AND THE THIRD ANGEL FOLLOWED THEM, SAYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, IF ANY MAN WORSHIP THE BEAST AND HIS IMAGE, AND RECEIVE HIS MARK IN HIS FOREHEAD, OR IN HIS HAND. *** REVELATION 14:9
Monday, July 02, 2007
IRAN & VENEZUELA BOOST TIES
(Reuters)
2 July 2007
ASSALOUYEH, Iran - The presidents of Iran and Venezuela launched construction of a joint petrochemical plant on Monday, underlining closer ties between the two energy-rich nations united in opposition to the United States.
Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who both often rail against Washington, took part in the ceremony to start building a methanol facility with an annual capacity of 1.65 million tonnes on the Islamic Republic’s Gulf coast.
‘Iran and Venezuela -- the axis of unity,’ read one of many official posters at the flattened and dusty site near the southern port town of Assalouyeh, showing photos of the two leaders hugging each other and shaking hands.
Iran, embroiled in an escalating nuclear standoff with the United States, was branded part of an ‘axis of evil’ by US President George W. Bush after he took office in 2001.
Ahmadinejad and Chavez officially marked the opening event by instructing via walkie-talkies the drivers of two mechanical diggers to start working, amid tight security.
Iranian officials said a second methanol plant would be set up in Venezuela, each costing about $650 million to $700 million and taking four years to complete. Methanol is an alcohol which can be used as a solvent or an element in fuel.
That would help Iran to access the Latin American market, while Venezuela would get closer to fast-growing India as well as Pakistan, a senior Iranian official said.
‘It is a joint project,’ said Mohammad Hassan Payvandi, head of planning and development of the National Iranian Petrochemical Company. ‘Another complex with the same capacity will be built in Venezuela,’ he told reporters.
‘Anti-imperialism wave’
Chavez, who wants to forge an alliance of leftist states to counter US policies, arrived in Teheran on Saturday after visiting Russia and Belarus.
On Sunday, he told Ahmadinejad their countries should cooperate to defeat imperialism, Iranian media said. The Iranian leader took a similar line, telling his guest that ‘victory (can) be achieved with resistance and standing firm.’
Iran’s hardline Kayhan daily said the two countries were riding on a ‘global anti-imperialism wave.’
But both also face economic challenges.
Iran sits atop the world’s second largest oil and gas reserves, but U.S.-led efforts to isolate it over its nuclear ambitions are hurting investment in the sector, analysts say.
The Islamic state rejects accusations it is seeking to build atom bombs, saying it only aims to generate electricity, but major powers have begun talks on a third set of United Nations sanctions over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear work.
Chavez, a staunch opponent of US President George W. Bush, last week forced US oil giants from Venezuela, seizing oil fields from Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips.
But economists caution his social spending, mainly paid for by state oil company PDVSA, could run into trouble as Venezuela battles to maintain oil output after the exit of the majors. The opposition complain his anti-Americanism scares off investors.
Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/July/business_July62.xml§ion=business&col=
HILLARY BLASTS THOMPSON
Hil rips Fred's Cuba blast
BY CELESTE KATZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, July 1st 2007, 4:00 AM
Republican Fred Thompson hasn't even officially declared he's running for President, but Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton didn't wait to jump on him for implying that some Cubans are involved in terrorism.
Last week in South Carolina, Thompson - an actor and former Tennessee senator - warned that an immigration bill could leave the U.S. open to terrorism: "I don't imagine they're coming here to bring greetings from Castro. We're living in the era of the suitcase bomb," he said.
Clinton, in Florida yesterday for a candidate forum with Latino elected officials along with other top Democratic candidates, seized the opportunity to run Thompson down for the comment.
"I was appalled when one of the people running for or about to run for the Republican nomination talked about Cuban refugees as potential terrorists," she said. "Apparently he doesn't have a lot of experience in Florida or anywhere else, and doesn't know a lot of Cuban-Americans."
Florida, with a primary that has been moved up to late January, has become increasingly important in national elections. The state has a large Latino population, and many Cuban-American voters have leaned Republican.
After his Cuban comment hit the Web, Thompson - who has had healthy showings in GOP primary polls - moved to clarify it in a blog posting, saying he was referring to Cuban spies as a possible threat, not to regular immigrants.
ckatz@nydailynews.com
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/07/01/2007-07-01_hil_rips_freds_cuba_blast-1.html
BOMB SCARE AT KENNEDY AIRPORT
Bomb scares hit Kennedy Airport, W. Side Highway
BY KARL STAMPFL and BILL EGBERT
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Monday, July 2nd 2007, 4:00 AM
A police security check point was set up as cars entered JFK.
Multiple car bombs in London and a fiery attack on Glasgow Airport also have set nerves on edge in New York, as two incidents yesterday made clear.
The American Airlines departure terminal at JFK Airport was evacuated because of a suspicious package, and an abandoned truck caused a scare under the West Side Highway.
A package found on the curb at the American Airlines terminal about 10:20a.m. triggered an hour-long evacuation while the bomb squad checked the box - which turned out to contain cologne.
The incident did not disrupt flight schedules.
"People got antsy, but no one panicked. They were just trying to figure out what was going on," said Dahlia Dell, 41, a social worker from Queens dropping her son off at the airport.
"People were more concerned about their flights than about a bomb," she said.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, an otherwise unmarked truck bearing hazardous materials warnings was found abandoned early yesterday on a service road underneath the elevated West Side Highway at 68th St., prompting cops to close the surrounding park and a nearby sidewalk for several hours - though the highway remained open.
The truck was found to be filled with brooms and cleaning supplies.
Emily Goodman, 25, a social worker who lives nearby, said she appreciated the abundance of caution.
"I don't think they're overreacting at all," said Goodman. "If anything, they're maybe underreacting," she said, pointing to the cars zipping by on the highway.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/07/02/2007-07-02_bomb_scares_hit_kennedy_airport_w_side_h.html
EFFECTS OF A NUKE ATTACK ON NYC
The Effects of a Terrorist Nuclear Attack on New York City - With 1.5 million people in Manhattan on any given day, as well as the world's mega-financial center with an 'empire over the kings of the earth', New York City is likely to be the first target of a terrorist nuclear attack. |
| – by James Roberts - June 21, 2007 - SecretsofSurvival.com – The fact is that both in and outside of the United States, New York City is held in high esteem. Everything happens in New York. In addition, New York really represents the melting pot that is America. That, of course, in combination with the dense population there (over 8,000,000 people throughout the boroughs) and the highly concentrated Jewish population would seemingly make it a place that terrorists would just love to target with a nuclear weapon. |
After all, the terrorists have already proven cowardly enough to target the area with aircraft intent on murdering innocent people, so why would nuclear weapons be any different?
Along with this, it would seem important to have a piece at SecretsofSurvival.com that concentrates on the very real possibility of a nuclear attack on New York. That said, every nuclear attack is not equal.
The difference in power between nuclear weapons
As Wikipedia notes, "the explosive yield of a nuclear weapon is the amount of energy, called the yield, discharged when a nuclear weapon is detonated." This is usually expressed via the equivalent mass of trinitrotoluene (in either kilotons or megatons).
Therefore, when we consider the possibility of nuclear attack in New York City, we should probably look at three different scenarios. Further, it might help to focus on the most famous of all the boroughs in terms of the explosion as that would likely be the place terrorists would choose.
If a 1 kiloton nuclear bomb were to go off in the center of Manhattan: The immediate damage
Manhattan is only 23.7 square miles in total. Yep, that's right: They really do pack it in there when you consider that over 1.5 million people reside there.
And again, this is one of the reasons why terrorists would love to target it.
Regardless, a 1 kiloton (kt.) nuclear weapon would likely produce an explosion that would absolutely level everything for over a tenth of a mile from the impact point, producing a 200 meter burst in height. However, as we all know, that's only the beginning.
Such a blast would also destroy the majority of civil buildings for about 4 tenths of a mile, and do moderate damage to buildings for over a mile..
