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As I conclude writing this new series, a new day dawns in the United States of America; not only in a physical sense -- it is just after 12:00 PM November the 5th, on the East Coast of the USA -- but in a political sense as well -- the eight-year long mantle of the Republican Party has just been cast to the ground by a disenfranchised American public. Laying claim to a strong mandate, Barack Hussein Obama has just been chosen as the 44th president, and as the very first Black president, of that nation, in an electoral vote landslide of 349 to 147, with three states, North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri, yet to be decided.

My hope was to try to complete this series several days ago, so that the counsel which I have written herein might have a more direct effect on the outcome of the election. However, it appears that I started writing it a little too late, and I became more involved in the details than I had originally anticipated. Be that as it may, it is my hope that whether you voted or not, you will still take the time to read this series; and that upon doing this, it will motivate you to reflect upon the decisions that you may have made on this most historic American election day. If you happen to be a citizen of another country, and are observing the American election campaign from afar, then I hope that you too will derive some benefit from reading the following series.

As some of my regular readers will already be aware, I am neither a Republican, nor a Democrat, nor an Independent. I did not support Senator Barack Obama or Senator John McCain, in the current presidential campaign. As I point out in my article "The Heavenly Vision: Have You Got It?", I have for many years now viewed myself first and foremost as a citizen of God's Kingdom; and my allegiance is to that Kingdom; and I will only promote that Kingdom. I won't support, promote, or vote in any political system invented by man, because it is my personal belief that every single one of said systems is corrupt, imperfect, inefficient, and ultimately doomed to failure. In fact, as I've explained a number of times before in several of my articles, the Bible plainly tells us that all of the governments of the world will someday be replaced by a literal Kingdom of God on Earth, ruled by none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Rock from Heaven, as we see in these example verses:

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth . . . And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."


"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel."


"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."


"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."


“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."


"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."


For more on the topic of the coming literal Kingdom of God, please refer to articles such as "From Armageddon To The New Earth".

Now, to those of you who may get the impression that I am a Jehovah's Witness because I do not participate in the voting system, let me state plainly that I am in no way associated with that organization whatsoever. While I concur with some of their doctrines, they have certain beliefs with which I am in strong disagreement. As sincere as their members may be, it is my personal view that they are deceived by their leaders, and their interpretation of the Bible regarding some issues. There are plenty of websites which are devoted to exposing the errors behind the doctrines of the Jehovah Witnesses, if you wish to avail yourself of them. I won't be doing that here, as that is not the focus of this current series.

Just as I am not affiliated with any particular political party or organization, neither am I associated with any Christian church or religious organization. In short, no one is pulling my strings, and I am not pushing anyone's agenda. For over twenty years now, I have been a totally independent, free-thinking Christian evangelist, and nothing more. All of my views are derived from my years of personal Bible study, and my understanding of God's Word. I am not a prophet, or a faith healer, or anything of the like. I am just one man who is trying to understand God's Word, just like everyone else. And yes, I am fallible. I don't claim to know it all, or to understand it all, and you will never ever hear me say "Thus saith the Lord" like so many modern-day "wannabe prophets", some of whom are eventually exposed for the lying frauds and deceivers that they are.

But returning to the fallibility of human political systems, whether it's communism, capitalism, socialism, dictatorship, or any other form of human government, as I've already said, it's doomed to eventual failure, because it's the creation of mortal, imperfect men. Power and popularity is an extremely lethal mixture; and no matter how honest, upright and fair a politician may try to be, far and in between is the man, or woman, who will not yield to, and be corrupted by them. This is clearly evident by the political scandals which fill the mass media on a regular basis. Some politicians become so powerful, that they fool themselves into thinking that they can get away with anything, and that no one will ever find out. They become deceived into thinking that they are above the law. A lot of them do get away with it, but a few are eventually caught.

No matter how true to their causes and promises a politician may try to be, eventually, many of them reach a point where what becomes most important to them, is not what is right and beneficial for the people who elected them, but rather what is necessary in order for them to remain in office. In other words, they become career politicians; and holding on to their position of power becomes their primary focus; and that is where political compromise, in the form of unethical practices and questionable deals, begins to occur.

As far as I am concerned, Barack Obama and John McCain are no different than the thousands of other politicians that we have seen come and go over the years. They will both smooth talk the masses, and say whatever needs to be said in order to get elected, and they will both ultimately fail to fully keep their word, if elected to the office of the President of the United States of America. This has always been the way of fast-talking politicians. They will say one thing in order to get your vote, and then they will go back on their word, and do something entirely different once they have been elected. In short, they use people, they use you, and they use Christians.

