KO guest Chris Hedge - 'Bush talks in code to Christian Crazies'

[MethuenProgressive]

Author Chris Hedge was on KO last night during teh Jesus Camp segment, and asserted that GWB uses "code words" to send messages to Evangelical Christians.
"In code"? He said it wouldn't be obvious to lay persons, but does anyone know what "code words" Bush has been signaling his Fundi base with?
Hedge's "Christian Right and the rise of American Fascism" comes out *after* the election, unfortunately.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

1. Was That Some Scary Shit Or What?

Mr. Hedges basically said that we're on the verge of being a Christian Theocracy, controlled by the Religious Right indefinitely.

There was no bright spot whatsoever.

[monktonman]

6. I think he may be blowing hot air

of course he's gonna say the kool-aid drinkers are about to take over the world.
The jig is up and some on the right realize the only way left to win is by making you think they already have won. Brilliant huh?

[izzie]

12. They have been with us for a long time just more power now.

I think that the power goes up and down over our history. Maybe it is what is wrong with educational system. That was where they were going to take over first. I saw this back in the 60's and had a good laugh about it. I never figured they would get so far. They have always banned books to public places and I can recall my father fighting them about gaming machines in the 50's and 60's. Penny arcade machine really made them up tight. Maine had a womens temperance(sp) group that was going to make us all good Christians. We also went so far once as to put a little thing on to the constitutions if you recall. I lived next to people like this in the 50's. Every so often they get together and get more powerful and it does not hurt to have a President that rode it in to office. My hope is that they do not add to many new laws to help them self along the way. Look how many years we had those Blue laws on the books. The camps are scary but all camps are set up to teach you some thing. I know I went to live in summer camps for 7 years. Most of the time we were into horses. But we did the other stuff also. Learned to obey, uniforms and such. If it was cheer leading camp you would just laugh. I also knew boys that were in Hitler's youth. They ended up hating Hitler.

[acmavm]

2. They're crazy all right. Crazy to think he gives a damn about

them and what they want.

[AndyA]

3. Bush talks in code to Christian Crazies - here's the code:

The name game!

Shirley!
Shirley, Shirley bo Birley Bonana fanna fo Firley
Fee fy mo Mirley, Shirley!

Lincoln!
Lincoln, Lincoln bo Bincoln Bonana fanna fo Fincoln
Fee fy mo Mincoln, Lincoln!

Come on everybody!
I say now let's play a game
I betcha I can make a rhyme out of anybody's name
The first letter of the name, I treat it like it wasn't there
But a B or an F or an M will appear
And then I say bo add a B then I say the name and Bonana fanna and a
fo
And then I say the name again with an F very plain
and a fee fy and a mo
And then I say the name again with an M this time
and there isn't any name that I can't rhyme

Arnold!
Arnold, Arnold bo Barnold Bonana fanna fo Farnold
Fee fy mo Marnold Arnold!

But if the first two letters are ever the same,
I drop them both and say the name like
Bob, Bob drop the B's Bo ob
For Fred, Fred drop the F's Fo red
For Mary, Mary drop the M's Mo ary
That's the only rule that is contrary.

Okay? Now say Bo: Bo
Now Tony with a B: Bony
Then Bonana fanna fo: bonana fanna fo
Then you say the name again with an F very plain: Fony
Then a fee fy and a mo: fee fy mo
Then you say the name again with an M this time: Mony
And there isn't any name that you can't rhyme

Every body do Tony!
Pretty good, let's do Billy!
Very good, let's do Marsha!
A little trick with Nick!
The name game
__________

"The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis

[BootinUp]

4. I'll be buying that book.

Didn't realize who it was at first but he was describing things the way I see them should be a good read. I have another one of his books, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning

[Nite Owl]

5. Here's an excellent article

by him. Someone put it up on DU last night and I saved it.

http://www.dallasuu.org/re/adult/huumanist/HedgesFascism.pdf

[Ezlivin]

7. And as an ex-fundy I understand the code and it FRIGHTENS me

Bush weaves apocalyptic imagery into his speeches, using terms and phrases familiar to those who study the bible from a fundamentalist perspective.

It amazes me that people don't realize what the Rapture, End-times, Armageddon and Third Awakening mean.

People who believe in the End-Times (Left Behind series), believe that we must be involved with a civilization ending war in the ME (on the Plain of Meggido to be exact), that blood will flow so deep as to be to a "horse's bridle" and that Jesus will come to set everything straight.