Large scale fires would likely form in various spots for a little over 3 tenths of a mile. Along with this, most people within that same radius would probably experience dangerous third degree burns. Those within a half mile of the blast would be at risk for second degree burns (and those 7 tenths of a mile from the blast would be at risk for first degree burns).
Unfortunately, the instant nuclear radiation would probably kill everyone within approximately a half mile of the impact point. That said, people within 7 tenths of a mile would be highly at-risk for acute radiation syndrome.
In other words, they'd be in trouble.
The good thing about a 1 kt. bomb is that the after effects from fallout would probably be minimal. Unfortunately, we really don't know how far such a bomb would reach afterwards as that would depend on the direction and power of the wind.
But it would be minimal.
The effects of a 20 kt. nuclear weapon being detonated in the middle of Manhattan
Here's the deal with a 20 kt. nuclear weapon.
First, such a blast would completely level everything for near 4 tenths of a mile. Beyond that, civil buildings for over a mile would be done in. Then, of course, at least moderate damage would be done to structures within 1.5 miles. The fireball itself would rise approximately 500 meters in the air.
Large scale fires would start up within 1.2 miles of the explosion. Further, third degree burns could be expected for the population up to 1.5 miles from the blast, second degree burns for those within 2 miles of the blast, and first degree burns for those within 2.5 miles of the explosion.
And those within 1.5 miles of the blast would likely die immediately or soon after from radiation.
Again, this doesn't count later or prolonged exposure. Unfortunately, that would make things worse (depending on factors such as the wind, etc.).
The effects of a 1 MT (megaton) blast on Manhattan
Such a blast would wipe out 1.5 miles of everything right off the bat. Further, nearly 4 miles of buildings would immediately be crushed, and at least moderate building damage would hit structures for over 10 miles. The fireball itself would rise approximately 2 miles into the air.
Ouch!
Big time fires would sprout up for over 6 miles from the blast. Along with this, third degree burns could be expected regularly for over 7 miles, second degree burns for over 9 miles, and first degree burns for nearly 12 miles.
Beyond that, immediate and likely lethal radiation issues could occur for nearly two miles from the initial blast.
Unfortunately, once you get in the 1 MT range, we know that the danger from fallout is more excessive and easier to understand. Of course, everything depends on the power of the wind and direction. That said, within 6 hours people within up to 80 miles could be exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation relatively quickly. Further, people within the 80-140 mile mark, if exposed for hours, could also be in danger.
What to do if a nuclear weapon were detonated in New York City
If you're extremely close to the blast, there could be trouble. Obviously, it might be important to refer to the above regarding distances of greatest impact, etc. Along with this, if you're within the major impact zone, you'll really have little chance of survival.
For example, everyone within 10 miles of a 1 MT blast would immediately be in grave danger. Therefore, about 800,000 people might immediately be done in if the blast were to go off in Manhattan (possibly more).
Still, regardless of the size of the weapon being detonated, a fallout chamber is key. To understand what a fallout chamber / room is and what supplies to have on hand, read here: How to Survive a Nuclear Attack .
Interestingly, after reading the aforementioned on the threat of fires, you might also want to add a fire extinguisher (more than one, actually).
As soon as you hear of a blast and are anywhere within the New York City area, it's probably prudent to go to the fallout chamber. The reason is simple: If a large blast (1 MT or greater) goes off in the immediate vicinity, trying to outrun it could be highly dangerous (especially considering the fact that many might try this, making traffic terrible). Thus, the immediate surrounding areas (Rockland County, Westchester County, Fairfield County in Connecticut) would also be wise to retreat to their fallout shelter.
If a smaller 1 kt. blast were to go off, everyone in the surrounding counties would be in less danger. That said, we still know very little about some of the fallout effects and therefore the old "better safe than sorry" adage would seemingly work well.
But how about the people farther away? Let's say that a small bomb were to go off in New York City. What about the towns just outside its reach.
Well, remember that if terrorists were to set off such a weapon, there would certainly be a chance of invasion. Yes, it's a little talked about possibility. However, don't put it past these people to attack innocents outside the blast zone while the world focuses on the nuclear devastation.
So if you're outside the blast zone but desire to meet up with people at a different location, you'll have to consider this. Would it be better to hunker down in case of invasion (in your home)? Or is it that important to escape the nearby chaos?
Tough call.
In the end, you'll probably want to have weapons on hand regardless of the strategy you decide to employ. Further, you may want appropriate clothes for travel (including heavy clothes if it's cold out). After all, a lot of people are going to want to travel.
And that might make it pretty hard to do so by vehicle. In other words, everyone that lives in New York City and the surrounding areas might want to have their running and hiking shoes with them.
REFERENCES:
Source: http://www.secretsofsurvival.com/survival/nuclear_attack_new_york_city.html
P.S. Next to last paragraph of article mentions weapons. Here let it be known that I niether recommend the use of weapons, or believe in violence to settle any situation. "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints". Revelation 13:10. Blogmaster
STEPPED-UP SECURITY PARANOIA
These fantastic events cause a ratcheting-up of hassles at the airports. It's has become quite a feat to travel by airplane. Will there soon be a Walmart-Air? You must show identification, check your baggage and be interrogated (has anyone given you anything to bring on plane, have you lost sight of your luggage momentarily, etc.), then proceed to the pre-board gauntlet. Here, you are instructed to take all your belongings out of your pockets, belts, watch, etc; Place them on a conveyor belt, with your shoes, too. (Yes, remember Mom always told you not to walk the dirty floors with your clean socks?) You must walk through a metal detector threshold, bare-foot. Then, you get all your belongings back, and once you put yourself back together, act as if everything is fine and dandy. You're off to the friendly skies! We've come a long way, baby. What a bunch of poppycock.
Firstly, the proliferation of these expressions of stepped-up, ratcheting, ramping, are peculiar. I can't recollect ever hearing these cliches used in the american vernacular, until now.
Secondly, if someone catches a cold in the British Isles; Will someone in Boston sneeze?
Thirdly, what was that Concert (hosted by the two young Princes) for the deceased Diana Spencer, all about? With Sir Elton John, Kanye West, P-Diddy? Are we being had here?
Can Terrorists be categorized as such, if they can't punch their way out of a paper bag? Are we seeing in "the you-kay", fireworks such as we have here produced by the great Grucci's (Dubbed the First Family of Fireworks, the Gruccis invented to and perfected shape shells. Masters of pyrotechnics, the science of fireworks, the Gruccis have ...)? The notable difference in this Kaput Caper, is that these pyro-Terrorists are low-tech; Resorting to petrol and gas-oil? Two pounds of BP (British Petroleum) petrol, Mate!
New Prime Minister Gordon Brown walked into a job "cut out" for him. Meanwhile, Tony Blair is the new "Meddle-East", Saviour. Let's not forget Queen Elizabeth, recently spent some time around Washington D.C., and Colonial Virginia, reminiscing the grand-olde days. Need I say more, or should I just keep Mum? THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF SCURRYING ABOUT LATELY; CALL IT "SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY" OR GLOBAL PAJAMA PARTY?
Has the sun finally set for Britannia? I don't belive so. Well, are those blokes really trying to blow people up, or are the Tommy's up to Olde-fashioned tomfoolery? Whichever it is, you have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool some of us 'thinking' people.
On another subject:
President Bush entertains Vlad Putin at Kennebunkport, Maine compound, to soften him up from the recent quarrels over those U.S. missiles that will be installed west of the Ural Mountains to defend Europe (EU).
Does anyone remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? What was that all about? Wasn't it about Red Soviet missiles situated within arms-length of the continental United States?
Fast-forward 46 years:
U.S. Military: Iran Using Hezbollah as 'Proxy' in Iraq--- FOX Headline 7/2/2007.
On this headline we see hypocrisy of an enormous size. The fledgling Islamic (Theocracies) Oligarchies are the perceived enemies of America. When Russia and China, the two teetering GIANTS (who have never renounced their expansionist-communist ideology) are ignored. And we hear of war by proxy? Who's fighting by proxy? Gimme a break! Yet, Putin visits Maine. Will Lee Iacocca offer him a Chrysler vehicle, like he did with Gorbachev, light-years ago? Buy him with Conspicuous Consumption, wine and dine him, Dinner and a movie?
