August 18, 2003

Big things going on here in California, what with the recall and everything. I am no fan of Gov. Gray Davis, but much of the troubles in the state for which he is being blamed for can be traced directly back to the California energy crisis of 2000 and 2001, a.k.a.the California Rip-Off. This story seemed to be dead and buried until the recall became official, Arnold threw his hat in the ring, and then of course the east coast black-outs of last week.

Meanwhile it does seem that a few folks are becoming disenchanted with the direction Bush and Co. are headed. Sadly not many of these are Christians, who seem to be the most rabid of all GOP supporters. It doesn't even matter to them that the economy is so tattered that even hardcore GOP states like South Carolina are beginning to ask hard questions about Bush's economic policies.

Why have the churches remained so gung-ho when so much evidence exists of the maliciousness, lying, stealing, and murdering taking place by Bush and his cronies? Maybe the 4 billion dollars in faith-based monies set to be distributed to churches for all manner of programs has something to do with it. Maybe the fact that all the evangelical TV personalities like Jack Van Impe, aside from promoting abhorrent doctrine are also too busy sucking up to the administration to take the time to actually read the Word and understand just what Bush's imperial ambitions for America are leading to...

Sadly though, it could be they support Bush so much because he is giving them just what they have wanted for some time now, and that is Dominion. Guys like Pat Robertson having been pushing for Christian America to proactively take dominion over the world for quite some time now and it looks like he found a message his audience can really believe in, no matter how unscriptural and from the pits of hell it really is. Though the author of the linked article on Robertson gives him a little more credence as the master-planner than he deserves (it is much more likely the folks on the boards of companies like Exxon, Halliburton, ATT, Coca-Cola, WalMart, etc. and etc. who actually hatched the plan), one point that is no doubt true is that the master plan concocted by the religious right, at the behest of their corporate sponsors, has been a smashing success. They literally hold the reigns of power in the most powerful nation on earth in an epochal time of eternal significance. What have we reaped as a consequence?

In a worldly sense, we have reaped a massive loss of jobs, the most catastrophic terrorist attack in national history, numerous billion dollar corporate scandal, concentration camps in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, and two wars that have killed thousands and thousands. In a spiritual sense what we have reaped is dramatically much worse than this.

We have seen a church harden its heart to the innocents of the world by approving of their deaths as collateral damage in service of our goals. We have seen this church promote politicians who give lip service to family values while shipping their jobs overseas and promoting an economic policy which destroys the have nots. We have seen them make mortal enemies of anyone supporting a political ideology different from their own, when these are supposedly those most in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Most of all we have seen them move so far down the path to destruction, that quite frankly, most won't ever make it back. This is what happens when you mix religion and politics. God help us all.

August 13, 2003

I am really pressed for time, but wanted to offer up a small bit of information to everyone. First of all, in addition to the link to David Baumgardner's homeless diary, I now also have the link to Kaye's (his wife).

Plus, it seems the Patriot Act is becoming scarier for folks like us at Antipas Ministries, who are speaking out against the lies and deception of those in power. Sherman Austin of raisethefist.com was recently convicted and sentenced to jail time, under the Patriot Act, for having information on explosives available on his site. Now I don't condone publishing this type of info, nor would I ever do so, but as the article explains, much more deadly info can be attained from numerous other sites on the web... They just don't happen to have all the anti-Bush/GOP, American New World Order type of stuff on them like raisethefist does.

In the long run, this doesn't bode well for us at Antipas, yet in no way deters us from spreading the message the Lord has given us.

God Bless,

Sean

August 10, 2003

Its been a while since the page has been updated and I have lots of info to pass on. So without any further adieu, here we go...

