Post by Steve Gardner on Jan 28, 2008 14:21:50 GMT
I do have a little chuckle when I read some of Bush's quotes. I shouldn't, because he's an extraordinarily dangerous man, but this one, which was embedded in the following BBC article is just too funny:
Yeah, whatever, George.
Anyway, I shall be looking closely at the text of this year's address. Last year's State of the Union Address was interesting. I wrote a piece afterward, motivated in part by the content of the speech, in part by my concern over Bush's membership of the secret Order of the Skull & Bones and in part by my growing pessimism arising from the fact that the US administration seems to be in the clutches of Staussian philosophy. That piece, entitled Schmitt, Strauss, God, Occultism And George Bush, can be found after the BBC's article.
Source: BBC
Schmitt, Strauss, God, Occultism And George Bush
I’ve been reading about two philosophers who are said to been influential in shaping the views of the so-called Neo-cons. Their names are Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss.
Despite Schmitt being pro-Nazi, and Strauss a Jew, the two had some common ground. In his book, ‘In The Concept of the Political’, Schmitt wrote about the duality of human endeavour. He saw morality as a battle between right and wrong; aesthetics as the battle between beauty and ugliness; and economics as the battle between profit and loss. Politics, however, had a different dynamic; it was the battle between friend and enemy. Whereas other forms of endeavour revolved around competition, politics demanded annihilation.
In the book, Schmitt writes:
In a letter to Schmitt, Strauss shows he agrees.
Strauss himself was well known for his views on Esotericism. Esoteric knowledge is either specialist in nature, or should be known only to those in a select group or enlightened inner circle. Esotericism, as a philosophy, is more often associated with the latter, where initiates into the inner circle are tested before having the higher truths revealed to them. The ‘Straussian Text’ is one manifestation of esotericism.
Strauss believed that America’s increasingly Liberal attitude was decadent and tended towards societal nihilism. He argued in favour of classical political philosophies, such as those outlined by Plato in ‘The Republic’, but feared that society was incapable of accepting the ‘ugly truths’ inherent in such a system. He nonetheless thought it was incumbent upon "wise men" to promote such a system and that, in order to avoid revealing their agenda, they were morally obligated to tell ‘noble lies’ to protect themselves and their policies. To that end, Strauss advocated the writing of political texts that were “deliberately written so that the average reader will understand it as saying one ("exoteric") thing but the special few for whom it is intended will grasp its real ("esoteric") meaning.”
After reading George Bush’s January 10th Address to the nation, I couldn’t help wondering whether I was reading a Straussian text. The quote that first got my attention was this:
This is the second time Bush has used this term. In his 2nd inauguration speech in 2005, he said:
Bush's speeches are littered with biblical references. They appear at first glance to position him as a born again Christian.
BUSH: “Freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul.”
BIBLE: Psalm 107. “He satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness.”
BUSH: "When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side."
BIBLE: Luke 10:31 “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”
BUSH: “Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation’s security and the calling of our time.”
BIBLE: Philippians 3:14 “… the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
BUSH: “Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before: ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.”
BIBLE: Hebrews 13: 8 “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
BUSH: “America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof.”
BIBLE: Leviticus 25:10 “And ye shall…proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof…”
There are plenty more where that came from. Taken collectively, it seems that Bush is couching the civic values of freedom, liberty and justice in distinctly Christian terms. For example, where Bush speaks about freedom being the hope of mankind, he is echoing the bible’s assertion that Jesus is the hope of mankind. This challenge to the secular nature of the United States appears to be a Bush family trait.
George Bush Sr. had the following exchange in an interview with reporter Robert Sherman in the late 1980’s.
SHERMAN: “What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are atheists?”
BUSH SR: “I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in god is important to me.”
SHERMAN: “Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?”
BUSH SR: “No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”
Yikes!
Anyway, back to Bush Jnr. The one term I couldn’t find a biblical reference for was the one that first got my attention: ‘Author of Liberty’. And that’s because it’s not biblical. It turns out that the term is, or at least was, unique to a religious right textbook for home schooled children, entitled ‘America’s Providential History’, which was published in 1989. In it, the authors advocate reforming the US government into a one party theocracy, with political power to be held only by dominionist Christians, which flies directly in the face of the US Constitution. In that context, it appears Bush’s Straussian use of the term in his speech is designed to reach out to the religious adherents of dominionism.
From the book:
So, what evidence is there that Bush (or his scriptwriters) are familiar with this textbook? Plenty. Consider the following:
BOOK: “God’s plan for the nations has been unfolding in a specific geographic direction. This geographical march of history is called the Chain of Christianity or the Chain of Liberty.”
BOOK: “Scripture defines God as the source of life...He is the author of liberty as well.”
BUSH: “History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.”
