Sean: Kevin Phillips' analysis is astute, as far as it goes -- but
he's still trapped in the hamster wheel, going nowhere, spinning and
spinning with little effect.<
LeaNder: There is something hammering about his style. Not such a good
advertisement for his book. Maybe the line limit made him feel he had
to press in the most dangerous elements in his short article. If he
intended to convince his reader that religion is used here to support
a hard right political and economical agenda, he succeeded. The
impression I got is that religion only functions as some kind of
wrapping in this context to support the usual agenda, religion helps
to lifts the whole affair outside rational materialistic/factual
discourse. A brilliant strategy. But no doubt frightening. ...
>
Sean: What these paragraphs leave out is the central role of Israel,
the Israel lobby and neoliberals in the mainstream media and the
Democratic Party in facilitating the rise of Christian Zionists,
Christian fundamentalists, Christian Armageddonists and Christian
extremists in the Republican Party and in the conservative movement.
The "liberal" (that is, neoliberal/neoconservative) mainstream media
for several decades now have systematically suppressed the voice of
mainstream moderate Christians in American life, while amping up the
voice of Christian Zionists. <
LeaNder: Somehow I remember having seen a couple of documentaries on
the topic [fundamentalist religious movements in the US] a couple of
years ago over here. Concerning Israel, all I can discover is a
parallel fundamentalist movement there, as in Islam. All play on the
dangerous aspects of monotheistic religions. But, we should know,
what "economical political laws" are spoon fed the Israel and Muslim
fundamentalists crowds. The Mullahs in Iran control a huge economic
empire by now. So the masses might be used for a much less visible
economic fight? Similarly orientated but antagonistic economical
forces? In this respect I find Philips article illuminating.
Sean: This has been a scientific psychological operation, conducted
since at least the 1970s, and no doubt originating in part in Israel,
Likud and Mossad. There is a major book to be written on this
subject, including content analysis of mainstream media venues like
ABC Nightline over the 1975-2005 time frame with regard to the
propagandistic and warped editing of Christian views.
LeaNder: I am somewhat open to the "scientific psychological
operation" but as you might imagine I find it hard to believe that
everything originated in Israel. Were Israeli experts involved in
the CIA mind control experiments? At least considering the parts
known? My main point would be that they did not have the Nazi
documents, but the US did. It somehow feels much more as if Nazi
"science" was somehow continued – think: control of the masses. They
picked up on the from their point of view "valid studies". [I still
remember my utter bewilderment concerning the mental state of the
author, when I read Sergeants Mind possessed around 1974/75.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sargant and that's a rather
harmless one, but it concerns African religion]
The book you mention sounds very interesting though, especially the
time frame from 75 to 05 would really fit into my larger studies. Once
I have arrived in the 70ties. If you can't give more information now.
Can we expect you to let us know once it's available?
Sean: How has Kevin Phillips missed all this? Beats me. The folks
conducting this manipulation of mass opinion hold all Christians in
contempt -- they look upon them as useful idiots and cannon fodder.
LeaNder: His concentration is on the political use of religion and
that indeed is an important and dangerous field. I think we should
look closer into the machiavellian tradition of the leader and the
sheep that permeates our societies. It seems the double standards we
are constantly confronted with everywhere and SECRECY: knowledge is
power.
>
Sean: I do think that George W. Bush is authentically nuts about
Armageddonist religious beliefs and his certainty (shared by Adolf
Hitler) that he is a divine instrument of historical destiny. With
beliefs like these, drunk on messianic euphoria, he may well push the
button which unleashes a nuclear attack on Iran. I suspect that
Phillips would agree.
LeaNder: Hitler did not consider himself as a "divine instrument", he
no doubt considered himself as some kind of secular prophet, or god
for that matter. He created his own religion, that has many pagan and
secular elements, centrally antisemitism. Darwin. The survival of the
stronger.
Concerning Bush, he is either controlled by media, as you suggested
elsewhere, or he is a messianic fool. Doesn't one essentially
contradict the other? My choice would be he is part of the right wing
agenda. Religion might serve him to fool himself AND the masses. ...
His humanistic vision helps to hide his more economic designs. After
all the masses never know what is good for them, from a right wing
point of view; they need to be guided. Do these sheep reflect upon
their support for the usual right wing economical agenda? Poor Jesus!
I have to admit that I often asked myself if Christian religion - the
tale of Jesus vs the ways of the world - isn't the ultimate source for
double standards over the centuries.
>
Sean: I never thought I would say this, but I wonder if the time
hasn't come for a military coup in the U.S. by those who are truly
committed to the defense of the Constitution. There are least a dozen
high-ranking members of the Bush administration who are good
candidates for Nuremberg-style trials.
>
LeaNder: Reading the same articles sometimes seems to lead to
convergence of thoughts. This is something that ran through my mind
too. And I have to admit it surprised me as much, as it did surprise
you. Think Turkey. But if you stay constant to the larger octopus
power tale, wouldn't there by a big chance that the beast controls the
military too and there ultimately there's no escape ever?
-b
by the way, this notation is not my invention. I borrowed it from an
H-Net editor.
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