Watching a woman stand up and ask Donald Trump how his religious faith has deepened since 2015 has settled the debate around whether there are in fact stupid questions.
I also try to avoid his voice, but Tiny Hands is a trick candle. Just when you think he's gone, he pops up again out of nowhere. I just hate when that happens.
What is it about this country that makes so many Americans susceptible to this kind of brainwashing?
I think it was CP Estes who said on the first page of her book Women Who Run With the Wolves: “If you want to find your pack you have to learn to howl”.
Well, Howl Donald Trump did. And by howling just the way he does he attracted the Power Hungry Christians, The ignored rurals and rural poor, and the DC politicians who , upon seeing that a potential powerful cult was looming, hopped on board. It’s the party of victimhood, grievance, blame and revenge.
I didn’t realize it was a rhetorical question. So many of us really want to know HTFTH. What I really want to know is WHY. How is it possible that a human being can evolve/devolve into a human thinking machine who pumps out or is burdened by thoughts without pause and occupied with an unreal world, relentlessly, day and night. The invitation to “Stop and smell the roses” really is saying stop and experience your senses. Live in senses --your sense of smell or taste, sight (most see what they expect to see, not what is in front of them) and touch. Lightly rub your hand across the bark of a tree, see the tree, smell the tree, feel. The tree. That is a human being.
I don't listen to his voice OR look at his face. He makes me sick to my stomach, just as the hucksters making millions by conning others make me sick. I wish I knew the words to bring their followers to their senses.
This is precisely why I just “can’t” anymore with religion. How any religious person in their right mind can support this heretic is beyond my comprehension. He is the Devil Incarnate, and those who follow him, his acolytes.
I read an essay about how strong Christians were within the Nazi party. While this is often denied, it seems to be a fact. So, the more I read and study, the more I realize this appears to be their doctrine.
Need to comment on that one. Yes, there were some in Germany who aligned Christianity with the Nazi party. There were others, Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth, among others, who fought against the Reich, in some cases giving their lives.
Yes. There are always those few, in comparison to those who follow blindly. We should be grateful for their work and their voice. It often seems it is just not enough though.
The leaders of the Nazi party that formed Hitler’s Inner Circle were actually all members of an occult that believed in mythological stories about the Aryan race. So there was a religious cult aspect that informed the entire movement. Many of the SS symbols reflect this.
You might be right, but when a minority of religious nut jobs dictate the lives of the vast majority…..all bets are off. This theocracy has been inching its way forward for the last 40-50 years. It has arrived & in my lifetime (sixty plus decades) I have never been more scared or felt more doomed.
Yes, and if you question “are they just a minority,” to me, that is equally or more horrifying. If only the good could mobilize & convince the others that what they espouse is not what Christ was truly about. It all starts in the pulpit (The Church of Trump) so I daresay that ship has sailed.
The honest Christians need to speak up. Their silence is deafening. I know so many Christians who voted for Trump and will again. These are people I would call good, but they REALLY believe Trump is the savior.
Indeed, Jesus Christ, himself was probably a huckster. The Sermon on the Mount smacks of everything religion does--appeases the poor masses by promising them riches in the afterlife so that they'll put up with the thin gruel they're being served on Earth.
These 'faith' healing videos were heart-wrenching to watch. I was raised, from the ages of 3 to 13, in a violent 'Christian' cult (Wide World Church of God) and experienced what no child should ever have to endure. When I was 6 years old, my little friend of the same age in this cult, accidentally dipped a cup in a sink full of bleach. In this 'Christian' cult, seeing medical doctors was not allowed. I remember this innocent and very sick little girl being raised high by the minister in front of the congregation with many followers around with their hands up, singing and praying, and the minister preaching loudly. The next week, my little friend was gone. She died. This is one of so many horrible things I saw and experienced. One of the tenets of this violent 'Christian' cult was to discipline your children, physically, so they wouldn't do anything wrong. Terrifying. Later the cult leaders were caught on video with prostitutes, and were found to be corrupt in numerous ways. The cult went underground, changed its name and rose up as something else. The damages they did, though, live on. We must Rise Up against this insanity. There is NO LOVE in these cults. Benny Hill was violent!
Trump is VIOLENT! These are tithing business, political opportunists. Thank you Steve, for speaking out on this insanity and bringing attention to the politicization of 'Christianity'. Trump is Evil.
As for how my good, hard-working parents ended up in this cult: before I was born, they left their rural Montana town and moved to southern Utah so my dad could find work in the mines (he and his dad were hard-rock miners in Virginia City, MT -some of the hardest work one could do in order to raise a family). The story as to why they left Montana is more complex than just finding work, but that was one main factor. My parents, then, found themselves alienated from their close families in Montana, very poor, and soon with three little children. They were vulnerable to being exploited, and sure enough Garner Ted Armstrong took over our lives. Previous to his cult tithing business, he was a radio man and understood the power of being able to affect people through media; he then created a powerful 'Christian' radio program that my parents listened to, including inciting fear of the impending Apocalypse. They then formally joined 'The Church', which quickly cut them off from anyone who was not in the cult. The cult provided 'everything' for them, while destroying our family. I think my parents were paying 30% of their income to 'The Church' and during sermons, bowls were passed through the rows of members for 'second tithings'. The members dug bills and coins out of their second-hand clothing to put in the bowl, while the preacher ranted on. No holidays, except 4th of July and Thanksgiving, were allowed. Living poor was encouraged by 'The Church' as the leaders raked in millions of dollars and bought extravagant houses and facilities to expand their insane 'message'.
I don't feel that my parents were stupid or bad people, rather they were good, hard-working, vulnerable people who were drawn in by an onslaught of powerful 'Christian' talk-radio that promised to help them, that gave them community, and a sense of being righteous.
What I rarely hear about is how children who are caught up in this insanity, including millions of children during this MAGA-CULT era are being affected. Their young brains and emotions are affected; their belief systems are being created. How can the GOP in Congress support a Trump and the other grifters who are wreaking damage on millions of people, and the millions of innocent children who have NO VOICE and NO CHOICE? Some of the indoctrinated 'Trump-God' followers will pick up an AR-15 and slaughter their 'enemies', including innocent children in their schools -places that are supposed to be safe. What horror. We must do everything we can to stop this insanity. I'm sharing this in order to offer a personal story about how and why these televangelists have so much power of the vulnerable. Thank you.
I'm deeply grateful for your kind words, Lisa. 🙏 And yes, the healing of hearts in USA and elsewhere is desperately needed, so that loving-kindness, empathic compassion, and joyous good cheer can spread ever more widely and deeply.
🙏💜✨🌺
Humans truly could create a heaven on earth for one another if they really endeavored to do so! (and the same for many animals species if humans would shift to plant-based, ethically based choices).
Dalai Lama: “Empathy is the basis of human coexistence. It is my belief that human development relies on cooperation and not competition. That is scientifically proven.”
