Friday, June 09, 2006
The Department of Pre-crime and The Thought Police.
You read that right. The department of pre-crime is handing out warrants to the thought police, and they're forcing courts to hand out life sentences.
To paraphrase shpilk over on Dkos, here is why you should care:
"Going after people based upon 'what they are thinking'
should set off alarm bells in any thinking person's head."
Most people, haven't followed the "Virginia Jihad" case, sometimes referred to as "the paintball gang" case. You probably think it was about a group of American Muslims who were training for terrorist activities against the United States. A less compelling tale emerges if you look at the actual convictions. To begin with, no one was charged with anything representing a threat to the United States. That didn't keep some of them from getting sentenced to life in prison without parole.
None of the convictions handed down were for planning an act of terrorism. Prosecutors presented no evidence that any of the 11 convicted men had planned U.S. attacks. At best they were convicted for being pro-terrorist. That may seem like a fine point to some, but I will let a supporter of this trial and its verdict demonstrate the real threat this represents -- to all of us right here in the USA:
"We're arresting people for talking about things, thinking about things, training for things," said Andrew McBride, a former federal prosecutor in Alexandria. "I think you will see more of it as the government moves from a traditional criminal law model of post-event reaction to pre-event interdiction.
When you consider this in the context of the NSA's data mining program, it is clear we are looking at a department of pre-crime dedicated to convicting suspects of thought crimes. As one anonymous source told the Washington Post:
"They were walking around the national capital area with training in small arms, infantry tactics, any number of skills that could be used to mount a strike," the official said. "It has to be unacceptable to wait until there is a threat of actual direct violence to take action."
On the face of it, that sounds ominous. No one suggests waiting until the Mall is littered with bodies, but the key point that gets glossed over here is the doctrine of pre-emption has come home to roost. They are not going to even wait until there is a threat. That is a far cry from what happened in Canada recently. Those guys tried to buy three tons of ammonium nitrate. The magnitude of this shift becomes obvious when you consider the description of these guys used to justify their prosecution describes virtually anyone who has ever had military training, or hunting experience.
It is true six guys plead guilty to conspiracy charges. Some would point to that as clear evidence that they were terrorists. Others might point to that as evidence that they didn't want to roll the dice in the Rocket Docket or risk being reclassified as enemy combatants with no rights at all. That's a problem when secret evidence is used to make decisions about people who are convicted because they were considered potential threats. Consider the most recent conviction:
Ali Asad Chandia, was convicted on three counts of providing material support to Lashkar [a Pakistani group fighting India over Kashmir] or conspiring to do so and acquitted on a fourth. He faces up to 45 years in prison. Prosecutors said Chandia trained at a Lashkar camp in Pakistan and worked with others to help the group acquire equipment with possible military applications.
A juror, Robert Stosch, said yesterday that most panel members did not believe Chandia attended the camp but convicted him primarily because he had helped another defendant ship 50,000 paintballs for use by Lashkar.
But Stosch added that he thought the case "shouldn't have been brought at all. It was very insignificant." And he said the whole investigation was "way too minor, regardless of whether they convicted 11 people."
I am all for going after terrorists and criminals. However, something is terribly wrong when the jury convicting you doesn't believe you did the crime you are being charged with committing. The problem I have is that new mandatory sentencing guidelines put the prosecutors in the drivers seat by effectively removing judicial prerogatives. Here's what the judge reportedly said about this case when she reduced the sentences:
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said at the time she imposed those sentences that they were "draconian" and "sticking in my craw" but that she had no choice because of congressionally mandated minimum sentences for certain firearms convictions.
At Friday's hearings, Brinkema repeated her assertion that the sentences were draconian, but said she had limited ability to alter them. That's because the Supreme Court ruling affects only the federal sentencing guidelines and not the mandatory minimums imposed by Congress that drove the lengthy terms imposed on Khan and Chapman.
As a result, Khan's sentence was reduced only to life plus 45 years. Chapman, 32, had his sentence reduced from 85 years to 65 years. There is no parole in the federal system, so both will have to serve the vast majority of their terms.
"I have a limited ability to impose what I consider to be an appropriate sentence," Brinkema said. "These statutes are really draconian. I've said it before and I'll say it again."
