"VENGEANCE
IS MINE, SAITH THE LORD"
Steven
Jonas, MD, MPH
As
Judge Gheen pointed out in TPJ of January 22, 2006, on Jan. 20 (“Rove
Lays Out Road Map for Republicans in Fall Elections,” Adam Nagourney, The
New York Times, 1/21/06) “Karl Rove. . . gave nervous Republicans here a
preview on Friday of the party's strategy to maintain its dominance in the fall
elections, offering a searing attack on Democrats for their positions on
terrorism, the administration's eavesdropping program and President Bush's
effort to shape the federal judiciary. . . .In [his] speech. . . . Mr. Rove
criticized Democrats for their opposition to tax cuts and for what he called
"mean-spirited" attacks on Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., Mr. Bush's Supreme Court nominee. And he
left little doubt that in 2006 - as in both nationwide elections since the Sept.
11 attacks - he was intent on making national security the pre-eminent issue.
.... [He] criticized Democrats for what he described as their ‘cut and run’
policy on Iraq, for blocking a renewal of the antiterrorism law known as the USA
Patriot Act and for challenging the legality of the administration's use of
wiretaps without warrants. . . ‘The United States faces a ruthless enemy,’
Mr. Rove said, ‘and we need a commander in chief and a Congress who understand
the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in.
President Bush and the Republican Party do. Unfortunately, the same cannot be
said for many Democrats. Let me be as clear as I can be. President Bush believes
if Al Qaeda is calling somebody in
America
, it is in our national security interest to know who they're calling and
why,’ he said, referring to the wiretapping program. ‘Some important
Democrats clearly disagree.’ "
And
so, Uncle Karl, mixing truth and fiction as he so expertly has done over the
years, has set forth the Republican agenda for the fall elections, just as he
set it for the previous three national elections in which he has been directly
involved (losing two in the true vote counts of course, but winning on paper
where it counts for taking control of the government nevertheless). One
thing you can say for modern Republicans (whether they are “liberals” [sic]
or not) is that they pretty much follow the Rovian agenda. Another is that
Rove, who studied at the feet of Lee “Willie Horton”
Atwater
, knows that whoever controls the agenda wins the election.
As
long ago as 1992 in my book The New Americanism: How the Democratic Party Can
Win the Presidency I have felt that this is indeed one very important
political lesson that the Democrats could profitably learn from the Republicans.
They have yet to do so, as Sen. Kerry so disastrously demonstrated in 2004.
Feeling that my continuing to say that would continue to have as much impact
(none) as doing so has had to date, I decided to consult a Higher Authority.
After all, if doing so is good enough for Pat Robertson, Mayor Nagin, and George
Bush (see my TPJ column “The Real Meaning of the ‘Faith-Based Presidency’,
Part II”), it is good enough for me, I reasoned. (As to which “one
true God” any of us is communicating with, mine, of course, is Him [or Her, as
the case may be], not any of theirs.) And so I gave God a ring.
He
(and there was a male voice at the other of the line when I called) was not in a
particularly good mood. “What is going on down there?” I was asked.
“Things are really getting out of hand. I am truly wroth. In fact, to
quote myself ‘Vengeance is mine.’ In case you haven’t heard,” the voice intoned,
“that is one of the most famous sayings from the Bible, you know, from Hebrews
10:30. I will repeat the quote for you, for it has such a nice ring to it: ‘‘Vengeance
is mine, saith the Lord.’ You have got this idiot President running around,
taking my name in vain, wreaking all kinds of havoc. And the political
opposition (for lack of a better term) doesn’t seem to have a clue about how
to deal with him and his cronies. They better shape up soon or who knows
what I will do. Actually, I do know what I will do, and I also know what
they had better do. To begin with, they had better get ahold of the
agenda, and they can use my name in so doing if they wish to.”
I gave this conversation and what
followed in it a good deal of thought. In the balance of my column today I
share with you my summary of what God told me.
Of the many dismayed observers of the havoc being wreaked by the Georgites, the
highest ranked is probably God. And He/She has taken a very dim view of it. For
God has taken special pride in the creation, by a remarkable group of products
of one of His/Her greatest achievements, the Enlightenment, of the US
Constitution. It was the Enlightenment which ensconced the kind of mental
process, the Use of Reason, which God had intended to eventually be achieved by
humanity. But now God is mightily displeased. For in the
United States
both the use of Reason, eventually produced by the intellect that God worked so
mightily to provide for in His creation, and the Constitution, are under serious
attack.
