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Volume IV - Number(1)
"Watchman,
what of the night?"
"The hour has come, the hour is striking and striking at you,
the hour and the end!" Eze. 7:6 (Moffatt)
COMMENTARY
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"Do You See What I See?"
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EDITORIAL
The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation focus on the workings of "the mystery of iniquity" under various symbols: "the little horn," "the beast," "the woman in scarlet." Paul defines it as "the man of sin" who is energized by the power of Satan. (II Thess. 2:3, 9 ) We have been counseled that "all need wisdom carefully to search out the mystery of iniquity that figures so largely in the winding up of this earth's history." (TM: 118)
In this first issue of the Commentary for 1990, Reid C . Granke traces for us what he sees of the working of that power in the life and politics of the United States and Europe. He will complete what he sees and how he evaluates what he sees in the second issue.
We were taken by surprise by the sudden turn of events in Eastern Europe. Christianity Today, (Feb. 19, 1990, p. 40) quotes a new saying among Eastern European emigres living in the United States that runs something like this - "Poland took seven years to achieve freedom, Hungary took seven months, East Germany took seven weeks, Czechoslovakia took seven days, and Romania took seven hours." But Granke in his article, quoting as his source David A. Yallop, indicates that more than seven years were involved in the "revolution" in Poland. For a considerable time, monies have been flowing through the Vatican Bank to the cardinals in Poland for the aid of Solidarity. Cardinal Wojtyla, now Pope John Paul II, was involved then as now. These monies came from American sources, and stolen monies by the chairman of Banco Ambrosiano in Italy. How these monies were maneuvered from international banks into the Vatican account is also delineated in the documentation. (pp. 4-5)
Through recent propaganda concerning the Sunday Law question coming out of Illinois, the minds of concerned Adventists have been diverted from key comments that Ellen G. White made about the end times and the involvement of the United States and the Papacy. In this zeal without knowledge, the vital principle of "time and place" has been ignored in evaluating statements coming from the pen of Ellen G. White. For example, in 1888, she wrote that "by legislative enactments," a Sunday law, will be enforced, and that this "national apostasy will be followed by national ruin." (R&H, Dec. 18, 1888) However, in 1910, she wrote that "when the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church" an image to the papacy will have been formed and then "there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin." (ST, March 22, 1910) These two statements some twenty years apart are not saying the same thing even though the article in the Signs is discussing the Sunday-Sabbath issue. But who is taking time to discover what happened in those twenty years which altered the picture? To fail to do so leads to a deceptive emphasis on the Sunday Law question.
As early as 1891, Ellen White warned that when "the rulers of the land will rank themselves on the side of the man of sin - it is then the measure of guilt is full; the national apostasy is the signal for national ruin." (GC Bulletin, Vol. 4, #19, p. 259) This was literally fulfilled on October 6, 1979, when the present pope entered the White House and at a reception attended by every branch of the American government, blessed all present with the permission of President Carter. (RNS, Oct. 8, 1979) Brother Granke notes in his viewing how the Catholic Church worked ironically for the election of Carter's successor, Ronald Reagan, and what has resulted. Reagan, in his eight years in the White House, did more to advance the objectives of the Papacy than all prior presidents starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt who appointed a personal ambassador to the Vatican.
In the second installment of his article, Granke will tell of the Catholic church's view of capital punishment. Here in this judicial district of the State of Arkansas, we have had a prime example of this Catholic dogma and its working. On December 28, 1987, one, Ronald Gene Simmons, went on a rampage in Russellville, killing two people. An investigation by the County Law Enforcement Officers at his home near Dover revealed that during the Christmas holidays, he had killed 14 members of his own family, some as they entered the home with their families for the planned festivities. On June 27, 1988, he was sentenced to die by lethal injection. He waived all appeals and asked that he be executed speedily.