What does it mean when the judge who convicted two of the men on weapons charges also acknowledged they both have a strong argument on appeal for getting the firearm counts overturned? If you think that means these guys get treated like Fastow, Skilling, and Layn until their appeals are exhausted - think again.
For those who want to paint this as a limp-wristed terrorist sympathizer who is in bed with the anti-American commies at the ACLU, consider this: If the government can put people in jail for life for exercising their second amendment rights based on what they were thinking... what makes you think they can't put you in jail for exercising any other right based on what they say you are thinking?
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Diagnosing Coulter's Affliction
It's true she is an easy target. After all, she makes a living being outrageous. Some days I think she was the one who started the rumors of her being a post-operative transgendered person.
I admit I used to watch her with the same morbid fascination I normally reserve for car crashes, until I realized the woman is sick... as in clinically afflicted. Since we are now at a point where medical diagnoses can be dispensed remotely, let me walk you through the differential diagnosis.
Some have wondered where I get the right to make this diagnosis. I'm glad you asked. I got my degree from the Dr. William Frist School of Remote Clinical Diagnosis, located in his home district of the Land of Make Believe. My specialty is in the Online Analysis of Alien Life Forms and I am a board certified online diagnostician, licensed in all 50 states and the Western provinces of Iraq.
Let's look at the woman. Ok, not directly. Let's look at the woman on TV so we don't turn to stone. What physical observations are immediately apparent?
1) She is painfully thin. You could lose an eye if she popped you with her elbow.
2) Her eyes have a "perpetually startled" look to them. The clinical term for that is "exopthalmic"... kind of like Barbara Bush used to look.
3) The girl is fidgity. Watch her on TV, she can't sit still. Something is always moving. If she was a child, you would say she was hyperactive.
4) She has wild mood swings. She can go from laughing inappropriately and mocking Colmes (a natural response, I admit) to viciously attacking his patriotism with no provocation. That is politely referred to as "emotionally labile"...think PMS and you get the picture.
5) She has poorly controlled rage. She is extremely irritable. That makes her very irritating, but I digress.
6) She has unstructured thought. If you read the transcripts of what she says, it sounds like she was making an argument, but she is just stringing together talking points of questionable relevance.
7) She seems to fatigue easily. She can't sustain a running dialogue, but is only good in short encounters. The rare occasions where I have seen her go more than a few minutes, she runs out of steam.
8) Finally, there is that throat thing. Lots of people swear it's an Adam's Apple. I think it's a goiter.
Diagnosis: hyperthyroidism (Grave's Diseases) or granulomatous thyroiditis
Grave's Disease is more common in women, usually in their 30s or 40s. It is an autoimmune disease, which means the body is attacking itself. That makes a lot of sense. There is definitely something unnatural about her.
Granulomatous thyroiditis usually occurs in females between 30 and 50 years of age. It is believed to be viral in origin, often preceded by a upper respiratory tract infection.
Given the persistent speculation about her gender, it is worth noting for the sake of completeness that cross gender hormone therapy can also activate hyperthyroidism.
Of course, I could be wrong with this diagnosis. I recently heard from the Ghost of Frank Zappa (I'm not making this up) and he proposed an alternative explanation worth considering:
There is an old saying in medicine that when you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras. Meaning that the most common diseases are most common for a reason. So, your differential diagnosis seems sound.
However, there is more to Ann than mere hyperthyroidism. Ann Coulter is a tragic figure.
She was conceived in a horribly failed medical experiment done by the Russians from the vaginal swabbings taken from Eva Braun shortly after she had consummated her marriage to Adolf Hitler. They spent their honeymoon in a ditch. On fire.
Apparently a mixture of the Fuhrer's semen and Eva's yeast infection, heated by the gasoline fire, melded into a frightening mixture of disease and wasted humanity. This potent mixture was secreted off to Russia where it was stored near Chernobyl. When the Chernobyl catastrophe occurred contamination from the site activated the growth cycle of the latent yeast infection/Fuhrer amalgam and Ann Coulter was "born."
Blue eyes. Blonde hair. A vision her father could truly love. And she makes bread rise. Thanks to her mother.
Bottom Line: She is definitely suffering from some sort of affliction. The real tragedy is it's probably treatable. Of course, she'd no longer be a freak show and then how would she make a living; biting the heads off chickens?