Big money is what this world is all about. The Bible says you can't serve money (mammon) and God, but Bush is going to raise 200 million dollars for his reelection campaign. Wonder who will get more access to the Bush Whitehouse, God or the folks putting up the 200 million. Mind you now, just because a great number of these folks claim to be of Christ doesn't make it so. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.. and the agenda of special interests I've seen on display so far (war, decapitation of the constitution, corporate interest over human interest, economic policies that favor the rich over the poor, etc.) do nothing to promote Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

The system is rigged to favor the rich. Entities like the World Bank go out of their way to finance crooked ventures that bring terrible devastation to people throughout the world... While Wall Street does its best to rake in the money, no matter who suffers in the short and long term. Now some folks will say, "come on Sean, everyone's trying to make a buck... it's not like other countries aren't doing the same thing." To that kind of thinking I say, no other country represents itself as some kind of "chosen" Christian nation... No other country's leader passes himself off as "born again" doing God's will on earth... and no other country's populace embraces the banner of Christianity as a cloak to cover the controversy surrounding their actions... As do those in this country. The simple truth is that those in charge are responsible... and those in charge, along with those who put them there and support them are all claiming to be of Christ.

Meanwhile, many Army civilian contractors are no-shows in Iraq, which means critical services our troops need to survive are not being done. Compound this with earlier news about Bush cutting health and death benefits for veterans, along with enlisted pay, and one begins to see that their claims of support for the troops are nothing but empty words. The sad fact is the boys sent over there to do the dying are nothing more than cannon fodder in service of oil, profits and power to Bush and his corporate allies. Folks who once again, claim to be of Christ and "see themselves as priests of a divine mission to rid the world of its demons".

Understanding this helps one to understand the motives in place for Bush and the neo cons plans to play Globo-cop throughout the world... Motives of building a conquering empire of course... This is what has led to America's Defense, State, and Intelligence agencies becoming driven by ideology as opposed to facts and proper action... and also what leads to the gross misreporting of the actual US deaths occurring in Iraq. You cannot have inconsistencies and "negative facts" turning folks against the dream of empire.

Ultimately, what these really are is "cheap labor conservatives". That is what drives them, not the words of Christ. It all boils down to cheap labor. This why they want to destroy government, and why they want to control other nations of the world. It is also why the want to redraw the mid east map and why they demonize the poor in this country and abroad as being beset by sin and irresponsible... it is also this devotion to the profits of cheap labor that has polluted the Christian Church in America, through its partnership with the elites calling the shots. They are building a system, which the Bible describes as a beast and those who participate as the image of the beast.

Meanwhile US banks are moving billions in assets off-shore to avoid taxes... And the charade of Bush being "a man of the people" continues to be perpetrated through ruses like the "Crawford Ranch". Now about the last link I'm sure some will say, but Sean, that is from some Democrat's web site... you cannot trust what those "liberals" say. To that I say I am not swayed by worldly ideologies but, "facts on the ground". All who truly claim to be of Christ should be that way when examining evidence on worldly affairs. Even Al Gore, for all his faults and foilables cannot help but be right in his recent exposition of Bush concerning the economy and the Iraqi war. The fact that I would not vote for Al Gore for dog-catcher doesn't make the facts behind his recent analysis any less true.

Facts are often burdensome and uncomfortable to those with an axe to grind. Folks who are sold-out believers in Bush and his minions don't want to hear stories of how the FBI can come and question you just on a tip someone gives about the salacious material you may be reading in public. Nor do they want to confront the fact that there are true believers in Christ, in this country, who have been reduced to homelessness, not through sin... but through the rapaciousness of this system.(Note: I highly endorse this link and encourage everyone to check out what Dave and Kaye have to say.)

Hopefully, I can increase the frequency with which I update the journal. My day job has been consuming more and more of my time and energy lately. combine that with all the other things I do at Antipas Ministries (after hours) and the journal has really suffered. what I need is to be able to spend more time working at Antipas and to reduce my hours at work, but for that Antipas needs your help. If the Lord moves you to support this work, please do.

