And I can't say it any better today than I did before, I am republishing this.
The War On Truth
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you. Say the word and my soul shall be healed.
The brilliance of this administration's war on truth was in commandeering an unsuspecting army that had already surrendered critical thinking skills in return for the promise of paradise. A lifetime of reciting self-deprecating mantras like the one above, and blind faith in a deity who would expect it in return for the favors his father sent him to bestow, prepared the Christian soldiers for an unapproachable administration, sent by a higher power that considers itself above question.
The war on truth is creative, carried out behind the scenes, between the lines, under the covers, and up their sleeves. A few subliminal messages, offered in the form of innocuous religious phrases, served as weapons to kill intellects and souls, leaving empty shells to skew the body count. The shells, accustomed to chanting thoughtlessly, now repeat the administration's mantras like automatons.
Embracing God fearing as an admirable trait, Christian soldiers welcomed the opportunity to stockpile admiration, and readily assumed foreigner fearing, non-believer fearing, liberal fearing, and tax fearing. Proud of their Christian soldiers status, they sacrificed logic and accepted anything the administration presented as Christian values, without demanding harmony with their traditional values.
In meshing religion and politics, this administration uses the bible to remind their followers that they already embrace one documented set of contradictions that can be interpreted to support whichever side of the issue benefits them at the time, and it would somehow be sacrilegious not to accept the same level of contradiction from their earthly leaders. They call on their followers to pray, when action would be more appropriate, knowing that puts them in the vulnerable position of waiting for what they trust as an infallible decision from a higher power. Questioning higher power, worldly or heavenly, is a weakness.
By combining religion and politics, this administration has successfully silenced millions of unsuspecting victims. Now, these people march in fear of losing paradise if they question their spiritual or mortal leaders. Stripped of free will and the ability to process new information, they aren't capable of seeing what is happening to them, so we must protect them. We must become true soldiers in the war on truth, arm ourselves with facts, and combat the insidious messages they unknowingly spread. We must ask questions of and for them, and fight to refill their shells with what this administration took from them.
This administration has capitalized on innocence and ignorance.
Poem format:
War On Truth
It's covert
in the dark
behind the scenes
between the lines
up their sleeves
The war on truth is like no other
Religious phrases
with subliminal messages
weapons that kill
minds
souls
wills
no's
Leaving shells that skew body counts
God fearing soldiers
fear of terror
fear of foreigners
fear of taxes
fear of liberals
Stockpiling patriotic fear
Lines blur
preach at rallies
campaign in church
Information gets lost
Questions go unanawered
The administration capitalizes
on innocence and ignorance
Christian soldiers march on
in a trance
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 49
I'm glad you reposted it.
flit, thank you for reading and offering your thoughts. It pleases me to know that your course includes the topics addressed here. I would enjoy hearing more about that. If you write more, please send a link or not to me so I won't miss it.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977114761
Here's a hyperlink to News Hound's article to make it easier to get there..
Even if I tried from now until this administration finally came out wearing the TRUTH, , I couldn't have said it more precisely as you did here, Sandy.
This is the first thing I've read today, here on Gather. I don't remember seeing it the first time you published it. This is well-written, well-thought out. This is how articles should be written on Gather. You make me proud to know you, to be one of your connections.
We need to take back our right as a "government of the people, by the people" and our right to the truth.
Oras na. It is time.
Again, I do appreciate your articles of information, thoughts and truths pertaining to politics or news. I will continue to read yours when I see them. Should I also rate them? Some people care, some don't.
Gerry, you have seen me comment that I don't consider myself an accomplished poet. I enjoy trying to write poetry but do not feel confident that I do it well most of the time.
News, my pleasure. I have the same problem - sometimes the links work and sometimes they don't. So, if I see where someone else wasn't successful, I give it a try in case it's my turn to be lucky.
As far as ratings are concerned, as a writer, how you rate my work isn't as important to me as how everything else is rated. I know where to find my work, and I know how my work compares to that of others. As a reader, ratings matter because, if used appropriately, they would help us find the good work by putting it on the top of the ratings list. I only want ratings if it is important to the reader and s/he will rate fairly. I don't want a ten because you are my friend or a one because you don't like me.
