U.S. Government Playing Yahweh With Gulag Gitmo:

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Monday June 24, 2013 00:26 by Very Vagabond

Many Americans, of Christian ancestry, were taught their (supposedly their) Judeo-Christian “God” (Anglo-Saxon term for Yahweh) knows all because he sees all. Yet if we put these powers into political terms and context—then these capacities are not much different from the current National Security Administration’s “Operation Prism” that has vast potential to know all about Americans and apparently the entire world of personal communications, as recently revealed by Glen Greenwald’s stories in British daily The Guardian. Thus we learn our Leviathan State can know everything and anything about anyone. By analyzing religion through a lens of political philosophy we can see the psychology of Judeo-Christian Yahweh’s exclusivity to power, as in “he” (anthropomorphized) holds all the cards, is thus the exemplar religious model for a political state of Monarchy (and privileges to a more or less self-select court elite).

U.S. Government Playing Yahweh With Gulag Gitmo:

By Very Vagabond

Many Americans, of Christian ancestry, were taught their (supposedly their) Judeo-Christian “God” (Anglo-Saxon term for Yahweh) knows all because he sees all. Yet if we put these powers into political terms and context—then these capacities are not much different from the current National Security Administration’s “Operation Prism” that has vast potential to know all about Americans and apparently the entire world of personal communications, as recently revealed by Glen Greenwald’s stories in British daily The Guardian. Thus we learn our Leviathan State can know everything and anything about anyone.

By analyzing religion through a lens of political philosophy we can see the psychology of Judeo-Christian Yahweh’s exclusivity to power, as in “he” (anthropomorphized) holds all the cards, is thus the exemplar religious model for a political state of Monarchy (and privileges to a more or less self-select court elite). So God (or other Angle-Saxon versions as Got, Gott, Goth) shows us an important truth, via study of European history, from pagan Norsemen of Viking ancestry, to the later Roman Empire’s influence by imposing “state religion” of Roman Christianity eventually all over Europe.

The power paradigm of monotheism still dominates our human psyche and culture to this very day (even many non-believers). For example, we were taught no mortal (or angels of higher order), can, or should, challenge the idea of the “exclusivity” to Got’s forms of power—or will be labeled evil, traitor and in alliance with Satan (as in the terrorists who are our enemies).

The Leviathan, the book, symbolized by a Biblical sea serpent of terrorist tendency that could instill unmitigated fear (as can any major Government or mass cultural enterprise of coercive authority—coercive including reinforcing norms as to on what is, and is not, acceptable to discuss or criticize). Revered as a classic of political philosophy, it was the byproduct of 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes of Malmsbury. Hobbes’ elitist abrogation to see religion through a mainly political interpretation of the Bible, mostly for secular argument, was so that he could argue for an “absolutist” sovereign state of authority. To him authoritarian monarchy was superior, ruled by a powerful entity, like the ancient myth of the Hebrews’ Yahweh. Hobbes cared little as to who or what had control or why—ethical considerations didn’t matter much—just so long as there existed some form of political security and control, which was presumably maintained for those who could wile themselves within the in-group of a blessed insider class (of which he hedged and supposed himself). He could therefore have supported many a dictator so long as they were powerful. And he loved the idea that Got gave humanity commandments like a would-be dictator, that is to lesser forms of mortal existence, that this Got-King could claim were his subjects, and so were expected to obey his every whim and whine, irrespective of what those same subjects of that realm might have thought, felt, suffered or died (common people simply didn’t much matter—and for plenty elitists today they still do not).

The Leviathan (1651) also argued such a Got-King have expansive authority free from “all limitation” or consideration. In the modern world such absolute state power would properly be labeled authoritarianism or dictatorship (unless held by a abstraction named Yahweh in which then would be thought righteous as glorified). Yet this presumed temporal arch-ruler, according to Hobbes, would provide for those considered worthy of consideration, under a hypothetical “social contract” that bound people to obedience—irrespective of the commands from higher up the hierarchy. The average peasant didn’t have much political power or anything related to human rights (a concept no one knew). The 99% were expected to obey while the 1% called the shots.

Also, peoples of Christianity were taught, as still are (as there are many active churches) that Got is also ever-present or everywhere—not too different from the Pentagon’s footprint, using enormous tax expenditures, to maintain close to 1000 U.S. military bases all around the world—and is especially geared to how history will play itself out in the Middle East (paid for by American taxpayers and “not” Israeli taxpayers even though our foreign policy expenditures seem to “center” squarely around sacrificing resources and military personal for what too often is a right-wing, NeoCon, Zionist state’s priorities (such as our current excess of involvement in Syria).

Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest speeches main message, at least as clipped by the MSM, is the U.S. priority is to fight Israel’s enemies, such as now in Syria, as he fumes about Hezbollah being there (while we mere American mortals of a lesser order are automatically expected to equate this group Hezbollah to evil incarnate because Israel calls them such as primarily their enemy with labels as terrorists); and then we are still poised to attack Israel’s other enemy Iran (but what is the big American security concerns in Syria)?

Mr. Kerry, raised Catholic in Massachusetts has since discovered his Jewish past (not really because few ancestors of European Jewry have any real DNA connection to ancient Israel or actual Semite peoples, which is why he, and Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Mike Oren, walk and talk so Caucasian—because they are). But this seeming Prima Donna, as our supposed U.S. Secretary of State, acts as if he cares much more about AIPAC’s hegemonic influence (as do “many” Congress persons) than he cares about what are true American problems and interests (as distinct from NeoCon fifth column enormous suasion).

{Note: The NeoCons are not really Jewish—several of them just think they are. Judaism is a religion and no one is really Jewish if he or she one no longer has faith in that religion. The idea of a secular, cultural Jew is as much a myth as the idea of some superior race. The real prophet for these Trotsky followers is Leo Strauss who taught them you need to lie to the masses and mislead them by creating an outside enemy so as to united the people. Real believers of Judaism should not allow this criminal group to sully the word Jew by their misadventures or delusions.}

Equally this is why Susan Rice and Samantha Powers were recently promoted to key foreign policy positions, with their twisted logic of “humanitarian wars” (meaning blowhards can continue to provide propagandic cover for our naked aggression against mostly Israel’s enemies (or where oil and pipelines need to exist for our own materialist needs and corporate and international hegemony). Think about all the “many”
people who have suffered in the Middle East since George W. Bush—and realize Israel and AIPAC have had a “lot” to do with it (such as our illegal occupation of Iraq and all the people harmed there—including those tortured).

Does imprisonment of Muslims at Guantanamo have anything to do with it—yes it does seem to. First this offshore prison is about a cover up—of hiding the fact many of those there should never have been there in the first place. It is emblematic of several prisons of torture related to conflict with Israel’s enemies and NeoCon priorities. We Americans are simply expected to “heavily” support Zionism’s culture-centric exclusivity, based on some religious myth that once claimed (centuries, no millennia, ago) that there in Levant territory certain tribes of people were given to Jews (as if some preordained and eternally Cosmic law). Its even more likely a hashish smoker hatched such a claim, that is, before Judaism managed to carve out much of a history.

Still much of the world inherited stories about Yahweh (often enough peoples who were forced to change their religions), and this megalomania supposed deity had an enemy list that included the other tribal peoples and their Gots (who were alleged to be false, less powerful, and even evil). So here you have this Yahweh character (anthropomorphized) who insists on supporting one human faction of people at the expense of other tribes of humanity, including engaging various forms of casting plagues, and justifying wars and mass slaughtering. Such stories by certain delusional or cunning people, had visions and heard voices and were thus labeled prophets, and so began the indoctrination that Yahweh pronounced the tribes of Israel were, and always will be, the legitimate heirs to this land (a doctrine, incidentally, diametrically in opposition to “our” own American political philosophy of equality for all irrespective of one’s religion, ethnicity, etc).

This is what we Americans, sober or not, are being forced to support within an enormity of propaganda that is “disguised” as wars against terrorists. And this is what the Fourth of July really once represented—intellectual war against all tyranny—including all forms of religion brainwash that could be used to control people so as to justify political dominance and ruthless killing because, after all, whatever Got said or commanded was righteous and good.

Such religious kinds of logic sublimate to a political logic of the unspoken variety, often enough unrecognized, such as: “Well Yahweh imprisons souls into eternal torture in his Hell prison far off away from the realm, run by condemned angels-turncoat-devils, so why can’t a puppet Pentagon and traitorous Congress equally imprison political combatants in a Cuba military base? Both lockups are for eternity and both control the judicial process—based on The Word from those who claim legitimate authority? In the beginning was THE WORD and the word (written down as propaganda) was GOD. Your job was to obey this authority.

So although the “carrot” of left-wing leaning Jesus, with his redemption and salvation, might have sounded good, but the social contract must be understood within a larger context of an older, right-wing Old Testament, with threats of terrorist fear, such as overwhelming punishment with no end in sight (after all who wants to suffer eternal damnation—as even if such souls went on a hunger strike its likely such a strike might not amount to much—they probably don’t have free speech on an internet—only by occasional lawyers allowed in could someone from larger society get a clue to what is actually going on).

Whereas that political “stick” of a darn hot hell and brimstone torture is terrorism plain and simple, left to whatever the imagination could imagine as the worst of the worst, or as in the Spanish and Papal inquisition, via torture, confession and murder. This backdrop that preceded the early apostle Christian was always a major force of psychological coercion used to exact conformity and obedience in later Christianized Europe and elsewhere—despite all the rhetoric about how loving and forgiving Got (or the State) was or could be.

