The Seeds of Christofascism: the Anti-Semitism of Rick Warren

How Will Warren Backpedal on This One?

I KNEW IT! If Warren can get out of this one, then we can start labeling him The AntiChrist (or at least, Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of the Royal Lodge of Christofascists) (Bruce Wilson, Huffington Post):

In late March 2008, as announced by Rick Warren's publicist A. Larry Ross, Uganda became the second official "Purpose Driven" nation on Earth, following Rwanda. Sometime during the year Uganda also gained the dubious distinction as a nation that distributes state-sanctioned anti-Jewish propaganda to school children. Up to one million copies of Manga Messiah, which features a basic mis-representation of Biblical scripture giving readers the impression that the Jewish Pharisees were in league with Beelzebub, will be distributed in Uganda with the apparent blessings of the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Uganda's First Lady Janet Museveni, who has participated in Rick and Kay Warren's HIV/AIDS conferences.

THIS is why Rick Warren is dangerous! How much will he backpedal on this? The Ugandan Ministry of Education is apparently anti-Semitic as well or will accept anything if it's free. And it will accept any accolade if it's from a powerful American preacher. And just what do they preach at these "HIV/AIDS conferences? Doubtless Warren will disavow any knowledge about the substance of the comic book! He should say that Uganda is now the second "Christofascist Nation" on earth.

Warren's declaration was followed up by Uganda's Archbishop, Henry Orombi, under whose aegis the Church of Uganda intends to distribute ten million anti-Jewish comic books; "Someday we will have a purpose driven continent!"

There are people other than myself who are very suspicious of Warren. There's Warren Smith and his book, Deceived On Purpose in which Smith lambastes Warren's use of different translations of Scripture and Rev. Noah Hutchins' book, The Dark Side of the Purpose Driven Church. The most universal criticism of Warren's brand of theology is that it is "spoon-fed" theology with Warren's own pick 'n choose, loose interpretation of Scripture. In an early post, I pointed out how Christofascism works: the Elmer Gantrys drive the Elmer Fudds. The Fudds frequently are peopled by "regular Joes" who are just plain spiritually lazy: "I was always a _____, my parents were" "It's so difficult for me to figure it out," "Our paster gives the most WONDERFUL sermons!" Fudds, all of them. And now Gantry Warren is trying to recruit MORE Fudds in Africa.

Distribution of AIDS drugs and programs carries a hefty price: conversion! Just a thought.

Will Barack Obama Ever Be Allowed To Change His Mind?

If Christofascists Have Their Way - NEVER!

(From FRC, Tony Perkins)

When Barack Obama was running for president, he said he opposed same-sex "marriage," favoring civil unions instead. But in 1996, when he first ran for the Illinois state senate, a Chicago "gay" newspaper reported that Obama supported same-sex "marriage." This week a successor paper, the Windy City Times, published specific documentation regarding Obama's earlier stance.

Note some things about Tony Perkins' stunning discovery:

#1. - The date.
#2. Obama was not yet an elected official.
#3. As a senator, he would have represented that part of the State of Illinois, a VERY liberal (and to Perkins, demonspawn) section of the state, in fact. He was not representing the ENTIRE state much less the entire country! To look at the evolution of Obama as a statesman means that he would, of course, make some ideological concessions when the plebiscite became more diverse.

Perkins purposely looks at the past Obama as rigid and static in his views. He means for everyone to think that Obama still holds the same views on same-sex marriage. If we had politicians who never changed their minds, this country would be in worse shape than we are now.

Another way of looking at it: Obama reached across the aisle and gave a concession to the pro-family Christofascists. Civil unions yes, marriage no. And Obama may change his mind again. Who knows? But Obama tries valiantly to look at the will of the people overall and at the needs of minorites at the same time. Perkins would have him viewing the entire world with Christofascist (read: jaundiced) eyes from the time of his birth.

Even Perkins' St. George of the Idiots changed his mind occasionally - from wrong to wrong and from bad to worse.

Just a thought.

