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HE WILL ALSO INVADE THE BEAUTIFUL LAND...The U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance - Part III
By Doug Krieger
THE WEST’S INTRUSION INTO THE LAND OF THE PATRIARCHS—NOTHING BUT TOTAL VICTORY!
The West’s fascination with the Holy Land—the “Beautiful Land” or “Glorious Land” (Daniel 11:41)—be it for “hidden/material” or “prophetic/spiritual” treasures, has climaxed at the apex of the modern era in America’s most recent intrusion into Iraq.
The last Caliphate, the Ottoman Turks, collapsed at the close of World War I. On December 11, 1917, British Field Marshal, Edmund Allenby, dismounted, and walked through Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate, in honor of the three great religions as the Allies eventually wrested control of the Levant from the decrepit Ottomans—thusly, was this member of the Axis Powers dismembered.
“By December, 1917, Allenby had moved upwards from Egypt and captured Jerusalem. As the first Christian conqueror of the Holy City since the Crusades, Allenby ordered his troops to dismount as a mark of respect when they entered the city.” (PBS, Lawrence of Arabia).
“Jerusalem – The Endless Crusade” is a perennial struggle between Jews and Gentile World Powers—as well as a spiritual tussle amongst three of the world’s great religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The ascendancy of the West in the modern era commenced in earnest with the discovery of the New World. “Guns, Germs, and Steel” (PBS Special, 2005) converged to give the West world dominance, which it owns to this day—that now includes the Middle East!
It can be further stated that “The Coming of the West” into the Beautiful Land in the Modern Era began many centuries prior to the British Empire’s “flying machines” over the skies of Jerusalem—causing the astonished Turks to drop their weapons and flee—Allenby capturing the Holy City without frying a shot!
“The process of European penetration was gradual and complex (the Venetian traders in the early Thirteenth Century; Vasco da Gama et al.); but there were, nevertheless, clearly identifiable turning points. In the sixteenth century, for example, the Ottoman Empire voluntarily granted a series of concessions called the ‘Capitulations’ to European powers - concessions which gave the Europeans decided advantages in foreign trade in the empire. Another turning point was the invasion of Egypt in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Hoping to cut Britain's lines to India and cripple its maritime and economic power, Napoleon crushed the Mamluks (who governed Egypt under Ottoman suzerainty) and briefly occupied the country. By defeating Egypt, then still part of the Ottoman Empire, Napoleon exposed the inner weaknesses, both military and administrative, of the sultans, shattered the myth of Ottoman power, and inaugurated more than 150 years of direct political intervention by the West.
“Europe's worldwide nineteenth-century search for raw materials, markets, military bases, and colonies eventually touched most of what had been the Arab empire. In 1820 Great Britain imposed a pact on Arab tribes on the coast of the Arabian Gulf; in the 1830s France occupied Algeria; in 1839 Britain occupied Aden, at the strategic entrance to the Red Sea; and in 1869 Ferdinand de Lesseps, with the backing of the French emperor, completed what would become, and still is, one of the key shipping arteries of the world, the Suez Canal.” (The Coming of the West, Islamic City)
The British and French occupied a growing sphere of influence—colonialism—of the region under the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 until the end of World War
Part II of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance designates the leadership of the West shifting from its Eurocentric colonial base in the Middle East, to its present aegis under what has become the military and ideological arm of the West: The United States of America. The projection of commercial, socio-political, and military power throughout the region by the USA—working in concert with allies in the area (viz., Israel) since the Suez War of 1957—clearly places America as the force de jure in the Glorious Land. This preeminent posture is driven by America’s insatiable quest for below-market oil prices which enables the West under its American leadership to sustain its extraordinary consumptive economy.
Securing the region’s treasures enabled the West to win the Cold War. Now, frustrating American dominance—politically and geographically—is a resurgent Islam determined to expunge the West from these Holy Lands through Fatwa and Jihad.
We will continue to elaborate upon the West’s leadership vis-à-vis America, in the context of her catalyst for the present incursion into the Beautiful Land. Juxtaposed to the European colonial model, the West’s intrusion is led by the ever-present and anticipated hand of her Executive: The Presidency of the USA. Part II of this series demonstrated that the “personification” of the West’s leadership is domiciled in its President.
Policy and ideology—especially as it pertains to the Middle East—is specifically relegated to the office of the Chief Executive. No other nation on the planet can claim such sweeping political prejudice committed to such a singular position. In particular, as Commander-in-Chief of her Armed Forces, and their/his arsenals of destructive capacity, the President of the United States of America leads this most powerful military manifestation ever amassed upon the face of the earth; and, projects that might faster and with more lethal force than any other person upon the globe.
