Satan’s Garden

This is one of those groundbreaking cases that the mass media is not going to cover. Attorney Tom Cryer, who has not filed income tax for a decade, was dragged into court by the IRS on charges of tax fraud. The results: Cryer was able to prove in court that there was no law requiring taxation on individual income and won the case in a unanimous verdict by the jury.

This is not the first time this has happened. Time and time again, individuals have been dragged into court, demanding that the IRS show them the law which requires them to pay income tax and the time and time again the result is the same: the IRS cannot produce that law. It doesn’t exist.

This is rather a pathetic video, in my opinion, because it doesn’t go into a lot of detail, acting more as an add for TruthAttack.org than anything else, but I’m including it here just to spread the information.

Max Blumenthal has made quite an interesting and scary short movie on his experiences at the Christians United for Israel’s (CUFI) Washington-Israel Summit, held on July 16th. Find his blog and movie entry here.

I’ll be frank: these people are insane. They’re taking active measures to hopefully bring about the end of the world, as their dogma describes it. Worse still, some of our politicians are among their ranks, including Sen. Joseph Lieberman. They are taking active steps to pressure an invasion of Iran and firmly believe that Satan is behind the Muslim religion and all activities against Israel’s goal of expansion.

Well, who knew. Someone actually decided to push a Systems Administrator appreciating day. Apparently, this is the eighth such occurrence, on the last Friday of July each year.

Web page here.

So, if there’s some kind and appreciative soul out there who wants to make my Systems Administrator day a special one, I’d love to have one of these.

In the meantime, I’ll be crawling under the floor in the machine room, fighting for cable space with the black widow spiders…

On July 19th, 1692, the first five convicted of witchcraft are hanged in Salem, MA. George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor and John Willard paid with their lives, over the irrational rantings of a religiously feed bureaucracy, more concerned with a fast trial than a fair one. Later in September, Giles Cory is killed by pressing (heavy weight continually added onto the chest in order to make breathing difficult) as they tried to extract a plea from him over two days of this torture. More are hanged. By the time it was said and done, twenty people had been murdered by their own government, based on nothing more than testimony about dreams and visions - spectral evidence.

We look at these events today with a shake of the head and bewilderment. How is it that anyone could fall for such moronic beliefs? How could anyone view the world with such irrational eyes? We view ourselves as more enlightened than they were.

Are we?

In 1999, a full 307 years after the Salem witch trials, Brandi Blackbear, a 15 year old student in Union High School, in district nine of Oklahoma, was suspended for 19 days when the school accused the Wiccan girl of casting hexes on one of her teachers, causing the teacher’s illness. Afterward, her father and the ACLU sued the school district for their actions. Timothy Blackbear, Brandi’s father, was quoted as saying, “It’s hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school.”

This was not a decision based on the actions of one nut in the school. Defendants named in the lawsuit were Union Eighth Grade Center Principal Jack Ojala, Speech Therapist Catherine Miller, Union High School Assistant Principal Charlie Bushyhead (this name is a little too ironic) and Counselor Sandy Franklin. It was a decision of many.

Aside from the various asylums for the insane, this lack of logic, this absence of rational decision making, this delusional mindset is only found in one place in our modern American society: in radical Christians. Yet, these dangerously delusional individuals are not only holding places of importance in our society, such as school teachers and principals, they’re running our society’s government.

Currently we have a government body in this country, which consists of a good number of these zealots. The Bush administration has filled position after position of federal government with recruits from Regent University. In fact, at least 150 graduates of Pat Robertson’s school of Biblical interpretations of reality, have been placed by the Bush administration into high levels of government. This means that at least 150 people, with frighteningly delusional mindsets, have been put in charge of federal organizations that affect all of us. Even if you are a Christian (I’m very sorry, I can cure this for you if you’re willing to discuss actual evidence) it should worry you that so many in the radical fringe of the religion are in positions of power. These people, with their irrational views of reality, are supported by a mass of the same type of individuals in the country’s general populace. Together, they encompass an intolerant dogma, which would much rather destroy an opposing viewpoint than to discuss anything.

