THE LEGACY OF G. W. BUSH part 3

The Legacy of G. W. Bush 3

By Peter Fredson
January 31, 2006
Part Three: GEORGE W. BUSH: SAINT OR SINNER?

G. W. Bush has a large base of Christian fundamentalists including many thousands of trained influential evangelists, parsons, ministers, priests, faith-healers, etc. who are expert in dealing with emotive issues, fantasy scenarios, and persistent indoctrination. They have an absolutist view of their ideology which allows them to show disdain for all other beliefs, dogma, practices and literature.

This group generously supports Bush with bushels of cash, and vociferous rhetoric in fully committed votes by fairly unanimous response to their shepherds.

Millions of votes were promised for kindly championing their pet issues such as destruction of the Wall of Separation of Church and State, forced Biblical teaching and practices in public schools, government proselytizing of Christianity in everyday practice and incorporation into legislation of Biblical quotations, beliefs, practices and dogma, and a hundred minor issues such as having government recognize their commandments, sacred book, holidays, pledges, sacraments, prayer, chaplains in public places, etc., with many of their icons and symbols to be given prominence in government affairs.

Bush frequently communicates with his base by using their words and symbols as coded directions as to his intentions. In effect, Bush has already demolished the Wall by executive actions, not needing Congressional approval.

He announced that the entire nation would have Days of Prayer, Bible Reading Weeks or Months, Presidential Prayer Circle, the Pledge of Allegiance with ‘Under God” in it, the posting of the Ten Commandments, the placing of religious icons in public places, the installation of Chaplains, the conversion of the Oval Office into a kind of Chapel, and the constant references to his God in all his speeches, including one in which he alleged that his God commanded him to go to War.

He even has a web site in which he asks the public to pray for him and the rest of his cabinet officers.

He has come out for a version of Creationism, or Intelligent Design, in which he specifically relies on his Christian indoctrination and despises secular logic and “it’s only a theory” science. He said that Jesus is his favorite philosopher. He frequently quotes Bible passages, especially in his references to homosexuals and any of their habits.

He has even tried to amend our Constitution so that it will more fully correspond to the Bush indoctrination of Methodist/Baptist views regarding sex in all its forms, marriage, gays, bedroom conduct, and condemnation of any sexual practice that does not suit his beliefs. He fully intends to push all of his beliefs on the entire nation and condemn to hell all heretics who oppose him.

Evidently he needed no Congressional Approval, or consultation, but quickly obeyed the Supreme Ruler of the Universe by declaring the sovereign leader of Iraq to be EVIL. Obviously he believes he has been commissioned by his God to help him rule the universe and help stamp out EVIL.

He also announced that several other countries, mainly Muslim, formed an “Axis of Evil” and subtly implied that their destruction would benefit Christianity.

His obvious intention was to “change the regime” in EVIL countries and substitute himself as the “Chosen by God” savior to bring freedom, democracy and Christianity to those heathen infidels via Cruise Missile, Battleships, helicopters, fighter planes with bunker buster bombs, and to use God’s own Shock and Awe to compel the infidel swine to accept the blessings of Bush democracy and Jerry Falwell Christianity.

His assessment of himself as a sort of Messiah is evidently shared in some measure by his fundamentalists. He will not only send infidels to Hell by awesome weapons, but his proselytizers will save many by forcing them to convert from Islam to whatever Bush believes.

Not only that, but fundamentalists believe that Bush was chosen to help bring out The Rapture or The Apocalypse, to help usher in the Kingdom of Jesus when he comes down to earth, any day now before the Final Destruction of Sinners. Bush rarely mentions this now, but it is present in the minds of the televangelists and assorted sheep as unconditional devotees.

Bush formed an association of Faith-Based organizations, almost exclusively evangelist Christian, except when Bush also remembers that people in other religions also have votes and cash, so he occasionally gives them a slight nod. But Bush is also selective among the thousand distinct varieties of Christianity.

He favors the more affluent, the more populous, and the more dogmatic. He does not really like extravagant cults and sects. He does not appreciate any of the Wiccans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Snake Handlers, etc. not does he go out of his way to praise them like he does with the major denominations.

