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Sheila Samples Donating Member (264 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-24-06 05:21 PM
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Nature of the Beast
By Sheila Samples

"The demonic appears most terrible when it assumes dominance in some one person. They are not always the most admirable persons, either in mind or in gifts. But a tremendous force goes out from them, and they exercise an unbelievable power over all creatures. It is in vain that the brighter part of mankind tries to throw suspicion on them as betrayers or betrayed; the masses are attracted by them." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


America has lost its way. We are a confused nation, beset on all sides by fear and paranoia. After the orchestrated 9-11 attack on New York City and Washington, D.C., and its follow-up anthrax attack on Democratic legislators, Americans of all stripes rushed en masse to George Bush's Fools' Gate to trade their morality and compassion for empty promises of security. The consequences of that Faustian trade are unbelievable. In order to be safe we signed a pact with Decider Bush to condone any atrocity he could dream up so long as it happened in other lands to other men, other women, other children. He agreed, and further decided that no law conjured up by mere man applied to him, especially the U.S. Constitution, and demanded we sacrifice our freedoms as collateral for this evil pact.

How easily we were fooled! Fat, indolent, and full of self-righteous pus, we were ripe for harvest. We are at the mercy of The Decider, who is manipulated from behind the scenes by unelected neo-Straussian thugs lusting for the matrix of a One World Order. They are joined by Christo-fascists soiling themselves at the thought of gaining dominion over the government apparatus and realizing their dream of stoning gays and liberals to death, and by rapacious corporations intent on ransacking the universe until it is stripped of all treasure and resources.

Although their agendas differ, this greedy axis shares a single goal -- that of complete power and control -- an area where morality dies aborning. They also share one other critical attribute -- they are aggressively anti-American -- traitors contemptuous of representative democracy who will not rest until every last vestige of it is wiped from the face of the earth.

The war they are waging is on us.

We have lost much over the past five years, but nothing as profound as our spirituality. The religious among us are little more than blind sheep milling around, stumbling in single file in the direction of the loudest voice blaring from Tower of Babel churches and media ministries. They are unable to discern good from evil and incapable of recognizing the filthy hypocrisy of the religious right's fundamentalist theocracy. And there are more of them every day -- God's warriors eagerly following the divinely inspired Bush into a dark world of assassination, torture, murder and madness.

Bush is "born again." He said so himself. God talks to him. Would he do anything that was not God's will?

I wonder if there is just one true Christian who can look at what Bush has done in the last five years, and what he is threatening to do in the next three and say that Bush is "born again?" Do Christians not know their own God? Did not God warn us to be vigilant against the "Deceiver" masquerading as a messenger of light lest we fall prey to, and become a part of, the evil swirling around us? Are we not responsible for discerning the nature of the beast -- the false prophets sent out into the world?

I do not recognize this devilishly destructive, violent god of the evangelical religious right who has sent Bush on his genocidal mission. The God I am familiar with is the One to whom my mother knelt in tearful prayer each night and raised her sweet, wonderful voice in praise each day. He is the One to whom David sang in Psalms 5:4 --"For thou are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not sojourn with thee. The boastful may not stand before thy eyes; thou hatest all evildoers. Thou destroyest those who speak lies; the Lord abhors bloodthirsty and deceitful men."

Do not be deceived. Emerson says that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment, and each breath Bush, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and the hypocritical Republican Christo-fascist machine emit are putrid blasts of evil lies. As Carolyn Baker writes so succinctly . . ." The religious right of twenty-first century America is anti-American, inherently violent, and a cruel, tyrannical, punitive, force of death and destruction. "

Baker says the "unredeemed, the unbelievers, the poor, the feminists, the gay and lesbian, the disabled, the homeless, the mentally ill, the addicted, and those who are conscientiously following divergent spiritual paths of their choice, are suffering in the wake of Christian fundamentalism’s devastation of the economy, the earth, and the human race." She says adult human lives do not matter to these people and, unless we follow their tenets, we deserve to "burn in hell for all of eternity. Hence, we are expendable, inconsequential, and a force to be conquered, broken, imprisoned, or killed."

How easily these creatures who have never served their country in uniform send others to be maimed, broken and killed in an endless "war on terror," which is nothing but an abstraction whose reality lies in the mind of the beholder. Day after weary day, the bodies pile up at the feet of the stubborn, mean-spirited Bush and the beast he has unleashed upon the world whose thirst for blood cannot be quenched. There have been 2,474 Americans slaughtered because of the shameful lies told by Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and others -- and especially by the dishonorable Colin Powell who carried the beast's water all the way to the United Nations. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi and Afghan men, women and children have perished on the altar of Bush's god, who is even now panting to bury his fangs in the throat of Iran.

The present-day "religion" has little to do with Christianity. It is all bloody politics. The Republican Party is little more than a fascist religious cult whose goal is to take over this republic and rule it by the cold compassion of the Old Testament God. For those who doubt that consolidating power and controlling politics is far more important to the religious right than saving souls, Katherine Yurica reports in her The New Messiahs excerpts that Pat Robertson announced publicly on his 700 Club, at a time when the religious right was gaining dominance, “We have enough votes to run the country -- and when the people say, ‘we’ve had enough,’ we’re going to take over the country.”