As we know, God does not intervene directly in human affairs, but, from time to
time, rather through various personages. God is wrath about what has happened in
the nation that has been governed by that brilliant product of the highest level
of thinking that his highest creation has yet achieved, but is about to be
deprived of it. God is wrath about the threatened abandonment of the Rule of
Law, the Rule that God values so highly that it is the centerpiece of His/Her
Covenant with the Israelites. And God is wrath about the current political
currents in the United States which so go against the values which are at the
center of His/Her thinking about humans, the first one being that God loves all
of his/her children.
God is wrath that a leading political party in the
United States
has put at the center of its program hatred of one particularly type of human
based on sexuality.
God is wrath that a leading political party in the
United States
has put at the center of its program hatred of one particularly type of human
based on skin color.
God is wrath that a leading political party in the
United States
has put at the center of its program hatred of women of child-bearing age and
hatred of all people who believe that life begins at a time other the moment of
conception (a matter that God him/herself has never been clear upon).
God is wrath that the American people as a whole have let this particular
political party in the
United States
gain such a position of dominance, with no real opposition from the other major
political party, that both the Constitution and the Rule of Law are at risk.
God is wrath that the American people as a whole have let this particular
political party in the United States gain such a position of dominance that
policies concerning the whole matter of environmental balance, so necessary for
the preservation of God's highest creation, the human species, and all of the
other species as well, has been put at risk.
God is wrath that the American people as a whole have allowed such un-God-like
people as those known as the "Christian Right," people who preach hate
and bigotry, violence and the use of force on the people's thinking, to gain
such an unprecedented position of power in the country.
God is wrath that the American people as a whole do not seem to be close to
realizing the reality of the above reality.
And so, God is about to wreak vengeance upon the
United States
. For God feels that the only way now to wake up the people of the
United States
and their political representatives who should know better, before it is too
late, is to visit upon this country a modern version of the Seven Plagues. And
this time, no one will receive a bye. Yes, through George Bush, and his minions
known as the Georgites, the following will occur, that is unless the people, and
especially their political leadership who should know better, wake up in time.
The First Plague:
Out-and-out fascism.
The Second Plague: The next Great Depression.
The Third Plague: At the same time, spiraling inflation.
The Fourth Plague: The continued degradation of those major urban centers which,
like New Orleans before the flood, were centers of Democratic political
strength, but which through lack of investment were sinking ever further in the
mire.
The Fifth Plague: The occurrence of shortages of fuel and power, of
ever-increasing severity, on a regular basis.
The Sixth Plague: The occurrence on a regular basis of ever-worsening
environmental catastrophes such as the Great New Orleans Flood of 2005.
The Seventh Plague: If nothing is done while there is still time, and God does
say that there is, the occurrence of the Second Civil War, one that will make
the first one look like a school picnic (to not coin a phrase).
Now God moves in mysterious ways and
thus will not reveal His/Her timetable for all of this. But God does tell us to
mark His/Her word. If nothing is done soon, the Plagues will arrive. The final
outcome of their occurrence, were they to occur, not even God knows.
___________
Authors’
Note: This column is based in part on a “Short Shot” of mine that
appeared on Monday, September 12, 2005 on The Moving Planet Blog (UK) (http://planetmove.blogspot.com).
________________
Dr. Steven Jonas is a contributing author for The Political Junkies
(www.thepoliticaljunkies.net).
He is a
Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University (NY) and
author/co-author of over twenty books. Dr. Jonas is one of
America
's most perceptive Democratic political analysts.
In his book The New Americanism, Dr. Jonas presents his proposal for that
“new vision and mission” for the Democratic Party that so many, for so many
years, have been urging it to find. A new vision and mission are obviously
needed with increasing urgency as the Georgites drive our nation towards frank
theocratic fascism with increasing speed and determination. Dr. Jonas
finds them in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. "The
New Americanism: How the Democratic Party Can Win the Presidency is available from Amazon.com (go to "Books;" enter the
title) and BarnesandNoble.com (same).