This is not an idle fantasy, but one that demands horrible violence to millions of people.

And Bush et al think they can bring it about on their watch.

This thrills the "base" to no end.

[MethuenProgressive]

8. 3 out of 4

"It amazes me that people don't realize what the Rapture, End-times, Armageddon and Third Awakening mean."

Your lost me with 'third awakening', Ezlivin

[Ezlivin]

14. Third Awakening

There have been two periods in American history when evangelicals claim that the country "returned to Christ." Each of these times were called "Awakenings" as in a religious re-awakening.

The last of these was the Second Great Awakening, which had a large political impact as thousands of people "returned" to church and increased greatly the numbers of Baptists and Methodists. The power of the Southern Baptist Convention was forged in this particular furnace and many Baptists long for the day when another great awakening occurs. These awakenings are filled with turmoil and strife as those "awakened" seek to use their newfound power to effect political and societal changes that are not always welcomed by those who are "un-awakened".

When Bush says he believes that there is a "Third Awakening" he is, in essence, calling on evangelicals to rally and begin the tumultuous process of reshaping America into what Christ wants. (Which, naturally, they know.)

[Warpy]

9. Comma

Saying the Iraq fiasco was only going to be a comma is an example of that code.

The phrase, repeated ad nauseum by wacko preachers is, "Don't put a period where god puts a comma." It doesn't matter that it aint in the bible. It doesn't matter that the phrase was first uttered by Gracie Allen. It's been adopted as part of the crazy Christian phrase book.

In other words, to a nutjob fundy, it means that Iraq is the first step on the long road to Armageddon and gittin' Raptured.

This one was obvious because it didn't make a damn bit of sense to anyone outside the nutjob fold. Most of the other code words and phrases are much mores subtle.

[Donna Zen]

16. Yes, the "comma" comment

was a code word. In Kevin Phillips book he talks about this. Chris Hedges has joined with Paul Hackett to try and derail the fundy church plans for the 06 vote in Ohio. According to Hackett, they are using Ohio to test a new model in conjunction with the mega churches. If it works this fall, prepare for a 50 state rollout. That is not tinfoil crap, this is what they are up to.

Eventually the voting base will want their due, and the corporate wing of the republican party may...may push back.

All of this needs to taken very seriously.

[Contrary1]

10. I think these are some of the code words:

Um, Uh, Well, Hmmm, etc...

[blm]

11. We knew this when Jack Van Impe was bragging after 9-11 that Condi Rice

called them into the WH to discuss world affairs and how it relates to their beliefs.

They were looking back then to use the fundies as their protective base to ursue their war policies.

The FASCISTS are laughing at the FUNDIES while they use them. Typical.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. Big mistake. Religious movements, once tapped, are not

easily controlled. Having stripped away constitutional safeguards, the repugs may have started something that will destroy them.

[ms liberty]

15. Yes - and it's an important point

I don't think they realize the can of worms they've opened. There are a few of them that do see what's happening, such as former Sen. Danforth. But most of them are still in thrall to the voting bloc they represent.

You just can't whip people into a religious frenzy, give power to the leaders of that frenzy and expect to turn it on or off like a spigot.

The time will come when the only people in the Republicult party are the RW extremists. That won't be enough for them - they want nothing less than a Christian Theocracy built on the ashes of our Democratic Republic.

[gratuitous]

17. Also called "dog whistle" politics

The hearing of dogs is configured differently from humans, and they can hear noise at far higher pitches than we can. It's why you can blow a dog whistle in a neighborhood and set off every canine for blocks around, but their owners don't hear a thing.

Similarly, when Bush or other neotheocons talk about "crusades" or "third awakenings," they may be confusing to us, but to the right audience, with the ears tuned to the proper pitch, it comes through loud and clear: We believe what you believe, and we're on the path to bring it about. It's why so many inocuous-sounding policy proposals get shuffled through the legislative machine, only to drop the mask and reveal themselves once they're enacted. "Who knew this was going to happen when they passed this law?" you'll sometimes hear. Oh, assuredly, there were operatives and elves in Santa's workshop, carefully massaging the language and shepherding through the bill to final approval.

It's also why sometimes little-noticed bits of legislative legerdemain get some people so exercised; they know what sort of mischief is being contemplated, and try to stop it before it starts.

[Mabus]

18. "no child left behind" is rapture talk

It means that when the rapture occurs that no child will be left behind because they are still innocent and shouldn't be punished.