Furthermore, it is the Presidency of George Walker Bush, more than any other Presidency, who has made the issue of MILITARY VICTORY the definitive expression of his administration—HE WILL SETTLE FOR NOTHING BUT COMPLETE VICTORY!
“We will confront this mortal danger to all humanity . . . We will not tire, or rest . . . we will see freedom’s victory . . . we must stop them . . . we will never back down, never give in, and never accept anything less than complete victory . . . there is no peace without victory . . . we will keep our nerve and we will win that victory!
"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia . . . they are fanatical and extreme . . . utterly committed . . . As Zarqawi has vowed, ‘We will either achieve victory over the human race or we will pass to the eternal life’ . . . we must stop them before their crimes can multiply!" (Excerpts from Bush’s speech at the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington, D.C.) (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/10/20051006-3.html )
WHAT’S DRIVING THIS MADNESS?
So, who says who is mad? Ultimately—cutting to the chase here—“Me thinks the whole world’s gone mad, except thee and me, and sometimes I think thee!” (Famous Quaker quote).
Bush and Osama—and let me disabuse you of their ignorance—know perfectly well what drives the West and Islam in this clash of cultures. Each is a master of propaganda where half-truths prejudice their audiences—yet, oddly enough, the “truth is out there.”
Leaders in the U.S. are loathe to admit that America is at war with Islam; however, many in Islam have no reservation in defining the current struggle as a war upon Islam by the West, and, in particular, the USA.
“The war is fundamentally religious . . . under no circumstances should we forget this enmity between us and the infidels. For, the enmity is based on creed.” (“Statement by Usama Bin Ladin,” AJSCT, 3 November 2001).
I pondered how this struggle, this “War on Terror,” this war against the crusader invaders, etcetera, could be framed with clarity, and without bias--frankly speaking, it's impossible; for there are simply too many interpretive variables in the current alignment of protagonists. However, since numerous historians and pundits lay claim to what’s driving this conflict—we must give appraisal to those whose interpretations mirror reality, while eschewing those blandishments which enhance the ever-present agendum designed to serve a selfish purpose.
OSAMA THE MAD-BOMBER or THE SPIRITUAL BAROMETER OF ISLAM?
First of all, Osama bin Laden has, more than any other antagonist facing the armies of the West, led by the USA, encapsulated all that the Western leadership—especially President Bush—loathes, abhors, and despises.
It is Osama who makes for Western jokes, while an ever-intensifying propaganda for the soul of Islam is waged by the jokesters who know full-well that we’re not dealing with Burt but the makings of Saladin who galvanized the disparate Moslem tribes under one banner and defeated the original Crusaders. Indeed, if the West can split Islam—making Osama into the caricature of a mad-bomber; caring not for life and limb—then, our discrediting will pay off in bigger dividends for the same “Merchants of the Earth” who are growing rich from this incessant struggle.
Osama has proclaimed that Jihad (a Holy “defensive” War against the USA and the Jews) is the SIXTH PILLAR (de facto) of Islam—and, consequently, any Moslem who does not take up arms against the infidel (the decadent Western invaders) is disobedient to Allah, a heretic, and is “Moslem” in name only—in point of spiritual fact, WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL!
“I must say that my duty is just to awaken the Muslims; to tell them as to what is good for them and what is not. What does Islam say and what do the enemies of Islam want. Al-Qa'idah was set up to wage a jihad against infidelity, particularly to counter the onslaught of the infidel countries against the Islamic states. Jihad is the sixth undeclared pillar of Islam. [The first five being the basic holy words of Islam ("There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God"), prayers, fasting (in Ramadan), pilgrimage to Mecca and giving alms (zakat).] Every anti-Islamic person is afraid of jihad. Al-Qa'idah wants to keep jihad alive and active and make it a part of the daily life of the Muslims. It wants to give it the status of worship.” (Interview with Osama bin Laden published in newspaper Ummat Karachi, 28th September, 2001)
Even so—there are six Osamanic pillars kept before all Moslems for them to hear, see, experience and ever-hate the policies of the USA:
• U.S. support for Israel that keeps Palestinians in the Israelis’ thrall.
• U.S. and other Western troops on the Arabian Peninsula.
• U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
• U.S. support for Russia, India, and China against their Muslim militants.
• U.S. pressure on Arab energy producers to keep oil prices low.
• U.S. support for apostate, corrupt, and tyrannical Muslim governments.
(“Imperial Hubris, Why the West is Losing the War on Terror,” Anonymous, Brassey’s, Inc., Washington, D.C., p. 241).