My view is that in this election, as in previous elections, there is no real choice for true Bible-believing Christians. To vote for either candidate, Obama or McCain, will cause us to compromise our Bible-based beliefs in one way or another. Contrary to the belief that is held by some Christians, and which was evident during the previous presidential campaign, there is really no such thing as voting for the lesser of two evils. During the last election cycle, some Christians convinced themselves that voting for George W. Bush was the lesser of two evils. They didn't particularly care for Bush, especially after the lies and deception behind the illegal Iraq invasion began to be exposed; nevertheless, they took the position that anything would be better than electing a person like John Kerry. I wonder if they still feel that way, considering the state of the United States, and the state of the world, today.

Neither of the two current presidential candidates, Obama or McCain, has an agenda which we Christians can or even should fully support. You need to realize that if you decide to vote for a particular candidate simply because they agree with you on a few key issues which are important to us Christians, and they win the election, that means that you've also given them the power, and the freedom, to carry out policies with which you may not agree. Please think about that for a minute.

As I mentioned a moment ago, a primary example of this can be seen in the victories of George W. Bush during the last eight years. Mr. Bush won two elections by carrying the Christian voting bloc. He couldn't have won without the support of the Christian Right. Many of you reading this voted for Mr. Bush because of his stance regarding abortion, embryonic stem cell research and the gay and lesbian agenda; but look at what the man has done to the USA over the past eight years. If there is one thing that can be learned from this, it is that being right about a few key issues does not a good president make.

As I recently told our mailing list members, I really pity the man who becomes the next president, whether it is Obama or McCain, because George W. Bush has left the USA in such a terrible mess. I think Obama and McCain are both crazy for even wanting the job. The next leader of the USA is going to have so many problems to deal with, which were created by, or which came to a head during, the Bush Administration, that I don't see how he will be able to be an effective president. I imagine this picture of the next president just struggling to the surface, gasping for a gulp of fresh air. If Obama wins, as current political speculations are waging, I am sure that the Republican Party will enjoy watching him struggle. But, on the other hand, if John McCain "miraculously" wins on the 4th of November, the Republican Party won't have anyone but itself to blame, as McCain tries to pull the USA out of its current downward spiral.

Exactly what has the Bush Administration given us? Consider the following, and tell me if these are truly the actions of a God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christian leader and nation. The following, my friends, is the Bush legacy:

The United States is currently engaged in two prolonged wars in which many innocent civilians have lost their lives. We often hear about the 4,000+ American soldiers who have died in Iraq; and we are often reminded of the 3,000+ people who lost their lives during 9/11, (as if this unrelated event somehow justifies the invasion of Iraq); but how often does anyone mention the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, as well as Afghanis, who have died as a result of American bombing campaigns, or who have been horribly maimed, or who have lost their homes, or who have died from starvation, or who have died due to a lack of medical attention, or who have lost their jobs, as a result of American war efforts?

Iraq's economy, infrastructure, political body and social structure were obliterated during the opening phase of the war. Is it any wonder then that some Muslims and Arabs hate America so much, that they are willing to give their lives in exchange for killing a few Americans? I am by no means condoning these terrible acts of violence, but you do need to understand what motivates these people. Under President Bush, American forces invaded Iraq, convincing the Iraqis that they were bringing them democracy and freedom from the brutal years of Saddam Hussein's rule. Yes, Saddam Hussein is now gone, but the Iraqis have endured over five years of foreign occupation since then, and their nation has still not recovered from America's initial onslaught. As bad as the situation was under Saddam's rule, it is even worse now. The level of violence is much higher, and the country may yet still be torn apart by civil war.

The Bush Administration, and their propaganda machine, the mass media, in their vain effort to maintain support for the Iraq War, are ever so faithful to constantly remind us about those violent, crazy Muslim extremists and suicide bombers, but as Bible-believing, peace-loving Christians, we need to stop and ask ourselves: What makes America's wars any more justified in the eyes of God? War is war, and war is hell on Earth, regardless of what religion happens to be behind it; and according to Jesus' teachings, war is wrong. Consider these sample verses:

"Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."


"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."


I am reminded of a scene from the American television movie, "Jesus", starring Jeremy Sisto. In one part, the Devil shows Jesus a scene where the so-called "Christian Crusaders" are engaging in battle. As they do so, you can hear them say "In the name of Christ!". The Iraq War, and any other war, is no more befitting a so-called Christian nation like the United States, than the Crusades were befitting the Christians of that time period. War, especially the destructive wars which are begun and fought by the United States, is the epitome of Christian hypocrisy, and totally contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as can be seen by the previous verses. What makes the Iraq War even worse in my view, is the fact that it was thrust upon the American people through outright lying and deception. There were no WMD. Again I ask: Are these the actions of a truly Christian president?

