) To TOP  of PAGE   Rove's Record & Other Der-Election References       KARL ROVE: THE KING OF DIRT The Turd Blossom's Chickens May Come To Roost © Copyright 2003, From The Wilderness Publications, www.copvcia.com. All Rights Reserved. A history of this low-life's known backstabbings. "...This evil practitioner of political chicanery earned his stripes first as an apprentice of Richard Nixon's dirty trickster, Donald Segretti. Rove then went on to hone and refine his duplicitous craft under Republican National Committee chairmen George H. W. Bush, Lee Atwater, and, finally, George W. Bush (who affectionately and alternately calls Rove his 'boy genius' and 'turd blossom')..."           By Wayne Madsen, Special to 'From The Wilderness' and a Washington, DC-based investigative journalist and syndicated columnist. He is the author of "Jaded Tasks: Big Oil, Black Ops & Brass Plates." Madsen served as a U.S. Naval Officer from 1975 to 1985, his last duty station being the National Security Agency (NSA). He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Navy Unit Commendation.       The Karl Rove Ascension (washingtonpost.com) "... Karl Rove is now, officially, in charge of pretty much everything at the White House. But it's mostly just a title change. ..."       "Vote Switching" Software Paid For by White House-linked clandestine operation from Texas to Florida ... and Tom Feeney soliciting Clint Curtis to write a program to "control the vote". Article by Wayne Madsen (see above reference)       "CBS' Cowardice and Conflicts Behind Purge Network's Craven Back-Down on Bush Draft Dodge Report Sure to Get a Standing Rove-ation at White House," by Greg Palast, Published 1/12/05 by CommonDreams.org - remember Oliver North, the Ayatollah Khomeini, John Poindexter, and the Iran-Contra scandal in 1986? "And who are the journalists whom CBS has burned at the corporate stake? ... '60 Minutes' producer Mary Mapes. Besides the Bush draft dodge story, Mapes produced the exposé of the torture at Abu Ghraib when other networks had the same material and buried it." Yup, Dan Rather out-Roved...       The Unexplained Exit Poll Discrepancy of 2004 Der-Election Dr. Steven F. Freeman says: "As much as we can say in social science that something is impossible, it is impossible that the discrepancies between predicted and actual vote counts in the three critical battleground states [Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania] of the 2004 election could have been due to chance or random error. The odds of those exit poll statistical anomalies occurring by chance are "250,000,000 to one." That's 250 MILLION to ONE.        "Closing in on Rove" (! <grin>) via the Gonzalez Case... [annotated links]" A collection of Ref/Links May'07) Posted at the PolyPsy List Archives - also includes some newer and background links on the Plame/Wilson (CIA agent outing) case.       Rove'n BusHypocracy -- Press-Staged Prestige       [If this crowd is an inspiration to humorists, so it is also to wordsmiths! -bcp]       News Fronts for the Rove'nBushies White House Press  Jeff Gannon, Bobby Eberle, Talon News' Service, GOPUSA.com, Peter Hannaford, Committee on the Present Danger, Team B, & Donald H. Rumsfeld (family ballyhoos for family values?) dick_mcmanus has put together a set of links at News You Don't Have to Lose; see "N&V Another disinformation operations Asking loaded pro-Republican questions" (use title for keywords in site search if link to this posting not visible when get there) exerpts from:       "Mark Crispin Miller Examines Mainstream Media's Blind Eye Towards the Gannongate Sex Scandal," in A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW, BuzzFlash.com February 23, 2005           "Mark Crispin Miller:   ...The point of [Leftists] going after Gannon/Guckert for his day job--and outing all his rightist clients--is not an anti-gay move. Rather, it's a way to demonstrate the bad faith of the homophobes, and, still more important, the psychological impossibility of their position. To note that this whole gay-baiting movement is itself the work of closet cases is to illuminate the pathological dimension of that movement."           "...BuzzFlash:   If the Gannon/Guckert affair--which touches upon so many of the threats that the Bush White House poses to America and its utter moral corruption--doesn't force the mainstream press to forsake corporate profit concerns and fear of getting Karl Rove upset, what would?           Mark Crispin Miller:   That's the question we keep asking ourselves, isn't it? It assumes that they can get fed up, that there will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. That may not be the proper way to think about it. They may be so corrupt and so deluded that they simply cannot see what's right before their eyes. In which case we will have to find some way to force the story out. In any case, it's up to us, the people, to take care of this mess, isn't it? The Framers saw the press as crucial to American democracy, but it is still the people who make all the difference ultimately. What we may need to do is reconceive "the press" so that it includes the blogosphere, books, independent documentaries. Until we start to manage thorough media reform, we're on our own.           