The above six axioms of Osama bin Laden makes him the chargés des affaires of Islamic Fundamentalism. Osama overtly defines Islam’s present Jihad as the cause célèbre against the Crusaders of the West—and, in particular, against the King of the West: The President of the United States of America, George Walker Bush. Osama has, due to the propaganda of the West, become the focalpoint of frustration and the Stalin-Hitler-Tojo-Mao-Mussolini archfiend of elite and redneck, of preacher and politician, of media pundit and military strategist—all united in their wrath upon the absolutist whose weapons are terror and whose cause is evil.
Probing the depths of Osama’s psyche—and reading a score of writings* relative to his discovery—confirms one solitary fact: Here is no simpleton, baffoon, nor madman plagued either by schizophrenic demonic hosts or obsessed with an overweening sense of his own propriety—no, no, no! If ever a more genuine, committed, ardent follower of Islam—whose submission to Allah is beyond reproach and whose steps follow those of the Prophet Mohammed—could be found, it would most definitely find its vessel of choice in this singular figure: Osama bin Laden!
Shocked? Don’t be—OBL, in point of fact, is NOT on Islam’s fringe as many in the West would have you believe. OBL is smack dab in the mainstream of Islamic tradition, thought, word, and deed!
In his book, Imperial Hubris, the author—Anonymous—encapsulates OBL’s hatred toward the West, the USA, in stark terms:
“Leaving aside political-correctness concerns will allow us to recognize and candidly discuss the genuine and growing substantive, not just visceral, hatred for America among the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims. Because Muslim leaders—with bin Laden in the van—repeatedly have told us that they hate Americans for what we do and not for what we think, look like, or talk about, there can be no valid charge of racism or Islamophobia in such a discussion. ‘We regret to tell you that you are the worst civilization in the history of mankind,’ bin Laden explained in his October 2002 letter to Americans. ‘You ransack our lands, stealing our treasures and oil . . . . Your forces occupy our lands . . . You have starved the Muslims of Iraq . . . . So what is left on the list of the most heinous, evil and unjust acts that you have not done?” (Ibid. Page 256)
DEFINING THE ENEMY—BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
Without equivocation, there is but one person in all the West who has definitively defined our implacable foe and placed upon him a most outrageous face. This one has described without compromise—with, if you would, unmitigated gall—the dastardly characteristics of a fiendish enemy who must be stopped!
To do this—he has embarked upon a calculated strategy and plan for total VICTORY over “The Bastard of Islam”—for this is no child of Mohammed, but the evil distortion of a peaceful religion! No one—absolutely no voice in the West—has had such a calculated impact in announcing the parameters of the battle . . . the Commander-in-Chief leads the charge!
“Yet while the killers choose their victims indiscriminately, their attacks serve a clear and focused ideology, a set of beliefs and goals that are evil, but not insane.
“Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever it’s called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom. These extremists distort the idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against Christians and Jews and Hindus -- and also against Muslims from other traditions, who they regard as heretics.
“Many militants are part of global, borderless terrorist organizations like al Qaeda, which spreads propaganda, and provides financing and technical assistance to local extremists, and conducts dramatic and brutal operations like September the 11th. Other militants are found in regional groups, often associated with al Qaeda -- paramilitary insurgencies and separatist movements in places like Somalia, and the Philippines, and Pakistan, and Chechnya, and Kashmir, and Algeria. Still others spring up in local cells, inspired by Islamic radicalism, but not centrally directed. Islamic radicalism is more like a loose network with many branches than an army under a single command. Yet these operatives, fighting on scattered battlefields, share a similar ideology and vision for our world.” (NED, October, 2005)
No need to belabor the President’s stock speech which he’s apt to give wherever the opportunity avails.
TOTAL VICTORY COMES THROUGH TOTAL WAR!!
Folks, you might wonder why the American Left has NOT quoted extensively from Imperial Hubris—think no further . . .
“Killing in large numbers is not enough to defeat our Muslim foes. With killing must come a Sherman-like razing of infrastructure. Roads and irrigation systems; bridges, power plants, and crops in the field; fertilizer plants and grain mills—all these and more will need to be destroyed to deny the enemy its support base. Land mines, moreover, will be massively reintroduced to seal borders and mountain passes too long, high, or numerous to close with U.S. soldiers. As noted, such actions will yield large civilian casualties, displaced populations, and refugee flows. Again, this sort of blood-mindedness is neither admirable nor desirable, but it will remain America’s only option so long as she stands by her failed policies toward the Muslim world.” (Ibid. p. 242)
Folks, we’re not talking Viet Nam this time around—be clear, be VERY clear—those who’ve been immersed in the mind if Islam (Anonymous) understand precisely what the Israelis understand—without total war, there cannot, will not ever be total victory over “terrorism” – over Osama and his ilk—ever—without TOTAL WAR!