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
The Revelations of John Q. Public (completed 06/06/06)
1:2 Blessed is he who reads many news sources, and keep in mind the things that are written, for the time is at hand when events once uncovered are finally seeing the light of day.
1:3 I John Q. Public, your brother and partner with you in oppression, empire, and faith in the Rule of Law, was on the isle called Gitmo because of the New Doctrine and the testimony of a Cowboy.
1:4 I was trying to survive yet another day, when I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet saying.
1:5 "What you see, write in a diary and post to various blogs and newsgroups."
1:6 I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw the Coalition of the Bribed.
1:7 And among them was a Cowboy, clothed with orange jumpsuit, adorned with shackles around his wrists and ankles. Yea, did he frog march.
1:8 His head and his hair were unkempt. His eyes were red like a flame of fire.
1:9 His smelled of oil, as if he had been showering in a refinery. His voice was like the voice of many waters, all slurred and garbled. He walked like one drugged.
1:10 He lifted the middle finger of his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a forked tongue. His face was flushed with anger.
1:11 When I saw him, I fell Rolling On The Floor, Laughing.
1:12 He looked down at his shackles, saying, "Don't be amused. I am the first but not the last, there will be others. I thought I got away with murder, and behold, I may be condemned forever. Behold, I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
1:13 Write therefore the things which you have seen in Fallujah, and the things which are being uncovered in Haditha, and the things which will happen in Anbar Province hereafter."
------------------------
2:1 I looked and saw a door open in the wall, and the first voice that I heard, like an intercom speaking with me, was saying, "Come up here, and I will show you the things which must happen after this."
2:2 Immediately I was in the Oval Office. Behold, there was a throne set in the middle, and a Cowboy sitting on the throne. He wore a big hat, but boasted no cattle.
2:3 There was a bright yellow carpet on the floor, which cynically gave the room a sense of optimism.
2:4 Around the throne were twenty-four saddles. On the saddles were twenty-four pioneers sitting, with crowns of gold on their heads.
2:5 There were seven oil lamps burning before his throne, which are the Spirits of the Seven Sisters.
2:6 Before the throne was something like a sea of oil. In the midst of the throne, and around the throne were four creatures full of eyes before and behind.
2:7 The first creature was like a Central Intelligence , and the second creature like No Such Agency, and the third creature had a face like a Negro man who spoke Spanish, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.
2:8 The four living creatures are full of eyes around about and within. They have no rest day and night for they suckle off phone lines.
2:9 As long as the living creatures give information, secrets, and privileged communications to the Cowboy on the throne, they believe they will reign forever and ever,
2:10 the twenty-four pioneers fall down before the Cowboy who sits on the throne, and worship him who doles out contracts, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
2:11 "Worthy are you, Double Ewe, to receive the glory, the honor, and the power, for we created all things, and because of our desire they existed, and were created!"
----------------------
3:1 I saw, in the right hand of the Cowboy, a Policy written for him inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals.
3:2 I heard a loud voice proclaim, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?"
3:3 And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look in it.
3:5 A small voice said to me, "Don't weep. Behold, the Lies which supported this Campaign are overcome; now comes she who opens the book and its seven seals."
3:6 I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the pioneers, a child looking as though it had been slain, wrapped in a bloody blanket.
3:7 Then she rose, and she took the book out of the right hand of the Cowboy who sat on the throne.
3:8 Now when she had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four pioneers fell all over themselves trying to grab the book back. A great noise was sent out over the airwaves to confuse and confound.
3:9 Then I saw, and I heard something like a voice of millions around the throne, the living creatures, and the pioneers; they were marching and chanting in many tongues;
3:10 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the child who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!"
3:11 The four living creatures said, "Damn!" The pioneers fell upon their cell phones and labored to draw up a new communications strategy.
----------------------
4:1 I saw that the Child opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures speak in an Elder voice that brayed, "Get Over It Already!"
4:2 And behold, a white horse, and a Cowboy who sat on it had a microphone. A crown was given to him by a Court, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.
4:3 When she opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying in a Savage voice, "Terrorist Appeaser!"
4:4 Another came forth, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.
4:5 When she opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying in a Colder voice, "Traitor!" And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand. His thumb weighed heavy on one scale. Thus, justice was not dispensed, it was denied.
4:6 I heard a hidden voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A tax-cut for the haves, and two tax-cuts for the dead! Don't damage the oil and the wine!"