Yurica said there was never any doubt of the ultimate goal of not only Robertson, but Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye and many others. "What is dominion?" Pat Robertson asked his television audience, “Well," he said, "dominion is lordship, to reign and rule."

And kill. The scent of innocent blood sends these guys into nearly as wild a frenzy as it does Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Falwell recently announced in trembling excitement, “You’ve got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I’m for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord.”

Robertson has called on his followers to pray for the deaths of Supreme Court justices. He has called for the assassination of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez no less than three times. Both Falwell and Robertson openly blamed the attacks of 9-11 on gays, lesbians and pagan liberals. If Robertson weren't so dangerous, the blasphemous "chats" he claims to have, wherein he trivializes, demeans and ridicules the Creator of the entire Universe, would be hilarious. Just last week Robertson babbled that God gave him a heavenly weather report. "If I heard the Lord right," he said, "storms and possibly a tsunami would hit US coasts this year."

And, in April, God helped him cure a woman of her asthma. Robertson described her, while assuring us that he had his wife with him -- "this haunting woman . . . very attractive -- striking brunette, 45 years old, you know thin, 5'8" kinda thing . . ." Robertson said he prayed, "Lord, what's wrong with her?" And God said, "Ask her about her sex life." Robertson and God argued for a bit before Robertson asked her about her marriage, which she said was "wonderful." Robertson then turned back to God, reminding us again that he had his wife with him, and asked, "Lord, what's the matter?" God insisted, "Ask her about her sex life." So, as soon as ol' Pat asked her about her sex life and she said she didn't have any, God cured her of her asthma.

The beasts who would destroy us -- will destroy us, if we are not vigilant -- walk among us not as the hideous demons they are, but hide their true nature behind the masks of their twisted ethos, disguised as bumbling, arrogant fools. Thanks to them, America is no longer a Beacon of Freedom to the rest of the world, but a flickering ray of shame and derision. Thanks to them, God has become a symbol of hate and terror. Because of their lust, the American flag is now America's funeral shroud.

Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma writer and a former civilian US Army Public Information Officer. She is a regular contributor for a variety of Internet sites. Contact her at: rsamples@sirinet.net. © 2006 Sheila Samples
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Dunvegan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-24-06 05:26 PM
Response to Original message
1. Most highly recommended.
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cornermouse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-24-06 05:34 PM
Response to Original message
2. What is currently passing for a christian would have hated
and attacked King David mercilessly had they lived in the same time period. Look at what they did to Clinton and he didn't even send anyone's husband out to die so that he could marry the widow.

They call themselves forgiven but refuse to forgive anyone else of their trespasses. Whatever else, I don't think God "knows" them...
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Lib Grrrrl Donating Member (801 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 10:15 AM
Response to Reply #2
13. Well, Of Course Not!!
don't you know other people's trespasses are NEVER to be forgiven? Especially those evil, horrible, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and (shudder) transgender people!!
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TallahasseeGrannie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-24-06 05:37 PM
Response to Original message
3. You are obviously
a very passionate writer and so much of what you write rings with truth.

I have one comment and it is sheer style and not content. Your metaphors are a bit mixed up when you refer to us as indolent and full of pus, and then ready for harvest. I stopped right away and thought "but things you harvest don't have pus" and I'd think if they did, you wouldn't harvest them.

Not a big point, but I assumed you were looking for opinions?

T-Grannie

PS you should post more! I see you've been here a long time. You have good things to say.
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Sheila Samples Donating Member (264 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-24-06 05:45 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. To T Grannie
HAW HAW HAW...perhaps if you were harvesting slugs, or turd blossoms....?
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TallahasseeGrannie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-24-06 05:47 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. ewww pus filled turd blossoms!
Mad cow disease!
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babylonsister Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 07:20 AM
Response to Original message
6. Sheila Samples, you are a great writer! I look forward to reading
more of your essays! Thanks!
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wordpix Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 07:52 AM
Response to Original message
7. Axis of Feeble!
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farmbo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 08:02 AM
Response to Original message
8. Be careful, SS...one or two of his Miracle Shakes and Pat Robertson...
...will fly over to your house and punch your lights out.

Be careful!