Neither Machiavelli, nor Hobbes, explicitly explicated how a “political analysis” of a religion like Judeo-Christianity could help shed light on how some religions can play a major role in shaping politics and culture (past and present), such as could use terrorist fear and threat to conquer and control both the mind and body. Yet both these authors drew from this very religious psychology, and seemingly came close to suggesting underlying messages that can work in opposition to what religions overtly preach and claim to represent.

Such seemingly inherent neurosis of a kind of dysfunctionality that can be read into or teased out of the very many words of the Bible of Judeo-Christianity plays out in today’s psychology of propaganda (going back to historical creeds of antiquity). Yet it must be said that surely we realize how many “non-Jewish” Europeans of the later Roman Empire, such as those many bishops who attended major doctrinal Synod trials, such as to condemn religious heresy and declare religious orthodoxy (despite they could not agree on much) created the actual dogma of Christianity and evolving religious sects. It was aftermath in Europe (even if the original Christians were mostly Jewish) that created much of the authoritarian psychology for emerging “dominant” Christian sects, and condemned free-to-think cults, such as the Bulgarian Bogomils who were persecuted (as were many wayward thinkers).

Jesus, as Christ figure, remained arguably of progressive leaning, and was portrayed as caring, forgiving, as a liberal suasion. He would allow immigrants from all over to join the Church (or politically to become citizens of the State). Rabbi Jesus, after Rabbi Hillel, didn’t much honor elaborate and esoteric religious laws and baroque explanations. This somewhat upstart, who had issues with other Rabbis, represented, at least through evolving propaganda, the simple, downtrodden poor, the powerless, illiterate, condemned, etc. All you had to do was accept him as your savior (regardless of your status, ethnicity or previous sins or beliefs). It sounded so good on paper but there was a catch—that you needed to realize you needed a savior—that is there was some major threat from which you needed to be made safe (a Leviathan fear such as devastating eternal imprisonment in political hell works fine).

A terror of punishing Hell, as idea, has murky an origin. Many associate it from the Old Testament tactic of a strict Got who likes to punish. However, as we think of the concept of Hell, it seems more an European invention via the Roman Empire—but not entirely—for another form of Biblical terror phenomenon was this creature called the avenging devil, or evil Arch-Angel, as Lucifer, who had great propensity to lie, tempt, accuse, to upset the status quo, and engage evil enterprise against any person—and is still presumed lead tormenter.

But open-minded Christian leaders don’t like to think of the Bible in these stark and stereotypic terms of an avenging Got who likes to punish souls with cruel and unusual forms of punishment, because it suggests Got is not really just nor loving. So hell and devils have been much toned down in the modern era (save how real, temporal, enemy leaders are made into demonic threats as Satan incarnate like Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (whereas U.S. and Israeli backed Reza Pahlavi was fine) and now Bashar Assad. And of course all these enemy terrorists engage in all kinds of horrific atrocities such as killing innocent babies and cruelties.

But even a mythic Yahweh (assumed in Christian religion as powerful enough to put Christ to death) that supposedly needed to demand the torture and Crucifixion of any soul, as scapegoat, was not exactly felt to be all that loving and kind, and yet it is a core story of the birth of this religious offshoot to separate from traditional Judaism. This psychology of death and salvation would explain not just human frailty but why such a figure could be imprisoned, tortured, and put to death (supposedly for all people’s sins).

Meanwhile this Got takes no responsibility for how his subjects act when they are declared to have sinned and offended him—even though he claims to have created these very same subjects and all the circumstances to which they were born into with his omnipotence). Whereas crucifixion, as torture and murder, is how some Roman military personal dealt with some criminals and rebelling slaves. It was intimidation and terrorism. It was not a message about forgiveness (yet history readily seems to forget those many others who were crucified and not explained in cosmic terms).

This is why there is so much controversy about the character and judgments of Yahweh, as described in Scripture, and written by various writers. People wonder how a supposed Got of justice could seem so provincial and violent. Yet Abrahamic religions came out of the Middle East and have had an enormous influence on many cultures and histories; so why has there not been more political analysis of these religions psychologically? What college departments of Religious Studies and Theology (or Politics, Psychology and Psychiatry) do this, though many are funded institutions willingly to study religions from anthropological and sociological points of view? Is it because people are afraid of what they may come to realize about ancient religions like plenty of non-believers, thus setting the stage for even more modern day wars that demand theocratic institutions and forms of authority—while hiding heads in sand?

