The Black-Robed Regiment

One of the truly frightening things would be the materialization of the The Black-Robed Regiment as described and espoused by Glenn Beck, the newly self-created televangelist. As I (probably) wasted part of my life listening to his speeches at his "divine rally" in Washington, DC, last Saturday, as captured by CSPAN, and as I watched him call forth similar lunatics who practice "religion" of all kinds (Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, etc.) and who stood arm in arm on the stage in the solidarity of an awe-inspiring shared delusion of grandeur, I was momentarily stunned by the prospect of his success as a megalomaniac wishing to impact politics (and, thus, all of life as we know it) in this country by constructing a right-wing, exclusionary theocracy.

From the wrong-headed fundamentalist belief that this constitutional democracy (republic) was founded as a Christian nation all the way to the unwavering desire to absolutely control women's reproductive freedom, the mission of these Beckheads has not only become one of disbanding government (except when it suits them) but instituting political mechanisms that deny the nonbeliever an equal stake in determining one's own life path. Only white, conservative, right-wing, exclusionary christianity is acceptable. All of the rest of us are infidels. And they talk about fearing totalitarianism derived from social justice and "socialism." The mind boggles.

Here is a quote from a Web site called "Truth in History-where the word of God is not bound," an evangelistic outreach of Kingdom Treasure Ministries.

"The black-robed regiment of the Revolutionary Period were men of God who spoke out concerning the issues of the day. The name was given to a name of pastors, especially in colonial America, that were very instrumental in America winning their independence. The reason why they were called Black-Robed regiment is because every Sunday they would mount their pulpits wearing their long black clerical robes; that’s how preachers would preach in that day. They would get in their pulpits wearing these long black robes, and they would preach the Word of God without fear or favor. These men of God would get in their pulpits and they would basically tell people what or who they should and should not vote for because they understood that in order to have a great government then you must have great citizens. The way that you have great citizens is by having great people that are rooted in the foundation of the Word of God. Week after week after week, they expounded upon the principles of the proper role of government, the proper role of individuals, all underneath the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Just the above paragraph should scare the bejeebers out of anyone with a functioning brain. Beck, a convert to Mormonism from Catholicism, is attempting to knit together the Tea Party, a "libertarian" bunch since they claim to want little or no government (to which I say "Move to Somalia...there is no government there."), the right-wing lunatic fringe, the conservative Republicans, and the evangelicals. He has about 2,000 so-called evangelical "leaders" in his corner right now. These "leaders" range from Jerry Falwell, Jr., to John Hagee. There are millions of sheep who follow Glenn Beck, Jerry Falwell, Jr., John Hagee, and every other nutjob evangelical.

Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote on his blog the day after the Beck "Restoring Honor" rally: “It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

It's not only sad; it's freakin' scary.

What do they want? Duh. Most of the sheep can't even articulate what they want. They are loosely in agreement that they want low/no taxes, a big military (and thus a big expenditure), teeny-tiny government, all abortions made illegal (even when pregnancies result from rape and incest), anti-gay legislation, no socialism of any kind (except for their own Social Security and Medicare), no gun regulations, and a return to the yesterday of "honor" (slavery, no voting rights for women, no civil rights, plus the ability to secede from the union, etc.).

When do they want it? NOW! They are hysterical because their agenda and their "leaders" are currently out of power, and they can't stand it. This is a godless nation that needs SAVING and RESTORING. They want to "take our country back." Yes. Back to the Dark Ages.

When you see (estimates vary) anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000 people (Michele Bachmann says it was over a million, and we know we can believe Michele about everything) gather in WDC on a hot day, you can also believe these people, and many more like them, will vote in the upcoming midterm election and in 2012. They are slobbering for a Beck-Palin ticket.

Michele Bachmann, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Mark Levine, Michael Savage, Michael Steele, and "Fraud News" are filling up the vacuum caused in this country by Everyman's Ignorance. Glenn Beck is the self-promoting (oh, he is getting rich off this Elmer Gantry scheme, for sure) guru, the Savior, the huckster that makes it all seem possible now. The Republican Party is fractured. In order to win in the upcoming election and in 2012, they need Glenn and his Coalition of Sheep to make the change.

It's all about Power and Money. Theirs. Not yours. Never yours. Kiss your ass goodbye if these lunatics regain the Presidency and control of Congress. Your freedoms will disappear. If you thought Bush was craptacular, you ain't seen nothing until the "religious right" assume the throne.

I have always said, since I was a little kid, that I feared religion more than communism. I'm stickin' to that story. It doesn't take much reading of history to see how dangerous "religion" is. What would Jesus say to all this? I am waiting for the day when Jesus returns and tells all the "Christians" to Shut the Fuck Up.