Like the torture of Giles Cory, they are willing to torture those who will not confess to crimes they haven’t committed. Like the bureaucracy of Salem in the 1600’s, they will lock people away, accusing them of crimes, based on less than even spectral evidence. Like that 300 year old government, they are more than willing to force their beliefs onto others by the muzzle of a gun, under the force of law. The trappings of this madness are seen in Guantánamo Bay, in the current terrorism legislation of spying and abduction based on hollow political labeling, the quest to “return” the USA to a theocracy and in the main-streaming of these ideals through the mass media. A good portion of the population is walking right along with it.

It leaves me to question what went wrong. Over the course of the twentieth century, this country was making steady progress in toppling the old and abusive social policies, the foolish delusions and working toward the embrace of logical, scientific analysis of events and subjects. It wasn’t perfect and it needed a lot more work, but it seems of the last decade that we’ve been sliding backward. Rational discourse is ignored for belabored ranting, based on “gut feelings” and unsubstantiated claims. Those who embrace logic and education have become pariahs, scorned for not following the established dogma. Currently those who are doing nothing more than questioning the official story of what happened on Sept. 11th, 2001, are ridiculed and attacked by those who will not accept even the possibility of error on the part of the commission’s report - as rabidly as a born again Christian rages against an atheist’s demands for evidence for their beliefs in Biblical accounts.

The new mindset is that of utter submission to authority.

What frightens me the most over this dynamic is not so much that people are embracing delusions, but that they are embracing them to the point of violence. This dynamic has been seen in history, time and time again and it never ends up leading to good. From the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Inquisition, to the Nazi Third Reich and the Stalin Purges - this mindset of unquestioning obedience leads to tyranny and most often genocide. As if things couldn’t be worse, relate all of this to the fact that the largest majority of the enemy the Bush administration has chosen, are members of another radical, delusional religion - Islam - which just happens to be diametrically opposed to theirs! Two gigantic delusions coming head to head, with the body count rising on an hourly basis.

I have to wonder, as our military weakens and the resolve of the Iraqi “insurgents” rises, does our government keep this war going because of a lust for oil, or for the lust for an Armageddon they feel obliged to instigate? After all, a major part of the belief system of the radical Christians in America, is a belief that we are “in the End Times”. You can get some crazy behavior from people who think they’re about to die, so it stands to reason to find even more insane behavior from those who believe they are going to die for the honor and glory of their god.

In spite of all this, there are holdouts - those who do not blindly accept authority. Most of these individuals are well educated, intelligent in general and are fairly even keeled. However, a large majority of these people can be controlled, through the tool that fanatics have always resorted to when dealing with the masses - fear.

I have a horrible worry that we are going to see another “terrorist attack” in this country before long, as a tool to promote terror in those who would not support this administration’s actions otherwise. Fear is the Achilles Heel of the otherwise rational. Fear is the only tool at the disposal of the zealots to affect the thinking of the intelligent. The zealots, even in position of high power, are not numerous enough to control this mess without the support of the majority. With blind faith on behalf of the followers, and fear on behalf of the otherwise distanced, those who wish to manipulate the course of our culture will get their way.

It is not just a wise move, but I feel it is a duty, for those who are not blinded by the delusions of the faithful in authority, to resist the temptations of fearful response and keep their heads about them! Those of us who can think through things clearly and understand the manipulations being pulled, must resist the ease which comes in caving in to the weight of hasty response in the face of adversity. We must resist the urge to appease our fear through radical action. We must weigh our decisions carefully, logically and as emotionless as we can be be. If we can do this, then in spite of their current holdings, the delusional cannot drag the nation into their delusion.

Zealots, after all, will never quit, no matter what the personal damage suffered. If the rational succumb to fear, then the zealots win and all is lost.

George Galloway, Scottish politician, is a bloody riot to watch, no matter what he’s on about. His latest rant on Israel and Lebanon is priceless!

I’m not a fan of Newt Gingrich, but a friend sent me this link and I find it funny and to the point:

Several sites out there are starting to talk about the interesting sound bites coming from the Reich-wing these days.