Dalai Lama: “The most important question we can ask for a better world is ‘How can we serve each other?’ To make that shift, we need to sharpen our awareness.” — Dalai Lama
Timothy, Thank you for your wise and caring message. Kindness is contagious. 🙏🌺
Thank you, Lisa for sharing your personal journey. No one should have to go through this trauma. I know these memories are painful. I respect the insight you bring to this forum. I’m thinking your early life has allowed you to see more deeply into maga evil.
Thank you, Nancy. I hope that my experiences and perspectives on cults can deepen the conversation we have here. This is the most diverse and interesting community I have in the U.S.A. and I value it very much. Best, Lisa
Lisa, I read this and while it went through my brain, it also landed in my heart. Saying I’m sorry you endured that, seems so inadequate, but I am. I agree with Patrick, you are a warrior and so glad I know you on here.
Thank you, Susan. I appreciate that my experiences are valued here and that I might be able to contribute some perspectives that could be helpful. Glad to be here! xo
Dear Lisa. What a shining light you are, having risen out of this crazy darkness, people who are so bewildered and vulnerable that those who pretend to carry the message of Jesus are in fact the very same as the corrupt people He abhorred. Yet they get away with it and relentlessly bilk the very people they should be lifting. No wonder they find a partner in crime in Donald Trump.
Dear Lisa what a heartbreaking story and how courageous and compassionate you are to share it, as well as insightful regarding the vulnerability of your parents and your forgiving heart toward them. This is an indispensable message to help all who are trapped in any cult. So amazing and wonderful that you got out.
Your sharing here, Lisa, is appreciated beyond words. I cannot tell you how much. Your truth is painful, yet you have chosen to put it to post to share with us. A safe group. A giving and kind group. A group of people who share the same moral compass. I am grateful the group exists. (Thank you, Steve, for creating this space.)
Karen, Thank you. In 2015, with horror, I recognized DJT as a dangerous cult leader who would take millions of followers off a cliff with him. My understanding of cults and what is happening with MAGA is the main reason I'm here on The Warning. Best to you, Lisa
You know Steve, try as I might.... I just don’t get it. How our fellow countrymen & women listen and believe in this nonsense is beyond my comprehension. Growing up in the 70’s as a kid in Wyoming I was surrounded by people who believed in this horse shit. I found it terrifying then - it was truly scary to a 10yr old ranch girl in pigtails. I still have vivid memories of how frightened I felt around people like this, never mind that they felt it their personal responsibility to tell a child she was not saved yet and would be devoured by all evil on this planet. I see nothing has changed.
I completely agree. It was abusive. I also remember these “comic books” they would pass out depicting satan coming to get us. I had nightmares for years.
I am a Christian. I am an evangelical Christian. I am a “Southern Baptist.” I am a 70 year old white man from Texas.
Thank you for what you do and have been doing, Steve. Please keep on keeping on.
I am a pastor’s son and have been around Baptist, etc. preachers my whole life. I am a lawyer though, not a professional cleric. There have always been outright charlatans, hustlers, and outright perverts like Paula White, Benny Hinn, et al., especially in the more extreme versions of Christianity in general, and the evangelical wing in particular. Almost all, really all I knew, garden variety evangelicals saw the televangelists for what they were---and are.
While Billy Graham was not a perfect man by any means, and he had his own unhealthy fascination with the political and powerful, I do not believe for one second he would have done what his son has done with Trump. It breaks my heart and drives me almost to despair. It is literally unbelievable. Graham and Robert Jeffress and sadly, many, many others like them, have sold their birthright for a “mess of pottage.”
Thank you for quoting Jesus from the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Most of the evangelical world in America has thoroughly sold its soul to Trump---Donald freakingTrump!!!!---and for what? Political power? Supreme Court judges? Owning the Libs? Being given permission to be cruel to immigrants and anyone else you do not like? They appear to believe they have gained the whole world, but they truly have lost their own souls. Mark 8:36.
I have my own non scientific theory about people like Franklin Graham, Mike Lindell, and yes, RFK, Jr. Drugs in earlier days, even long ago, shortcircuits the brain somehow, so some, at least, and many I think, lose some part of their reasoning and analytical and even “common sense” abilities. They all seem to be so susceptible to “crazy talk” and have totally lost their minds and need serious help. Why does no one close to them see that? These people are not operating in reality as I know it.
Of course, I guess it is not just recovering drug addicts. Many millions of my supposed fellow Christ followers have decided one of the most despicable, perverse, evil and pathetic human beings who ever lived, is their new leader and “savior.” That is insane!
It is amazing to me how such people cannot take a step back, and think about 50-100 years from now. What will secular (and Christian)history say about the Franklin Grahams and Lindsey Grahams of our present age? It will not be pretty, nor should it be. They will be relegated to the dustbin like Father Charles Coughlin, and governors like Orval Faubus and George Wallace, powerful men of the 20th century, who are now rightly seen as relics of a racist and evil past.
The political and moral cowardice of the last 8 years has been breathtaking to behold.
I have tried..so far with some degree of success…to not have my brain explode while trying to figure out how people can be so deranged and stupid and gutless and soulless. Your explanation has been extremely helpful. Thank you.
I attended Baptist churches as a child and young adult, and knew some wonderful pastors. They didn't know I was an atheist, but they wouldn't have treated me differently had they known. Wonderful people. I am grateful for them.
I was thinking the same thing. Given the applause when he finished his non- answer, apparently the joy is in getting to ask him a question and his answer is irrelevant.
What's really frustrating is the fact that no one ever holds Trump's feet to the fire to ask him the tough questions. He's the quintessential bully, and everyone always sidesteps the bully. Even the left-leaning journalists. We need to be more like the British and Australians when it comes to confirming truths and denying falsehoods.
What to do about all those people who don't know he didn't answer the question? Isn't that astonishing? I'd have liked to see a town hall after his remarks where the audience is asked about that. Do they know? If they know, how about it? Is that okay with them? We need better understanding of what's beyond our comprehension about how he gets his support to help us know what to do about it.
His CULT doesn’t care what he says, answer or not!!! They are completely enthralled in his presence. For me, it’s beyond astounding. I have lost all respect & patience with anyone that would give him the time of day, much less their vote. The scariest part is they are everywhere, like brainwashed zombies.
I finished reading “A Fever in the Heartland” a couple of weeks ago. About the rise of the Klan in the 20’s, specifically in Indiana. It is a shocking book. I live in Indiana. But, one interesting part was about all the preachers that were bribed by the Klan to preach the Klan gospel. Some things never change
I grew up in Hoosier country, on a farm just outside the little town of Nabb where the B & O railroad crosses the county line road separating Clark & Scott counties; dad's farm delineated on one side by the Eastern most edge of Clark's Grant.
Attending Lexington Township School as a boy, I learned about Morgan's Raiders. In the summer of 1863, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan's troops briefly occupied the town square—which, at that time, was home to the County Seat and Courthouse—decades before becoming the school grounds. I doubt the armed locals resisted this Confederate incursion, a social stain that may have contributed to the Seat being relocated to the town square of Scottsburg, 10 or so miles further west.