Where's Bruce Willis when you need him? Oh, that's right, he has a new Flim coming. Yeah, like in Flim-Flam.
The Muslim element is the new enemy. Yet, Bush tries to iron out differences with Putin. Bush wants to bury the hatchet at Kennebunkprot. Or is that the Hammer and Sickle?
WAR BY PROXY:
Remember the Berlin Airlift? www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0807200.html - 27k -
Remember Angola? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_Civil_War - 58k
AN INTERNAL EVENT: ( or when they gave a RED massacre and nobody came)
Remember Tiananmen Square?: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 - 145k -
Ou' est la difference?
You certainly know how to pick your enemies, you old devil, you.
Arsenio
Sunday, July 01, 2007
HYSTERIA AT SCOTLAND AIRPORT
'FLAMING' SUV CRASHES INTO AIRPORT TERMINAL DOORS AND FLEEING PASSENGER IS EXTINGUISHED!
MANY UNPREPARED FOR DISASTER
By Jason Hunter, The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP
Updated
52d ago
WHO'S READY FOR DISASTER?
Those who say they have the following things to prepare for a natural disaster:
•First-aid kit, 81%
• Supply of personal care and hygiene products, 81%
• Supply of medicine, 72%
• Radio with fresh batteries, 71%
• Designated person outside the area that your family would contact, 60%
• Stockpile of food and water, 59%
Those who say the following people or groups are ready to deal with a natural disaster:
•Local police and fire departments, 68%
•Local hospitals, 62%
•You and your family, 60%
•The federal government, 31%
Answers based on an April 13-15 USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,007 adults. Margin of error: +/-3 percentage points.
By Brad Heath, USA TODAY
Many Americans haven't taken basic steps to prepare for a natural disaster and have little confidence the federal government is ready to help them if one strikes.
The findings come as the nation braces for a summer that government forecasts predict could bring a worse-than-normal onslaught of hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. The first named storm of the year formed Wednesday off the Atlantic coast as fires burned from Florida to Los Angeles and President Bush toured a Kansas town flattened by a tornado.
When it comes to preparing for such disasters, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found 41% of people don't have a stockpile of food and water, and 27% don't have an extra supply of medicines, both of which the Federal Emergency Management Agency says are basic disaster preparations. About 40% haven't picked a person for their family to contact in the event of a disaster and 18% don't have a first aid kit.
When people aren't prepared, it puts an extra strain on emergency managers across the country, forcing them to deliver food, ice, water and other supplies to people who could have stored their own, FEMA Administrator David Paulison says. "That puts an unbearable stress on the system," he says.
In Miami, a hurricane hotspot, that means emergency crews now face demands to have shipments of bottled water ready within hours of a hurricane — even when the tap water is still safe to drink, says Robert Palestrant, director of Miami-Dade County's Office of Emergency Management.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Katrina Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Many
"We probably need to step back to where we were a few years ago and depend more on ourselves and less on the government." he says. "People have this expectation that my power's out, so somebody should give me cold water."
The main reason people don't prepare is that they don't think they're at risk, says American Red Cross spokeswoman Greta Petrilla.
If people expect the government to save them, they don't think it will actually be able to do so. The USA TODAY/Gallup poll, conducted last month, found about two-thirds of Americans don't think the federal government is ready to deal with a natural disaster in their neighborhoods; about two-thirds think their local police and fire departments are ready.
In New Orleans, still grappling with Katrina's aftermath, only 9% think Washington is "very prepared" for another disaster, according to a survey to be released today by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. About 53% said they and their families are ready.
FEMA told Congress last month that it won't finish a new disaster plan for the country in time for the June 1 start of hurricane season.
Paulison says FEMA is ready. He blames the agency's response to Katrina for the lack of public confidence and says it will have to earn that trust back with how it responds to future disasters.
"I don't know if people are going to believe what I tell them, and maybe they shouldn't. But the proof's going to be in the pudding," he says.
BUSH, WARS AND PROPHECY
By JP Briggs II, Ph.D., and Thomas D. Williams
t r u t h o u t Special Report
Friday 29 June 2007
"Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society."
- Former US President Thomas Jefferson
President George W. Bush has become dangerously steeped in ideas of Armageddon, the Apocalypse, an imminent war with Satanic forces in the Middle East, and an urgency to construct an American theocracy to fulfill God's end-of-days plan, according to close observers.
Historians and investigative journalists following the "end-time Christian" movement have grown alarmed at the impact it may be having on Bush's Middle East policies, including the current war in Iraq, the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the strife in Lebanon and the administration's repeated attempts to find a cause for war against Iran.
Many people are aware that Bush is "the most aggressively religious president in American History," as eminent historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. described him, (Schlesinger, "War and the Presidency," 143) but most remain without a clue to what this actually means.
One piece of evidence is Bush's funneling billions of dollars to "faith-based" organizations. Faith offices making grants are now so widespread inside government agencies that federal watchdog officials have serious difficulties accounting for how much money has actually been spent. (Goldberg, "Kingdom Coming" 121). Marvin Olasky, a devotee of end-time theology, designed Bush's faith-based welfare concept. See also Goldberg, "Kingdom Coming," 110.
Further evidence is the Bush administration's transformation of the military. Until complaints forced its removal, a religious recruitment video made by a group called the Christian Embassy appeared on the Department of Defense web site. The video included interviews made inside the Pentagon with seven high-ranking military officers, congressmen, other federal officials and even the Christian Ethiopian ambassador to the US about their personal relationship with Christ. Army Lt. General William "Jerry" Boykin made headlines in 2003 when he said he believed America was engaged in a holy war as a "Christian nation" battling Satan. Adversaries can be defeated, he said, "only if we come against them in the name of Jesus." Despite his highly publicized rhetoric, Boykin remains Bush's deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence.
Beneath Bush's benign-sounding words, "faith" and "Christian," lies the deeper reality of the authoritarian, doomsday religious beliefs of the ministers and spiritual counselors that surround him, say experts. Officially he has been at pains to show an openness traditionally expected of an American president. Typical is his assertion in a speech at a National Prayer Breakfast found on the White House website: "There's another part of our heritage we are showing in Iraq, and that is the great American tradition of religious tolerance. The Iraqi people are mostly Muslims, and we respect the faith they practice." However, experts point out the particular brand of Christianity that permeates Bush's environment is anything but tolerant. For example, Bush's own personal minister, Franklin Graham, has called Islam "evil and very wicked." He has said, "Let's use the weapons we have, the weapons of mass destruction if need be, and destroy the enemy."
Respected journalist Bill Moyers says that for the religious figures around Bush "a war with Islam in the Middle East is not something to be feared, but welcomed - an essential conflagration on the road to redemption." Scholars calculate that the group, which religion author Lynne Bundesen has dubbed "end-time Christians," has up to 40 million followers. Though not all may fully subscribe to the doomsday theology, they are inundated with it in books, megachurches, and on Christian broadcasting stations that reach millions upon millions of the faithful and are almost entirely dominated by end-time preachers. The messages come from "dispensationalists," who believe that true believers are close to the time of being "raptured," or drawn up into heaven by God, in the days before the final battles. They also emanate from various stripes of "dominionists" pushing to erect an American theocracy for the end-of-the-world wars against the anti-Christ. Read "Who Are The End-Time Christians?"
Crosshairs Iran - an Illustration
A potent example of the influence of end-time Christians in the White House developed in early May 2007 when the president invited dominionist James Dobson and 12 or 13 other "family value" ministers for a special meeting. They were called in to discuss the "disturbing threats Iraq, Iran and international terrorism posed to US, Israel and other democracies around the world. Dobson is best known as the founder of Focus on the Family, an end-time lobby. Dobson opposes homosexual rights and abortion, and advocates the "submission of women." He has backed candidates who call for the execution of abortion providers, and works to establish an American theocracy. Dobson was careful not to quote the president in his radio address. He declined a Truthout interview request about his influential relationship with Bush, including what his radio broadcast said involved many meetings in the past with the president. Dobson told his listeners that Bush "appeared upbeat and determined and convinced that his mission is to protect this great nation from those who have threatened us." He said Bush wanted "to let history be his judge for the way he has dealt with this crisis in the Middle East.... He laid out the challenge before us."