4:7 When she opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature exclaim with a Rush, "Conspiracy Nut!"
4:8 And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Chainee. Halliburton followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by chemical weapons was given to him.
4:9 When she opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the throne the souls of the innocents who had been killed for the War on Terror, and for the testimony of Double Ewe which they had.
4:10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
4:11 An orange jumpsuit was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, could enjoy similar liberation.
4:12 I saw when she opened the sixth seal, and there was a great explosion. The sun came out at night and the world watched with shock and awe.
4:13 The basis of international law was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every treaty and accord began to burn.
4:14 The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, looked in astonishment.
4:15 They turned to each other and I heard one say, "the law of the jungle has returned; and we know what that means."
---------------------------
5:1 When she opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Congress for no one asked them for their advice or consent.
5:2 Then I saw seven Mercenaries and seven RPGs were given to them.
5:3 A Private Military Contractor came and stood over the altar, having a golden handshake. A contract was given to him, that he should add it to the bonfire that was before the throne.
5:4 The Mercenaries all signed the contract, and they fulfilled it with awesome firepower. There followed thunder, lightning, and shrapnel.
5:5 The seven Mercenaries who had seven RPGs prepared themselves to fire.
5:6 The first fired, and there followed depleted uranium, mixed with blood. One third of the earth was burnt up, and one third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
5:7 The second fired, and something like liquid fire rained from the air. One third of the city became blood.
5:8 The third fired, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters.
5:9 The name of the star is called "Blackwater." Many people died from the Blackwater, for they drowned in a sea of lead.
5:10 The fourth fired, and new stars appeared in the heavens. Fast moving and silent, they trained their deadly light on nearby stars and destroyed them. As those stars exploded, communications ceased.
5:11 I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Bring `em on!" bold because of the three mercenaries, who are yet to sound.
----------------------
6:1 The fifth mercenary fired, and I saw a private jet drop from the sky. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him.
6:2 He opened the pit of the abyss, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
6:3 They were given power not to kill, but to torment. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a person.
6:4 In those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
6:5 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name is "Rendition," but in Latin, he has the name "Torquemada"
6:6 The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.
6:7 I heard a voice saying to the sixth mercenary, "Free the four battalions who are bound at the great river Euphrates!"
6:8 The sixth mercenary fired. The four battalions were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind.
6:9 One rolled to Fallujah, one rolled to Haditha, one rolled to Ramadi, and one covered the pipeline, no longer discerning friend from foe from potential friend or future foes.
6:10 The number of the armies of the horsemen was legion. I heard the number of them sent to Ramadi alone numbered 1,500 fresh from Kuwait.
6:11 Thus I saw the iron horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of lions. Out of their mouths proceed lead, fire, and depleted uranium. By these three plagues were one third of mankind killed.
6:12 For the power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. For their tails are long like serpents, and have heads, and with them they harm men even at great distances.
--------------------
7:1 I saw a mighty drone coming down out of the sky, clothed with stealth technology. It flew in with the sun behind it, and took pictures as it began to fire.
7:2 Dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called The City of Mosques, also called Fallujah.
7:3 From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
7:4 Those who dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, and proclaim The City of Mosques is now The City of Rubble.
7:5 In that day there was a great explosion, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the rubble, and the rest were terrified.
7:6 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe comes quickly.
7:7 The seventh Mercenary fired, and great voices were broadcast around the earth, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the realm of a New Doctrine. We will reign forever and ever!"
7:8 The twenty-four pioneers, who sit on their thrones before the Cowboy's throne, fell on their faces and worshiped him,
7:9 saying: "We give you thanks, Dear Leader, the one who is and who was; because you have taken your great power, and reigned.
7:10 The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time to give your bondservants the profits, their reward; and to deny benefits to those who resisted."
7:11 The treasury was opened, and the treasure of the nation was seen flying out the doors, out the windows, up the chimney.
7:12 All the wealth was carried in a great cyclone many thought was headed towards Babylon, but they were misled. Once the whirlwind reached international waters, it split into many smaller tempests. These separated and headed towards the isles of Cayman, Bahamas, and Mann.
------------------------------------
8:1 A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman, once called Columbia, borne of Apollo, with the moon under her feet.