I mention this because even a century later there existed an underlying sense of mistrust and hostility—often erupting as open displays of anger and outrage by fans and players alike during basketball games between the two Township's school teams. The folks of Lexington saw themselves as victims, unjustly looked down upon and taken advantage of politically and economically, by Scottsburg Township's 'high-and-mighty' residents.
It's an example of the roots of a kind of 'victimhood' wholly embraced by the predominantly white, allegedly Evangelical, poorly educated and utterly misinformed MAGA-hat wearing "base" that Trump and the Republicans have turned into cadres of outraged, fully armed sleeper cells ready and willing to tear this country apart. (With considerable help from our authoritarian enemies both foreign and domestic, I might add!) They are fellow citizens whose working-class roots and generations of low self-esteem coupled with racist fears have been stoked, exploited and weaponized to one degree and another by grifters, charlatans, and less than ethical—when not wholly corrupt—politicians from both sides of the isle for most of our nation's history.
It is, as my mother would have called it, "a crying shame," that now must be addressed and somehow—only the Good Lord knows how—reconciled if our Constitutional democratic republic is to survive.
I'll leave this with one additional Hosier anecdote: Just before moving to Berkeley, California, where I've lived most of my adult life, I visited my family's closest neighbor and long-time friend, Eddie Blades. She was the widow of Charley Blades who had been the local blacksmith—his smith with anvil and bellows still standing and occasionally operational when dad needed a metal work repair when I was still a boy.
Eddie was an archetypal Hosier woman of a by-gone era. Wrinkled and swarthy from hours spent in the sun tending her garden, feeding her chickens, and boiling water out doors in a big black cauldron to scrub her laundry on an old washing board. I can even recall her using it to make lye soap. Except on Sundays, or for weddings and funerals, she never wore a dress. I always saw her in blue jeans and plaid shirt, oddly set off by the delicate lacing atop her short white socks that occupied the space between her thick-heeled black shoes with a strap and the bottom hem of her leggings.
She was an animated, gregarious, and opinionated woman with a down-home wit and cackling laugh who always begged forgiveness from visitors for her untidy home even though you could have safely 'ete' off the polished and gleaming linoleum covered floors. One room, the parlor, was off limits, behind a closed door I wasn't allowed through until I was old enough to sit down, not squirm, and remain silent in the midst of polite, adult company. The immaculateness of the post-WWII furnishings within it, surrounded by flowery wallpaper and linoleum floor covering, adorned with a large hand-made oval rag-rug has left an impression I shall never forget. She always wrapped her freshly starched and ironed, hand-laced linens in aluminum foil before putting them in the freezer. "'Tis the only way to get a good crease in 'em," she taught me.
On this particular day, however, after the ritual of being greeted with wrinkly smiles, cackling mirth, and habitual begging of forgiveness for her 'messy' home—an obvious ruse to solicit well-deserved praise that might otherwise not be forthcoming—once seated in the big, nearly black, old chair across from her in her rocker—I sensed something was wrong. As we were seating ourselves she switched off the small, rabbit-eared TV on which she'd been watching the news. After a bit of small talk I asked her, "What's the matter, Eddie? You seem distracted and a bit upset about something."
At first she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it but I persisted even as tears began to form in her eyes. After removing her horn-rimmed glasses and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, obviously flustered by this uncommon display of emotions, she seemed to steel up her nerve and actually became irritated, saying, "Well (pronounced 'way-el'), if you must know I'm very upset about what's happening in this country."
"What do you mean, Eddie? What's happening?"
"Well," she continued with increasing agitation, "what they're doing to our President, Nixon, and our country that's what!"
This was during the Watergate Hearings just as the news of the Whitehouse tapes was coming out. I deduced that part of her reluctance to even talk about this was she knew I'd never been a Nixon fan—having become a bit of a hippy while away at college in Chicago—and outspokenly critical of the war in Viet Nam.
Curious and uncertain where all this was headed and coming from in her, I asked, "Wait. What do you mean exactly. Who are "they" other than Congress that are doing anything to Nixon and this country?"
"Oh, you know," she grumbled, "the damn Communists, that's who!"
Now quite bewildered and a bit tongue-tied, I *really* wanted to know what the hell she was thinking, "Wait, but, Eddie, *who* are the 'Communists?'"
She signed and took a breath before answering, "I swear you must know as well as I do. Mark my words," she said with a directed sternness, "the Kennedys and Rockefellers (pronounced "rocky-fellers"), those rich bastards are all Commies who are gonna destroy this country if we don't put a stop to 'em."
Now utterly confused (to this day I have no idea how these ideas got into her head—FOX wouldn't exist for another 20+ years so whatever this is, it has a history that goes *way* back!) I had to suppress a laugh.
"Eddie, I'm sorry to hear you're so upset about this. But I don't think either the Kennedys or Rockefellers are 'Communists'. They're capitalists, aren't they?"
"Well, whatever they are, they're tearing this country apart."
"You know, there may be some truth to that," I offered. "Wealth and power are two things neither of us have ever had, and likely never will, and there's a damn shame in that, for sure. But you're a good friend and neighbor, and an amazing woman—and I'm gonna miss you out there in the 'land of fruits and nuts.' I just stopped in to give you a hug and good bye till I see you again."
That made her smile and got her mind off politics. But, as you see, a half-century later that conversation has stuck with me—far more than most I've had—and with all that's going on around us these days, I think about often. I'm still uncertain how to sum it all up in a way that makes sense, but I *am* certain that whatever it is, it's at the heart of our national dilemma.
Michael this was a wonderful read. I grew up in Henry County, central Indiana. Small town surrounded by Muncie, Anderson, about 45 min from Indy. My brother and I were talking about different things growing up, just yesterday. I told him about the cross burning I saw traveling backroads to my Aunts house. I was somewhere between 8 and 10. This was the 60’s. What we both thought was a bit shocking is no one talked to me about. Not my Aunt who was driving, or my parents, who I am certain were told. It was never mentioned.
My brother and I both ended up in CA for several years. He in S. CA and me in the Bay Area, so Berkeley is familiar. When I moved backed to IN it was a strange experience, big adjustment. What I remember those first years back was being made fun of for living in CA. Apparently, I became a joke because I lived out there. So I stopped talking about it well except for continuing my support of the 49ers!
Saying this to illustrate the mistrust of other that seems to be inbred. Not everyone, of course, but many. I have no idea how you change that as it seems to be generational.
I also believe there are good people in the state. We just walk different paths. And I think each path horrifies the other.
Thank you, Susan. I've spent the last several hours polishing and re-publishing my post to you above here on my Substack, FBFOS. I acknowledge you (and Steve of course) with links. I only glanced at your writings but just from that glance I can see you are, indeed, on a path. Although I can be mercilessly cynical at times I mean that sincerely. I'm even a little bit envious! If I weren't now near brain-dead and starving I'd say more. But this thank you and best wishes will have to suffice for now.