The meeting with Bush, said Dobson, inspired an entire week of his radio discussions on radical Islam's impact on America. He said the "general tenor and tone" of his session with the president emphasized "how we are living in very perilous times, and the future generations of Americans depends upon how we rise to that challenge today." He continued: "Iran has promised to blow Israel off the face of the earth, and they have made no bones about that.... They fully intend to wage war with us. They will do it when they have the nuclear and biological weapons to do it."
On the same program, Dobson pointedly discussed the president and the Iranian "threat" with bestselling author and dispensationalist Joel Rosenberg. Rosenberg is an end-time "prophecy expert" who claims he makes frequent visits to the White House to help them "understand what will happen next in the Middle East." He informed Dobson's listeners that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - the latest in a long line of end-time anti-Christ candidates that recently included Saddam Hussein - is "telling people inside Iran that he believes that the end of the world is just two or three years away." Dobson, referring to Ahmadinejad, said: "We didn't take Hitler very seriously either. I just see the parallel. The president, it seems to me, does understand this."
Divine Mission
From the beginning of his presidency, Bush's own messianic statements have been downplayed or dismissed by the mainstream press - uncertain of how seriously to take them and shy of offending the religious feeling of their Christian audience.
In "American Theocracy," historian Kevin Phillips, a former Republican strategist, explores the question of Bush's professed sense of "divine mission." "I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job," the president told a gathering in 2004. Phillips concludes that "the president of the United States may for some years have wandered into what we could describe as a period of personal theocracy, and he may have shaped US policy in the Middle East around a personal and radical interpretation of the Bible." (Phillips, "American Theocracy," XLII)
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey told the BBC World Service in 2002 that he believed the president subscribed to end-time prophecies when "the whole world goes through a difficult time during those days of Tribulation."
Stephen Zunes, Middle East editor of the Foreign Policy in Focus project, observes that "Iraq has become the new Babylon" for Bush. In biblical Revelation, Babylon is the "great whore" representing human sin and corruption that will be destroyed to allow Jerusalem's rise and Jesus's return.
In an unscripted moment talking to the troops in April 2007 - as Iraq descended into chaos and the Democrats pressed him to pull the troops out - Bush seemed to offer a view of biblical Babylon and prophetic Tribulations. He said of Iraq: "It makes me realize the nature of the enemy that we face, which hardens my resolve to protect the American people. The people who do that are not people - you know, it's not a civil war; it is pure evil. And I believe we have an obligation to protect ourselves from that evil."
Paul S. Boyer, professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of "When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture," said in a lengthy telephone interview: "That sounds very much like Bush, kind of inarticulate, but also the workings of his mind are pretty clear. In his first speech after 9/11, he said he would rid the world of evil, which was an extreme evangelical sense of defining the war on terror."
Norton Mezvinsky, a distinguished CSU professor of history at Central Connecticut State University, has also extensively researched the Christian end-time movement and is writing a book on the subject. In an interview in his office, he agreed the president's statement fits with his 9/11 pronouncements. "You knew Bush was saying, he just got the message from God; he finally realized why he was president of the United States." Mezvinsky says, "There's no question that he is and has been influenced by the end-time ideas.... So there is a danger. To what extent? We don't know. The extent that we know is pretty bad."
A spokeswoman for the White House did not respond to nine requests by email and telephone for the president's answers to a series of questions about that influence. But when Phillips's "American Theocracy" came out in March 2006, a questioner at a Bush speech referred to the historian's book and asked whether the president believed in the Apocalypse. The Washington Post reported that Bush stammered and laughed nervously as he responded: "The answer is - I haven't really thought of it that way.... The first I've heard of that, by the way. I guess I'm more of a practical fellow." Phillips writes in the new introduction to his book that Bush then went on with his answer for "four and a half minutes without ever mentioning the Apocalypse, Armageddon, the end-times, or the Book of Revelation." (Phillips, "American Theocracy," XL).
The Israel Connection
One of the most influential end-time Christian ministers with entre to the president is John Hagee. Recently, Hagee updated his book, "Jerusalem Countdown," to highlight a coming war with Iran. It promises: "There will soon be a nuclear blast in the Middle East that will transform the road to Armageddon into a racetrack. America and Israel will either take down Iran or Iran will become nuclear and attempt to take down America and Israel." Hagee claims Iran is producing nuclear "suitcase bombs." In 2006, Hagee assembled a large number of end-time Christian groups into an umbrella organization, Christians United for Israel. When CUFI met for the first time in Washington, Israel had just invaded Lebanon. The British Telegraph newspaper reported that Hagee's "claim of political clout is no idle boast. The president sent a message of support praising him for 'spreading the hope of God's Love and the universal gift of freedom.'"
During the invasion period, www.raptureready.com, the website for those anticipating ascension into heaven before the final battles, excitement mushroomed. Responders thought the war in Lebanon signaled the start of the Tribulations. "This is so exciting," one commenter offered. "I have been having rapture dreams and I can't believe that this is really it! We are on the edge of eternity!" said another.
Meanwhile, other websites noted the curious echo of prophecy from a statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that clearly grated on foreign diplomats' nerves: "What we're seeing here are the birth pangs of a new Middle East," she said, even as she refused to call for a cease fire to end the killing and destruction going on in Lebanon. The echo was a core prophetic verse in Matthew: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs." Was it a coincidence of language from a woman who has described herself as born again and evangelical? Rice denied any such reference.
Though they give different, sometimes changing "literal" versions of how close the Apocalypse is, end-timers all agree that the establishment of Israeli hegemony over the biblical lands and the rebuilding of the ancient Jewish temple are preconditions for Christ's return. From this belief derives the unwavering support of end-time Christians for Israel. Both dominionists and dispensationalists call themselves "Christian Zionists." End-time Christians (or Christian Zionists) have become Israel's main tourist revenue, shepherding groups to the holy land to see the sites of Armageddon and the Second Coming.
Mezvinsky has extensive contacts within the Israeli government and various conservative Israeli groups, and he is emphatic on one point: although a succession of Israeli prime ministers has courted the American end-timers (the Christian Zionists) and declared them Israel's "greatest friends," the Israelis don't accept the end-time theology one wit. They are also aware that it is anti-Semitic. (For one thing, they interpret the Bible as claiming that only 144,000 converted Jews will be allowed to survive the Apocalypse.) However, Mezvinsky says, the Israelis also know that the end-time Christian Zionists are a lobby that can deliver US support for Israeli hard-line positions on arms, West Bank settlements, negotiations with the Arabs, and Iran.
Neocons and End-Timers
Historians Mezvinsky and Boyer stress that the power of blood-drenched, Satan-versus-God Christian prophecy has merged with another major factor shaping the Bush administration's Mideast policy and the current focus of hostility toward Iran. As president, George W. Bush represents a perfect storm that has blown neoconservative ideology together with the end-time movement. Before 9/11, the neocons envisioned an American global empire supported by newly created democracies friendly to American interests in oil, markets and ideas. But they thought only a Pearl Harbor-type event like 9/11would make mobilizing the country for it possible. The key to this plan was the Middle East. Phillips says that designs on Middle East oil reserves, particularly in Iraq and Iran, were part of the neocon strategy. Notes Boyer, the neocons and end-timers "come at the subject of the Mideast war from different perspectives, but they end up agreeing."
In Bush's speeches, a careful coding of words and phrases also brings the neocon and end-time perspectives together. The president makes "liberty" and "democracy," for example, synonymous with "divine wishes." Read sidebar, "Hidden Behind Coded Language."