Consider some of the other points which have characterized the Bush Administration:

George W. Bush purposely, and secretly, condoned the setting up of foreign interrogation and torture camps that are beyond the reach of American law. Bush did this because he knew that he couldn't get away with doing it on American soil. This policy is known as "extraordinary rendition". Investigate it.

George W. Bush has illegally spied on American citizens for years through wire-tapping, through email sniffing programs such as Carnivore, and by other methods. Through fear and paranoia, he has used 9/11, the Patriot Act, and other bills and executive orders, to trample upon the rights of American citizens with impunity. By his very actions, he appears to consider himself above the law.

While the U.S. Government condemns other nations for their interest in acquiring nuclear weapons, and actively works to prevent other nations from acquiring nuclear technology, (as is evident from the highly-publicized news concerning North Korea and Iran), as has been reported in the American news media since 2007, the U.S. Government currently has plans to build a new nuclear warhead. The design of this new nuclear warhead has been awarded to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which may draw upon work done by its competitor, Los Alamos Laboratory, in the state of New Mexico.

Taking into consideration the fact that plutonium pits have a life span of at least eighty-five years or more, we should all question why a new nuclear warhead is even necessary. Of course, it is rather obvious that other nuclear powers, such as Russia and China, are not just going to stand idly by as America upgrades its nuclear capabilities. Thus, we may now be seeing the beginning of a new nuclear arms race, due to the belligerent attitude of the Bush Administration.

Let us also not forget that this is the same country that dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in over 330,000 deaths and injuries in less than a week's time, most of them being civilians. As is common knowledge, the U.S.A. is the possessor of one of the largest nuclear stockpiles in the entire world. Due to the obvious secrecy maintained by the government, the exact number of nuclear warheads possessed by the American Government is unknown; however, the Wikipedia website states the following:

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The exact number of nuclear weapons possessed by the United States is difficult to determine. Different treaties and organizations have different criteria for reporting nuclear weapons, especially those held in reserve, and those being dismantled or rebuilt:

* As of 1999, the U.S. was said to have 12,000 nuclear weapons of all types stockpiled.

* In its Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) declaration for 2003, the U.S. listed 5,968 deployed warheads as defined by START rules.

* For 2007, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists listed the U.S. with about 5,400 total nuclear warheads: around 3,575 strategic and 500 nonstrategic warheads; and about 1,260 additional warheads held in the inactive stockpile. Other warheads are in some step of the disassembly process.

In 2002, the United States and Russia agreed in the SORT treaty to reduce their deployed stockpiles to not more than 2,200 warheads each. In 2003, the US rejected Russian proposals to further reduce both nation's nuclear stockpiles to 1,500 each.

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It is also interesting to note that the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, or CTBT, which bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes, has never been ratified by the Government of the United States of America. According to information found on the Wikipedia website:

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The CTBT has now been signed by 180 states and ratified by 145. On 16 January 2007, Moldova ratified the CTBT, completing the ratification of the treaty by all the states of Europe. India and Pakistan, though not nuclear weapons states as defined by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), did not sign; neither did the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). India and Pakistan conducted back-to-back nuclear tests in 1998, while North Korea withdrew from the NPT in 2003 and tested a nuclear device in 2006. Fifteen other states have not signed. The treaty will enter into force 180 days after the 44 states listed in Annex 2 of the treaty have ratified it. Nine of these have not yet done so, including two nuclear weapon states under the NPT (the United States and the People's Republic of China) as well as all four states outside the NPT (India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea).

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It is interesting to note that much of the resistance to the aforementioned treaties has occurred under George W. Bush. Isn't it being rather hypocritical for Bush to be pointing the finger at North Korea and Iran, when his administration has refused for eight years now, to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty? Equally alarming, and as was widely reported by the American mass media, President Bush publicly stated that he would consider a preemptive strike against another nation. In his June 1, 2002 speech before the cadets of West Point, George W. Bush stated in part:

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We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants, who solemnly sign non-proliferation treaties, and then systemically break them. If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long — Our security will require transforming the military you will lead — a military that must be ready to strike at a moment's notice in any dark corner of the world. And our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives.

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In later speeches, George W. Bush further expanded upon his so-called "Bush Doctrine", by declaring that that the United States has the right to act unilaterally in its own security interests, without the approval of international bodies such as the United Nations. In short, George Bush stuck his nose up at the world, which is one of the primary reasons why the United States is now so hated around the world. While he has talked all about respecting the "rule of law", under Bush's leadership, the United States has defied International Law, and international opinion, and declared that it will do as it pleases, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

As a result of "The Bush Doctrine", other nations have since made similar declarations regarding preemptive strikes. In short, George W. Bush has really done nothing to advance the cause of peace around the world. Bush's actions and attitude have only filled the world with more uncertainty, paranoia, and fear. As retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Buzz Patterson sadly stated in 2007, the USA appears to be heading towards another Cold War with Russia, thanks to "The Bush Doctrine".