And, that is what this President intends to deliver—make no mistake about it.
THE PALEOCONSERVATIVE MISCALCULATION
Yet, the brilliance of Anonymous and his synthesis of Islamic Radicalism, is clouded by his remedies to terminate endless war with Islam wherein he proposes that the US decouple its strategic alliance with Israel to avoid ceaseless confrotation with Islam to wit:
“Does unvarying military, economic, and political support for Israel serve substantive—vice emotional—U.S. interests, those that, by definition, affect America’s survival? Do we totally support Israel because it is essential to our security, or because of habit, the prowess of Israel’s American lobbyists and spies, the half-true mantra that Israel is a democracy, the fear of having no control over a state we allowed to become armed with WMD, the bewildering pro-Israel alliance of liberal Democrats and Christian fundamentalists, and a misplaced sense of guilt over the Holocaust? Like America or any state, Israel has a right to exist if it can defend itself or live peacefully with its neighbors; that is not the question. The question is whether U.S. interests require Americans to be Israel’s protectors and endure the endless blood-and-treasure costs of that role. Status quo U.S. policy toward Israel will result in unending war with Islam.” (Ibid. p. 257) (My emphasis.)
His beclouding is not subject to a reasoned conclusion to win the War on Terror vis-à-vis Israel’s “strategic alliance” with the USA fueling unending Islamic hatred toward the USA—but that such an egregious presupposition could be suggested belies the vacuousness of the remark! To the contrary—it is precisely, I affirm, the very aspiration of this Presidency, to solidify America’s strategic alliance with Israel in a FORMAL DEFENSE PACT to underwrite Israel’s security, while utilizing Israel’s strategic offensive-defensive abilities on America’s War on Terror—notwithstanding all the anger and resentment perpetrated upon the West by a Moslem world which will be incensed by such an agreement!
This Presidency has utterly no intention in listening to the likes of insolationist paleoconservatives like Pat Buchanan. Again and again, strategies for victory are decidedly pronounced by scores of neconservatives which dominate the halls of American foreign policy! Indeed, if you think for one minute that the War on Terror—Bush’s War on Terror—the Neocon Dream War—has any intention of listening to the gibberish of Anonymous or Buchanan . . . get a life, it ain’t goin’ happen!
Sure, Douglas Feith’s Neocon HQ Office of Special Plans may be under investigation for spying on behalf of Israel (Sourcewatch.org), but the inexorable march to full-out war in the Middle East vis-à-vis Iran’s nuclear designs is, as Condi Rice once said: Everything is on the table!
The FACT that the entire region is moving headlong into Osama’s traditional Islamic ideology (including Hizbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Brotherhood, ad nausea, ad infinitum), has not gone unnoticed by the leadership of the Western World: George W. Bush.
“HE SHALL PLANT THE TENTS OF HIS PALACE BETWEEN THE SEAS AND THE GLORIOUS HOLY MOUNTAIN” (Daniel 11:45a)
It can be objectively ascertained that the Western presence in the Middle East has reached the zenith of its military and political expression. The invasions of Afganistan and Iraq, along with demanding that all despotic regimes in the region embrace “Democracy”—and don’t think for a minute that’s not “Western Democracy”—all the while prepositioning thousands of US troops on newly built bases—be they land, naval and air—are but the initial tent setup. He has no intention whatsoever folding his tent and stealing away in the night! Again—to the contrary—his full intention is to PLANT HIS TENT IN THE GLORIOUS LAND—even betwixt and between “the seas and the Glorious Holy Mountain”!!
For starters—and perhaps much to the Buchanan-Anonymous chagrin—William Arkin (commentator for NBC) recently released a book entitled, “Code Names.” The book alledges that the USA has at least five bases in Israel—and perhaps more. One of the bases spreads over 24 square miles about 14 miles from Israel’s International Ben Guiron Airport . . .
“A new book published in the US, “Code Names,” by William M. Arkin, exposes information about a US military presence in Israel, including US Army bases at secret locations. It gives a long list of code names that describe milestones in strategic cooperation between Jerusalem and Washington. The book’s revelations about ongoing cooperation between the US Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces impart a new dimension to the saying by late Republican Senator Jesse Helms that Israel is America’s aircraft carrier in the Middle East, and that this fact alone justifies the military aid that the US grants Israel every year.