Presidenting for Idiots: Bush's Farewell Speech

Presidenting For Idiots:
8 Years of Ineptitude Condensed to 15 Minutes!

Gallup Poll:

Bush had been averaging a 29% approval rating for the last quarter of his presidency up to now -- identical to his average approval ratings for each of the previous two quarters. Individual Gallup approval readings on Bush exceeded that figure several times in the past year, including a 33% reading in September. However, the current 34% approval score is Bush's highest since January 2008, and a sharp improvement from the 25% recorded right before the November elections.

Question: Why the INCREASE in approval ratings?

Answer: Americans have always been kind to failures when they're going out the door. Also: Americans justifiably agreed that stains on a dress were not as detrimental as stains on the conduct of an administration or bloodstains on a wall at Guantanamo. (Note: Clinton's approval ratings were at 66% when he left - the highest in the last fifty years.)

So, dismal approval ratings, empty seats at his last press conference (but happily filled by White House interns), a telling video of Bush being shunned at the G20 Summit, and now a farewell speech that was, at best, bland and self-patronizing.

As usual, Georgie's 15-minute oration was remarkable by what it DIDN'T say. It didn't address any of his OTHER "tough decisions": torture, warrantless wiretapping, refusal to testify before the 9/11 Commission, appointments of unqualified officials, abuse of executive privilege, etc.

He chose to quote Thomas Jefferson, a move which probably angered half of his Christian Right base. He told us that our air and water are cleaner, but didn't state that both are still substandard. He introduced past heroes of Katrina and Iraq, using them as distractions to the public's questions of incompetency. He lumped together entire populations as a "small band of fanatics". He extolled the sins of big business and padded them with warnings about isolationism.

"Above all, I thank the American people for the trust you have given me"

If any trust was given, it was blind trust in a president who was exceptionally secretive and who never paid attention to what the public was telling him - through polls, the media and public protests.

C-Span had people call in with their responses and to keep it "fair" the callers had to tell their party affiliation (Republican, Democrat, Independent). Some of those responses:

"I loved his reference to 'Good and Evil'"

"He lied"

"[He] Supported American ideals"

"Bad state of denial... should get some therapy."

"He doesn't really know what he's talking about"

"A fool and a liar - hides behind Presidential privilege"

"Believe he was anointed by God."

"Good Riddance to George Bush"

Below is a Wordle created out of George Bush's speech. This consists of the top 150 words repeated, with the most repeated put in the largest print. "America" would be obvious, but the software (NOT me), chose to place it outside the group of words entirely. When you click on the wordle, you'll see a large, readable rendition of it. The "America" looks as if it were expelled from the rest of the group. This is only right and proper: Bush always expelled the American people from the room of world politics. And notice how bland the words seem. Take them out of context and you realize the words for what they are: buzz words. Hollow buzz words.

Just a thought.

Wordle: Bush's Farewell Speech: How America Was Treated" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 4px;">

Slouching Towards Nuremburg: Bush Might Not Live in Dallas Very Long - Or Crawford - Or The U.S.

Bush's "Golden Years" May Be Numbered

Three things have come to light in the very last days of the Bush regime:

1. Judge Susan Crawford stated (today) that the U.S. definitely used torture in the case of Al Queda's Mohammed al-Qatani at Guantanamo

2. Former Guantanamo guard, Chris Arendt, is now able to talk singularly to the media.

3. Both Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) intend to push for full investigations into the Bush Administration for war crimes.

This is not a case of "let bygones be bygones" or "Forgive and Forget"

This IS a case for accountability.

This IS a case for JUSTICE.

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Gitmo Itself Was Torture!

When You Care Enough To Send The Very Best

...Especially the young, the struggling, and the poor.

(from The BBC):

A former guard at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay has spoken in his first television interview about the brutality he witnessed to inmates.

Chris Arendt told the BBC what he saw amounted to ''torture'' and that some of his fellow guards were so violent as to be ''psychotic.''

Chris Arendt's interview on the BBC about . the abuses at Guantanamo (Sorry I couldn't imbed the video.)