But Mezvinksy cautions that many neocon strategists probably think the end-time Christian Zionists "are nuts, but, boy, we can utilize them." Indeed, the thinly concealed disdain some neocons have expressed for the prophetic Christians has fed into the media habit of underestimating end-time influence on the assumption that only identifiable political ideas can shape policy.
Meanwhile, the influence of end-time Christians has burrowed deeply into the American Israel Political Action Committee, AIPAC, the powerful Israeli lobby. At the last AIPAC meeting with a long list of speakers that included Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, "Hagee got the loudest applause of anybody," according to Mezvinsky.
Mezvinsky reports he is increasingly hearing Israelis say that "we want the United States focusing on Iran. Those are people who would like the United States to attack Iran. They realize that, given the involvement in Iraq, there's not the wherewithal to go after Iran." Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called Iran an "existential threat" to Israel.
This spring, AIPAC, with the help of its end-time supporters, succeeded in removing language from a military appropriations bill that would have required Bush to get Congressional approval before using military force against Iran. So again, Iran policy provides the example - here for how end-time religion, the politics of Israel and neocon strategies converge. And how end-time thinking entangles George W. Bush.
At about the same period that Bush was meeting with Dobson and Dobson was touting a war with Iran, Vice President Dick Cheney, the consummate neocon (no sign on his horizon of end-time religious views), stood on the deck of an American aircraft carrier just off Iran's coast. He warned that the United States was prepared to use its naval power to keep Tehran from disrupting oil routes or "gaining nuclear weapons." But, a Cheney spokesperson cited his remarks on the aircraft carrier, as mentioned word-for-word on the White House Internet site, to suggest there is no warning to use naval power against Iran. The Kuwait Times reported that Cheney had visited the region to forge an alliance among the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt "in support of a possible US strike against Iran over its controversial nuclear program, according to Jordanian politicians and academics." Cheney was apparently unsuccessful, the newspaper said.
When asked about his foreign policy position on Iran, a Cheney spokesperson cited a statement from Cheney: "We hope that we can solve the problem diplomatically. The president has indicated he wants to do everything he can to resolve it diplomatically. That's why we've been working with the EU (European Union) and going through the United Nations with sanctions. But the president has also made it clear that we haven't taken any options off the table." The Cheney aide's references to Cheney statements made no mention about "a strike on Iran."
For probably different reasons, the fascination of Bush and Cheney for war with Iran has been longstanding. Reports say Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's original war plans for Iraq included moving on to Iran within 90 days of securing Baghdad. The plans were later dropped, but they suited both necon adventure for oil and democratization and the violent Christian prophecy that sees defeat of Babylon as a vital step on the path to the return of Christ. (Dubose and Bernstein, Vice 182) Through it all, nuclear bombs convey the awe of an Apocalypse.
In the spring of 2006, Pulitzer prize journalist Seymour Hersh reported Bush had ordered his generals to begin planning for an air assault on Iran's nuclear facilities using "bunker-busting" tactical nuclear weapons. When generals tried to remove the nuclear option from the plans, they were "shouted down," Hersh wrote. Said a former senior intelligence official, "Bush and Cheney were dead serious about the nuclear planning." There were also reports the administration was trying to convince the Israelis to do the bombing.
Then in late February this year, new word came on Bush's Iran war planning. The London Times reported: "Some of America's most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defense and intelligence sources. Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learned that up to five (US) generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack. 'There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,' a source with close ties to British intelligence said. 'There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.'"
In May 2007, the Inter Press Service reported that Admiral William J. Fallon, who was slated to become the Central Command chief on March 16, had sent a message to the Defense Department in mid-February, opposing any further US naval buildup in the Persian Gulf. The news article said Fallon squelched an administration effort to send a third carrier strike group to the Gulf. That would have brought the US naval presence up to the same level as during the US air campaign against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, the report said. It continued: "A source who met privately with Fallon around the time of his confirmation hearing and who insists on anonymity quoted Fallon as saying that an attack on Iran 'will not happen on my watch.' Asked how he could be sure, the source says, Fallon replied, 'You know what choices I have. I'm a professional.' Fallon said that he was not alone, according to the source, adding, "There are several of us trying to put the crazies back in the box."
Of course, no one knows if the administration will eventually attack Iran. But experts believe that end-time ideas are playing a part in Bush's thinking about a widening war in the region.
End Game
Bundesen's sources within the religious community and in the military around the president tell her that end-timers are "crawling all over the White House and Camp David." These are men who purvey what Hedges calls a "theology of despair" that "feeds dark fantasies of revenge and empowerment." Bundesen says she is not being cynical when she observes that end-time ministers like the late Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Tim LaHaye and James Dobson have used their dark theology to increase their followers, pump up their power and fill their coffers. And it's clear that Bush, in turn, has used end-time Christian leaders and their ideas for political and moral support. So isn't it just about politics?
No. Experts say that whether anybody even believes the violently apocalyptical scenarios shouldn't obscure the stark fact that Bush's policies have emerged in an atmosphere saturated with these dark ideas. Journalist Ron Suskind reported in 2004 that the administration prided itself on not being "reality-based," and the end-time vision may be one way to understand what that pride is about.
----------
JP Briggs II, Ph.D. is a Distinguished CSU professor at Western Connecticut State University, specializing in creative process. A former reporter for the Hartford Courant and coordinator of the journalism program at WCSU, he is currently senior editor of the intellectual journal "The Connecticut Review." His books include "Fire in the Crucible" (St. Martins Press); "Fractals, the Patterns of Chaos" (Simon and Schuster), and "Trickster Tales" (Fine Tooth Press), among others. Email: profbriggs@comcast.net.
Thomas "Dennie" Williams is a former state and federal court reporter, specializing in investigations, for the Hartford Courant. Since the 1970s, he has written extensively about irregularities in the Connecticut Superior Court, Probate Court systems for disciplining both judges and lawyers for misconduct, and failures of the Pentagon and the VA to assist sick veterans returning from war. (He can be reached at denniew@optonline.net.)
SIDEBAR 1
Who Are the End-Time Christians?
Prominent Groups and Individuals
"God requireth not a uniformity of religion to be enacted or enforced in any civil state; which uniformity sooner or later is the greatest occasion of civil war, ravishing of conscience, persecution of Christ Jesus in his servants and of hypocrisy and destruction of millions of souls." - Roger Williams, originator of either the first or second Baptist church established in America.
There are two major brands of end-time Christians: The "dispensationalists" hold that true believers will be "raptured" into heaven just before a cataclysmic war fought between "left behind" believers and the forces of the anti-Christ. "Dominionist" end-timers hold that the US as a Christian nation will play a special role representing God in the final battles, and dominionists work toward the construction (or "reconstruction") of an American theocracy to fulfill God's end-time plan. The two brands cross over and blend. Collectively they call themselves Christian Zionists to affirm their support of Israel's control over the holy lands (particularly the West Bank, Gaza and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem) because that control is a key prophetic "sign" for the Second Coming of Christ. The commonly used media terms "religious right" and "evangelical" obscure the powerful influence of the apocalyptical and theocratic end-time ideas and blur the fact that not all evangelicals or members of the religious right are end-time Christians. Estimates of the number of the end-timers range from 20 to 40 million. The catalogue below is far from complete.
AIPAC - American Israel Public Affairs Committee. This powerful Jewish lobby is heavily supported by Christian Zionists eager to encourage the Israeli government's control over the holy lands. Middle East experts say AIPAC has accepted the Christian Zionists' support and tried to ignore their apocalyptical ideas because the movement provides Israel with money and influence on US government policy in the Middle East.
The Apostolic Congress - A group affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church developed connections with President Ronald Reagan. Apostolic minister Robert G. Upton claims to be "in constant contact with the White House" under George W. Bush and briefed "at least once a week." Emails obtained by the Village Voice revealed that in 2004, National Security Agency Director Elliott Abrams reassured Apostolic leaders that the Israelis' withdrawal from Gaza did not mean that they were really turning biblical lands over to the Palestinians.