“The book also sheds light on military ties between the US and most of the world’s countries, and on the organizational chart of federal defense agencies. A front-page story in ‘The New York Times’ on one of the book’s scoops the operation of secret US Army commando units within the US, under a plan classified as top secret, has given the book broad publicity and a basis of legitimacy. The book lists US military bases in Israel. According to the book, these bases are called sites, and numbered Site 51, Site 53, Site 54, Site 55, and Site 56. The form indicates that other unspecified ‘sites’ exist, but this is not explicitly stated.”
(Rense.com)
Israel’s military arsenals—undoubtedly supplemented by “normal” US prepositioning of its own hardware needs in the region on Israeli soil—are altogether formidable.
The Arms Trade Resource Center in an article titled: U.S. Arms Transfers and Security Assistance to Israel, details from 1976 to 2001 some B in American military hardware had integrated the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).
“In recent years, Israel remains the top recipient of U.S. military and economic assistance. The most commonly cited figure is billion a year, with about .8 billion a year in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants from the Department of Defense and an additional .2 billion a year in Economic Support Funds (ESF) from the Department of State. In the last decade FMF grants to Israel have totaled .2 billion. In fact, 17% of all U.S. foreign aid is earmarked for Israel.
“For 2003, the Bush administration is proposing that Israel receive .76 billion in foreign aid, with .1 billion in FMF and 0 million in ESF. An additional million will go to Israel for the purchase of U.S. manufactured counter terrorism equipment.
“Weapons Sales and Grants—Israel is one of the United State’s largest arms importers. In the last decade, the United States has sold Israel .2 billion in weaponry and military equipment, 2 million through Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), more than .5 billion through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. In fact, Israel is so devoted to U.S. military hardware that it has the world's largest fleet of F-16s outside the U.S., currently possessing more than 200 jets. Another 102 F-16s are on order from Lockheed Martin.” (William D. Hartung and Frida Berrigan, May 6, 2002)
MERRY CHRISTMAS . . . HAPPY HANUKKAH!
Yes, driving . . what’s driving the U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance? What’s bringing about the U.S.-Israel Defense Pact and what on earth do Christmas and Hanukkah have in common? Much, in every way.
The invasion of the Beautiful Land by the West is not a new thing. We think of Alexander the Great, Rome, the Crusades, Colonial Europe, and now the legions of a new empire—be it a commercial one at that—who spreads his tents across the Glorious Land of the patriarchs.
The convergence of these two feasts of Christmas and Hanukkah (i.e., Chanukah) this December 25, 2005 is most remarkable as dates go. What convergence is this? The celebration of the birth—the mystery of the incarnation of Christ (God manifest in the flesh); and the mystery of the miracle of lights celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the despotic Antiochus IV, the Grecian Selucid Syrian king who ruled from 175 to 163 B.C. And, how is it that this despicable attempt to Hellenize the Jews (forbidding circumcision, Sabbath observance, and regulating dietary practices—while erecting an altar of Zeus over the altar of burnt offerings at the temple in Jerusalem) was wrought by a man who gave himself the name Epiphanes, meaning “God is Manifest,” but was called Epimanes (“Madman”) by his enemies?
Coincidence, isn’t it? One would be remiss if one were not adroit enough to connect these glaring dots—but who has?
And, how is it that this same Antiochus Epiphanes IV—this “God is Manifest”—is the archtype in Christian eschatology of ANTICHRIST? Think about it for a minute. The defeat and victory over Antichrist—the Anti-Messiah—is celebrated each year by Jews throughout the world—yet, does it not point toward that ultimate celebration of his demise?
“And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain, yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him” (Daniel 11:45).
Oh, and don’t think the Jews, who suffered most recently under Hitler’s faithful promises to kill them, do not remember another prototype of Antichrist “gone out into the world” when the embolden Queen Esther, in concert with “Mordecai the Jew” wrought the defeat of another man who tried to annihilate them—Haman . . .
“But when Esther came before the king he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them, the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year . . . .” (Esther 9:25-27a).
And, has anyone among us witnessed the incarnation of Haman of late—in the person of Iran’s current President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Maybe you haven’t, but I’ll bet Haman’s likeness has NOT gone unnoticed by the Jews of today who see in this Persian a reincarnation of Haman! For the man who denied the Holocaust, I am quite sure, would deny his Persian counterpart, Haman! Yes, and the man who suggested that the Jews of Israel be transplanted to the hills of Edelweiss, is apt to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of Pharaoh, Haman, Antiochus IV, Titus of Rome, and Herr Hitler when Mahmoud unleashes his nuclear device in, let’s say, three or four months (March, 2006).