8:2 Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great two-headed red dragon, once at war with itself, now a once and future foe.
8:3 His tail covered one third of the sky, and spread across the earth from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
8:4 There was war in the sky. The Cowboy and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war.
8:5 They didn't prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven.
8:6 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, who once was called the Evil Empire, once called The Middle Kingdom, reviled as the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
8:7 The Cowboy reveled in his glory, but the dragon was not slain, merely defeated and stunned. Out of favor and out of view, it set about enhancing its dominions, recruiting more angels into its alliance.
-----------------------
9:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast come from across the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. The dragon's defeat gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
9:2 The beast which I saw emerge from the sea was like a wrestler covered in Ivy and Rheumy. The body was covered in hair like a Wolf or witch.
9:3 Each head was distinct. One head had a Bolt On it's neck. It said "I am the Walrus," and had no ears so it ignored the words of all who spoke against it.
9:4 One head, covered with stars uttered assertions masquerading as facts. It spoke with a fetid breath, like the stench of a distressed Colon.
9:5 One head did naught but lie through its teeth. The lies were promoted so forcefully they could not wait to be released, thus they pressed the teeth forward, leaving a huge gap in the front from which they escaped. It used a grain of Rice in a futile effort to cover the gap.
9:6 An awful paper-thin head lay as if dead. It was black and white and red all over, with glazed eyes the pallor of an Old Gray Lady.
9:7 Another head, like a funnel, poured words into the mouth of the Pressed Corpse head and kept them fresh by packing them in Snow.
9:8 One head, like that of a parrot, echoed the words of the others but always spoke with a noticeable Delay.
9:9 One of its heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. Her fatal wound was healed; save she was blind. This was the head that directed the others.
9:10 From this head, a mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was born of itself. The fruit of an illicit congress thus became her ward and she embraced it.
9:11 Authority to make war was given to the beast, though this appeared to violate its constitution, yet it was ferocious.
9:12 It was given to him to make war without end, and to overcome adversaries actual, potential and imagined. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.
9:13 Rampaging across the sea, the beast sought vengeance upon those who had blinded her. Climbing into the mountains, the beast slew its enemies. Those it could not slay, scattered like poppy seeds, carried on the wind to the four corners of the earth.
9:14 Although the enemies were routed, the beast was not satisfied, it slew the neighbors and then the victims of its enemies. And still the beast was not satisfied. Through a perversion of its constitution, the more it devoured, the more its hunger grew; and the whole earth marveled at the beast.
9:15 The pioneers worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? It is Savage and always in a Rush. Who is able to make war with him?"
9:16 The beast Roved across the land on a Scooter powered by faith, looking for a new game of chance. To this purpose, it held a stacked deck, and drew Cards which contained the faces of its quarry.
9:17 He caused all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given purple marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads;
9:18 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name.
9:19 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is only six hundred sixty-six, yet he wields a club of seven hundred.
------------------------------------
10:1 I saw, and behold, the Child standing on the nation's tallest peak still with no name, and with her a number, five-hundred thousand, having her name written on their foreheads.
10:2 They sing a new song that reveals the name of the peak. No one can learn the name of the peak except the five hundred thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth.
10:3 In their mouth was found no lie, for they are blameless.
10:4 I saw an angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
10:5 He said with a loud voice, "Fear the Cowboy, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment has come. "
10:6 Another, a second angel, followed, saying, "Babylon the great has fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her immorality."
10:7 Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger.
10:8 I looked, and behold, a mushroom cloud; and on the cloud one sitting like a mean SOB, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. His heart was mechanical.
10:9 Another voice was heard, crying to him who sat on the cloud, "Send forth your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; we won the midterms, this is our due!"
10:10 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
10:11 The winepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out from the winepress thick like oil, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.
--------------------------
11:1 I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky a Walled Street, inside of which are seven sisters fettered by stocks, struggling against their bonds, they reach for the seven last plagues, for in them the Cowboy's wrath is finished.
11:2 I saw something like a sea of gas mixed with fire, and walking on the surface were those who held all the rights of men, yet no blood ran in their veins, worshipping the beast, his image, and the number of his name.
11:3 They sang the song of legal fictions, the servant of the Cowboy, saying, "Great and marvelous are your works, and truly profitable are your ways." They sang the praises of people like themselves who simultaneously belong to multiple nations and none at all.