First in line are comments by the new chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, Dennis Milligan.

“At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001 ], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country.”

Shortly after, former Republican Senator Rick Santorum was recorded on the Hugh Hewitt radio show saying some rather prophetic things.

“Between now and November, a lot of things are going to happen, and I believe that by this time next year, the American public’s going to have a very different view of this war, and it will be because, I think, of some unfortunate events, that like we’re seeing unfold in the UK. But I think the American public’s going to have a very different view.”

Finally, we have the Homeland Security Secretary, pontificating on the nature of his bowels to the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, stating that he has a “gut feeling” that new terrorist attacks may be underway this summer.

Earlier this month, ABC News reported that a secret US law enforcement report, prepared for the Department of Homeland Security (is it just me, or does that title make you want to goose-step?) warns that al-Qaeda is planning some sort of “terror spectacular” for this summer, relating the nature of the warnings as being an par with what was discovered before the 9-11 attack.

For a moment, lets take this information at face value and assume that there really is word on the intelligence grapevine that a new al-Qaeda attack is on the way. My question is a simple one: Why are these Republican shills using such information as an attempted bolstering point of a miserably failing President, instead of talking about, or even pushing for, steps needed to take to stop this coming attack? If Homeland Security (I’m goose-stepping now, I have to!) truly has solid information that something is going on, how is it that they don’t have enough information to nail these culprits? If a new attack on US soil is what it takes to make America appreciate and commit to President Bush, doesn’t that indicate how steeped in feces his current stance really is, motivating us to impeach him instead?

We have been lied to about 9-11. Three towers do not fall down into their own footprint, without it being done by controlled demolition. Jet fuel fires cannot burn hot enough to melt or even weaken steel, it’s half the needed temperature. The laws of physics do not bend or break for terrorists. This means, at the very least, that there is a lot more to the official story than meets the eye. Furthermore, with PNAC’s “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For a New Century” stating openly that a “new Pearl Harbor” was needed to support their goals, one has to get a little worried about what involvement the PNAC crowd had in the attack itself. Even if there is no connection to be found, they certainly used the opportunity to engage their plans.

So this new lineup of terrorist “booga booga!” doesn’t scare me into thinking that al-Qaeda is going to suitcase nuke the Salt Lake City LDS Temple, it scares me into thinking that our own government has planned, or is allowing to happen, a terrorist strike in the US, in order to secure a final choke-hold on power, centered entirely around the Executive office.

Bush has already signed the executive orders needed to take full control of the entire Federal government, legislative and judicial branches included. Little fanfare was raised by the press over this signing, but it was noticed in the Net. If we get another large terrorist attack, either real, faked or somewhere in the middle, Bush has set himself up to take full control of the United States, in an even more insidious and pre-planned fashion than Hitler had managed. We are at a very dangerous crux, with everything left to loose on the line with these new terrorist warnings.

For those who believe that it is impossible that our government would allow or fake a terrorist attack on US citizens, think again. Not only has the government proven in the past, with fallout tests, forced medical procedures and more, that they consider the US population expendable, but this kind of thinking has been documented before. It was called Operation Northwoods.

So, the big question in the end is, will the American Idle go along with fascist rule, or will they wake up and smell the manure that they’re up to their necks in?

Just in case you missed the news, the Pope has official declared the Roman Catholic Church to be the only true path to salvation.

Protestant leaders are pissed off, and rightly so.

Despite the harsh tone, the document stressed that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.

“However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants, but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith,” the commentary said.

I wonder when the Inquisition will be kicked back into high gear?

I would still like to believe that most of our soldiers haven’t fallen this far into the abyss. Of course the longer they’re stuck in Iraq, the less hope I have of this.

Warning: this video contains harsh language, so you sensitive types who don’t like hearing cussing might want to skip it. (By the way, what the hell are you sensitive types doing here?)

It’s hard to believe that we’re paying $12 billion a month for this crap. Worse yet, none of our goals in Iraq have been met. Nor does this soldier’s attitude doesn’t appear to be a fractional percentage, but thankfully not the norm.