Let me add, though, that the mainstream press will be that much likelier to come around if/when they can no longer fail to see the Busheviks' disastrous impact on the economy. That's the one line that no US regime can cross for long. Remember Pat Buchanan? The press winked at his fascism until he started going populist on "free trade." It was only then that his Falangist world-view, his racism and antisemitism, started getting any ink..."           "... BuzzFlash:   Now, Rove and company are advising Gannon/Guckert to claim that he has been saved by Christianity. Isn't that "get out of jail" card becoming a bit tired?           Mark Crispin Miller:   Rove's cynicism is unbounded. That doesn't mean that it will work. We tend by now to see Rove as all-powerful, invulnerable, which is exactly how he wants us all to see him. But he's fallible, and getting more so as he grows more power-crazed. He's capable of desperation measures, and this may well be one of them."       --------- More Pointedly On the Hypocracy (and Homophobia) Element (same article) ---------                 "...Mark Crispin Miller:   Inept and hypocritical they are indeed, but what this scandal tells us is way more profound. As I've argued both in Cruel and Unusual and "A Patriot Act," there's a big difference between hypocrisy and projectivity. Hypocrisy means "dissimulation" pure and simple. A hypocrite does one thing privately while playing a very different role in public. Insofar as he's capable of happiness, he's happy just to live such a divided life. What he does not need is to have some demon-figure(s) onto whom he can relentlessly project those aspects of himself that he unconsciously detests. This is the animus that drives the Bushevik movement--more than greed, more than oil, more than imperialism. The movement is, ultimately, pathological. Which explains its compulsive hatefulness. Every time the Bushevik vents his spleen against "the liberals," he's actually referring to himself. "The liberals," he insists, are lying, bitter diehards, who would do anything to stay in power; they steal elections; they are "a coalition of the wild-eyed"; and on it goes forever. If the movement weren't relentlessly projective, it would just disappear. They have to stay on the attack against the demon, which they can never finally kill, because that demon is inside them.          So this episode is not anomalous. Guckert/Gannon is no oddity, but just another fine example of projective nastiness. He's by no means the only gay homophobe in this movement, which appears to be the work primarily of closet cases. There are others who have not been outed, but should be. The rest of us should be taking this quite seriously, not just because it might enable a political advantage, but because it cuts right to the heart of what this Christo-fascist movement's all about."       Karl Rove Hates the New York Times NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story... "White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove doesn't like the liberal New York Times, and he's certainly justified. ..."       Clarke's Public Service, By Tom Maertens, Star Tribune Sunday 28 March 2004 - About administration's role in revealing the name of an undercover CIA officer, but saying it has no evidence of wrongdoing by Bush adviser Karl Rove and therefore no reason to begin an internal investigation (Washington Post 9/30/03)        One Day You're Gonna Wake Up, America, By David Michael Green, International Clearing House May 4, 2007. This is a modern prophecy, one that is only too realistic and with accurate detail for the everyday person, unless of course, our society corrects it's current course. Says Mark Jensen, "Green touches on most of the features of contemporary American political life, but it is the scandal of the firing of U.S. attorneys by the Department of Justice that seems to have caused him to choose this moment to deliver his dire, passionate warning." AM1090 is for the Seattle Area; to find out the closest station to you, see "Find a station" or Google "Air America Progressive Talk Radio" To TOP  of PAGE Related References       "Brass Resistance" - of Military Field Officers, Hi-Level Intelligence Officials, diplomats, etc - About the resistance of mainly Military Field Officers" to future plans for expanded Mid-East warfare -IRAN- ... have you ever put [the Hersh reports] of the last year or two side by side? Trends are interesting, ya think? eg: how unpredictable is the brass (which brass? and who said agents?) Re-stacked chain of command for "emergency" (like rescuing the Dollar and the di©tator$hip. Uhm, whoops, I mean Freedom)... Well, it's time to blow that cover (wider). Very long page, includes most articles on the subject plus others for 'In Context' reading, implications, resources; eg: one very "loaded" page!           