I had no idea when I started reading the book. And the man guy was responsible for spreading the Klan into neighboring states. Dixie of the North was the nickname for Indiana. Explains a great deal
The biggest mistake the United States made on January 21st 2021 was not to declare the events of January 6th 2021 an act of war..Thereby defining those responsible as enemy combatants and proceed accordingly..
Agree completely. On a side note, Ron DeSantis just went on record saying that Jan 6th was a protest that went sideways. That essentially it didn't happen. The way the MAGA crowd continually rewrites history in order to support their twisted perspective is chilling and shouldn't be taken lightly.
100% correct! These people can not be reasoned with, this has been shown over and over again..They lie and rewrite history to their agenda..Action must be taken to demonstrate that it will not be tolerated, they must be made an offer they can't refuse..And if they do refuse, then so be it..they will suffer the consequences of declaring war upon the United States..
To use an analogy from a fictional telling..Johnny Fontaine got out of the bandleader's contract, because the bandleader accepted an offer he could not refuse..
So am I..However, that offer can take shape in a variety of ways..For it to come from Jack Smith is but one..I am without wherewithal, influence, power or connections..I do not have the kind of relationships that if coalesced properly could deploy some of the other ways an offer one can't refuse can be proffered..
But I believe that there are such people, they just haven't acted as far as I can see..I am hopeful and filled with anxiety all at once..
No one has described Donald Trump better than Steve Schmidt, he has identified him perfectly..For me, in simpler terms he is a rabid dog that must be put down..
I see a feckless Democratic Party who can't muster the will to set aside whatever moral compass they possess and do what is necessary to crush this threat to our nation..They are continuing to bring knives to a gun fight..I don't get it..
Yes, J-6 was an act of war. We all saw it. It was a violent act to overthrow a free and fair election, and therefore our Democracy. The U.S. not making a declaration of an act of war could well be one of the biggest mistakes in U.S. history, and could culminate in the loss of our Democracy. Thanks for speaking out on this.
Yes. My reading of the tea leaves is that we *are* at war, that enemy assets are not only inside the gates, some are within the halls of power. Others less public may occupy positions of authority within respected institutions, intelligence and security networks, and even military chains of command. But worst of all their messaging has gotten inside all our heads. Some far more so than others, obviously, but nearly universally to some degree nonetheless. Misreadings and doubt favors those who would do us far more than mere harm.
When taken seriously as I believe it should, this perception offers explanations for the seemingly inexplicable. Everything from why MAGA Republicans do what seems counter-intuitive from the perspective of electoral politics—to why sincere Institutions like Garland’s DOJ may *appear* (publicly) to have made the very mistake you are pointing out (among others).
In this very real war, however, absolutely nothing can be assumed to be only, or merely, that which it may seem to those of us not on the front lines—much less behind them. It’s a knife’s edge, and I’m not being the least bit hyperbolic when I say all our fates and that of this world are almost literally teetering on that edge.
The best I can offer is to suggest we not fall into the trap of mistrusting the intelligence, courage, and wisdom of those in whose hands we’ve placed our fates. True, all humans are imperfect and do make mistakes, and thus should not be followed blindly. But the gravity of the situation more fully understood demands both discretion, allegiance, and a thoughtful, informed faith that supports our Nation’s security. We absolutely must not allow anyone to take that from us—else all may be lost.
Hannity listening to Trump has to think to himself “what a fucking idiot and I have to support this shit.” Sorry about my language but I have no better way to describe it.
It’s remarkable that having have been made great during Dolt 45’s brief reign, America abruptly became ungreat upon his departure from office. Imagine how super-ungreat it’ll become upon his incarceration.
Will we cry when he drops that "soap on a rope" in the communal shower at Club Fed? I like to think I'm pretty empathetic, but it'll be dry eyes for me....
The "Prosperity Gospel" more accurately characterized as the "Elmer Gantry swindle." Despite having observed it remotely with disgust and amazement for years, it's still hard to believe that so many people can be so profoundly stupid as to literally "buy into" it. The lights are on, but no one's home. To paraphrase HL Mencken "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American People."
Thank yo so much, Steve for this article. Off topic a bit...I’m in GA this weekend spending my money to thank Georgians for voting in Ossof & warnock. Sole purpose of our trip! Just doing what we can to help!
Love that!! I want to visit Georgia and give water to those waiting in line. We know I would be sent to jail for doing that, but alas, tRUMP is still free. What an unjust and corrupt system we have. Thank a Republican legislator for this.
We’re from FL so the weather is fine. Been outside the entire time during the day. Friday was hot, yesterday was beautiful. Beautiful state. Visiting & supporting small businesses. I will never forget how happy I was after that special election. Thank you!
Thank you for holding up the Sermon on the Mount and what a good mirror it is to evaluate personal behavior.
Throughout history there have been spiritual ego-strokers. The two named follow in a long-tradition of those in both the Old and New Testament who aligned "spiritual" with political power. It was true in Medieval Europe, and the whole Sun and Moon argument. It is never a good mix. The writers of the Constitution knew the history of religious wars in Europe, and built the walls to separate church and state. We need to hold these wall in place and strengthen them.
I heard this today and wrote it down.---If you can mix religious fundamentalism with politics, you have a force to be reckoned with. Thought it was interesting.
Thank you for sharing. Earlier in my Republican life I spent a number of years in Charismatic Megachurches. The hucksters are rampant in them and in their media and television empires. I worked for one of the then more reputable ones in the early 1990s while in seminary. Since then its founder went totally Right Wing Trump, spouting all kinds of BS about Trump being anointed by God as President. These people are horrible. They represent the absolute worst of American Christianity, which if you read my book, “Mine Eyes Have The Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond”, you will know, doesn’t have the greatest history to begin with.
Thanks for transcribing part of Trump’s response. I try to listen to his voice as little as possible.
You are not alone!
I also try to avoid his voice, but Tiny Hands is a trick candle. Just when you think he's gone, he pops up again out of nowhere. I just hate when that happens.
What is it about this country that makes so many Americans susceptible to this kind of brainwashing?
I think it was CP Estes who said on the first page of her book Women Who Run With the Wolves: “If you want to find your pack you have to learn to howl”.
Well, Howl Donald Trump did. And by howling just the way he does he attracted the Power Hungry Christians, The ignored rurals and rural poor, and the DC politicians who , upon seeing that a potential powerful cult was looming, hopped on board. It’s the party of victimhood, grievance, blame and revenge.
The V G B R party.
I will await more answers.
I didn’t realize it was a rhetorical question. So many of us really want to know HTFTH. What I really want to know is WHY. How is it possible that a human being can evolve/devolve into a human thinking machine who pumps out or is burdened by thoughts without pause and occupied with an unreal world, relentlessly, day and night. The invitation to “Stop and smell the roses” really is saying stop and experience your senses. Live in senses --your sense of smell or taste, sight (most see what they expect to see, not what is in front of them) and touch. Lightly rub your hand across the bark of a tree, see the tree, smell the tree, feel. The tree. That is a human being.
I don't listen to his voice OR look at his face. He makes me sick to my stomach, just as the hucksters making millions by conning others make me sick. I wish I knew the words to bring their followers to their senses.