July 28, 2003

Incredible is an adequate word to describe the fact of American Christianity's acquiesces in the lies told to bring about the war in Iraq. These were bold lies, told for the purpose of invading another country, which of course means thousands were to die (and have, with more dying every day). Yet the Church has uttered nary a peep about their part in bringing about the flag waving bombfest by unquestioningly supporting these lies, which were told to bring about an objective contrary to the words of Jesus Christ. Nauseating isn't it?

Yet it all makes sense when your realize American Christianity's God is not Jesus Christ but filthy lucre (money). They worship at the altar of Adam Smith instead of the Cross of Christ. In doing so they worship a system the Bible characterizes as a "beast system" in Revelation and one, which the god of this world has been carefully constructing since the "fall" and began its final ascendancy in the 19th Century. This system of world domination through military power and economic dominance is that which makes up the Beast system foretold of in prophecy (not the UN, EU, or any other such puppet entity). It is to this terrible system that American Christianity has formed an alliance.

This system has imposed a kind of "neo-feudalism" upon the rest of the world, with the US posing as lord of the manor. The US in turn is controlled by its moneyed elites who literally view the whole world as existing for the sole purpose of enrichment for themselves, damn the consequences. The battered forces of the Left can see this, yet Christianity remains blinded to the true intentions of elites to sweep away ANYTHING standing between them and the total control they desire; and their utter disdain for Christ and His true message. What would you expect when men like John Ashcroft can strut around and proudly profess to be Christians, while doing and saying things anathema to God... and the Church is too busy buying duct tape and watching Big Brother to say anything about it.

Such is life in the belly of the beast, I suppose. Where the last vestiges of Democracy are being manipulated beyond recognition or out and out extinguished. Like the voting machine scandal I keep bringing up, which keeps adding fresh chapters to its story every day (1, 2, 3)... the signs are all around us that a radical shift is occurring.. One in which those with power will never relinquish it and will wield it as a sword over any and all who stand in opposition. As a Christian, my shame is that those serving as the "foot soldiers" in this army of destruction are doing so under the banner of my Savior.

July 21, 2003

War is always hell for those doing the fighting. The ongoing conflagration in Iraq is no different in that respect. US soldiers are extremely unhappy about having their tours of duty extended there and some folks are beginning to speak of the "dreaded 'V-word' Vietnam". To make matters worse, one of the biggest reasons soldiers are not being allowed to "rotate" home is because of having to serve as armed escorts for civilian contractors. One soldier says, "The main reason we're still here is to support Brown and Root."

At the same time more and more of Bush's lies are being exposed concerning Iraq's WMD capabilities.. Many folks like Michael Ruppert describe the whole affair as Watergate II. At least in Nixon's Watergate scandal 1000's of people didn't have to lose their lives.

What is now happening in Iraq is the culmination of plans that were laid even before the Bush presidency began. Dick Cheney's infamous energy policy team began laying the administration's ground work for attack back in 2000. Tied into this was their knowledge and complicity in the California energy crisis, which has wrecked the California economy, causing the greater part of its 37 billion dollar debt and accelerated the downward spiral of the national economy. Greed and avarice truly know no bounds.

Yet most folks don't see things that way in spite of what the naked facts are trying to tell them. It is as if they are "Looking at the same thing but seeing double," as if they were imbibing some intoxicating elixir which dulls the senses and causes one to ignore the facts of the beastly system they are constructing.

To a large degree its not really going to matter how much is exposed of Bush and company... since they and their radical Christian right allies own the companies that make the voting machines being forced into use throughout the country. I have been following the electronic voting machine fraud story for quite a while now and the more the facts come in, the more it becomes apparent to me that there is no way GWB will be allowed to lose in 2004.

Then you have the old crazy apostate Pat Robertson who is currently on a crusade to call upon God to remove three US Supreme Court Justices. This man knows nothing of the true nature of Christ... and I pray that unbelievers are not deceived into thinking that he and his ilk are in any way representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven.