MICHAEL, DENNIS, MICHAEL
There are (at least) three who bear witness to the viability of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance—as well as being effective spokesmen for the burgeoning Neocon-Evangelical-Zionist Alliance: Michael Savage, Dennis Prager, and Michael Medved. I simply bring them to your immediate attention, for they represent the clearest channels of expression when it comes to fighting both “the enemy within” – as well as the “enemy without.”
They did not come to their synthesis over night (i.e., Evangelical Zionists are good for Israel’s survival)—nor do they champion the Judeo-Christian ethic for naught (i.e., it’s the final “Cultural War” that must be won or we’re going to lose America; therefore, Evangelical Zionists and all Christian conservatives help to buttress America’s salvation). As Jews born under the trauma of the Holocaust—they are beyond natural instinct when it comes to the global survival of their race. Yet, their patriotism, their affection for the “greatest country on God’s green earth,” abides the United States of America. Yet, as Jews, their survival instincts are overshadowed by this seminal event: The Holocaust—do not doubt that for one second its repetition flashes upon every Jewish mind!
So they, like their Neocon (mostly American-Jewish) counterparts affecting American foreign policy, find themselves driven to enhance the U.S.-Israel strategic alliance—through their books, speaking engagements and dynamic radio talk shows, which are exceedingly popular. The rational conclusions they’ve reached augur for an evermore secure arrangement between the U.S. and Israel—as the ultimate safeguard for the Jews of Israel and as the logical and emotionally satisfying fulfillment of having the best of both worlds: America and Israel, Champions of the Free World—safe and secure at last! Furthermore, all three find the “maturing” and “theologically satisfying” arrangement of Evangelical alignment with Israel—whatever the reason—is, frankly speaking, a quantum leap from a tiny, yet potent, American minority, to a whole lot of safety in numbers (some estimates of Christian Zionists reach as high as 90 million Americans).
THE LEGACY OF ED McATEER—GALVANIZING THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT FOR ISRAEL
On October 5 my mother, as well as my mother-in-law, passed away. Strange thing about dates . . . on October 5, 2004 another person who had made a profound impression on my life, Ed McAteer, passed from this earthly clod.
I dare say you’ve never heard about Ed—few have—but those who knew this man as I did, would never deny his ardent love for his “Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” nor for his advocacy for Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and of her place among the nations—for he fervently believed that those who would “bless Israel” would be blessed of God.
Ed’s legacy, perhaps more than any other person in America, was this: He was the founder and even, as some say, the godfather of the Religious Right in America!
“The late Ed McAteer, considered to be the godfather of the Religious Right, talked about his expansionist dreams for Israel in an interview on CBS' 60 Minutes: Zion's Christian Soldiers.
“‘I believe that we are seeing prophecy unfold so rapidly and dramatically and wonderfully and, without exaggerating, makes me breathless. Every grain of sand between the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea belongs to the Jew.’ When asked if that includes the West Bank and Gaza, his answer was ‘Every bit of it.’” (Theocracywatch.org)
Therein lies Ed’s passion—galvanize the Religious Right and bring forward a conservative social agenda to the front burner of American politics—while, at the same time, “Stand with Israel!”
“It was Ed McAteer, a Southern Baptist layman, who persuaded the Rev. Jerry Falwell to get involved in politics. It was McAteer who introduced Ronald Reagan to Christian activists in 1980 at a conference sponsored by his organization, the Religious Roundtable. No less a figure than Falwell remembered McAteer this way: ‘What the press calls today the ‘religious right’ really was his dream.’” (Alex Johnson, MSNBC, October 24, 2004, “Staying on the right side of a political movement—Conservative Christians — and their ideas — threaded throughout Bush administration”)
McAteer’s galvanizing efforts, centered on the late Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, and the financial largess of one, Nelson Bunker Hunt, of the Hunt family fame and fortune. Through Ed’s efforts, the Christian Right became what it was and is to this day. Time does not permit, however, the successes of the Christian Right in America were, and still are, domiciled within its COUNCIL OF NATIONAL POLICY comprised, since 1981, of every conceivable expression of conservative Christianity found in America!