Bush’s speeches are a bit of a catchall. One moment he’s speaking directly to Christian fundamentalists, the next to dominionists. At other times he’s speaking to all those who abide by some form of religious belief system. In so doing, Bush leaves his own religious beliefs a little unclear. What’s certain, however, is that Bush has (or at least, did have) a penchant for Occultism. This study of hidden wisdom or ‘Truth’ is where we once again find parallels with Strauss’ esotericism.
Yale University’s secret society, ‘The Order of the Skull and Bones’, was founded in 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft. It was inspired by a society into which Russell had been initiated whilst studying in Germany. This super-elite, but not so secret, society has played host to some of America’s most prominent families who have since reached out into every corner of American society. These families are encouraged to intermarry in order to consolidate their influence.
New initiates are taken to the “tomb”, where they are sworn to silence. The initiation ceremony itself is said to involve ritualistic psychological conditioning and mud-wrestling. They are physically beaten in a process that symbolises their ‘death’ in the old world. They then lie naked in a coffin and masturbate whilst revealing their deepest sexual fantasies. After this ‘cleansing’ they are given robes and are anointed, an act that represent their re-birth. During initiation, they are also permitted to see the artefacts in the ‘tomb’. This includes Nazi memorabilia.
A rival society (The Order of File and Claw) broke into the ‘tomb’ on 29th September 1876. They found one of the lodge-rooms "fitted up in black velvet, even the walls being covered with the material." Upstairs, in lodge-room 322 (a number that is sacred to Bonesmen), "the 'sanctum sanctorium' of the temple [was] furnished in red velvet". There was also a pentagram on the wall. In the hall, they found "pictures of the founders of Bones at Yale, and of members of the Society in Germany, when the chapter was established here in 1832."
“On the west wall [of the parlour], hung among other pictures, an old engraving representing an open burial vault, in which, on a stone slab, rest four human skulls, grouped about a fools cap and bells, an open book, several mathematical instruments, a beggar's scrip, and a royal crown. On the arched wall above the vault are the explanatory words, in Roman letters, 'We War Der Thor, Wer Weiser, Wer Bettler Oder, Kaiser?' (Who was the fool, who the wise man, beggar or king?) and below the vault is engraved, in German characters, the sentence; 'Ob Arm, Ob Beich, im Tode gleich' (Whether poor or rich, all's the same in death).”
Initiates spend a year in this ‘tomb’ and develop an unwavering sense of loyalty to the Order and its agenda. This supersedes all other loyalties, whether to family, friends, country of God. Their purpose is to attain a prominent position in the world so that they might protect the Order’s status and ensure that, at any moment, Bonesmen may be called upon to do whatever needs to be done.
That Bush was a Bonesman is not in doubt: he said so in a February 2004 interview with Tim Russert.
RUSSERT: “You were both [referring to John Kerry] in Skull and Bones, the secret society.”
BUSH: “It's so secret we can't talk about it.”
I’ll leave you to contemplate Russert’s reply.
"What does that mean for America?"
"I will report that over the last seven years, we've made great progress on important issues at home and abroad."
President George W Bush
President George W Bush
Yeah, whatever, George.
Anyway, I shall be looking closely at the text of this year's address. Last year's State of the Union Address was interesting. I wrote a piece afterward, motivated in part by the content of the speech, in part by my concern over Bush's membership of the secret Order of the Skull & Bones and in part by my growing pessimism arising from the fact that the US administration seems to be in the clutches of Staussian philosophy. That piece, entitled Schmitt, Strauss, God, Occultism And George Bush, can be found after the BBC's article.
Source: BBC
The US economy and Iraq are expected to dominate President George W Bush's final State of the Union address.
Recent economic rescue efforts will be emphasised as Mr Bush seeks to maintain his public profile amid the race to replace him, correspondents say.
Few new big ideas are expected, but the speech is also likely to touch on tax cuts, Aids and security laws.
Democratic candidate hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be in Congress watching the speech on Monday.
At least one Republican candidate, John McCain, is staying in Florida ahead of his party's primary on Monday.
The war in Iraq was a key issue in Mr Bush's 2007 address. He warned then that failure would have "grievous" results.
During 2007, the US military launched the "surge" strategy - a build-up US troop levels in Iraq - and there have been dramatic improvements in the security situation in many of the most troubled areas, including much of Baghdad.
But it was also the most deadly year for US forces in Iraq, with some 900 troops killed.
According to Gallup polls of approval ratings around the time of the State of the Union addresses, this is the worst year for Mr Bush since his presidency began.
Mr Bush's weekly radio address to the nation on Saturday hinted at what viewers could expect from the speech to Congress on Monday.
He was keen to reassure the American public about the state of the economy and promote the $150bn (£76bn) economic stimulus package agreed with Democrats in Congress.
"I know many of you are worried about the risk of an economic downturn because of the instability in the housing and financial markets," he said.