Any physical reminder of him sickens me, too.
If we can get some cult followers out of MAGA, then maybe others will follow.
That's how we do it, Lisa! One at a time.
This is precisely why I just “can’t” anymore with religion. How any religious person in their right mind can support this heretic is beyond my comprehension. He is the Devil Incarnate, and those who follow him, his acolytes.
I read an essay about how strong Christians were within the Nazi party. While this is often denied, it seems to be a fact. So, the more I read and study, the more I realize this appears to be their doctrine.
Need to comment on that one. Yes, there were some in Germany who aligned Christianity with the Nazi party. There were others, Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth, among others, who fought against the Reich, in some cases giving their lives.
Yes. There are always those few, in comparison to those who follow blindly. We should be grateful for their work and their voice. It often seems it is just not enough though.
Notice how guys like BonHoeffer and Barth are ALWAYS the minority?
The leaders of the Nazi party that formed Hitler’s Inner Circle were actually all members of an occult that believed in mythological stories about the Aryan race. So there was a religious cult aspect that informed the entire movement. Many of the SS symbols reflect this.
https://bigthink.com/the-present/nazis-occult/
This was stunning and terrifying -intriguing, too. Thank you for sharing this.
💯
Religiosity vs spirituality.
I have chosen my journey and it's spiritual. Religiosity gives the pursuit for our personal spiritual truth a bad name.
(Mat 7:7 "and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened")
Yes. That’s why so many can’t stand to look at him or hear him talk. Evil does that. I makes you and everyone else look away. It’s revulsion.
Religion has always been a tool to control men, and to give reason for the Evil they do.
You might be right, but when a minority of religious nut jobs dictate the lives of the vast majority…..all bets are off. This theocracy has been inching its way forward for the last 40-50 years. It has arrived & in my lifetime (sixty plus decades) I have never been more scared or felt more doomed.
Yes, and if you question “are they just a minority,” to me, that is equally or more horrifying. If only the good could mobilize & convince the others that what they espouse is not what Christ was truly about. It all starts in the pulpit (The Church of Trump) so I daresay that ship has sailed.
The honest Christians need to speak up. Their silence is deafening. I know so many Christians who voted for Trump and will again. These are people I would call good, but they REALLY believe Trump is the savior.
Indeed, Jesus Christ, himself was probably a huckster. The Sermon on the Mount smacks of everything religion does--appeases the poor masses by promising them riches in the afterlife so that they'll put up with the thin gruel they're being served on Earth.
Hucksters are pretty careful not to be arrested, let alone executed.
Yes and there always a few good ones.
Exactly
These 'faith' healing videos were heart-wrenching to watch. I was raised, from the ages of 3 to 13, in a violent 'Christian' cult (Wide World Church of God) and experienced what no child should ever have to endure. When I was 6 years old, my little friend of the same age in this cult, accidentally dipped a cup in a sink full of bleach. In this 'Christian' cult, seeing medical doctors was not allowed. I remember this innocent and very sick little girl being raised high by the minister in front of the congregation with many followers around with their hands up, singing and praying, and the minister preaching loudly. The next week, my little friend was gone. She died. This is one of so many horrible things I saw and experienced. One of the tenets of this violent 'Christian' cult was to discipline your children, physically, so they wouldn't do anything wrong. Terrifying. Later the cult leaders were caught on video with prostitutes, and were found to be corrupt in numerous ways. The cult went underground, changed its name and rose up as something else. The damages they did, though, live on. We must Rise Up against this insanity. There is NO LOVE in these cults. Benny Hill was violent!
Trump is VIOLENT! These are tithing business, political opportunists. Thank you Steve, for speaking out on this insanity and bringing attention to the politicization of 'Christianity'. Trump is Evil.
As for how my good, hard-working parents ended up in this cult: before I was born, they left their rural Montana town and moved to southern Utah so my dad could find work in the mines (he and his dad were hard-rock miners in Virginia City, MT -some of the hardest work one could do in order to raise a family). The story as to why they left Montana is more complex than just finding work, but that was one main factor. My parents, then, found themselves alienated from their close families in Montana, very poor, and soon with three little children. They were vulnerable to being exploited, and sure enough Garner Ted Armstrong took over our lives. Previous to his cult tithing business, he was a radio man and understood the power of being able to affect people through media; he then created a powerful 'Christian' radio program that my parents listened to, including inciting fear of the impending Apocalypse. They then formally joined 'The Church', which quickly cut them off from anyone who was not in the cult. The cult provided 'everything' for them, while destroying our family. I think my parents were paying 30% of their income to 'The Church' and during sermons, bowls were passed through the rows of members for 'second tithings'. The members dug bills and coins out of their second-hand clothing to put in the bowl, while the preacher ranted on. No holidays, except 4th of July and Thanksgiving, were allowed. Living poor was encouraged by 'The Church' as the leaders raked in millions of dollars and bought extravagant houses and facilities to expand their insane 'message'.
I don't feel that my parents were stupid or bad people, rather they were good, hard-working, vulnerable people who were drawn in by an onslaught of powerful 'Christian' talk-radio that promised to help them, that gave them community, and a sense of being righteous.
What I rarely hear about is how children who are caught up in this insanity, including millions of children during this MAGA-CULT era are being affected. Their young brains and emotions are affected; their belief systems are being created. How can the GOP in Congress support a Trump and the other grifters who are wreaking damage on millions of people, and the millions of innocent children who have NO VOICE and NO CHOICE? Some of the indoctrinated 'Trump-God' followers will pick up an AR-15 and slaughter their 'enemies', including innocent children in their schools -places that are supposed to be safe. What horror. We must do everything we can to stop this insanity. I'm sharing this in order to offer a personal story about how and why these televangelists have so much power of the vulnerable. Thank you.
Lisa, you are a warrior princess and have more courage than any charlatan or cult leader.
Beautiful comment, Patrick, which i echo completely.
Thank you, Timothy, for all you bring to this community and to many of us, individually. The heart matters so much. Healing is needed in this country.
I'm deeply grateful for your kind words, Lisa. 🙏 And yes, the healing of hearts in USA and elsewhere is desperately needed, so that loving-kindness, empathic compassion, and joyous good cheer can spread ever more widely and deeply.
🙏💜✨🌺
Humans truly could create a heaven on earth for one another if they really endeavored to do so! (and the same for many animals species if humans would shift to plant-based, ethically based choices).
Wishing you every Divine blessing!
Dalai Lama: “Empathy is the basis of human coexistence. It is my belief that human development relies on cooperation and not competition. That is scientifically proven.”
Dalai Lama: “The most important question we can ask for a better world is ‘How can we serve each other?’ To make that shift, we need to sharpen our awareness.” — Dalai Lama
Timothy, Thank you for your wise and caring message. Kindness is contagious. 🙏🌺
And you're a Warrior Prince, too, Timothy!
And you, Patrick, are a Warrior Prince :-) Thank you so much.