These are most certainly surreal times. Times where Bush, the GOP, and their Christian allies almost appear untouchable, in spite of the economic devastation in this country and the arrogant policy of conquest enforced abroad. Amazingly, of all the lies, deaths, and prevarications involved in the Bush presidency, the most heinous act, and the one that causes this journal to focus on him so much... is the one which is most easily disproved, based upon the evidence. This is Bush's lie of claiming to be a Christian.

I do not claim to know a man's heart. No one but God Himself can know such a thing, but I can, based upon scripture, judge his words and actions. These words and actions have been overwhelmingly of the devil, rather than having anything to do with the Carpenter of Nazareth. Yet most Christians in their lust to force religion and morality on the world from the barrel of a gun, along with their desire for riches and power; have completely lost sight of who Christ Jesus really is. In doing so they have gone after another Gospel and another Christ, for which without repentance, they will pay dearly. I pray for them all, George Bush included.

July 14, 2003

The Journal is back after an extended absence. I was out of town for a while... and then I was preparting for a conference Antipas Ministries did in Santa Cruz, CA this past weekend. We'll have some info about the conference later this week and eventually even some video available. For now I'm going to jump straight into the journal.

Looks like some folks are getting quite nervous about the fascist overtones of the Bush regime. There are even whispers in the mainstream press, that if things look bad for the GOP in November 2004, an incident could happen in which Bush would cancel elections. If this happens, so says the above linked to article, many of those in political opposition are prepared to flee the country. Sounds like something out of a novel doesn't it? Meanwhile, esteemed economist Michael Hudson weighs in on the serious economic challenges facing this country, particularly the poor and middle class.

Meanwhile the cauldron that is Iraq continues to boil. Scores of people are still being killed in the country and it is only a matter of time before the US starts to really take the gloves off to subdue the grassroots insurgency, which is taking place. Sadly, while Bush and the GOP are constantly talking about supporting the troops, their policy of economic depravation towards veterans and active servicemen indicates it to be nothing more than empty words at best or "hatred" of them at worst.

Funny thing happenning right now. Bush and Co. have successfully deflected all focus on the flagrant lying about the Iraqi threat and boiled it all down to one incident dealing with "faulty intelligence" about Niger and nuclear materials. What a farce... the press is so bought and paid for, they have willfully allowed the dozens of lies told to get the war on to slip by without a peep. Just goes to show how far along we are into America's dark night... And don't kid yourselves folks. This dark night is being thrust upon you courtesy of the apostate forces of the Christian Right. They are in fact inherently anti-democratic... and much more. According to Kimberly Blaker's, The Fundamentals of Extremism:

"they sure are pro-death penalty, pro-guns and pro-hate, as there's much destruction and little love in the agenda of these extremists. As Randall Terry once said, 'I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good . . . Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty; we are called by God to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism.' (p. 25) 'Stoning is the form of death penalty favored by Christian Reconstructionists,' writes Mr. Buckner. (p. 218) This form of cruel punishment, which is unconstitutional (but these people would abolish the Constitution in a minute and replace it by the Bible...), is corroborated by Mr. Silverman who cites William Martin, the author of With God on Our side: '[A] theonomic order would make homosexuality, adultery, blasphemy, propagation of false doctrine, and incorrigible behavior by disobedient children subject to the death penalty, preferably administered by stoning.'"

This is what we are up against folks. These are those who would bring holocaust to the world in the name of Christ. They don't want to debate you, they want to make you dissapear. They feel the time is now to reconstruct this country and the world into their image.

June 29, 2003 -- Short Commentary

Throughout the course of writing this journal, I am sure some folks may think they can perceive something of a Left wing or “liberal” slant. They may think that since I speak out so vociferously against Bush, Republicans, the Business Right and the Christian Right that naturally I must be choosing or endorsing the other side. In actuality I am doing no such thing.