Arendt enlisted in the army at 17. He was stationed at Gitmo when he was 19. in January of 2004. From his testimony at the Winter Soldier Hearings:

I was 17 years old when I joined the United States Army National Guard in Michigan. My family had been displaced and I was living with friends and I decided to join the military because I had no other options. My family was poor, I was poor, and I wanted to go to school. I was promised a significant amount of money for this purpose--which I have yet to receive.

He went on to say that just being interred at Gitmo was (to him) torture. You can read Arendt's entire testimony here.

This all sounds so familiar. Yep, it's Abu Ghraib all over again. Only this time the torture was sanctioned by the highest ranking politicos in the United States. The prison guards who were exposed in the Abu Ghraib Prison torture were from poor families and most had signed up with the National Guard in order to go to college. Some were from West Virginia. Can you imagine an 18 year-old from Appalachia who's never even seen another county let alone another country handling prisoners in Iraq?

Tomorrow, President George W. Bush will address the nation in a "farewell" speech. He might touch on the subject of torture (he's definitely stupid enough to do it). Think of Chris Arendt's testimony. Think of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Think of poor kids who have never experienced another place or culture promised money and an education if they enlist. Think of them ordered to torture other human beings.

Just a thought.

Stuffed With Staffers: George's Press Conference Had Extras In The Seats!

On Thursday, are they going to rent millions of televisions and turn them on to improve the ratings?

(By Dana Milbank, Washington Post)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009; Page A03

The White House had high expectations for yesterday's final, historic news conference. "ONE CORRESPONDENT PER ORGANIZATION," proclaimed the bulletin sent to reporters. "STANDING ROOM ONLY FOR NON-SEAT HOLDERS." But when the appointed hour of 9:15 a.m. arrived, the last two rows in the seven-row briefing room were empty, and a press aide told White House interns to fill those seats.

And they were probably told to remove their shoes. This situation brings home one point: Bush's White House was theater. It was showmanship. It was a stage extravaganza wrapped up within a movie and covered by a circus.

Ziegfield, Cecil B. DeMille and P.T. Barnum would have been proud!

Just a thought.

Goodbye, Fantasyland: Bush Gets Emotional, The Press Gets Delusional Crap!

"Hey! Didn't I Just See A Unicorn?"

The end-of George's-reign press conference went from sub-prime to Disney fantasy. The only thing missing was Tinker Bell.

Some annotated gems:

On Katrina:

Gesturing and speaking with feeling, he said, "Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there were 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed," he said. "Has the reconstruction been perfect? No. Have things happened fairly quickly? Absolutely."

Bush is thinking in Neverland Time: "fairly quickly" meaning "not yet." People can't afford to rebuild anything now. The only reconstruction effected has come with the aid of people like Brad Pitt and journalists like Anderson Cooper. Bush had nothing to do with it.

On popularity:

"In terms of the decisions that I had made to protect the homeland, I wouldn't worry about popularity,"

He only listened to people when they were wire-tapped.

On immigration:

And so my point was, is that our party has got to be compassionate and broad-minded.

Huh?!? He's dragging out the "compassionate conservatism" crap again. That's sooo ancient history. Conservatives broad-minded? Narrow-minded, yes. Broad-minded? In your dreams, George!

The economy:

In terms of the economy, look, I inherited a recession, I am ending on a recession. In the meantime there were 52 months of uninterrupted job growth.

With 52 months of stagnant wages.

On controversy:

You know, Presidents can try to avoid hard decisions and therefore avoid controversy. That's just not my nature.

So that's why he didn't want to testify before the 9-11 committee.

On America's image:

I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged. It may be damaged amongst some of the elite, but people still understand America stands for freedom, that America is a country that provides such great hope.

The "elite" include half of the world. The only country that really liked a visit from him was Albania, the wonder of the Balkans.

(On retirement)

I'm a Type A personality, you know, I just -- I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach.

Would that he be on a beach - at St. Helena. His stupidity must be stranded on a desert isle: George meet Gilligan.

Just a thought.