"You should know that while economic growth has slowed in recent months, the foundation for long-term growth remains solid."
Security
Mr Bush's first State of the Union address came before 11 September 2001, and focused almost entirely on domestic issues.
The focus on national security that has built up since the attacks is also likely to feature this year.
In his radio address, he urged the Democrat-dominated Congress to support laws that "will allow our professionals to maintain the vital flow of intelligence on terrorist threats" - a temporary eavesdropping bill signed last year expires on Friday.
"I call on Congress to pass this legislation quickly," he said. "We need to know who our enemies are and what they are plotting, and we cannot afford to wait until after an attack to put the pieces together."
Mr Bush also wants to make the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent and he is expected to call on Congress to renew his education reform law.
Housing reform better health care and alternative energy development are expected to be on the cards, but he is not likely to try to push reforms on immigration and Social Security, which he has struggled with in the past.
"I will report that over the last seven years, we've made great progress on important issues at home and abroad," he said on Saturday.
"I will also report that we have unfinished business before us, and we must work together."
Schmitt, Strauss, God, Occultism And George Bush
I’ve been reading about two philosophers who are said to been influential in shaping the views of the so-called Neo-cons. Their names are Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss.
Despite Schmitt being pro-Nazi, and Strauss a Jew, the two had some common ground. In his book, ‘In The Concept of the Political’, Schmitt wrote about the duality of human endeavour. He saw morality as a battle between right and wrong; aesthetics as the battle between beauty and ugliness; and economics as the battle between profit and loss. Politics, however, had a different dynamic; it was the battle between friend and enemy. Whereas other forms of endeavour revolved around competition, politics demanded annihilation.
In the book, Schmitt writes:
The political is the most intense and extreme antagonism. War is the most violent form that politics takes, but, even short of war, politics still requires that you treat your opposition as antagonistic to everything in which you believe. It's not personal; you don't have to hate your enemy. But you do have to be prepared to vanquish him if necessary.
In a letter to Schmitt, Strauss shows he agrees.
The ultimate foundation of the Right is the principle of the natural evil of man; because man is by nature evil, he therefore needs dominion. But dominion can be established, that is, men can be unified, only in a unity against - against other men. Every association of men is necessarily a separation from other men. The tendency to separate (and therewith the grouping of humanity into friends and enemies) is given with human nature; it is in this sense destiny, period.
Strauss himself was well known for his views on Esotericism. Esoteric knowledge is either specialist in nature, or should be known only to those in a select group or enlightened inner circle. Esotericism, as a philosophy, is more often associated with the latter, where initiates into the inner circle are tested before having the higher truths revealed to them. The ‘Straussian Text’ is one manifestation of esotericism.
Strauss believed that America’s increasingly Liberal attitude was decadent and tended towards societal nihilism. He argued in favour of classical political philosophies, such as those outlined by Plato in ‘The Republic’, but feared that society was incapable of accepting the ‘ugly truths’ inherent in such a system. He nonetheless thought it was incumbent upon "wise men" to promote such a system and that, in order to avoid revealing their agenda, they were morally obligated to tell ‘noble lies’ to protect themselves and their policies. To that end, Strauss advocated the writing of political texts that were “deliberately written so that the average reader will understand it as saying one ("exoteric") thing but the special few for whom it is intended will grasp its real ("esoteric") meaning.”
After reading George Bush’s January 10th Address to the nation, I couldn’t help wondering whether I was reading a Straussian text. The quote that first got my attention was this:
“We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours.”
This is the second time Bush has used this term. In his 2nd inauguration speech in 2005, he said:
“History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.”
Bush's speeches are littered with biblical references. They appear at first glance to position him as a born again Christian.
BUSH: “Freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul.”
BIBLE: Psalm 107. “He satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness.”
BUSH: "When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side."
BIBLE: Luke 10:31 “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”
BUSH: “Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation’s security and the calling of our time.”
BIBLE: Philippians 3:14 “… the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
BUSH: “Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before: ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.”
BIBLE: Hebrews 13: 8 “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
BUSH: “America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof.”
BIBLE: Leviticus 25:10 “And ye shall…proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof…”
There are plenty more where that came from. Taken collectively, it seems that Bush is couching the civic values of freedom, liberty and justice in distinctly Christian terms. For example, where Bush speaks about freedom being the hope of mankind, he is echoing the bible’s assertion that Jesus is the hope of mankind. This challenge to the secular nature of the United States appears to be a Bush family trait.
George Bush Sr. had the following exchange in an interview with reporter Robert Sherman in the late 1980’s.
SHERMAN: “What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are atheists?”
BUSH SR: “I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in god is important to me.”
SHERMAN: “Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?”
BUSH SR: “No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”
Yikes!