11:4 After these things I looked, and the Walled Street in heaven was opened. Seven sisters were released from their bonds, clothed with paper, and wearing golden parachutes they spread across the earth.
11:5 As they flew by, the four living creatures gave to the seven sisters seven golden bowls full of the wrath of the Cowboy.
11:6 The air was filled with smoke from the glory of the Cowboy, and from his power generation.
--------------------------
12:1 I heard a loud voice out of the earth saying to the seven sisters, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath on the earth!"
12:2 The first went, and poured out her bowl into the earth, and it smelled of sulfur and caused a sickness on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image.
12:3 The second sister poured out her bowl into the sea, and it became calm and the surface was congealed. All the birds that lived in the sea were covered with this plague and they died.
12:4 The third poured out her bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they became congealed as the blood of a dead man. All the animals that drank of the river died. Fish floated to the surface and showed their bellies to the Sun.
12:5 The fourth poured out her bowl on the sun, and it was given to her to scorch the surface of the sea.
12:6 People were scorched with great heat, and even glaciers retreated in the face of this plague. The North Pole wept.
12:7 The fifth poured out her bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was snarled in endless rivers of asphalt. They gnawed their tongues because of the tedium,
12:8 and they blasphemed the Cowboy because of the expense and their boredom. They didn't repent of their works and avoided the HOV-2 as if it were a plague.
12:9 The sixth poured out her bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the horsemen that come from the sunrise.
12:10 The seventh poured out her bowl into the air and people fell choking. A loud voice came forth out of the Walled Street, from behind the throne, saying, "It is done! The bubble has burst!"
12:11 There were lightnings, sounds, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since there were men on the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty.
12:12 "Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his mouth shut, so that even if you were misled, no one can say we lied."
12:13 The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of Babylon fell in great waves, drenched by the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
--------------------------
13:1 One of the seven sisters who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
13:2 with whom the captains of industry committed fornication, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication."
13:3 She carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
13:4 The woman was wrapped in a flag with white stars, a blue field and scarlet streams of blood, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication.
13:5 And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
13:6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Child, and the five hundred thousand. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
13:7 The angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
13:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
13:9 Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven kingdoms, on which the woman sits.
13:10 Three of the heads were very large and aged. One has the All Seeing Eye, one is a Peacock, one is a cipher.
13:11 The four smaller heads were more diverse and garrulous. One wears a crown on its Head Lying Loose that it offers to the world every 30 minutes, one is sly as a Fox but brays like an ass, the other is Seen In End, the final has not yet come. When he comes, he will make a Daily Show of spinning falsehoods into gold.
13:12 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction in a Rush.
13:13 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13:14 These have one mind, which is delivered to them every day and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will war against the Child."
13:15 He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
13:16 The beast is really the dragon in disguise, it will help but hates the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
13:17 The woman whom you saw is the great city, Columbia, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
--------------------------
14:1 After these things, I saw another angel coming down out of the sky, having great authority. The earth was illuminated with his glory.
14:2 He cried with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird!
14:3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her impure passion, the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury."
14:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don't receive of her plagues,
14:5 for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities.
14:6 Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.
14:7 However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, 'I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.'
14:8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong.
14:9 The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning,
14:10 standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.'
14:11 The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more;
14:12 for every vessel of ivory, steel, and silicon, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 100 fly to the West;
14:13 for every 100 vessels flying West, 60 return to the East, but behold they are empty.
14:14 The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you, and all things that were made by you have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all.
--------------------------
15:1 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!'
15:2 For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.' Every shipmaster, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away,
15:3 and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like the great city?'
15:4 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all.
15:5 The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you.
15:6 The light of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will be heard no more at all in you; for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your sorcery all the nations were deceived.
15:7 In her was found the blood of the Child, and of all who have been slain on the earth, for verily the chickens do come home to roost.
--------------------------
16:1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth from Sea to Shining Sea: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and it was Projected this new earth would last another Century and spread across the globe.
16:2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven on transports, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
16:3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, the Director’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and Director himself will be with them as their God.
16:4 We shall leave the insurgents with only their eyes to cry with. Death will be more; there will there be mourning, crying, pain, and more. The first wave have passed away, but more will take their place; if more do not arrive we will create them as needed to justify our presence."