So a Got who is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (all places), as well as omnipotent (all powerful) is a form of governance that shares no power with other entities—not too different then from current U.S. Senatorial, Executive Branch, and Judicial Branch authoritative presumptions that government employees can do whatever leaders want—no matter what were the best ideas of OUR original U.S. Constitution—just so long as they don’t disclose what is going on to the public by whistle-blowing. After all why should outsiders, still taxpayers, have a right to know if, and when, the law (social contract) is violated by those in power (who are paid by the outsiders)?

A huge propaganda machine, stoked heavily by NeoCons’ Zionist influence, lied us into war with Iraq. In fact they had a whole list of countries they were going to remake—and have accomplished quite a lot already as 9/11 was a Got-send to take America to war all over the Middle East—irrespective of what most of the American people wanted. Think about all the carnage and pain created, and still is created to this day (as contractors like Blackwater Inc and its secret rendition flights between secret prisons all over the place where harsh treatment could be hidden away got rich off tax payer money).

Power here in the United States today means the right of the ruling classes to send lower and middle class citizens to wars and secret conflicts for the benefit of wealthy investors or special interests. These profiteers sacrifice human life, and all hell-related suffering, by investing into the military industrial complex industries that then have huge inventories of weapons that some want used. This Senatorial wealth and bribe-taking class of Lindsey Graham have no children or relatives or close friends going to die on “their” alter of war profits and criminal-like corporations.

Yet we are supposed to go along with the boogieman idea of how illegitimate are Muslim fanatics—just so long as we don’t question the fanaticism of Christians or Jews or fanatics of the religion of neo-liberalism and investments in free enterprise that tears down all regulation of corporate power?

U.S. and Israeli presumptions to imprison and torture religious combatants (portrayed through a sophisticated and long-term propaganda program) as crazy and dangerous by their ignorance and stubbornness, as well by the fact that the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel, can paint conflict in Crusader terms as enemies of Judeo-Christianity and modern democracy; while our side is painted heroic, righteous and rational.

This is why religious paradigms need to be challenged.

Why are we allowing our elected leaders and the Intelligence Community and Pentagon to lock away foreigners into some surrealist netherworld of secret renderings and prisons off our shores (much done in totalitarian secrecy and evil cruelty), while not providing any recognized legal rights, such as fair and open trials, or some to even be accused of specific crimes, is what this Israeli/ American Gulag system symbolizes.

The ancient Bible “never” suggested there would be a fair trial on a person’s judgment day (only that an all-knowing God would declare the verdict). Leviathan as sea monster then could maintain places of imprisonment for eternal torture. Or where does the Bible say one has a right to be presented with viable evidence of wrongdoing, or any of the legal rights we have come to expect, such as an independent lawyer and in habeas corpus status?

Most concepts of legal rights were won over to humanity for, and by, secular and humanist argumentation (and not by religious fevers merely presuming a forgiving and fair authority soul—but who actually had power to operate on whim and had a most dreadful outcome one could image—where there was much need to be saved).

The force-feeding of protesting prisoners at Guantanamo is American irony. It symbolizes political freedom we no longer have, and where American dissidents too may some day go. It symbolizes contradictions that speak of a great apparatchik of massive Pentagon expenditures, a Homeland Security Stasi-like state for surveillance, fascist corporatism that participates in illegal activities as privatized outsourcing, and a Washington D.C. bureaucracy with its lapdog media continuing to downplay how those Guantanamo prisoners were not the worst of the worst, nor do they give truth as to how arbitrarily they were rounded up. This seems very Stalinist—while propaganda plays to hyping primitive fears of lurking jihadists who hate our freedom, or crazy, white, male minutemen who want to keep their guns, and an on-going war against whistle-blowers—rather than the Department of Justice arresting the real criminals in charge.

One reason Americans are having a hard time understanding what is going on is that our Republic has been co-opted, that is to fight a major Christian Crusader War, along with some European countries, to battle with what are primarily Israeli enemies, but this massive world war conflict is disguised as a War on Terrorists, and Al Qaeda is their code word for Muslims angry as U.S. interventions and it’s unmitigated support for Israel no matter what Israel does or what policy it pursues.

One wonders how Edgar Hoover’s 1959 book Masters of Deceit might indict some people today who claim to work for “our” government and governance, but who actually do not work to protect the American people nor defend the American Constitution and undermine it (yet we also note some of the first complaints that became public about Guantanamo prisoners were voiced by FBI agents)?

We keep destroying our own Constitutional protections and rights. We allow total surveillance to continue on because we are not free. This is why whistleblowers show us how distorted such malfeasance has become. Wikileaks and Julian Assange did not happen in a vacuum—any more than the devastating atrocities of our war with Vietnam (that so many Americans have readily and conveniently forgotten).

The United States Government should stop acting like a Theocratic Tyranny and respect sound laws and customs while eliminating legislation that enslaves. Close Guantanamo and do it now.