Anyway, back to Bush Jnr. The one term I couldn’t find a biblical reference for was the one that first got my attention: ‘Author of Liberty’. And that’s because it’s not biblical. It turns out that the term is, or at least was, unique to a religious right textbook for home schooled children, entitled ‘America’s Providential History’, which was published in 1989. In it, the authors advocate reforming the US government into a one party theocracy, with political power to be held only by dominionist Christians, which flies directly in the face of the US Constitution. In that context, it appears Bush’s Straussian use of the term in his speech is designed to reach out to the religious adherents of dominionism.
From the book:
It must be added here that Christians need to be involved in both of the major political parties. The ultimate goal should be for enough Christians to become involved in both major parties so that eventually the candidates on the ballot in November are both of the type that fit into Biblical qualifications.And perhaps more worryingly:
If Christians in every locality became a controlling influence in a political party after two years of serving there consistently, then every godly representative in the state legislatures and the Congress could be replaced within six years to work with a godly president.
If we work for more godly representatives in 2/3 of the state legislatures then we can bypass Congress and call a new Constitutional Convention to clean up all of the mess we have made of it in the past 200 years! Then with godly state legislatures, the odds are good that delegates appointed by them to a new Convention will be godly and wise as well.
Even if Christians manage to outnumber others on an issue and we sway our Congressman by sheer numbers, we end up in the dangerous promotion of democracy. We really do not want representatives who are swayed by majorities, but rather by correct principles.
So, what evidence is there that Bush (or his scriptwriters) are familiar with this textbook? Plenty. Consider the following:
BOOK: “God’s plan for the nations has been unfolding in a specific geographic direction. This geographical march of history is called the Chain of Christianity or the Chain of Liberty.”
BOOK: “Scripture defines God as the source of life...He is the author of liberty as well.”
BUSH: “History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.”
Bush’s speeches are a bit of a catchall. One moment he’s speaking directly to Christian fundamentalists, the next to dominionists. At other times he’s speaking to all those who abide by some form of religious belief system. In so doing, Bush leaves his own religious beliefs a little unclear. What’s certain, however, is that Bush has (or at least, did have) a penchant for Occultism. This study of hidden wisdom or ‘Truth’ is where we once again find parallels with Strauss’ esotericism.
Yale University’s secret society, ‘The Order of the Skull and Bones’, was founded in 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft. It was inspired by a society into which Russell had been initiated whilst studying in Germany. This super-elite, but not so secret, society has played host to some of America’s most prominent families who have since reached out into every corner of American society. These families are encouraged to intermarry in order to consolidate their influence.
New initiates are taken to the “tomb”, where they are sworn to silence. The initiation ceremony itself is said to involve ritualistic psychological conditioning and mud-wrestling. They are physically beaten in a process that symbolises their ‘death’ in the old world. They then lie naked in a coffin and masturbate whilst revealing their deepest sexual fantasies. After this ‘cleansing’ they are given robes and are anointed, an act that represent their re-birth. During initiation, they are also permitted to see the artefacts in the ‘tomb’. This includes Nazi memorabilia.
A rival society (The Order of File and Claw) broke into the ‘tomb’ on 29th September 1876. They found one of the lodge-rooms "fitted up in black velvet, even the walls being covered with the material." Upstairs, in lodge-room 322 (a number that is sacred to Bonesmen), "the 'sanctum sanctorium' of the temple [was] furnished in red velvet". There was also a pentagram on the wall. In the hall, they found "pictures of the founders of Bones at Yale, and of members of the Society in Germany, when the chapter was established here in 1832."
“On the west wall [of the parlour], hung among other pictures, an old engraving representing an open burial vault, in which, on a stone slab, rest four human skulls, grouped about a fools cap and bells, an open book, several mathematical instruments, a beggar's scrip, and a royal crown. On the arched wall above the vault are the explanatory words, in Roman letters, 'We War Der Thor, Wer Weiser, Wer Bettler Oder, Kaiser?' (Who was the fool, who the wise man, beggar or king?) and below the vault is engraved, in German characters, the sentence; 'Ob Arm, Ob Beich, im Tode gleich' (Whether poor or rich, all's the same in death).”
Initiates spend a year in this ‘tomb’ and develop an unwavering sense of loyalty to the Order and its agenda. This supersedes all other loyalties, whether to family, friends, country of God. Their purpose is to attain a prominent position in the world so that they might protect the Order’s status and ensure that, at any moment, Bonesmen may be called upon to do whatever needs to be done.
That Bush was a Bonesman is not in doubt: he said so in a February 2004 interview with Tim Russert.
RUSSERT: “You were both [referring to John Kerry] in Skull and Bones, the secret society.”
BUSH: “It's so secret we can't talk about it.”
I’ll leave you to contemplate Russert’s reply.
"What does that mean for America?"