:shrug:

Great article. Beautifully written. K & R
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Torn_Scorned_Ignored Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 08:14 AM
Response to Original message
9. Thank you
Many thanks for your message of hope this morning. It is rare when I hear someone who Sees Clearly what and who Bush is. I do not feel alone today.
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pberq Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 08:25 AM
Response to Original message
10. Thank you, Sheila
I especially liked when you said ". . .orchestrated 9-11 attack". This is the basis for everything that has happened since, and people need to wake up to this.
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mark11727 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 09:45 AM
Response to Original message
11. Sheila, that was jaw-droppingly brilliant...!
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lividtiff Donating Member (25 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 10:15 AM
Response to Original message
12. Wow
what a wonderful, powerful piece. Thank you for sharing it with us. I truely do not understand how ANYONE could follow Falwell or Robertson's rants. They are power-hungry, cruel, lunatics, who should be locked up forever!
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Jello701 Donating Member (1 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 11:16 AM
Response to Original message
14. I feel you pain
But if it's any consolation many Christians think Robertson et al are screwballs. Myself, I think Robertson is showing early signs of Alzheimers. Predicting that the US is going to get hit with hurricanes is like predicting that the sun will rise in the morning. As far as a tsunami, I find it odd that a week before his "prediction" the Weather Channel aired its first "Megadisater" program which discussed, you guessed it" the probability of the US getting hit by a tsunami, which of course is only a matter of time.

His diatribes are not meant for intelligent thinking individuals, but for fools and those who don't/can't think and crave to be led. Granted there are lots of them mainly in the west and deep south but they don't outnumber the rest of us who actually enjoy thinking and leading independent lives.

Winston Churchill once said that "Americans will always do the right thing when they've exhausted all other possibilities". With regards to America's apparent tolerance for fools like Robertson it is only a matter of time before Robertson and others like him are driven back into hellholes that spawned them. Be patient, speak your mind, never back down and flag them for the fools they are. I guarantee we, not they, will prevail.
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babylonsister Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 11:43 AM
Response to Reply #14
15. Jello701, welcome to DU!
:hi: You are a good writer your own self, and I look forward to your postings.
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Stand and Fight Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 11:58 AM
Response to Original message
16. Will read later. Bookmarking. n/t
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Fiendish Thingy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 12:41 PM
Response to Original message
17. k/r - well written, with fire and brimstone! n/t
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Felinity Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 01:54 PM
Response to Original message
18. Giving Christians a bad name
These people are not Christians, and although I am not going to take up for Christianity here, I do think we need to take the name away from these posers like Robertson and Falwell (and does anyone remember when "god" told Jerry that GW was going to have a bumper year last (this?) year with his Social Security reform and other great successes?).

I think someone suggested "Christofists," I call then "Old Testament Christians"-oxymoronic as it is, and how about "Soldiers of Lucifer?" Okay, maybe that's a little strong.

It is so baffling to me that their followers are so easily duped; no one who has any idea of what Jesus was about could possibly think we should fight violence with violence. I am very concerned for these people and the karmic retribution they are heaping upon themselves. Oops, not very "Christ-y" of me to bring up karma, or is it?

To quote myself (sorry if you've seen this already):

YOUR CAN PUT ICING ON A PILE OF SHIT, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE IT CHOCOLATE CAKE.

Call them what you will, but when they sing "Happy Birthday", just say you're on a diet.
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DinahMoeHum Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 02:22 PM
Response to Original message
19. Sheila, did you read the latest claim of Pat Robertson?
Edited on Thu May-25-06 02:23 PM by DinahMoeHum
Link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/05/23/pat-robertson-claims-his-_n_21503.html

I mean, is this guy mental or what?

Let's get him a straitjacket and a padded cell.

As James Bond said in the movie "Dr. No": "World domination. Same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon...or God."


:evilfrown:
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ktlyon Donating Member (733 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 02:53 PM
Response to Original message
20. kicked
nice work
thanks
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ru4truth Donating Member (8 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu May-25-06 04:56 PM
Response to Original message
21. What a misleading rant about religious people.
Your anger toward the Christian fundamentalists, and even many of the Evangelicals, is warranted. But what is not warranted and is down right offensive and misleading is the way you include all religious people in you criticisms. Maybe you are not aware of the efforts of groups like the Interfaith Alliance headed up by the Rev. Welton Gaddy. If not you should inform yourself before writing such a generalized attack. Maybe you should have clearly exempted such liberal and democratic religions as the Unitarian Universalists, the Congregationalists, and the United Church of Christ, just a few examples.

There are a lot of people, organizations, and things going on by liberal religious faith traditions. They are trying to organize and fight against the fundamentalists. Perhaps you could write about their good work and help spread the word. They don't have as much money nor the political friends in Washington and on television to get their message heard like the fundies do - but they are working hard and diligently. These folks are spiritual and have high standards of ethics. It may not have been your intention but rather than enlighten your readers you have contributed to their ignorance of, their animosity towards, and their misunderstanding of most religions and the vast majority of religious people.
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CHORONZON Donating Member (26 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-26-06 01:17 AM
Response to Original message
22. Mostly true in substance, but...
I would like to point out that I know of (and know personally) people who are religious christians, who see that robertson, fallwell, and their like are a bunch of bloodthirsty phoneys. Just the other day the head of the methodist church called for the impeachment of bush. This essay hits a lot of things right on the head, however I think the influence of these false pastors is overstated. Not all christians are would-be members of an american inquisition
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rhett o rick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-26-06 01:30 PM
Response to Original message
23. Great post. We recognize the problem, but what in the hell are we
going to do about it? They control everything including the voting machines. Besides, both candidates in 2008 will represent the same corporate elitists.
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