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| Four Horsepeople of the Apocalypse |
I am speaking of the book Hubris, written by David Corn and Michael Isikoff, as well as the related documentary narrated by Rachel Maddow of the MSNBC nightly The Rachel Maddow Show.
The book and documentary, as far as I am concerned, really beg the question: why are the warmongers so zealous for war?
Regular readers know that Dredd Blog has wrestled with that question during a series posted on this blog which has presented shocking material that in fact does answer the question as far as the military religion in America is concerned (The Virgin MOMCOM-6, The Virgin MOMCOM-5, The Virgin MOMCOM-4, The Virgin MOMCOM-3, The Virgin MOMCOM-2, and The Virgin MOMCOM).
In a related series named by a work of George Orwell, focusing on other aspects of religion, we likewise saw that the religious underpinnings of warmongering in the United States is ubiquitous and murderous (On The Origin of The Bully Religion - 3, On The Origin of The Bully Religion - 2, On The Origin of The Bully Religion).
The surprising knowledge that we come away with, concerning this very powerful psychological dynamic that we call religious zeal, can be readily seen in its much greater grandeur if we observe religious practices that are not part of our everyday lives.
So, for an example let's look to another popular religious practice in the largest or most populous democracy on Earth:
The Kumbh Mela is an ancient pilgrimage festival that happens once every three years, rotating across four locations in India. The largest of these riverside fairs happens every 12 years in Allahabad at the confluence of two rivers, Ganga and Yamuna. On its opening day in January 2013, I was among its estimated ten million visitors. During the 6-8 weeks it lasts, tens of millions come to bathe in these rivers — as a meritorious act to cleanse body and soul — making it the largest gathering of humanity on the planet.(River of Faith, 3QuarksDaily, emphasis added). A video about that mass gathering of religious zealots in the democracy of India is presented at the bottom of the article quoted from.
There is a certain amount of mystery involved in the beliefs that cause "the largest gathering of humanity on the planet", and there is also a certain amount of mystery in the hubris displayed when a supposed peaceful nation is lied into war by its own religious warmongers.
In yesterday's post we concentrated on one aspect of the religious hubris that is part of this heady religious brew:
What interests me here is that highlighted claim: that the US "is the greatest country in world history", and therefore is entitled to do that which other countries are not.(On The Peak of Intelligence - 3, quoting G. Greenwald). What can one expect when Americans are brought up from the cradle to the grave being taught this article of faith with religious fervor?
This declaration always genuinely fascinates me. Note how it's insufficient to claim the mere mantle of Greatest Country on the Planet. It's way beyond that: the Greatest Country Ever to Exist in All of Human History (why not The Greatest Ever in All of the Solar Systems?).
The very notion that this distinction could be objectively or even meaningfully measured is absurd. But the desire to believe it is so strong, the need to proclaim one's own unprecedented superiority so compelling, that it's hardly controversial to say it despite how nonsensical it is. The opposite is true: it has been vested with the status of orthodoxy.
Is it really a surprise that they then end up believing it like the people who believe the bath in the river cleanses them mind, heart, body, and soul?
People will drift in their attempt to moor themselves to an understanding of this religious dynamic if they forget that religion is not the stuff of proof, it is the stuff of "faith":
The basis of something that has never been seen, never been felt, never been measured, but a lot of people believe exists anyway, is faith:(Rebel Science: The Dark Matter of Faith). Mr. Greenwald grasped it, as pointed out by the quote above, nevertheless, it is still "unbelievable" to those who have not succumbed to the powers of the warmonger religion.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed ... so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible ...(Bible, Hebrews 11:1, emphasis added). What is seen in our universe by scientists is called matter. No faith needed.
Finally, lying (spin, propaganda) is also a tenet of the warmonger religion, which means that when they lie to us to get into a war, by which they profit greatly, in their faith they believe that they are still serving their god or gods:
D. Michael Quinn called the use of deception by LDS church leaders, "theocratic ethics." (The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, page 112) Smith lied to protect himself or the church; which was an extension of himself. Dan Vogel in his excellent work, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, described Smith's viewpoint; he was a pious deceiver. Smith used deception if in his mind; it resulted in a good outcome. Smith had Moroni, an ancient American prophet and custodian of the gold plates declare, "And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. ( Moroni 4:11-12). Translation: if deception was necessary to do good, or bring a soul to Christ, then it was worth it, as long as God approves. Smith believed he knew when God approved of lying.(The Homeland: Big Brother Plutonomy - 6). Whatever it takes, they seek only to quench their thirst for war.
So lying to us, using our tax dollars to pay for the experts who write lying words, is considered to be done to help us (The Ways of Bernays).
The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.
Lyrics of a warmonger-rock band can be viewed here.
Why do these warriors kill more of themselves than their imagined enemies do?
Yes, self suicide is their big killer, not the enemies Oil-Qaeda imagines for them.
Here are some lyrics from that psychopath rock band:
ReplyDelete"The Warrior Song - Leviathan
... come all!
Ye Hell or high waters be damned!
No lightning, no thunder, no hurricane gale,
can stand in the face of his wrath.
.. when Leviathan rise,
every last man shall shake
to the core of his soul...
Now, fear ...
the teeth of the killin’ machine,
with a need to bleed you
anywhere you be,
best believe,
I’m in the zone to be,
from my Yin to my Yang
to my Yang Tze.
...I’ll bring death
to the place
you’re about to be:
another river of blood
runnin’ under my feet.
...I feed on the fear
of the devil inside
of the enemy faces
in my sights
... kill with a heart like arctic ice
I am Leviathan, "death" is my call,
I am a warrior and this is my song
I bask in the glow of the rising war,
... wade through the blood
spilled on the floor,
and if another one stands
I’ll kill some more.
... a fire in me,
like a cigarette thrown to gasoline,
if death don’t bring you fear
then death ain't comin' from the deep.
Come to the nightmare,
come to me,
way down in the dark
where the devil be,
...where the brimstone burns
and the angel weeps.
...the shadow of death
is the one I cast.
I am Leviathan, "death" is my call,
I am a warrior and this is my song
My breath is fire, and my eyes are the dawn,
I am a warrior and this is my song
... I mean to inflict the grief,
... The killing machine’s gonna do the deed,
until the river runs dry
and my last breath leaves.
... know my pride:
for God and Country
I’ll end your life.
I am Leviathan, "death" is my call,
I am a warrior and this is my song
..."
No wonder so many of them are committing suicide ... they have been driven to madness.