Kenneth Blackwell - An avowed theocrat, lost his 2006 race for governor of Ohio. As Ohio's secretary of state, Blackwell banned reporters from polling places and fostered, then ignored, scores of voting irregularities in the 2004 election. After the election he sought to impose voting regulations that allowed his office to disqualify tens of thousands of would-be voters.
Gen. William Boykin - Declared the US a "Christian nation" battling Satan. Boykin was defended by the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Peter Pace, and has remained in his position.
Christian Embassy - Journalist Chris Hedges describes the group as dedicated to building a "Christian America" and says it has "burrowed deep inside the Pentagon. It hosts weekly Bible sessions with senior officers, by its own count some 40 generals, and weekly prayer breakfasts each Wednesday from 7 to 7:50 a.m., in the executive dining room."
Creation Museum - Petersburg, Kentucky. This $25 million project dedicated to biblical "creation science" features models of Adam and Eve swimming in a river as dinosaurs roam the banks, a scale model of Noah's ark, a dramatic giant screen production of the six days of creation, and a walk through a depraved inner-city alley that depicts "the horrors of a culture that had made man's opinion [and not the Bible's words] the final authority in life."
Paul and Jan Crouch - Televangelist owners of Trinity Broadcasting Network. Paul Crouch has said on his broadcast, "God, we proclaim death to anything or anyone that will lift a hand against this network and this ministry that belongs to You, God."
John Darby - Nineteenth century British churchman who formulated a series of signs for the end of days. Historian Paul Boyer writes that Darby's signs were "wars, natural disasters, rampant immorality, the rise of a world political and economic order, and the return of the Jews to the land promised by Abraham." The 1948 founding of the state of Israel was a key sign in Darby's system and set up the end-time expectation that the last era, or dispensation, had arrived. Darby's scenario was popularized in 1909 by the Scofield Reference Bible, which annotated and explained the biblical passages that contained Darby's apocalyptic signs.
James Dobson - A licensed psychologist, author of numerous books on childrearing and chairman of Focus on the Family. Dobson's program is broadcast on over 7,000 stations worldwide. He is currently one of the most influential figures in the Dominionist movement.
The Federalist Society - According to Theocracy Watch, a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University, "The Federalist Society formed 20 years ago in reaction to the powers the Supreme Court was granting the federal government. It is hostile to civil rights, environmental protections, worker safety laws, a separation between church and state and more. Former president of the Christian Coalition Donald Hodel is a board member. Twenty four of President Bush's top cabinet members and most of his court nominations are members of the Federalist Society. The list includes John Ashcroft, former attorney general; Spencer Abraham, secretary of energy; Gail Norton, secretary of the interior, and Theodore Olson, solicitor general. Other notable members are Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, Orrin Hatch, Kenneth Starr."
Jerry Falwell - The recently deceased founder of the Moral Majority believed that a biblical prophecy came true when Israel gained military control of Jerusalem during the Six Day war in 1967. "When that event took place a clock began to tick that signaled the downfall of the great Gentile powers, the last and greatest of which is the United States," he wrote in his 1990 book, "The New Millenium." Wikipedia notes that "the Anti-Defamation League and its leader Abraham Foxman have expressed strong support for Falwell's staunch pro-Israel stand - despite repeatedly condemning what they perceive as intolerance and anti-Semitism in Falwell's public statements."
Franklin Graham - President George W. Bush's personal minister, has called Islam "evil and very wicked." He has said, "Let's use the weapons we have, the weapons of mass destruction if need be, and destroy the enemy."
John Hagee - Major figure pushing for bellicose Middle East policy through his Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Author of a best-selling book calling for war with Iran. He sympathized with the assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzah Rabin on the grounds that it was "an abomination against God" for Rabin to contemplate the transfer of land in the West Bank to the Palestinians.
Benny Hinn - Televangelist and healer, who says that Adam was a superhero who could fly to the moon. Claims one day the dead will be raised by watching the Trinity Broadcasting Network from inside their coffins. Lashes out at critics: "Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun. I'd blow your head off." (Hedges, "American Facists," 172-3)
Dr. James Kennedy - Runs training courses in how to make converts. Hedges has described the techniques as a sophisticated form of mind control. "The goal is not simply conversion but also eventual recruitment into a political movement to create a Christian nation," Hedges wrote in "American Fascists." (59) Kennedy's Center for Christian Statesmanship evangelizes on Capitol Hill. He has worked closely with Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart and Tim LaHaye.
Tim LaHaye - End-times guru, co-author of the wildly popular "Left Behind" series of books describing the rapture of true believers into heaven and a seven-year period of chaos known as the Tribulation for those left behind. Over 60 million copies in print. In video games made from the books, nonbelievers are executed by God-fearing teenagers on the streets of New York City. A recent guest on Glenn Beck's CNN Headline News show, LaHaye excited the Mormon talk host into declaring himself a believer in imminent biblical Apocalypse and the urgent necessity for war with Iran.
Sun Myung Moon - South Korean leader of the Unification Church. Calls for an "autocratic theocracy to rule the world." A long-time patron of the Bush family, especially Bush senior. In 1995, Moon financed the bail-out of Falwell's Liberty University. Moon owns The Washington Times, which claims editorial independence but regularly uses end-time Christian leaders and politicians as key sources. Washington Times reporters often appear as experts on mainstream TV news shows. Moon calls himself humanity's savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent.
Rod Parsley - Historian Norton Mezvinsky considers Parsley a rising star in the end-time movement because of his crossover appeal to the African-American community. Parsley describes Allah as a demon spirit and says that Christian American has been mandated to defeat all demons to usher in the reign of Christ.
Erick Prince and the Blackwater Security Army - Prince is CEO of Blackwater, a huge "security firm" with facilities across the US and contracts in the hundreds of millions from the State Department, the Pentagon and domestic agencies. Prince is associated with an evangelical group engaged in the Christian/Muslim conflict in the Sudan, according to author Jeremy Scahill in "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." Scahill says that Prince, a former Navy Seal converted to a fundamentalist Catholicism, has connections to James Dobson and that "the Prince family was deeply involved in the secretive Council for National Policy" founded by Tim LaHaye. Hedges thinks Blackwater may become the SS of an intended Christian Fascism and that "we may be further down this road than we care to admit."
Ronald Reagan - A half a dozen times during his presidency, Reagan indicated his conviction that the world would end very soon in a fiery Armageddon.
Ralph Reed - Christian Coalition political mastermind determined to create an American theocracy. Reed told a Virginia newspaper that his political strategy for getting Dominionists elected was, "I paint my face and travel at night. You don't know it's over until you're in a body bag. You don't know until election night." (Goldberg, "Kingdom Coming" 14)
Pat Robertson - Founder of the Christian Coalition, 1988 Republican presidential candidate, televangelist and founder of Christian Broadcasting Network seen in 180 countries and broadcast in 71 languages. His show, The 700 Club, immensely popular. Despite strong Christian Zionist positions, Robertson's book "The New World Order" propagated theories about a worldwide Jewish conspiracy, and his statements are regarded by leading Jewish intellectuals as anti-Semitic. Called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and described the war in Iraq as "a righteous cause out of the Bible." Has said there will be a nuclear attack on the US in 2007.
Joel C. Rosenberg - One-time adviser to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and columnist for the prominent conservative magazine, National Review. Latest best-selling book, "Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your World," promotes the idea that end-time prophecy is rapidly being fulfilled.
R.J. Rushdoony - His book, "The Institutes of Biblical Law," written in 1973, set the tone for the current surge of the end-time movement. Calls for the creation of a violently repressive Christian state. Argues the American Christians have taken over the role of God's chosen people from the Jews.
Kenneth Starr - Special prosecutor who investigated President Bill Clinton. Member of a dispensationalist church in McLean, Virginia. (Halsell, "Forcing God's Hand," 104)
Southern Baptist Convention - Historian Kevin Phillips describes the SBC as "preeminent in the South, an eight-hundred ton dinosaur in the parlor of American Protestantism, and over the last century the fastest-growing major church in the United States." ("American Theocracy," 149) Dominated in recent years by end-times Christians such as Jerry Falwell. In 2000, former President Jimmy Carter, a third-generation Southern Baptist, and the first president to call himself a born-again and evangelical, severed his ties with the SBC, saying that its "increasingly rigid" dogmas violated the "basic premises of my Christian faith."