The Democrats and the Left are obviously devoid of hope in so far as being a solution to what currently ails America. No doubt they are to some degree more sympathetic to the plight of the poor and minorities, yet they are still a worldly organization, institution, or movement (so to speak) and are using worldly wisdom to address the problems of men in this world. By that I mean they have no salve for the spirit.

That being said let me now address this issue of why the great majority of my musings deal with the inequities and shortcomings of the Right in general. Specifically I would like to make mention of the political part of the plan by the GOP/Corporate/Christian nexus to neutralize their greatest internal enemy, the Left wing and the Democratic Party and why historically the Left has and never will be able to duplicate what is now occurring between the Right and Corporate America.

There is a very deliberate Republican plan for carrying out the destruction of the Left. Their goal of destroying the federal government is, as much based upon what this will do to castrate the Democratic Party as it is based upon their hatred of the institution of government. This works extremely well for the corporate world because of the opportunity it gives them to extract larger profits from an environment of lessened regulations and corporate accountability. There is a synergy between Republicans and the corporate world that could never take place between Dems and the corporate world because of the liberal factions within the Dems that are active against corporate interest. Obviously Clinton was not hostile to these corporate interests, yet there are many Democrats who are and because of this a real synergy between Corporate America and the Left can never take place. There are just too many points of contention.

I have been doing a lot of research lately and what the Republicans are doing has never been done before... not even by Roosevelt during the Democrat's heyday nor in subsequent Democratic administrations. What they are doing is changing the terms of the corporate/political partnership by putting a system in place where corporate money ONLY goes to the Republican Party. This has never been done before. They are actually running a rewards/punishment type program for corporations who contribute to the GOP and refuse to give to the Dems. They are also, as noted in the Washington Monthly article I linked to June 28th, in the process of replacing most of the corporate lobbyist in D.C. with ideologues and party-men who are loyal to the GOP 1st and whoever signs their paycheck 2nd.

The Dems have never been able to control corporate money and lobbying efforts and therefore could never even dream of actually destroying the GOP because as long as a political group has enough money in this country, they will always have a voice. This why even at the height of Democratic power during Roosevelt’s years there was still a formidable Republican presence due to corporate dollars. Just ask Steve Forbes or Ross Perot how money legitimizes political aspirations. These men through their riches were able to be considered viable candidates with little to no support among the people as in Forbes’ case and Ross Perot was actually able to build another political party albeit a small one, based upon having the millions of dollars necessary to give voice to his message (note that after Perot and the greater part of his wealth retired from the political arena that you haven’t seen any Reform Party candidates in Presidential debates).

Yet the GOP, now has the money and control of the government. Their plan is to privatize, kill off or severely weaken the Federal programs that give power and votes to the Democrats and create an environment in D.C. where corporate dollars exclusively go to the GOP (which is close to being accomplished already). In doing this they feel they can create a political environment in the US, which is analogous to Mexico of the 20th Century: "Democratic" One-Party Rule.

From a prophetic standpoint, I would say that they will succeed. Their ambitions for this country and the world will be much easier attained without any serious threat to their power in the US political realm. We as Christians, of course, know how all of this is going to end, but the purpose of speaking on it is to warn those trapped in the lies of the Republican "gospel" of its eternal dangers and our purpose is also to reach into the dead hopeless ship that is the Left and pull as many as possible out of there and into a knowledge of Christ. So please don't think I see hope in the system. I fully realize there is no option there on either side.

I think the hardest thing for all of us, most definitely myself included, is to not allow our world-view (which we develop due to personal experience, our own proclivities, and human nature); to take precedent over the mind of Christ we are all supposed to put on.

I know for myself: I am a product of a conservative family, having grown up in Mississippi and was surrounded by "cultural" Christianity, which is devoid of the real nature of Christ. I was exposed to a society that is still very racist in its mores and views, if not openly at least in a veiled way. Some of these things I embraced and others I rebelled against, yet both reactions were founded on my own choices and thoughts on the things to which I was exposed. All of this and more affect how I look at the world and how I develop my opinions and insights of the events of our day.