“CNP members are found in Christian organizations encompassing James Dobson's Focus on the Family, Bill Bright's Campus Crusade for Christ and it's many branches, Robert Weiner's Maranatha shepherding group, Gideons, Youth for Christ, World Vision, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Billy Graham Evangelical Assoc., Intercessors for America, International Charismatic Bible Ministries, National Evangelical Assoc., National Religious Broadcasters Assoc., Promise Keepers and many more. The potential spiritual impact of this organization, which claims educational status, could be unparalleled.” (Seek God, “The Council for National Policy: What It Is” July, 5, 2001) (NOTE: A “Who’s Who” list of CNP members, past and present can be found at: http://www.seekgod.ca/topiccnp.htm )
Paul Weyrich eulogized Ed McAteer in his piece, “Honoring a Soldier of the Religious Right” (Renew America, Oct. 9, 2004)—for Ed’s influence was the singular catalyst that brought together the Religious Right in America:
“The next year (1980) McAteer organized national affairs briefings all over the nation. The most important of these was his briefing in Dallas at which Ronald Reagan spoke just after his presidential nomination. Feelings were raw because Reagan had selected George Bush as his running mate. But Reagan won over the crowd of nearly 20,000 by saying, ‘I know you can't endorse me, but I endorse you.’
”The thousands upon thousands, especially throughout the South, who heard from Phillips, General Al Knight and many other important conservatives, were energized. It was an extraordinary achievement. Maybe Ronald Reagan would have won the presidency without Ed McAteer (who organized the mammoth 20,000-National Affairs Briefing in Dallas, TX (August, 1980)) but it might have been a close election rather than the great landslide from which Reagan benefited.
”From 1980 forward, McAteer kept spreading the message of religious conservatives. He never seemed to tire. He loved America in a way that was reminiscent of earlier times.”
Although Ed became disillusioned with the antics of Republican politics—being rejected as he was as US Ambassador to Israel in 2001—his legacy stands pat:
“Ed McAteer died this month. But long before, he had broken with the Republican Party, which he said never delivered on the conservative Christian agenda. ‘We were dropped like a hot potato once they got out of these Christians what they wanted,’ he said . . . (something far more profound had already taken place) . . . ‘What’s different from the past is that it’s (i.e., the Religious Right) integrated into the Republican Party,’ said Duane Oldfield, a political scientist at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., who studies the religious right. ‘The Christian right has gone from being outsiders to insiders.’” (Ibid., MSNBC, Alex Johnson, Oct. 24, 2004)
The point to be made in all this, concerning the emergence of the Religious Right within the mainstream of American politics—specifically, Republican politics—is the emphasis of Christian Zionism wrought by highly influential leaders like Ed McAteer upon that movement to wit:
“The National Prayer Breakfast (In Honor of Israel), organized by the Memphis-based Religious Roundtable (Ed McAteer, president), has been held for eight years as part of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) annual convention in Washington, DC. Traditionally, it has served two functions. It is an opportunity for Christian Zionists to, ‘in prophetical solidarity with our Jewish brethren, affirm the importance of the state of Israel, and unite against those forces of darkness who wickedly assail them and their beloved state.’ It also provides a platform from which congressional and government officials can vie with each other in proclaiming their unconditional support for ‘our strategic ally, the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel.’
“The National Prayer Breakfast also serves a third, unintended purpose. It functions as a crystal ball, providing a preview of future players in the political game of ‘Let's see who can love Israel the most.’ It's also a proving ground for new catch phrases and code words to rationalize the strategy of cooperation between the pro-Israel lobby and the religious right.
“In 1987, at the ‘Sixth National Prayer Breakfast in Honor of Israel,’ attendees filled a large ballroom. There were four tiers of speakers and honored guests on the dais. They included four presidential hopefuls: former UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, Rep. Jack Kemp, Gov. Pierre (Pete) Dupont IV, and Sen. Albert Gore. The keynote speaker was Attorney General Edwin Meese. The mood was emotional and exultant. Prime Minister Shamir spoke to the assembled via satellite on a massive TV screen, urging Christians to come see the Holy Land as ‘tourism is completely safe.’” (Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, National Prayer Breakfast For Israel: Lowered Decibels, Catherine Willford, March, 1989)
Why am I so familiar with Ed’s efforts to “Honor Israel?” – Because I was his Executive Director for these successful events in Washington, D.C.! Sadly, like Ed, I too grew weary of Christian involvement in politics—and realized that not only were we playing with fire—we were part and parcel of an integral part of the very “eschatological imperative” to which I now allude! Ed planned his 23rd such breakfast, and last, in Memphis, TN, on May 11, 2004 (Christianity Today, March 25, 2004).
But, the efforts to disassociate Christian Zionism from its political proclivities are nigh impossible at this late date . . . a sampling will suffice:
SAN ANTONIO -- Some 5,000 cheering parishioners of the Cornerstone Church here watched Sunday night as Pastor John Hagee presented .5 million for Israel-related causes to the president and CEO of the United Jewish Communities, Stephen Hoffman.