I would only add that the empty shells, incapable of processing new information were at least partially emptied in childhood, when the initial religious brainwashing took place. The Bushies simply continued the process and capitalized on the result.
Children are easy to brainwash...not yet sure of themselves intellectually, subservient to parental and other authority, they accept ideas that, if they were presented later in life, they would probably reject with a guffaw.
Once the clay is fired, nothing can change its shape.
Cold sweat maker: "Questioning higher power, worldly or heavenly, is a weakness."
Begs the question: How can we credibly criticize fundamentalist forms of government, when our government and its supporters look remarkably the same?
Good article, Sandy ..... well said ...
We can hope.
That sounds reasonable. Usually, I don't rate. Ron (obstreperous savant) W.
was put off by our not rating his article and I wondered why. But how does one decide how to rate? I may think his article is worthy of a ten, because of the information provided. You may rate it a one, if there are mistakes made in the writing. Therefore the message might be lost, correct? I will admit, that I have not taken the time to read the directions for commenting, publishing, or rating, as I have mostly taken it for granted based on logical thinking, common sense practices. (except for rating because I wasn't using that feature) Is there a set guideline for how we should rate? Mostly it seems there are a lot of complaints about abuses, so I've always been a little reluctant to participate.
For Bert, I had thoughts about your comment, "Once the clay is fired, nothing can change its shape."
We can smash it into tiny pieces. It's still clay, but the shape has been forever altered.
Smash it or break the mold to prevent new intellectual atrocities. You are both right; those are the options. I read somewhere that 90% of children raised in a devout Christian household end up being Christians. Some would undoubtedly praise that as a good thing. Others, like me, deplore it as tantamount to child abuse. A few of them...10% if the statistics are true...fall off the wagon, and the clay is smashed into tiny pieces. I have known a few of those, and they usually end up having no use for religion at all. Tiny pieces, indeed.
So you see, the half-million innocent Iraquis who have died as a direct result of this war are actually martyrs for the real god's cause, which is a just and pure one.
Get it?
Bush the 1st, in his last state of the union speech (he looked almost surprised to have said it out loud)
TH, I do get it. I agree that religion serves many as an excuse from personal responsibility. In order to live that level or denial, it is necessary to shut down the brain.
Those revealing slips are scary, aren't they, kM?
One's belief in a divine power does no imply that one knows the true God, Time heals.
Ignorance in matters of religion is a major problem in all religions.
They sure keep everyone divided even when they seemingly share the same principles.
When it comes to the 'true God', it seems that every person who believes in a God thinks theirs is the true one and all the people who say otherwise are wrong. No Christians take responsibility for that huge number of Christians who are trying to invade our government and control our world.
Have you heard about Jesus Camp
or the Quiverfull movement?
The issue I think is to teach children how to think and make choices for themselves without undue pressure.
I find that children are sincere and voice their opinion and disagreement if allowed.
There is hope for the future given the amount of freedom in learning about all manners of belief or non belief systems.
Sharing your hope for the future is what makes me so outspoken against organized religion. The organizers had successfully created an atmosphere in which many of the people who disagreed with their teachings or attitudes were intimidated into silence. I see that changing. Any time I speak out in a group now, if I speak first others follow.
Did you see this on TED:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/1
if not I think you my like it, he is your favorite personality.
You do a great job with both the prose and the poetry. Gather has taken on a lot of our third-rate (fourth-rate? fifth-rate?) culture's piggish baggage, but there are people here persisting, finding each other, and doing what can be done. Thanks for being here and republishing this.
Something we were withholding made us weak
until we found out that it was ourselves
we were withholding from our land of living
and forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Well thought out article with truths revealed..and lies unearthed....yes, this is what I expect to find on Gather, not the mindless dribble to earn points for material gift cards.
First, I am a Christian. I am not intimidated or ashamed to call myself such. Although my childhood was indeed surrounded by teachings of Christ, I did not accept Him as my savior until I was a mature adult. I do not intend to preach. My Christian philosophy is based on serving and showing my convictions through my actions.