Support Winter Soldier II: Iraq & Afghanistan           On March 13-16, 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War members gathered near Washington DC to disclose the realities of U.S. war policy, to share eyewitness stories that have been censored from the American public about the true human cost of these occupations. They need your support! There are many ways to help. There will continue to be live audio/video feeds from the Washington DC hearings available to present at your local event. Listen to Audio Clips from Participating Veterans! Read and sign the Winter Soldier Statement of Support here, and encourage friends, family, coworkers and members of your group to sign it as well. "...We Support the Troops Who Oppose the War: Truth, honesty and integrity are essential components to a functioning democracy...".           Besides the IVAW: Iraq Veterans Against The War, more new groups we are so happy to see formed are Veterans Against The Iraq War, and West Point Grads Against The War .Org! Another new outfit is the World Veterans Federation. And lastly, but actually FIRST among the veterans of questioning authority, are the much appreciated VVAW- Vietnam Veterans Against The War!           *Iraq Veterans Against the War* Speak Out, VIDEOs           (Google Src Results - LOTS)           Military/War/Anti-War/Sexual VIDEOs (Google Src Results): Probably one of the most powerful of these is of April Fitzimmons, Intelligence Analyst, USAF. A Comment at YouTube: "Thank you for posting this. It is truly amazing. She has real courage. 'My biggest enemy was my own company', just what Suzanne Swift said. This is something that anyone even considering joining the military needs to see, especially women.           Lt. Ehren Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful war and occupation in Iraq (with the Fort Lewis-based 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division). While doing this on June 22, 2006, Watada said, "As the order to take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I must refuse that order." Watada’s commander added a seventh count to the six he already faced for remarks Watada made in a speech Aug. 12 at the Veterans for Peace national convention in Seattle. see Watada Speech at Veterans for Peace convention August 2006 and related articles ("Iraq combat vets explain support for Lt. Watada," "GI resistance is a growing trend," and "We were conditioned to hate them") at the 'Thank You Lt. Watada web site' Winter Soldier II promotional postcards are now available without charge.           CITIZENS’ HEARING ON THE LEGALITY OF U.S. ACTIONS IN IRAQ: Hearing held over January 20-21, 2007, more than 600 citizens joined a distinguished tribunal panel in listening to testimony about the legality of the US invasion of Iraq. The Citizens' Hearing was convened to present evidence that Lt. Ehren Watada would have presented in his February 5 court martial on the question that the military ruled barred from entry on Jan. 16 - the question of the Iraq War's legality. Testifiers included experts in military policy, international law and war crimes: * Daniel Ellsberg Military analyst who released the Pentagon Papers in the Vietnam War; * Denis Halliday Former UN Assistant Secretary-General, coordinated Iraq humanitarian aid; * Richard Falk Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University; * Antonia Juhasz Policy-analyst and author on U.S. economic policies in Iraq; * John Burroughs Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy Executive Director; * Benjamin G. Davis Assoc. Prof. of Law, University of Toledo; expert on law of war; * Francis Boyle Professor of international law at Univ. of Illinois (video). * Marjorie Cohn National Lawyers' Guild President; Thomas Jefferson law school (video)         Project for a New American Century (PNAC) [who I refer to when I say "from the P'NAC Gallery"] The PNAC blueprint, for the creation of a 'global Pax Americana' Uncovered by the Sunday Herald, was drawn up for Dick Cheney (now vice-president), Donald Rumsfeld (defense secretary), Paul Wolfowitz (Rumsfeld's deputy), George W Bush's younger brother Jeb and Lewis Libby (Cheney's chief of staff). The document, entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces And Resources For A New Century," (a copy here) was written in September 2000 by the neo-conservative think-tank Project for the New American Century (PNAC). This 90 page document used to be available at New American Century .Org (but now it's their Iraq-Middle-East page). It was a grand re-write of a 46-page document, "Draft Defense Planning Guidance," conceived in 1992, during the first Bush Administration. The orchestrated call for empire was "out of the closet," according to conservative columnist Charles Krauthamer: "It's Empire Versus Democracy". Also of interest might be "History Repeats Itself Clear and Present Danger," an analysis of PNAC and CPD (Committee on the Present Danger).       