Beamed across the world on 26 satellites, Hagee assured the millions in his audience that “70 million evangelical Christians in America stand by Israel in their day of trouble. Israel, you are not alone. We are Zionist. If a line has to be drawn, draw the line around both Christians and Jews. We are one. We are united. We are indivisible.”
Hagee reminded his congregation and his television audience, “On 9/11, the Palestinians were dancing in the streets when the Americans were dying in New York and at the Pentagon. Israel lowered her flag to half-mast in mourning with us. That’s friendship.” (Jewish News Weekly, Friday November 29, 2002, Texan Evangelical Christians give .5 million to Israel, Barbra Richmond, Jewish Journal of San Antonio)
Or, for that matter, the efforts of Mike Evans . . .
“Ambassador to Jerusalem (II Cor. 5:20) and chairman of the Board of the Corrie ten Boom House, Michael D. Evans, will host Jerusalem Prayer Summits in thirty U.S. cities and a Jerusalem World Prayer Summit in the city of Jerusalem. These prophetic Prayer Summits will be an historic first for the U.S. and in Israel. As Bible-believing Christians watched in shock, twenty-one Jewish communities were demolished, and 9000 Jews were dragged from their homes. This is but the first phase of the Road Map. Christians must stand up against liberal Christian denominations that are boycotting Israel, and have forced Israel to give more than 430 towns and villages, including Bethlehem and Gaza, to terrorist Jew-haters who do not recognize Israel’s right to exist, and who fully intend to divide Jerusalem. Mahmoud Abbas has said, ‘Today we are celebrating the liberation of Gaza and the northern West Bank; tomorrow we will celebrate the liberation of Jerusalem.’” (Jerusalem Prayer Summits, 2006)
AT THE TIME OF THE END…HE WILL ENTER THE GLORIOUS LAND (Daniel 40a, 41a).
The journey continues—the history of which is yet to be told. Why? Because Daniel’s prophetic vision regarding the culmination of Gentile World Power is an eschatological imperative—an imperative that demands fulfillment; final resolution.
Our examination has, in the main, focused upon the West’s intrusion into the Beautiful Land at the close of this age—the “time of the end.” Specifically, we’ve targeted the leadership of the final Gentile World Power—a “Power” whose initial outburst was seen by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar—interestingly enough, the plains of Shinar, modern-day Iraq, is the geographical nexus from whence the prophetic Image arose. Likewise, the Babylonian Kingdom was represented by the leadership of that kingdom—Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold. Thence, incredible as it may seem—the eruption of Western Civilization took place on the Mesopotamian Plain; and now, we have come full circle.
Furthermore, an analysis of those socio-religious and political forces which are driving the U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance to its rational conclusion—the U.S.-Israel Defense Pact—were reviewed. What was initially designated a three-part series, has turned into a four-part discussion of the strategic and eschatological imperative of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance. Our final article will amplify the eschatological aspects of the imperative.
It is here—at the time of the end—we find deception at its height; for “many shall join with them by slipperiness (flattery)” (Daniel 11:34). Indeed, this is the very time the Apostle Paul termed the “apostasia” (i.e., the “great falling away from the faith”); II Thessalonians 2 enlightens us to a plethora of prophetic probabilities:
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away (“apostasia”) comes first, and the man of sin (or “lawlessness”) is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie . . .” (II Thessalonians 2:1-11).
“And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (II Thessalonians 3:3).
(*Suggested readings include: Anonymous. Through Our Enemies’ Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America. Washington, D.C.: Brassey’s, Inc., 2001, xix and 394p.; Benjamin, Daniel, and Steven Simon. The Age of Sacred Terror. New York: Random House, 2002, xiii and 490p.; Lewis, Bernard. The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. New York: the Modern Library, 2003, xxxii and 184p.; Peters, Ralph. Beyond Terror: Strategy in a Changing World. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2002, xii and 353p.; Reston Jr., James. Warriors of God: Richard the Lion Heart and Saladin in the Third Crusade. New York: Anchor Books, 2001, xxi and 410p.; Ruthven, Malise. A Fury for God: The Islamist Attack on America. London: Granta Books, 2002, xxii and 324p.)
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About the Author: Doug is a member of the "Last Days Network" . . . a group of evangelical pundits providing news and analysis on Religion in Politics. "Applied Biblical prophecy," apostasy and deception, the impact of the American New World Order System, and the influence of the Religious Right and Left upon American culture--are topics discussed by the group. Doug’s articles are anchored @ http://www.the-tribulation-network.com (a real upbeat web site, given the name).
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