He is also the author of The 15% Solution: A Political History
of American Fascism, 2001-2022. Under the pseudonym "Jonathan
Westminster" this book was originally published in 1996. It was
republished with a New Introduction in 2004. Under Georgite rule, the
“fictional non-fiction” scenario of this work of “future history” is,
most unfortunately, becoming all too real. The
2004 edition is available at www.barnesandnoble.com (search with the
book title) and www.xlibris.com
(click on “Bookstore,” then “Search” with the title). Both
versions are available at www.amazon.com
(go to "Books;" search with the title).
Dr. Jonas is also a Contributing Editor
for the Weblog http://planetmove.blogspot.com/, produced by The
Planetary Movement Ltd. UK (http://www.planetarymovement.org/), TPJ's
own Michael Carmichael, President and Chief Executive Officer, and a
Contributing Columnist for the Project for the Old American Century, POAC, http://www.oldamericancentury.org/. By
invitation Dr. J's TPJ columns are posted weekly on the website of AirAmericaRadio's morning
man (9-12 Eastern), the redoubtable Jerry Springer (yes, it is that
Jerry Springer, a true progressive it turns out), at http://www.springerontheradio.com/, on Thomas
Paine's Corner ( http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/),
and periodically on Jack’s Straight-Speak, http://jack-dalton.blogspot.com/.
2006
Jan 26, 2006 "George
Bush And The Doctrine Of Original Intent"
Jan 19, 2006 "Let's Hear It For Original Intent (Version 2)"
Jan 12, 2006 "A Quick Visit To Mexico"
Jan 5, 2006 "Why
The Patriot Act, Redux: Fascism In The Here And Now, Cont."
Dec 22, 2005
"Why The Patriot Act, Redux: Fascism In The Here
And Now"
Dec 15, 2005 "An
Iraq Exit Proposal"
Dec 10, 2005 “Exiting
Iraq, The Georgite Way"
Dec 1, 2005 "The
Future Of The Democratic Party, VIII:
A Politically Viable Progressive Position On The War"
Nov
25, 2005 “The Future Of The Democratic Party, VII: ‘The Ten Commitments’”
Nov 17, 2005 "The
Future Of The Democratic Party, VI: An Organizing Proposal For Progressives”
Nov 10, 2005 “The
Future Of The Democratic Party, V:
There Is No Middle Ground"
Nov 3, 2005
“On
The (Possible) Indictments.”
Oct
27, 2005 “The
Future of the Democratic Party, IV:
Bush, Bennett, Miers, and the DLC.”
Oct 20, 2005 “The
Future Of The Democratic Party, III:
First Thoughts On Dealing With The DLC.”
Oct 13, 2005 “The Future Of The Democratic Party, II: On The Republicans”
Oct 6, 2005
“The Future Of The Democratic Party, I”
Sept
29, 2005 "The
Bush Flood, And The Georgites: New Orleans, III"
Sept 22, 2005 "On The Great New Orleans Flood Of 2005, II"
Sept 15, 2005 "On
The Great New Orleans Bush Flood Of 2005, I"
Sept 8, 2005 "Let's
Hear It For Original Intent"
Sept 1, 2005 "An
Iraq Solution"
Aug
25,2005 "Some
Thoughts On The Atomic Bombing Of Japan"
Aug 18, 2005 "Why
God Sent Us George W. Bush"
Aug 12, 2005 "John
Bolton And The Nuclear Option II"
Aug 5, 2005
"The
Significance Of The Karl Rove Speech"
July
28, 2005
“Iran
Nukes, Revisited"
(Expanded Edition)
July 21, 2005
“Iran
Nukes, Revisited"
July 14, 2005
"The
Dick Durbin Disaster" A Follow Up
July 7, 2005
"The Dick Durban Disaster"
June
23, 2005 "Why
All Of This Repression Abroad?"
June 16, 2005 “Not Very Intelligent Design"
June 8,2005
"Pat
Buchanan's "What If, "III?"
June 2, 2005
"Pat Buchanan's 'What If,' II?"
May
26, 2005 "Pat Buchanan's 'What If?'"