In "THE FRAUDULENT WAR," Richard W. Behan of Lopez Island provides A GREAT SUMMARY. The detailed pdf file with illustrated slideshow presentation, is available via (click to open file in your browser or download by right-clicking, then "Save Link as") (5.5 mb PDF file), or "The So-Called War On Terror" (digested article, 105kb Word Doc).           Click to see/print Full Size   Some Sites for Most Recent Updates on War, Peace, Bush Cabal    Concise, but stats-&-refs-rich summary articles and outline assemblies abound at Dick McManus's "News & View You Don't Have to Lose". Once there you can search for postings by keyword. Many of the links on the current page are taken from Dick's Winter '04-05 listmail postings. He is also a generous contributor to the ...    SNOW-News Archives Online Some of the best postings from the N.W. Peace movement, including Mark Jensen's foreign news translations and above noted postings from Dick McManus    United for Peace of Pierce County (UFPPC) previously via http://www.tacomapjh.org (United for Peace, Justice, and Healing)    Common Dreams .Org is a great site, by the way, for articles current to most every topic related to US elections, Iraq, abuse of power, money, and influence    www.bushwatch.com "Todays' News" The Political Reference Page A VERY large Collection of supporting documents -- annotated links, but organized - - - --- So far includes: --- - - -    I.   The Administration's Corporate Agendas & Relationships Incl. re: the 60's, 70's, and 80's, and Mid-East Oil: a History of Crime as the mercenary dirty-work (whoops, I mean Black Ops & Contracting) becomes legit -- such that the media never even mentions the *many thousands* of innocent Iraqi's sacrificed for "our freedom"    II.   Iraq/Mid-East War Questions Incl. re: the DEPLETED URANIUM that our soldiers, as well as Iraqi children, now live amongst    III.   Civil Liberties Changes & Implications including re: a) "The Original Homeland Security" and b) Lots of Links on the CRITICAL VOTING situation, REFORM, etc    IV.   Media Issues    V.   Recovering Democracy, Peace Education, Related Attitudinal Change & Healing [Some of which Also Included below on current page]    VI.Responsible Shopping & Investment, Corporate Reform, & Economic Fairness Issues Including re: Voting With Your Dollar [Some of which is Included below on current page]    VII. Veterans For Peace, Conscientious Objection, More Alternatives to War, etc Including re: Documenting Your Conscientious Objector intentions - ASAP BEFORE you get DRAFTED

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F a v o r i t e   A l t e r n a t i v e   S o l u t i o n   S i t e s for complete list see Political Reference Page       Apollo Alliance Project The Apollo Alliance is a growing coalition dedicated to a just and sustainable economy. We are bringing together a broad partnership to rebuild America and face the challenges of conservation, freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, and creating millions of good jobs in the industries of the future. Apollo Alliance launches at Campaign for America's Future "Take Back America" conference in Washington, DC. June 5, 2003. Their set of web pages include "Our Ten Point Plan for Energy Freedom."           Bioneers - Collective Heritage Institute: An organization of some of the most intelligent and long-time dedicated people on the planet (IMHO), developing and implementing "sustainable" solutions throughout the world. Some great examples are presented at the Collective Heritage Institute of Santa Fe, NM. Sample articles, include "The Hidden Connection: A Science for Sustainable Living" by Fritjof Capra       "IMAGINE: What America Could be in the 21st Century" About Realities We Can Create (These are practical, accomplishable given a little re-education about our actual capabilities and resources, and NOT "new age" dreams) Featuring (in alphabetical order): Ed Ayres * Sarah Ban Breathnach * John Bradshaw * Fred Branfman * Denise Breton, Christopher Largent and Stephen Lehman * Deepak Chopra * Kokomon Clottey and Aeeshah Ababio-Clottey * Peter Coyote * Stanley Crouch * Sam Daley-Harris * David Deida * Dee Dickinson * Riane Eisler * Debbie Ford * Peter Gabel * * John Gray * Thom Hartmann * Paul Hawken * Hazel Henderson * bell hooks * Barbara Marx Hubbard * Daphne Rose Kingma * David C. Korten * Dennis Kucinich * Michael Lerner * Paul Rogat Loeb * Gay Gaer Luce * Thomas Moore * Caroline Myss * Dean Ornish * James Redfield * John Robbins * Vicki Robin * Robert Roth * Lance Secretan * Peter Senge * Judith A. Sturnick * Eric Utne * Neale Donald Walsch * Margaret J. Wheatley All author proceeds go to the Global Renaissance Alliance, P.O. Box 3259, Ceneter Line MI 48015, office: (586)754-8105, Fax: (586)754-8106      [Most currently, for solutions to begin applying: I'd go with Dennis Kucinich (almost always good for the relatively