Thank you, Lisa for sharing your personal journey. No one should have to go through this trauma. I know these memories are painful. I respect the insight you bring to this forum. I’m thinking your early life has allowed you to see more deeply into maga evil.
Thank you, Nancy. I hope that my experiences and perspectives on cults can deepen the conversation we have here. This is the most diverse and interesting community I have in the U.S.A. and I value it very much. Best, Lisa
Lisa, I read this and while it went through my brain, it also landed in my heart. Saying I’m sorry you endured that, seems so inadequate, but I am. I agree with Patrick, you are a warrior and so glad I know you on here.
Thank you, Susan. I appreciate that my experiences are valued here and that I might be able to contribute some perspectives that could be helpful. Glad to be here! xo
Dear Lisa. What a shining light you are, having risen out of this crazy darkness, people who are so bewildered and vulnerable that those who pretend to carry the message of Jesus are in fact the very same as the corrupt people He abhorred. Yet they get away with it and relentlessly bilk the very people they should be lifting. No wonder they find a partner in crime in Donald Trump.
Dear Lisa what a heartbreaking story and how courageous and compassionate you are to share it, as well as insightful regarding the vulnerability of your parents and your forgiving heart toward them. This is an indispensable message to help all who are trapped in any cult. So amazing and wonderful that you got out.
My heart breaks for your good parents, and all those vulnerable people
Cruelty is the point.
Your sharing here, Lisa, is appreciated beyond words. I cannot tell you how much. Your truth is painful, yet you have chosen to put it to post to share with us. A safe group. A giving and kind group. A group of people who share the same moral compass. I am grateful the group exists. (Thank you, Steve, for creating this space.)
If there really were an all-powerful God, these people should have spontaneously combusted long ago. I'm so sorry this happened to your family.
I'm so sorry you had to endure that.
Karen, Thank you. In 2015, with horror, I recognized DJT as a dangerous cult leader who would take millions of followers off a cliff with him. My understanding of cults and what is happening with MAGA is the main reason I'm here on The Warning. Best to you, Lisa
You know Steve, try as I might.... I just don’t get it. How our fellow countrymen & women listen and believe in this nonsense is beyond my comprehension. Growing up in the 70’s as a kid in Wyoming I was surrounded by people who believed in this horse shit. I found it terrifying then - it was truly scary to a 10yr old ranch girl in pigtails. I still have vivid memories of how frightened I felt around people like this, never mind that they felt it their personal responsibility to tell a child she was not saved yet and would be devoured by all evil on this planet. I see nothing has changed.
These zealot preachers are clearly guilty of both mental and physical abuse. Why do our laws not protect us from them?
I completely agree. It was abusive. I also remember these “comic books” they would pass out depicting satan coming to get us. I had nightmares for years.
Same here. Catholic school for 8 years. I'm already going to Hell and have a bathing suit ready because I'm told it's rather warm there.
Excellent! Thanks.
John, I appreciate these profound quotes you share; I copy some of them onto my desktop for further reference and to share with others.
I am a Christian. I am an evangelical Christian. I am a “Southern Baptist.” I am a 70 year old white man from Texas.
Thank you for what you do and have been doing, Steve. Please keep on keeping on.
I am a pastor’s son and have been around Baptist, etc. preachers my whole life. I am a lawyer though, not a professional cleric. There have always been outright charlatans, hustlers, and outright perverts like Paula White, Benny Hinn, et al., especially in the more extreme versions of Christianity in general, and the evangelical wing in particular. Almost all, really all I knew, garden variety evangelicals saw the televangelists for what they were---and are.
While Billy Graham was not a perfect man by any means, and he had his own unhealthy fascination with the political and powerful, I do not believe for one second he would have done what his son has done with Trump. It breaks my heart and drives me almost to despair. It is literally unbelievable. Graham and Robert Jeffress and sadly, many, many others like them, have sold their birthright for a “mess of pottage.”
Thank you for quoting Jesus from the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Most of the evangelical world in America has thoroughly sold its soul to Trump---Donald freakingTrump!!!!---and for what? Political power? Supreme Court judges? Owning the Libs? Being given permission to be cruel to immigrants and anyone else you do not like? They appear to believe they have gained the whole world, but they truly have lost their own souls. Mark 8:36.
I have my own non scientific theory about people like Franklin Graham, Mike Lindell, and yes, RFK, Jr. Drugs in earlier days, even long ago, shortcircuits the brain somehow, so some, at least, and many I think, lose some part of their reasoning and analytical and even “common sense” abilities. They all seem to be so susceptible to “crazy talk” and have totally lost their minds and need serious help. Why does no one close to them see that? These people are not operating in reality as I know it.
Of course, I guess it is not just recovering drug addicts. Many millions of my supposed fellow Christ followers have decided one of the most despicable, perverse, evil and pathetic human beings who ever lived, is their new leader and “savior.” That is insane!
It is amazing to me how such people cannot take a step back, and think about 50-100 years from now. What will secular (and Christian)history say about the Franklin Grahams and Lindsey Grahams of our present age? It will not be pretty, nor should it be. They will be relegated to the dustbin like Father Charles Coughlin, and governors like Orval Faubus and George Wallace, powerful men of the 20th century, who are now rightly seen as relics of a racist and evil past.
The political and moral cowardice of the last 8 years has been breathtaking to behold.
I have tried..so far with some degree of success…to not have my brain explode while trying to figure out how people can be so deranged and stupid and gutless and soulless. Your explanation has been extremely helpful. Thank you.
My head has come very close to exploding many, many times.
I attended Baptist churches as a child and young adult, and knew some wonderful pastors. They didn't know I was an atheist, but they wouldn't have treated me differently had they known. Wonderful people. I am grateful for them.
Great comment, Rick!
The audience member asked a great question. I’d like to know what her thoughts are on his non response.
I was thinking the same thing. Given the applause when he finished his non- answer, apparently the joy is in getting to ask him a question and his answer is irrelevant.
What's really frustrating is the fact that no one ever holds Trump's feet to the fire to ask him the tough questions. He's the quintessential bully, and everyone always sidesteps the bully. Even the left-leaning journalists. We need to be more like the British and Australians when it comes to confirming truths and denying falsehoods.
Me too.
What to do about all those people who don't know he didn't answer the question? Isn't that astonishing? I'd have liked to see a town hall after his remarks where the audience is asked about that. Do they know? If they know, how about it? Is that okay with them? We need better understanding of what's beyond our comprehension about how he gets his support to help us know what to do about it.
IMHO
His CULT doesn’t care what he says, answer or not!!! They are completely enthralled in his presence. For me, it’s beyond astounding. I have lost all respect & patience with anyone that would give him the time of day, much less their vote. The scariest part is they are everywhere, like brainwashed zombies.
I finished reading “A Fever in the Heartland” a couple of weeks ago. About the rise of the Klan in the 20’s, specifically in Indiana. It is a shocking book. I live in Indiana. But, one interesting part was about all the preachers that were bribed by the Klan to preach the Klan gospel. Some things never change
I grew up in Hoosier country, on a farm just outside the little town of Nabb where the B & O railroad crosses the county line road separating Clark & Scott counties; dad's farm delineated on one side by the Eastern most edge of Clark's Grant.