Trinity Broadcasting Network - Beamed to 75 countries. Stations in El Salvador, Spain, Kenya and the Middle East. Watched by five million households in the US and millions more overseas. TBN is one of six national television networks controlled by Dominionists, reaching tens of millions of homes. Dominionists also control almost all of the 2,000 religious radio stations in the US. In recent years, sex scandals have plagued TBN owner Paul Crouch and other committed dominionist end-time televangelists such as Ted Haggard and Jimmy Swaggart, though their influence and appeal continue.
Universities With End-Time Leanings
Liberty University - Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded by Jerry Falwell. Ken Ham, a leader in the creationist movement and developer of the Creation Museum is a graduate.
Regent University - Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded by Pat Robertson. A graduate of Regent's law school, Monica Goodling, came to prominence in 2007 over the US attorney firings. She became the only Department of Justice employee in history to exercise Fifth Amendment rights with respect to official conduct and remain an employee. She later resigned. Regent's website claims 150 graduates of the law school have found jobs in the Bush administration. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft is a Regent professor.
Patrick Henry University - Accepts almost exclusively Christian evangelical home-schooled students, of which there are an estimated 1-2 million. The university's founder, Michael Ferris, is a protëgë of "Left Behind" author Tim LaHaye. According to Salon journalist Michelle Goldberg, though the university only began operating in 2000, by 2004 it had provided seven percent of the White House interns, and interns for 22 conservative congressmen. A Patrick Henry graduate works on Karl Rove's staff.
US Congress members - A number of members of Congress, recent and current, have been explicit about their end-time views. High-profile end-time politicians include: former House Majority Leader Tom Delay; former Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey; former Senate Majority leader Bill Frist; current Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell; former House Speaker Dennis Hastert; current Republican presidential candidate Senator Sam Brownback. Before the last elections, 186 members of the House of Representatives had earned an 80 to 100 percent approval rating from end-time Christian groups, including Robertson's Christian Coalition.
Perspectives of Three Christian Journalists
The recent surge of the end-time movement began in the 1980s, its fantastic growth made possible by the internet and cable TV, according to Lynne Bundesen, author of three books about the Bible and a book on prayer. She has written about end-time Christian influence since the Reagan years. In phone interviews, she vividly remembered joining a Christian tour to Israel in 1985 that had an affiliation with Pat Robertson. She went to report on the experience for her syndicated newspaper column. On the trip, she discovered how distant her own sense of spirituality was from the movement. The last stop on the tour was the valley of Megiddo, also known as Armageddon. "The leader said any day now this valley will be filled with blood, and the women said hallelujah, and they all began to cry with joy. With joy. I recall to this day standing on that hill overlooking that valley, feeling very alone in the midst of a group. We've all had that feeling. It's like, Oh, my heavens."
In the 1990s, Bundesen managed a major network of religious web sites that put her in touch with many end-time groups. "I've never heard any one of these ministers quote the beatitudes or any of the healing statements of Jesus. Nor to love thy neighbor as thyself. Their belief is violent and drenched in blood. Jesus Christ as a five-star general." She views the theology as focused on selected biblical passages, on gaining and wielding power and control, and not on forgiveness or tolerance. She proposed "end-time Christians" as a name that more aptly captures the religious orientation of the movement than the names Christian Zionists, dominionists, or dispensationalists. "With this group you get extra credit for bringing on the slaughter of millions. This is the end-time Christian mission, and both President Reagan and President Bush have been part of it."
Bundesen referred to the late Grace Halsell, a distinguished journalist and Green Honors Chair Professor of Journalism at Texas Christian University, who made the point with the title and thesis of her last book, published in 1999, "Forcing God's Hand." The end-time Christians are not content to wait for the apocalypse to happen, Halsell argued; they want to bring it on. Bundesen thinks that individually most followers are at least ambivalent about wishing for the imminent end of everything and that the apocalyptical belief has appeal to many for social and psychological reasons. "Ours is a numbing society. I think if you get numb and there isn't any way out, this is a way out - based on the most important thing that ever happened: the birth of Jesus Christ."
In his book, "American Fascists," Pulitzer prize war correspondent and former Harvard seminarian Chris Hedges gives a bleaker assessment from his own sense of the Christ's message: "Debate with the radical Christian Right is useless. We cannot reach this movement. It does not want dialogue. It is a movement based on emotion and cares nothing for rational thought and discussion. It is not mollified because John Kerry prays or Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school." (202)
In late 2004, Bill Moyers - journalist, former Lyndon Johnson White House press spokesman and Baptist minister - told a Harvard audience: "I'm not making this up - I've read the literature. I've reported on these people, following some of them from Texas to the West Bank. They are sincere, serious, and polite as they tell you they feel called to help bring the rapture on as fulfillment of biblical prophecy. That's why the invasion of Iraq for them was a warm-up act, predicted in the Book of Revelation where four angels 'which are bound in the great river Euphrates will be released to slay the third part of man.'" He more recently observed that "even though some critics believe the influence of the religious right is waning as Bush's popularity sinks, many prospective candidates for his job are pledging their allegiance to ... his powerful base" - those same end-time Christians.
SIDEBAR 2
Hidden Behind Coded Language
Scholars say the president presents himself as a "born-again Christian" and the public assumes it knows what that means. However, a recent dustup over James Dobson's assertion that former senator and presidential candidate Fred Thompson isn't a Christian illustrates the problems with language in the realm of end-time philosophy. Dobson's spokesman explained, "We use that word - Christian - to refer to people who are evangelical Christians." But there was an additional layer. Some evangelicals are beginning to rebel against the presumption by end-timers such as Pat Robertson and James Dobson that they represent all who call themselves "evangelical." For Dobson, the terms "Christian" and "evangelical" appear to be coded to mean a dominionist end-time Christian. George W. Bush may be using this coding as well.
David S. Domke, associate professor of communication at the University of Washington and author of "God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House," has pointed out how Bush and his speechwriters have regularly employed coded language. This coding communicates to the faithful the president's secret agreement about the construction of an American theocracy and what scholars call an historical "exceptionalism" that ordains the US with a special mission in God's plans. When Bush says, "I believe freedom is not America's gift to the world. It is the Almighty's gift to every man and woman," it requires close attention to penetrate the double think of the message. When the linkages between the Almighty and freedom involve a US mission to democratize the Middle East, then the patriotic ideals pushed by the neocons have merged with the exceptionalism idea of the American theocrats to justify war. (see also Phillips, American Theocracy 206)
Bush's adoption of Martin Olasky's phrase "compassionate conservatism" became a code for channeling federal monies to religious groups that could make conversions and build a theocracy in the US.
There are obvious reasons for Bush to use coded language that avoids specific references to a belief in the type of radical prophetic Christianity shared by his many spiritual advisors and allies. A presidential belief in these highly charged ideas would raise uncomfortable questions about his policies on global warming, helping the poor, healthcare, the role of the UN, debt and deficit, the potential widening of war in the Middle East, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Bush's facility with religious coded language may have helped in his close - and to many surprising - relationship with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Critics say Blair seriously damaged his own political legacy with his apparently unquestioning support of Bush's Mideast policies. Though it has not been reported on this side of the Atlantic, Blair is considered by many of his own countrymen as "one of the most religious prime ministers in the past century," one web site explains. Britain had its troubles with religious controversies in earlier centuries, and these days the British electorate expects a rigorously secular government. Blair is a member of the Church of England, but attends the Roman Catholic church and may be intending to convert to Catholicism once he leaves office. The National Secular Society in England claims, "Tony Blair has done more to undermine the secular nature of British society than anyone in recent history. But many people haven't woken up to what will be regarded by coming generations as Tony Blair's worst legacy - encouraging single-faith schools." Blair has no obvious connections to end-of-days beliefs. Like Bush's White House, his government offices issue strong statements affirming solidarity with "the vast majority of decent Muslims." But, given his background and behavior, it is not unreasonable to think that Blair has sympathized with the coded political-religious language Bush uses and with Bush's attempt to entwine religion and government.