short term pragmatic), Al Gore and Dennis Hayes (for the current and intermediate), with David Korten and Riane Eisler (into the longer term pragmatic), and hopefully via O'Bama. Not to dismiss the others in the least - many of whose views I am very familiar with. - cp]          *The Great Turning - From Empire to Earth Community* by David Korten Summarized in YES Magazine. Find more at PCDForum Bulletin #5. Two more of his books include "When corporations rule the World" and "Post Corporate World" - insightful and important when contemplating responding to current challenges and the healing of the planet. You might also enjoy the transcript of Korten's keynote address at the 2002 EARTH CHARTER COMMUNITY SUMMIT. Timely articles include "What to Do Now That the War Has Started." A related sites include www.davidkorten.org and The Fourth Freedom .Org/.        The virtual U.S. Peace Academy @Seattle     For students choosing alternatives in peace, to facilitates resources and connections to institutions of higher learning for lasting global peace. Here you may create a vital and permanent record of their sincere desire and choice to learn and wage the arts of peace, rather than the art of war - as well as establish Conscientious Objector Status. Includes the "James George Peterson Library at vUSPA - Suggested Courses and Books, suggested/sample outlines, prerequisites, links to solution-oriented organizations and resources.           Assisting in the Healing of Veterans - How to Listen (to ALLOW Emotional Release & Self-Recovery) For now, please see the list of resources at vUS Peace Academy (JPG Library page above) and also use these keywords in your search engine: Co-Counseling, Re-Evaluation Counseling, Harvey Jackins           The Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA) PJSA is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2001 as a result of a merger of the Consortium on Peace research, Education and Development (COPRED) and the Peace Studies Association (PSA). Both organizations provided leadership in the broadly defined field of peace, conflict and justice studies. We are dedicated to bringing together academics, K-12 teachers and grassroots activists to explore alternatives to violence and share visions and strategies for social justice and social change. PJSA also serves as a professional association for scholars in the field of peace and conflict resolution studies. [Local ref: The Evergreen State College in Washington State has one of many ongoing Peace and Justice Studies programs, by the way, as well as ">regular current-topic conference events.]           Citizen Works has assembled 10 actions you can take to change corporate power in your home town. To see the list, visit "Citizen Works .Org - Local Corporate Crime & Citizen Action           Jean Houston was the protégé of the late anthropologist Margaret Mead, who instructed her in the workings of organizations and power structures in many different cultures. With the late mythologist Joseph Campbell, she frequently co-led seminars and workshops aimed at understanding interrelationships between ancient myths and modern societies. Her specialty is in the development and application of multiple methods of increasing physical and mental skills, learning and creativity. She has presented the results of her work and studies in some 17 books, as well as in person through speeches and conferences at educational institutions and business organizations in over 40 countries. She is often invited to work personally with leaders of such groups, as well as heads of governmental and non-governmental agencies, to assist them in rethinking their goals and agendas.Wisdom University includes the courses of Dr. Jean Houston.       A special preview course for her 2007 Mystery School was held in San Francisco November 17-19, 2005. In 1985, Jean was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Association of Teacher Educators. In 1993, she received the Gardner Murphy Humanitarian Award and the INTA Humanitarian of the Year award. In 1994, she received the Lifetime Outstanding Creative Achievement Award from the Creative Education Foundation. Presently, she is working closely with the United Nations Habitat Program creating programs in social artistry for training leaders around the world.        