The Bush people have aided his devotees to gain monopolies in TV, Radio, magazines, newspapers, etc. Several TV channels run sermons and speeches 24 hours a day, continuously touting faith-healing, and as continuously asking for “seed.”

The organized scams have taken in several billion dollars, intended for God or Jesus. It is doubtful that if either entity would visit Earth and request the cash reserved for them that they would actually receive a thin dime of bank deposits in their names.

The Faith-Healers are a special case of scam artists. They should certainly be investigated by some health department officials to check out alleged symptoms and their “miracle” cures by slapping people on the forehead. This is a type of “investment fraud” on excessively gullible audiences with extravagant claims of “divine intervention.”

We can hardly turn on any radio or TV without being subject to proselytizing and broadcasting fantastic claims on the part of high-stepping, bible-thumping, pulpit-pounding bunko artists, largely intended to raise cash rather than “save souls.”

Not only are there entirely Christian religion channels, but many of the programs profess to show angels coming to earth, people getting god-like powers, the power of prayer by earthquake or flood survivors, and other fantastic forms of play-acting and literary imagination.

In my own neighborhood there is a TV station owned by a preacher that broadcasts mainly sermons, anti-evolution programs, anti-gay programs, with abominable “choirs” of several old ladies and a farm boy expressing their devotion by excessive wailing, or some nut with a guitar crooning to Jesus, or a grossly overweight dowager muttering about “being saved.”

I have seen several denominations of Christianity appear on TV, but never any Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or any other of the thousands of religions on this planet. I see huge billboards touting Christian themes, hear unending songs or hymns, watch parsons emulate Whirling Dervishes, stomp, dance, strut, wave arms, shout, whimper, and speak in tongues.

Religion permeates every scene. Missionaries come to every door. Church literature is shoved into my mail box or under my door. An entire page of a newspaper is dedicated to religion.

During church holidays the newspapers and magazines are filled with “news items” alleging the coming of Christ, details of Crucifixion, soul-saving, faith-healing, getting saved by Alcoholics Anonymous, telling pregnant girls to go to church and pray, to get counsel from a priest, and hysterically warning against any abortion procedure.

We see illusion, delusion, lunacy in the daily stories about Virgins appearing on Subway tunnels, Jesus on a tortilla or in noodle soup or in a thousand other apparitions which gullible people will bow to, chant in front of, shout “hallelujah”, blubber, crowd around, to remind us that imagination is a very powerful force.

George Bush has adopted the AIDS cure of counseling abstinence, which is also mighty protection against consensual sex, or to pray for any kind of social ill, poverty, homelessness, lunacy, loneliness, etc. We wish Bush himself would practice abstinence in speaking and acting.

George Bush has deliberately chosen religious devotees as judges in our society, to further impose his religious beliefs on the nation. The recent appointments of Supreme Court judges show not only religious devotees but secret followers of the Unitary Executive theory by which George Bush can crown himself emperor, should he wish.

So far he has been given a type of sainthood. There are photos of him with a halo around his head. One would next expect a photo of him sitting on the right hand of Jesus.

Separation of Church and State was accomplished by George W. Bush, mainly by executive action, by which he pushed his version of Christianity down our throats and dared us to do something about it.

For me, this petulant, irritable, child of privilege, carefree, amenable to molding by televangelists, is a mockery of religious nut, a very dangerous foe of freedom of religion, an aggressive proselytizer, a murderer of 30,000 innocent Muslims, and an exponent of stealth, deception and lies which should be the shame of Christianity, instead of meriting applause.

I wish I had saved the photo of G.W.Bush giving the world the “finger”, saying in effect, Go Fkkk Yourself. When arrogance and cruelty, lies and misinformation, become the fountain of Christian compassion then the country is in deep doodoo.

Whatever the depth of sincerity in Bush statements about his religion, I find an even stronger current showing Bush is a crafty exploiter of religious fervor, to get elected and remain in power.

I hope my assessment will help future historians assess the “Legacy” of G. W. Bush.