Attending Lexington Township School as a boy, I learned about Morgan's Raiders. In the summer of 1863, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan's troops briefly occupied the town square—which, at that time, was home to the County Seat and Courthouse—decades before becoming the school grounds. I doubt the armed locals resisted this Confederate incursion, a social stain that may have contributed to the Seat being relocated to the town square of Scottsburg, 10 or so miles further west.
I mention this because even a century later there existed an underlying sense of mistrust and hostility—often erupting as open displays of anger and outrage by fans and players alike during basketball games between the two Township's school teams. The folks of Lexington saw themselves as victims, unjustly looked down upon and taken advantage of politically and economically, by Scottsburg Township's 'high-and-mighty' residents.
It's an example of the roots of a kind of 'victimhood' wholly embraced by the predominantly white, allegedly Evangelical, poorly educated and utterly misinformed MAGA-hat wearing "base" that Trump and the Republicans have turned into cadres of outraged, fully armed sleeper cells ready and willing to tear this country apart. (With considerable help from our authoritarian enemies both foreign and domestic, I might add!) They are fellow citizens whose working-class roots and generations of low self-esteem coupled with racist fears have been stoked, exploited and weaponized to one degree and another by grifters, charlatans, and less than ethical—when not wholly corrupt—politicians from both sides of the isle for most of our nation's history.
It is, as my mother would have called it, "a crying shame," that now must be addressed and somehow—only the Good Lord knows how—reconciled if our Constitutional democratic republic is to survive.
I'll leave this with one additional Hosier anecdote: Just before moving to Berkeley, California, where I've lived most of my adult life, I visited my family's closest neighbor and long-time friend, Eddie Blades. She was the widow of Charley Blades who had been the local blacksmith—his smith with anvil and bellows still standing and occasionally operational when dad needed a metal work repair when I was still a boy.
Eddie was an archetypal Hosier woman of a by-gone era. Wrinkled and swarthy from hours spent in the sun tending her garden, feeding her chickens, and boiling water out doors in a big black cauldron to scrub her laundry on an old washing board. I can even recall her using it to make lye soap. Except on Sundays, or for weddings and funerals, she never wore a dress. I always saw her in blue jeans and plaid shirt, oddly set off by the delicate lacing atop her short white socks that occupied the space between her thick-heeled black shoes with a strap and the bottom hem of her leggings.
She was an animated, gregarious, and opinionated woman with a down-home wit and cackling laugh who always begged forgiveness from visitors for her untidy home even though you could have safely 'ete' off the polished and gleaming linoleum covered floors. One room, the parlor, was off limits, behind a closed door I wasn't allowed through until I was old enough to sit down, not squirm, and remain silent in the midst of polite, adult company. The immaculateness of the post-WWII furnishings within it, surrounded by flowery wallpaper and linoleum floor covering, adorned with a large hand-made oval rag-rug has left an impression I shall never forget. She always wrapped her freshly starched and ironed, hand-laced linens in aluminum foil before putting them in the freezer. "'Tis the only way to get a good crease in 'em," she taught me.
On this particular day, however, after the ritual of being greeted with wrinkly smiles, cackling mirth, and habitual begging of forgiveness for her 'messy' home—an obvious ruse to solicit well-deserved praise that might otherwise not be forthcoming—once seated in the big, nearly black, old chair across from her in her rocker—I sensed something was wrong. As we were seating ourselves she switched off the small, rabbit-eared TV on which she'd been watching the news. After a bit of small talk I asked her, "What's the matter, Eddie? You seem distracted and a bit upset about something."
At first she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it but I persisted even as tears began to form in her eyes. After removing her horn-rimmed glasses and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, obviously flustered by this uncommon display of emotions, she seemed to steel up her nerve and actually became irritated, saying, "Well (pronounced 'way-el'), if you must know I'm very upset about what's happening in this country."
"What do you mean, Eddie? What's happening?"
"Well," she continued with increasing agitation, "what they're doing to our President, Nixon, and our country that's what!"
This was during the Watergate Hearings just as the news of the Whitehouse tapes was coming out. I deduced that part of her reluctance to even talk about this was she knew I'd never been a Nixon fan—having become a bit of a hippy while away at college in Chicago—and outspokenly critical of the war in Viet Nam.
Curious and uncertain where all this was headed and coming from in her, I asked, "Wait. What do you mean exactly. Who are "they" other than Congress that are doing anything to Nixon and this country?"
"Oh, you know," she grumbled, "the damn Communists, that's who!"
Now quite bewildered and a bit tongue-tied, I *really* wanted to know what the hell she was thinking, "Wait, but, Eddie, *who* are the 'Communists?'"
She signed and took a breath before answering, "I swear you must know as well as I do. Mark my words," she said with a directed sternness, "the Kennedys and Rockefellers (pronounced "rocky-fellers"), those rich bastards are all Commies who are gonna destroy this country if we don't put a stop to 'em."
Now utterly confused (to this day I have no idea how these ideas got into her head—FOX wouldn't exist for another 20+ years so whatever this is, it has a history that goes *way* back!) I had to suppress a laugh.
"Eddie, I'm sorry to hear you're so upset about this. But I don't think either the Kennedys or Rockefellers are 'Communists'. They're capitalists, aren't they?"
"Well, whatever they are, they're tearing this country apart."
"You know, there may be some truth to that," I offered. "Wealth and power are two things neither of us have ever had, and likely never will, and there's a damn shame in that, for sure. But you're a good friend and neighbor, and an amazing woman—and I'm gonna miss you out there in the 'land of fruits and nuts.' I just stopped in to give you a hug and good bye till I see you again."
That made her smile and got her mind off politics. But, as you see, a half-century later that conversation has stuck with me—far more than most I've had—and with all that's going on around us these days, I think about often. I'm still uncertain how to sum it all up in a way that makes sense, but I *am* certain that whatever it is, it's at the heart of our national dilemma.
Michael this was a wonderful read. I grew up in Henry County, central Indiana. Small town surrounded by Muncie, Anderson, about 45 min from Indy. My brother and I were talking about different things growing up, just yesterday. I told him about the cross burning I saw traveling backroads to my Aunts house. I was somewhere between 8 and 10. This was the 60’s. What we both thought was a bit shocking is no one talked to me about. Not my Aunt who was driving, or my parents, who I am certain were told. It was never mentioned.
My brother and I both ended up in CA for several years. He in S. CA and me in the Bay Area, so Berkeley is familiar. When I moved backed to IN it was a strange experience, big adjustment. What I remember those first years back was being made fun of for living in CA. Apparently, I became a joke because I lived out there. So I stopped talking about it well except for continuing my support of the 49ers!
Saying this to illustrate the mistrust of other that seems to be inbred. Not everyone, of course, but many. I have no idea how you change that as it seems to be generational.
I also believe there are good people in the state. We just walk different paths. And I think each path horrifies the other.