The Alliance for a Caring Economy (ACE) The newest (2007) of initiatives from Riane Eisler and The Center for Partnership Studies, ACE is a network to develop the foundations for a caring partnership economics is being formed with representatives from government, business, civil society, and academic sectors. Economic rules, measures, and policies that recognize the real value of the essential work of caring for children and the elderly, keeping our families healthy, and maintaining a clean and healthy environment, are foundational to the construction of an economics that can meet the challenges we face. ...will lead to the higher valuing of caring and caretaking in our homes, schools, and workplaces, as well as to the more caring economic and social policies needed to move toward a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous world. ACE will bring together representatives from academia, government, business, and civil society to ...Collect information on what is already happening to give economic value to caregiving, such as paid parental leave and economic measurements that, unlike GDP, take into account the essential economic contribution of caregiving in both the formal and informal economies. ... Riane Eisler's speech to the World's Women Forum Plenary July 29, 2004 was *Revisioning The Economic Rules: Empowering Women And Changing The World*           Gateway to Conscious Evolution with Barbara Marx Hubbard           See True Majority Principles worth working for: see TrueMajority.Com for a full description of each principle)          Buddhist Peace Fellowship website is a very well done website that includes a range of Buddhist Peace Fellowship activities as well as an archive of reports from David Berrian in Iraq.          Yamas and Niyamas - the ten living principles, © 2002 Swami Avinashananda Saraswati, at www.saraswatiyoga.com           Orion Online offers "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear" by Wendell Berry, Already reprinted in 73 countries and 7 languages, this powerful and poignant essay has been made available in print form, along with two related essays by Mr. Berry; another essay on the crisis of globalization by Wendell Berry: "The Idea of a Local Economy"           "Inspiring a New Human Agenda." A humanistic approach to governance & public policy. The POLITICS OF TRUST NETWORK is sponsored by its members and by The John Vasconcellos Legacy Project. Called a pragmatic idealist, John Vasconcellos is considered a leading visionary in the convergence of psychology, politics, and the human potential movement. His ground-breaking efforts in promoting self esteem, authentic leadership, and social diversity have distinguished his 35 years as member of the California Legislature. HeartMath Institute           "Research shows that when that electrical energy changes, it goes to what's called 'coherent frequency patterns'. We're able to correlate that to changes in the immune system and changes in hormonal balance. And we also see changes in perception and intelligence. There's a lot more to what the heart is doing than people realize. It's not just a blood pump."     Solutions: Common Means to Efficient Paths, and "Bridging" in the Cross-Discipline Approach     How are we to find *The* solution, and *the path* to it, when our simply defining the problem -- "pragmatically" considered the "first" objective -- can be difficult enough in collaborative efforts these days? Sure, great thinkers provide inspiration, but which to choose from now? When in their presence, it's easy to submit to such experience, but what about when their guidance escapes our grasp?     How to develop means to "Centeredness," a balance of analytic and intuitive capacities, a grounded pragmatic understanding of the challenges at hand - your own as well as those of the individuals and community involved - as well as possible longer term outcome scenarios of the various potential solutions? But wait, what if "I'm not an expert" and "what the heck am I pretending to be and do...?"     All this sound familiar? Lao Tsu said a thousand mile journey begins with the 1st step. And there's more quotes around this site that basically says that *the* solution to socio-political problems begins "with you and me," that *we* might as well get with it, and that representatives, by definition, are the ones who put forth your and my thoughts and feelings - into the process of governing you and I.     And *ideally* ...Ahhhh, such a loaded word. But right now we are looking at global warming scenarios, or figuring out how to get people to the table and refrain from polarizing the discussion. The approach initiated at beginning of the "Machiavengelicals Exposed" likely would not be very useful here, I admit. That approach was designed to get certain mind-types to begin to focus on the site's topics and viewpoints. But I digress.     The gestalt view of facing challenges is not about the rose-colored glasses approach, but about honoring of the emotional delemnas, the pain, and the elephant in the frontroom (not to mention the baby, the furniture, and the weather outside). And about human skill, capability, and potential for growth and change.     Yeah, but "Common Means," did I say? Yes, there are certain commonalities in how humans solve problems (and create them), not to mention percieve them and define them. And yes, there ARE different means for different individuals to FIND those common means. And here we come to the crux of this writing and many of the writings and charts you find at this website. The first useful, response to any challenge, certainly one that is efficient for the long term, depends greatly on the nature of an individual or group facing the challenge. Ahhhh... the big "depends on..." stance that intelligent leftist politicians are so hated for by people demanding soundbytes and simple solutions.     