In a June, 2001 New York Times article, after President Bush had made known his intentions to abandon the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 in order to build his missile shield, then Russian president, Vladimir Putin, (who is now Russian Prime Minister), made the following remarks, which clearly reveal that a new nuclear arms race has in fact already been in progress for the past seven years. Thus, Patterson was in essence speaking after-the-fact:

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"When we hear statements that the programs would go with us or without us, well, we cannot force anyone to do the things we would like them to," he said. "We offer our cooperation. We offer to work jointly. If there is no need that such joint work is needed, well, suit yourself."

However, Mr. Putin added, "we stand ready" to respond to any unilateral American action, even though Russia does not see an immediate threat from a missile shield.

"I am confident that at least for the coming 25 years" American missile defenses "will not cause any substantial damage to the national security of Russia," he said. But he added, "We will reinforce our capability" by "mounting multiple warheads on our missiles" and "that will cost us a meager sum." And so, he said, "the nuclear arsenal of Russia will be augmented multifold."

He said both the Start I and Start II treaties would be negated by an American decision to build missile defenses in violation of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. Such a step would eliminate verification and inspection requirements, he said, reviving an era in which Russia would hide its abilities and intentions.

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While the US Government claims that it is for peace, freedom and democracy, it secretly foments violence, revolution and war in foreign nations, in order to topple governments which are not supportive of America's global objectives. Clinton and Bush have referred to this as "regime change", as if the USA is the policeman of the world and has some "divine right" to do this. Such was the case with the CIA-supported attempt to overthrow President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, (it failed), the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia, the ouster of Saddam Hussein of Iraq, etc., and the Shi'ite mullahs of Iran will probably be next.

In addition to the USA's covert attempts to stir up trouble around the world, it is also an indisputable fact that the U.S. Government earns billions of dollars every single year through the sale and export of weapons of war to foreign governments. Military sales are in fact the most profitable foreign business venture of the American Government. Is this really exporting peace, freedom and democracy? Is this what real Christians do? If you voted for Bush, then you helped to support all of the unscrupulous activities of the Bush Administration.

As I mentioned a moment ago, George W. Bush has snubbed his nose at the rest of the world when it has come to important global issues, whether it is arms control treaties, or other important issues, such as Global Warming. Since George Bush assumed the presidency, his administration has adamantly and repeatedly refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Bush just doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks, and he certainly doesn't care about the environment. Bush's actions over the past eight years clearly reveal that his allegiance belongs to his rich oil, gas and coal friends, and to other leaders of Big Business and the elite clan to which he belongs.

As I have noted a number of times before, as a direct result of Bush's haughty attitude, his blatant war-mongering, and his unilateralist policies, the U.S.A. has become more hated and despised around the world than it has ever been before. Sadly, Mr. Bush continues to push forward his programs and policies through fear, paranoia and intimidation. Just dare to disagree with him and his cohorts, and you'll be branded as being unpatriotic. There is no room for dissent under George W. Bush . . . or is that freedom of speech?

What about social issues? Jesus and the Bible teach us that pure religion, and true Christianity, is to help the needy, to assist the downtrodden, to comfort the afflicted, and to lighten the burden of those who are oppressed. Has George W. Bush met this requirement as the Christian that he claims to be? Sadly, his public record leaves a lot of room for doubt.

During the past eight years of the Bush Administration, the situation has only gotten worse for the poor, for the sick, for the elderly, for working class families, and for young people who are interested in obtaining a higher education. Furthermore, George W. Bush, and the greedy money-mongers who pull his strings, are responsible for the current global economic meltdown which has only made other nations hate the USA all the more. Banking institutions and businesses large and small are failing the world over like a row of dominoes, as their national governments try to prop them up through any means possible. Trillions of dollars have already been pumped into the global economy, in an effort to stabilize it, but will it work? Thus far, the answer has been "No!".

At this moment, hundreds of thousands of American citizens are losing their jobs as the recession deepens, and the U.S. economy shrinks. A lot of people are also being forced out of their homes and off of their farms. Large businesses and small family-run businesses are also being forced to declare bankruptcy. The sick and the elderly are having a difficult time getting their medical needs met. Life savings are just disappearing between people's fingers resulting in great despair. Many students are losing hope of ever being able to attend college. This same scenario is playing out in other parts of the world as well, and economists are saying that we haven't yet seen the bottom of this economic downward spiral. In fact, some of them are now saying that it will be years before the global economy fully recovers, thanks to "good" old American greed.

Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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