Spooky (the KKK activity you witnessed), fascinating, and perplexing. Thanks.
Thank you, Susan. I've spent the last several hours polishing and re-publishing my post to you above here on my Substack, FBFOS. I acknowledge you (and Steve of course) with links. I only glanced at your writings but just from that glance I can see you are, indeed, on a path. Although I can be mercilessly cynical at times I mean that sincerely. I'm even a little bit envious! If I weren't now near brain-dead and starving I'd say more. But this thank you and best wishes will have to suffice for now.
Incredible! Thank you for sharing this today.
It’s crazy how powerful the KKK were in Indiana. They ran the state!
I had no idea when I started reading the book. And the man guy was responsible for spreading the Klan into neighboring states. Dixie of the North was the nickname for Indiana. Explains a great deal
You can check out Cross of Fire, a 1989 TV movie on YouTube, about the Klan in 1920s Indiana.
I will
It wasn’t so long ago.
The biggest mistake the United States made on January 21st 2021 was not to declare the events of January 6th 2021 an act of war..Thereby defining those responsible as enemy combatants and proceed accordingly..
Agree completely. On a side note, Ron DeSantis just went on record saying that Jan 6th was a protest that went sideways. That essentially it didn't happen. The way the MAGA crowd continually rewrites history in order to support their twisted perspective is chilling and shouldn't be taken lightly.
100% correct! These people can not be reasoned with, this has been shown over and over again..They lie and rewrite history to their agenda..Action must be taken to demonstrate that it will not be tolerated, they must be made an offer they can't refuse..And if they do refuse, then so be it..they will suffer the consequences of declaring war upon the United States..
To use an analogy from a fictional telling..Johnny Fontaine got out of the bandleader's contract, because the bandleader accepted an offer he could not refuse..
So am I..However, that offer can take shape in a variety of ways..For it to come from Jack Smith is but one..I am without wherewithal, influence, power or connections..I do not have the kind of relationships that if coalesced properly could deploy some of the other ways an offer one can't refuse can be proffered..
But I believe that there are such people, they just haven't acted as far as I can see..I am hopeful and filled with anxiety all at once..
No one has described Donald Trump better than Steve Schmidt, he has identified him perfectly..For me, in simpler terms he is a rabid dog that must be put down..
I see a feckless Democratic Party who can't muster the will to set aside whatever moral compass they possess and do what is necessary to crush this threat to our nation..They are continuing to bring knives to a gun fight..I don't get it..
Yes, J-6 was an act of war. We all saw it. It was a violent act to overthrow a free and fair election, and therefore our Democracy. The U.S. not making a declaration of an act of war could well be one of the biggest mistakes in U.S. history, and could culminate in the loss of our Democracy. Thanks for speaking out on this.
Yes. My reading of the tea leaves is that we *are* at war, that enemy assets are not only inside the gates, some are within the halls of power. Others less public may occupy positions of authority within respected institutions, intelligence and security networks, and even military chains of command. But worst of all their messaging has gotten inside all our heads. Some far more so than others, obviously, but nearly universally to some degree nonetheless. Misreadings and doubt favors those who would do us far more than mere harm.
When taken seriously as I believe it should, this perception offers explanations for the seemingly inexplicable. Everything from why MAGA Republicans do what seems counter-intuitive from the perspective of electoral politics—to why sincere Institutions like Garland’s DOJ may *appear* (publicly) to have made the very mistake you are pointing out (among others).
In this very real war, however, absolutely nothing can be assumed to be only, or merely, that which it may seem to those of us not on the front lines—much less behind them. It’s a knife’s edge, and I’m not being the least bit hyperbolic when I say all our fates and that of this world are almost literally teetering on that edge.
The best I can offer is to suggest we not fall into the trap of mistrusting the intelligence, courage, and wisdom of those in whose hands we’ve placed our fates. True, all humans are imperfect and do make mistakes, and thus should not be followed blindly. But the gravity of the situation more fully understood demands both discretion, allegiance, and a thoughtful, informed faith that supports our Nation’s security. We absolutely must not allow anyone to take that from us—else all may be lost.
I totally agree with you. I kept waiting for it. It never came.
Hannity listening to Trump has to think to himself “what a fucking idiot and I have to support this shit.” Sorry about my language but I have no better way to describe it.
I believe thinking requires self-awareness and that's an important quality he simply doesn't possess.
“It is no surprise that Donald Trump loves them back. They are each others’ golden calf.”
excellent comment....circular reinforcement.
True.
Holy shit.
It’s remarkable that having have been made great during Dolt 45’s brief reign, America abruptly became ungreat upon his departure from office. Imagine how super-ungreat it’ll become upon his incarceration.
I'm willing to take that chance. Let's lock him up and find out!
Will we cry when he drops that "soap on a rope" in the communal shower at Club Fed? I like to think I'm pretty empathetic, but it'll be dry eyes for me....
The "Prosperity Gospel" more accurately characterized as the "Elmer Gantry swindle." Despite having observed it remotely with disgust and amazement for years, it's still hard to believe that so many people can be so profoundly stupid as to literally "buy into" it. The lights are on, but no one's home. To paraphrase HL Mencken "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American People."
Thank yo so much, Steve for this article. Off topic a bit...I’m in GA this weekend spending my money to thank Georgians for voting in Ossof & warnock. Sole purpose of our trip! Just doing what we can to help!
Love that!! I want to visit Georgia and give water to those waiting in line. We know I would be sent to jail for doing that, but alas, tRUMP is still free. What an unjust and corrupt system we have. Thank a Republican legislator for this.
I should have clarified waiting in line to VOTE.
We’re from FL so the weather is fine. Been outside the entire time during the day. Friday was hot, yesterday was beautiful. Beautiful state. Visiting & supporting small businesses. I will never forget how happy I was after that special election. Thank you!
The guy walking behind the ranting Paula White was more interesting!
And Benny Hinn should be arrested for multiply assaults.
And also for being a stark raving lunatic.
Thank you for holding up the Sermon on the Mount and what a good mirror it is to evaluate personal behavior.
Throughout history there have been spiritual ego-strokers. The two named follow in a long-tradition of those in both the Old and New Testament who aligned "spiritual" with political power. It was true in Medieval Europe, and the whole Sun and Moon argument. It is never a good mix. The writers of the Constitution knew the history of religious wars in Europe, and built the walls to separate church and state. We need to hold these wall in place and strengthen them.
I heard this today and wrote it down.---If you can mix religious fundamentalism with politics, you have a force to be reckoned with. Thought it was interesting.
Steve
Thank you for sharing. Earlier in my Republican life I spent a number of years in Charismatic Megachurches. The hucksters are rampant in them and in their media and television empires. I worked for one of the then more reputable ones in the early 1990s while in seminary. Since then its founder went totally Right Wing Trump, spouting all kinds of BS about Trump being anointed by God as President. These people are horrible. They represent the absolute worst of American Christianity, which if you read my book, “Mine Eyes Have The Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond”, you will know, doesn’t have the greatest history to begin with.
Peace,
Steve
…by their works you will know them…