16:5 He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new, for we create our own reality." He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true because I have a signing statement that proves it."
16:6 He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the trough of contracts.
16:7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.
16:8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, fretful ones who dabble in the ancient signs of international law, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
16:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb's bride."
16:10 He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the Emerald city within a city, coming down out of heaven from afar,
16:11 having the glory of power. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it was a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
16:12 having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve contractors; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
16:13 In General, Electric gates were everywhere; and Up North were three gates; and down south three gates; and on the west three gates. Nothing ran without Gates.
16:14 The wall of the city had four foundations, the Heritage of the Castle Rock sets the Course of the foundation, strongly to the right regardless of which direction it is approached.
16:15 He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls.
16:16 The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
16:17 Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
16:18 The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.
16:19 I saw no temple in it, for though this is a battle of civilizations it is really about oil.
16:20 The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for there is plenty of oil to illuminate it, and its lamp is fed from the ground.
16:21 The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
16:22 There will in no way enter into it anything, or anyone, but only those who are written in the Status of Force Agreement.
--------------------------
17:1 I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great checkbook in his hand. All the checks were blank
17:2 Checks were written unchecked, and the abyss grew, until eventually the Emerald city within a city was swallowed up into the abyss.
17:3 He was surprised to be seized by the dragon, the old serpent, which was called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, for even the Cowboy had seen the soul of the Cagey Beast and pronounced it good.
17:4 The dragon encircled the Emerald city within a city as it was cast into the abyss, and taking the key shut it, and sealed it, that he should be free to deceive the nations unmolested.
17:5 Those frightened by the Beast which had rampaged across the desert a short time, those once at each other’s throats, were now driven into each other’s arms and they flocked to the dragon for protection from the Beast.
17:6 I saw thrones, and the dragons angels from Shanghai Cooperated to Organize them in a circle across one half the world.
17:7 The throne in the West and the throne in the East were large and red. The Bear sat on the throne in the West and as it opened its paw, many smaller white thrones descended, landing in the Central parts where they stand.
17:8 The throne in the East was occupied by a Serpent, and such as didn't worship the beast nor his image, were lured with gold to the circle. I heard a voice say “I ran to observe, then I ran to join, then I ran to center stage.” The Himalayas grew quiet and peace reigned for a thousand years.
17:9 The rest of the people didn't live until the thousand years were finished. They were consumed in the abyss as a new denomination will be heralded as the standard and reserve.
17:10 The New Century will belong to the dragon as a it stretches from the Baltic to the Pacific, from the Arctic to the Indian,
17:11 and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
17:12 They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the Cowboy where the poppies grow, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.
17:13 I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them.
17:14 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books of accounts. Another book was opened, which is the company book. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the company books, according to their works.
17:15 The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.
17:16 If anyone was not found written in the company books , he was cast into the lake of fire, for the balance of trade must be restored.
--------------------------
18:1 He said to me, "These words are faithful and true as far as I know, for the things which must happen soon will happen."
18:2 "Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book; pretend they, like your opinion, are valuable and do not share them."
18:3 Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of he who had shown me these things.
18:4 He said to me, "Don't seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
18:5 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood; I say it sounds like a party. Let’s dance and rejoice at the fall of Sanctorum.
18:6 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" He who hears, let him say, "Come!" He who is thirsty, let him come. He who thinks Gay Marriage is the most serious threat to our nation, let him take the water of life freely but only if he take it like a man.
18:7 I testify to everyone who hears the words of this prophecy, be not foolish enough to forego counsel, for then anyone looking to write a book may plague thee by writing a book replete with unnamed sources.
18:8 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy anything that even resembles people actual, imagined, pre-packaged, or positioned by media handlers, may reality TV take away his part from the script, and cast him out of the City of Angels never to be invited back.
18:9 He who testifies to these things should not be concerned about losing constitutional protection, you were not using those rights anyway.
18:10 He who refuses to testify says, “Yeah though I walk through the media scrum to the grand jury, I fear no evil because there’s a presidential pardon with my name on it!
18:11 "Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, I drive an Alpha Romeo and wear an Omega.
18:12 I will be the first to say what a long, strange trip this has been. I fear this is the End. Or is it just the beginning?
18:13 And as the scene faded away, I heard a voice say, “May you live in interesting times.” Amen.