-------
Jump to today's Truthout Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Source: http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/linkframe.php?linkid=37840
TESTING CHINESE GOODS
General Mills, Kellogg, Toys “R” Us and other big American companies are increasing their scrutiny of thousands of everyday products they receive from Chinese suppliers, as widening recalls of items like toys and toothpaste force them to focus on potential hazards that were overlooked in the past.
These corporations are stepping up their analysis of imported goods that they sell, making more unannounced visits to Chinese factories for inspections and, in one case, pulling merchandise from American shelves at the first hint of a problem.
General Mills, which makes food products like Pillsbury dough and Chex cereals, is testing for potential contaminants that it did not look for previously, although it would not name the substances. Kellogg has increased its use of outside services that scrutinize Chinese suppliers and has identified alternative suppliers if vital ingredients become unavailable. And Toys “R” Us recently hired two senior executives in new positions to oversee procurement and product safety, mainly for goods made in China.
“We’re thinking in new ways about this,” said Tom Forsythe, a spokesman for General Mills. “We’re looking for things we didn’t look for in the past.”
A Kellogg spokeswoman, Kris Charles, confirmed that retailers had asked whether the company used ingredients from China that were banned by the Food and Drug Administration, including wheat gluten and soy protein.
The company had not, Ms. Charles said, but Kellogg took the extra step of scrutinizing the ingredients that it does import from China, like vitamins, honey, cinnamon, water chestnuts and freeze-dried strawberries. It also screened its Chinese suppliers for links to the recent pet food recall.
The discovery over the last few months of tainted or defective products from China — including toothpaste, tires, toys and fish — has prompted United States lawmakers to fault companies for compromising quality in their quest for inexpensive imports and higher profits.
If companies do not improve their safeguards and more tainted goods are found to be entering the United States, the safety of imports could take on a bigger political dimension, the lawmakers said.
“Food companies have been among the most resistant to informing the public about their ingredients,” said Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, who has been a leading Congressional critic of China. “Now that’s more worrisome because these ingredients are coming from an unregulated environment.”
No fatalities or serious injuries from Chinese food products have been reported in the United States, although counterfeit Chinese glycerine has been linked to at least 100 deaths in Panama. In May, senior members of the Bush administration, including the secretary of agriculture, Mike Johanns, raised the food safety issue with Chinese officials during trade talks in Washington. And last week, in a step designed to reassure Western customers, the Chinese government said it had closed 180 food plants and identified 23,000 safety violations.
Although they affect only a fraction of imports from China, the rising tempo of alerts, including an F.D.A. restriction imposed on Thursday on sales of five types of Chinese-farmed seafood, has called attention to China’s sudden emergence as a major agricultural exporter. Between 2002 and 2006, F.D.A.-regulated imports of food from China rose from just over 100,000 shipments to nearly 235,000. Experts predict those shipments will reach 300,000 this year.
The spate of recalls and the rising volume of exports have highlighted another worry: the increasing dependence of the United States’s biggest food manufacturers on China for basic additives like apple juice, a common sweetener, and preservatives like ascorbic acid.
These little-known additives form the building blocks of many popular staples in American kitchens, keeping fruit from turning brown or providing the sweetness in breakfast bars. Food experts note, for example, that China supplies more than half of all the apple juice imported to the United States, up from a fraction a decade ago.
Other critical but common additives have followed an even sharper trajectory, according to Peter Kovacs, the former chief executive of NutraSweet Kelco and now a food industry consultant. More than 80 percent of ascorbic acid, better known as vitamin C and also used as a preservative, comes from China, Mr. Kovacs said. Chinese imports of xanthan gum, used to thicken dairy products and salad dressings, account for at least 40 percent of United States consumption.
“This is a problem for the whole food chain, but it was a blank spot,” Mr. Kovacs said. “They’re doing it now, but companies weren’t testing these additives before.”
Although Kellogg and General Mills disclosed these additional steps, they were reticent to provide additional details. And many food makers are nervous to discuss what is emerging as an issue that could threaten the trust of shoppers in long-established brands.
A spokesman for Sara Lee said executives were unavailable for comment, while J. M. Smucker did not return calls.
Not every company is altering its approach. In a statement, the agricultural giant Cargill said, “Our practices, which include fully vetting suppliers and conducting supplier audits, have not changed.”
Like many observers, Mr. Brown draws parallels between China today and the world described by Upton Sinclair in “The Jungle” a century ago. That depiction of the meatpacking industry led to the creation of the F.D.A.
Other legislators, including Representative Rosa L. DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut, are calling for the creation of a new federal agency to oversee all food inspections. Such an agency would replace the current system, which splits responsibility among the F.D.A., the Department of Agriculture and other agencies.
“We haven’t had significant changes since the time of ‘The Jungle,’ ” Ms. DeLauro said. “It’s time to re-examine it because this is about prevention, not waiting for someone to die.”
Fusing fear of China’s growing economic power with worries about food safety, politicians like Mr. Brown and Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, have made it clear that food safety is an issue that resonates with voters.
“We’re saying to business, ‘You better protect yourself because right now neither the Chinese government nor the American government is doing a very good job of protecting you,’ ” Mr. Schumer said.
But consumers are not sure whom to trust.
“If you buy Cheerios, it’s a brand name, but you turn the box over, it doesn’t give you the list of where the ingredients are made from,” said Michael O’Brien, 59, as he shopped at a Food Emporium in Union Square in New York, referring to the General Mills cereal. “It absolutely concerns me because you never truly know the origin of your product.”
For the companies, the problem is two-fold: figuring out exactly what to test for and maintaining control over their network of suppliers, even as they turn to China for vast quantities of imports at lower prices.
Indeed, the discovery of the industrial chemical melamine in pet food earlier this year — and the likely death of thousands of animals as a result — alerted the food industry to potential dangers in the human food supply.
“What I’m seeing is that companies have recognized the importance of checking their suppliers,” said Dr. David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food protection at the F.D.A.
While the food industry has been in the spotlight lately, other sectors are also changing their approach to imports. Even before the toymaker RC2 Corporation recalled its popular Thomas & Friends trains because of high levels of lead, which can be poisonous if ingested, Toys “R” Us revamped its internal controls over procurement and product safety.
Late last year, Toys “R” Us hired Rick Ruppert from the clothing retailer The Limited as executive vice president for product development and global sourcing, a new position. Mr. Ruppert said the company has increased spending on safety and product development by about 25 percent in the last six months.
Toys “R” Us is also following the actions of its competitors more closely. After Target recalled about 200,000 Kool Toyz action figures because of sharp edges and lead contamination in November, Toys “R” Us discovered that the same Chinese company that manufactured those toys also made the Elite Operations figures in its stores. About 80 percent of the toys sold in the United States are made in China.
An outside testing company was called in to analyze the toys, and they were subsequently pulled from Toys “R” Us shelves when the tests confirmed similar problems. Toys “R” Us has also stopped doing business with the supplier, Toy Century Industrial Ltd. of Hong Kong.
More recently, after the Thomas recall last month, Toys “R” Us went back and had its own Imaginarium train line tested by an outside company. The toys proved to be safe.
“In the past we would have just reviewed prior test results,” Mr. Ruppert said. This time, “we just decided to take the next step: real-time, real-life review by an outside company.”
While the recent problems have raised concerns, it is still too early to know how widespread they are. But food industry officials sharply disagree with lawmakers like Mr. Brown and Ms. DeLauro, who warn of a looming crisis.
“The U.S. food industry has a tremendous track record,” said Pat Verduin, the chief science officer of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food makers. “We are learning what to test. I’m not so sure we would have tested for melamine in a wheat product two years ago.”
Kai Ma contributed reporting. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/business/01imports.html?pagewanted=all