One way of laying out those "common means" is put forth in "the Goals Chart - "Achievement of Goals, Attainment, And the Role of Inner Work ...". That way would seem to be more geared for the individual, but how often has an individual ever been totally responsible for his own, let alone his community's development? eg: It becomes an integrated individual and group effort. It's one thing to solve one's own problems, but when it comes to people solving problems together, Riane Eisler [see descriptive link at left] is a well known teacher/ facilitator who thoroughly covers the basic and advanced dynamics in listening, clarity, and objectivity for relationships or *Partnerships*, as well as in socio-political realms.     I believe things work best when things work together, and that people work best when people work in concert. And that would be whether they work together or separately in healthy competition (that does not degrade others or impede their efforts). MORE SPECIFICALLY: If we begin by a) looking at (a visualization of) what we really want, and b) consider some basic routes for how we might get there from here, c) work backwards from the end product to understand what key and core physicalities that would have to be created in the latter time periods prior to achieving what we really want, then d+) do the same for the physicalities preceding those... e+) do the same eventually for the attitudes that would be necessary to allow for all the above accomplishments... f+) From here a basic flow chart of required tasks and conditions are established. (This approach greatly influenced the development of many of the pages at this site. Which are, admittedly, tempting most people to consider them as "overly dense compilations of means to ideals too rich for human consumption." So... what happened to that "give me a challenge" attitude?)     Note that some of the most experienced people in examining cause and effect scenario's are in the healing trades, and most apparently not always in the government related professions. Cross-discipline Inter-Relations and Approach would be the order of the day (make that *of the century*), which implies the need for scholastic leaders in every school of thought, as well as the social sciences, to share knowledge and work together.     I'm also referring, in part, to one of our current challenges. And that is the relationship between a) monetary support for research, b) who or what determines the direction or purpose of research (ie: as related to humanity's true needs and who determines those for any amount of research), and c) how the results of research are employed and/or accessed.     And I'm referring to the relationship between any person's aptitude, attitude, talent base, and "True Calling" (and one's hearing that calling), and to the likelihood of the most efficient application of management/worker resources in industry, government, and social development.     But what about "real" solutions right NOW? Well, how fast do you truly expect to be rescued or fixed by someone else? I want to say that there truly is a place for immediate gratification. And for structured simplicity, mainly because some individuals truly require for their health - and that of others around them. And "representatives" worry about their image, so feel pressure to substitute wisdom with expediency (if "tempted" with wisdom in the first place). To those who still ask for here and now spelled-out solutions, I have two answers: read the above, and read the below ("As Above, So Below" ?).     [Most currently, for solutions to begin applying: I'd go with Dennis Kucinich (almost always good for the relatively short term pragmatic), Al Gore and Dennis Hayes (for the current and intermediate), with David Korten and Riane Eisler (into the longer term pragmatic), hopefully via O'Bama. - cp, 8/24/08]     Favorite Solution links at Political References Page "Our Children Will Save Us"     A day after writing the above, As I watched the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics and remembered the other great choreographies therein, I came to understand that it will be the young people of the planet who come together - literally and in many other ways - and from there most powerfully persist and succeed in petitioning the leaders of the nations for the sake of mankind and the planet. And due to their determination and courage, the leaders agree (and basically get out of the way) so that the terribly needed changes are rapidly facilitated - which brings the world's people together, leading to the healing of Mother Earth. 2012 may indeed be the death of the planet as we know it, but also the re-birth of the planet as we truly know Her deeper inside - where we, who are also transforming, begin to know ourselves.