Secondly, I am confused by this conversation. It seems a lot of talk is about what is wrong with Christians and the Bush administration. I have read nothing that suggests a way to do things better or offers a solution to world problems. Non Christians, Democrats or other political parties have not shown me either. Bashing Christians seems easy to do. But solving a crisis is a lot harder to accomplish.
Third, I would like to address the comment someone made about Christians not being responsible for their actions, only being victims. This is a sad commentary coming from someone who does not know of what they speak. Perhaps those proclaiming to be Christian are really not and have led you astray. I and all those I know who are true believers very much hold ourselves responsible for our actions, suffer the consequences for them, but we also have the joy of knowing our Lord still loves us and forgives us our sins. Try to reflect back to time with your own children when they were naughty , you disciplined, made them face the consequences of their deed, but you still loved them, forgave them, and forgot about what it was they did. My God is no different with me. I would hate to think of going through life with all of my infirmities fastened to my shoulders for eternity. Ghee just thinking about it makes me realize at my age now, I would not even be able to stand up, I would be crawling on the ground from the overload.
Lastly, I for one am glad our president has a higher power he believes in, or the chances are we would have a president who believes himself to be God.
Lisa, I let my anger immobilize me when I know I will do more harm than good.
Are you intimating that the Moron-in Chief does NOT believe he is the supreme ruler of the universe, Jenny? Have you forgotten that he is the self-proclaimed Decider? What do you think he means by that? He has "decided" an entire country of formerly free people no longer have the right to privacy, to due process, to the right to dissent or to worship at any shrine but his. Sounds a lot like a god complex to me!
It's perfectly possible for an atheist or agnostic to live a moral life. Like a lot of professed Christians, a lot of atheists and agnostics don't reach that goal.
Oh yeah, the original topic. :) It's not surprising that the present administration uses the Bible to support its point of view. Appeal to authority is one of the standard strategies to support a weak argument. It is very possible that they've drafted the Bible for exactly that reason. :)
"Appeal to authority is one of the standard strategies to support a weak argument. It is very possible that they've drafted the Bible for exactly that reason." (Nippy)
Amen, Nippy. Thanks for bringing this back around to the point.
"I will gladly discuss this with you when you leave your religion (and Bush's) out of the conversation. It is not possible to discuss facts otherwise."
I think a scroll back to the beginning of this discussion, it will be seen clearly it wasn't I who initially brought up religion, especially Christians, or Bush. Re-read Bert's comments, X's comment, Time's comments, Your own comment (Sept. 12th 11:46 p.m.),and Elizabeth's comment. It seems it is ok here to slam Christians and Bush but not ok to voice a dissenting opinion.
Most wars are founded in greed for power, economic gain, and land. If ethnic cleansing is a benefit, then that also is often thrown in the equation. However, I would agree the attack on 9/11 was certainly about religion. Our attackers are fanatics who believe all should worship as they do. I would like people to believe as I do, no question about that, but I do not and never will support people being forced to do so.
Ruth,
Are you intimating that the Moron-in Chief does NOT believe he is the supreme ruler of the universe, Jenny? Have you forgotten that he is the self-proclaimed Decider? What do you think he means by that? He has "decided" an entire country of formerly free people no longer have the right to privacy, to due process, to the right to dissent or to worship at any shrine but his. Sounds a lot like a god complex to me!
For me to even address your comment, I need some examples of which you speak.
This remark really needs clarification: "to the right to dissent or to worship at any shrine but his." Has someone been beaten, arrested, thrown in jail because they don't believe as Bush? If so, please do tell.
"Have you forgotten that he is the self-proclaimed Decider?" I don't think he is a "self-proclaimed Decider" as you state. Wasn't he elected to make decisions? Wasn't the Congress also elected to make decisions? As I remember, Congress and Bush decided to go to war. Don't even bring in the WOMD issue that would be off topic.
"Appeal to authority is one of the standard strategies to support a weak argument. It is very possible that they've drafted the Bible for exactly that reason." (Nippy)
Nippy,
Who drafted the Bible? Certainly you do no mean the Bush administration. Excuse me but this comment reflects on a specific religion. Does it not?
Touche, Glen.