May 18, 2005 "The
Schiavo Case, V: The Attack On Science"
May 12, 2005 “Possible
Explanations For Bush-Behavior On And Around 9/11"
May 5, 2005
"Bill
Frist's Declaration Of War"
April
28, 2005 "The
Schiavo Case, IV: The Definitions Of Life And Death"
April 24, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case, III: Further Legal Considerations And Their Political
Implications"
April 14, 2005
“The
Schiavo Case, II: William Bennett And The Beginning Of The End Of The Separation
Of Powers"
April 7, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case And The Locus Of The 'Police Power'"
March
31, 2005 “John
Bolton And The Nuclear Option"
March 22, 2005
Of
"Moolahs," Putin and Bush
March 17, 2005
Georgite
"Freedom And Democracy"
March 10, 2005
"We
Won't Have To Worry Any More"
March 3, 2005
"Iranian
Nukes"
February
24, 2005 "Going
Nuclear In Iran"
February 16, 2005 “The
Georgite Social Security Scam: Bases For Suspicion”
February 10, 2005 “The
Georgite Version of ‘Freedom and Democracy’ ”
“The Coming 2nd Civil War (Unless),” No. 6
Feb 3, 2005
“WMD
Discovered --- In Washington”
Jan
27, 2005
“Comparing
George W. Bush And Adolf Hitler”
Jan 18, 2005 “The
Bush Second Inaugural: A Preview” “The Coming 2nd Civil War
(Unless),” No. 5
Jan 13, 2005 “The
Georgite Concept of Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law”
Jan 6, 2005
“The
‘Unless’ Of The ‘Coming Second Civil War’ Series; Part II”
Dec
30, 2004
“The
‘Unless’ of the ‘Coming Second Civil War’ Series, Part I”
Dec 23, 2004
“The
Real Meaning Of The ‘Faith-Based Presidency;’ Part II”
Dec 15, 2004
“The
Coming Second Civil War (Unless)”
Dec 9, 2004
“The
Real Meaning Of The ‘Faith-Based Presidency’ ”
Oct
28, 2004
Why
The Patriot Act?”
Oct. 21, 2004
“The
Cheneys’ Daughter Flap”
Oct 14, 2004
“George
Bush’s America”
Oct 7, 2004
“The
Debate”
Sept
30, 2004
“Four
800 Lb. Gorillas In The Campaign Room”
Sept 23, 2004
"Fixing
The Kerry Campaign, 9/15/2004"
Sept 16, 2004
"Lessons
From Japan. Part II: Successful Occupations"
Sept 9, 2004
"Thoughts
On the Third Anniversary of the Tragedy of 9/11/2001"
Sept 2, 2004
"Lessons
From Japan, Part 1"
August 26,2004
“Dealing
with the Republican National Convention and Related
Issues”
August 18, 2004
"The
Best Of Dr. Jonas"
August 12, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, VI”
August 5,2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, V”
July
29, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, IV”
July 22, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign III”
July 15, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign II”
July 7, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign,I”
July 1, 2004
“Counsel
To The President”
June 24, 2004
“
’You Know me Al:’ On the German Reichstag Fire of Feb. 27, 1933
and the 9/11/01 Bombing of the World Trade Center, Part II”
June 17, 2004
“ ‘The Ralph Nader Problem’ --- A Re-run plus”
June 10, 2004
“Ronald
Reagan’s Legacy”
June 3, 2004
“’You
Know Me Al:’ On The Reichstag Fire Of Feb. 27, 1933 And The
9/11/01 Bombing Of The World Trade Center,
Part I”
May
27, 2004
“On
Fascism -- And The Georgites”
May 20, 2004
“On
John Ashcroft -- And Jefferson Davis”
May 13, 2004
“Karl
Rove’s Personal Political Notebook”
May 6, 2004
“Possible
Explanations For Bush Behavior And 9/11”
April
29, 2004
“On
George Bush and Religion, Part 2”
April 22, 2004
“What
Condi Rice Might Have Said”
April 8, 2004
“On
George Bush And Religion”
April 1, 2004
“Some
Political Thoughts For Senator Kerry”
March
25, 2004
“Brief
Essays”
March 16, 2004
“You
Know Me Al: The Iraq War --- So What Was It About, Anyway?
March 11, 2004
“A
Word (Or Two) On Ralph Nader”
March 4, 2004
“A
Firebell In The Night”
February
27, 2004 “On
Doctor Dean”