Yet all of this means nothing to Christ. It is all dung to Him. He has called me to lay my world-view at the foot of the cross to be crucified along with all the other trappings of the "old" man. He has also called me to take on His mind and to think like He thinks and to express, not my own thoughts and opinions on the world, but His. I am to do this by renewing my mind in Him and His word... i.e. "putting on the mind of Christ" as I quoted from the apostle earlier.

It is hard, because the flesh and my carnal mind always strive to make their sentiments preeminent on all issues. It is hard because my very human nature pushes me to draw upon that of which it is most familiar. Yet thankfully and mercifully by God I am delivered from this struggle in that He is renewing my mind and He does give me the words to speak when I turn to Him instead of turning to my own wisdom.

The greatest danger is to mix our own wishes with that of Christ’s. That is the trap in which the Christian Right has fallen and for which they may well have their candlestick removed. It is why Antipas Ministries spend so much time focusing on the issues and causes the Church has erroneously taken up and it is why my own writing in this journal focus on what the Right is up to. I do this not from my own view, but Christ’s as led by His Word.

June 28, 2003

It seems that old American ideal of a fair trial is rapidly being tossed aside. In addition to all of the erosions of constitutional rights spurred on by Brother Ashcroft's Justice Department, Lord Wolfowitz and the Defense Department are taking things even further. But you know, its actually quite easy to place yourself in the right state of mind to lock-up people without a proper trial, torture and even summarily execute them. All you need to do is learn how to hate them enough.

Along with finding the right folks to hate and the proper way to hate them, you also have be able to develop a sufficient amount of arrogance, which enables you to impose your will upon others at all times. The US has perfected this way of thinking. Even on matters such as allowing nations to control their own agriculture, it is doing all it can to impose the dictates of corporate America on the nations of the world. Even being willing to lie and cheat to overthrow the presidents of other democratic nations.

It seems though, that the American way is not working out to well for the people of war-torn Afghanistan. While all eyes have been on Iraq recently, the situation there has deteriorated tremendously. Speaking of Iraq, Senator Byrd (WV) weighed in recently with another oration on the lies of Bush and company in pushing us into war. Other folks are starting to bring up the stalled economy and the indications that Bush's tax plan will be a detriment to the average American and will do nothing to create jobs for millions of out-of-work Americans. The problem, they say, is that the indicator touted as most important by conservative, "income mobility" is falling and that the Bush tax plan will make it worse.

The trick is to understand that the concerns of the Bush administration are not with the average American, but toward his corporate elite allies. Then it all makes sense. Then you can understand how a disgraced outfit like Wolrdcom, which committed fraud and theft to the tune of several billion dollars can simply be allowed to file for bankruptcy, reorganize, and come out debt free as the "new MCI".

This is what you get in an American empire built on deception. One where a level of hypocrisy exists that enables the President and his Senate and House allies to clamor on about supporting the troops while they are in actuality cutting salaries, benefits, and tax relief for the very soldiers risking their lives for the building of this empire. Once again, what you have to understand, is that it is all about the corporate masters. That is who this empire is being constructed for. That is why the Right wing is pushing so hard to destroy the Democrats... so they can truly institute one party rule... In that way they can push unfettered toward their goals with a machine of their making, the perfect synergy between political power and corporate power.

The question though, is where is Christ in all this? Where has our Savior sanctioned war on the weak and stealing from the poor to give to the rich? How then can the Church ally itself with such men? How can they believe the apostate claims of men such as George Bush, John Ashcroft, Rick Santoram, Tom Delay, William Bennett, Billy Tauzin, and many others who claim to be Christ's representatives as they govern the most powerful nation in the history of the world? The facts just don't bear this out. In fact, the implication, based upon the facts, lead to a conclusion that their service is toward fulfilling an agenda much more ominous than most care to consider.

June 24, 2003