At this date, he is still alive and in prison on death row. The sentence has not been carried out. Why? A lawyer from Morrilton, Arkansas, Mark S. Cambiano, intervened on behalf of the Arkansas Churches for Life, a non-profit religious organization opposed to capital punishment. Louis J. Franz, a member of the Vincentian Community, a religious order of the Catholic Church, residing in Star City, Arkansas, sought to become a Court appointed "Friend" of Simmons. In talking to Franz by phone, the priest stated that the Arkansas Churches for Life was "basically" Roman Catholic. The Little Rock Diocese was involved along with his religious order and the Episcopalian (Anglican) Church of Arkansas. This position of the Catholic Church in the light of the "death decree" noted in Revelation is incongruous.
We need to broaden our perceptions and come to realize that there is more involved in the "decrees" and "institutions" of Rome than just a "national" Sunday law. The "image" could be formed before our very eyes, and because of the deceptive use of the Writings by some who disregard "time" and "place" and by their propaganda, we be totally unaware of what has already taken place. It is time to anoint our eyes with eyesalve so that we can see. Reid Granke is trying to help us see what he sees.
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"Do You See What I See?"
Reid C. Granke
There's a Christmas song which asks the question, "Do you see what I see?" It, of course, talks about the first coming of Christ. I find the title to this song interesting because even though Bible prophets such as Isaiah and Daniel foretold with telling accuracy the coming of the long looked for Messiah, only a small handful of people were even aware of His coming when He did come! What's more, the Jewish people did not seem to be particularly concerned! More amazing yet is that of all the people who should have been aware of His coming and welcomed Him were the Jewish clergy, and they didn't! We have things happening in the world today which relate to Bible prophecy concerning Christ's second coming to which virtually everyone seems to be oblivious. Had not certain traumatic incidents occurred in my life, I, too, might not have noticed some of these things happening. We tend to get so wrapped up in our own little worlds that we rarely stick our heads out to see in which direction the currents of life are carrying us.
We live in a world of misinformation. Newspapers, magazines, radio and television are constantly feeding our minds with contradictory and false information. Reasons for presenting misinformation vary from innocent errors to intentional fraud for purposes of monetary, political or religious gain. Unfortunately, the world is full of shysters who are continuously trying to deceive the people for the purposes of exploiting them. Exploitation - that's the name of the game! Big businesses do it shamelessly and even openly. Organized religious entities do it shamelessly also, but attempt to be more discreet and cunning about it so that people are not aware of what is happening. There are many masters of the trade.
My roots are in Adventism reaching back four generations, and I am a former employee of the Adventist Church. I can speak from experience about individual and corporate fraud within the halls of Adventism. My life has been permanently ruined as a result of my working experience with some devious and ruthless people in the Adventist organization. In spite of all the calamity that has come upon me and my family from Adventism, and moreover how hideous the corruption is within the organization, I have to say that the corruption is not just child's play but rather baby's play when compared to the corruption which has been perpetrated by the Vatican throughout all ages and is even continuing today. What amazes me to the point of incredulity is why people in general and Adventist in particular do not realize what the Roman Catholic Church is doing in the world now and has done these past few decades! In this article, I will discuss some of my observations which the reader may or may not have noticed. The observations and views expressed are solely mine and may or may not represent the view of the Adventist Laymen's Foundation.
In this article, I will touch on my observations in point form. While leaving you to draw your own conclusions about my observations. I will not shy away from expressing my conclusions. May the Good Lord be our guide in making accurate and meaningful observations and drawing correct conclusions.
The Vietnam War
In a recent study regarding the reasons the United States involved itself in the fighting in Vietnam, I learned some very interesting things which I believe directly relate to the Roman Catholic Church in its interrelationship with the United States Government. I will first summarize some of my observations and then give the reader my conclusions regarding these observations. After wading through a number of books on the subject of the Vietnam War, I found two books that squarely and honestly dealt with the issue of why Americans were there in the first place. These books are:
1) The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War, written by Brian Beckett, and published by Gallery Books (An imprint of M. H. Smith Publishers, Inc.) 1985, 112 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Mr. Beckett studied Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and then took an MA in War Studies at King's College, University of London. He has been researching and writing about military matters for many years and is the author of Weapons of Tomorrow, and the inventor of The Pentagon Game, a board-game based on the Vietnam War.
2) Kennedy in Vietnam (American Vietnam policy (1960-1963), written by William J. Rust, and published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1985 (copyright 1985 U.S. News & World Report, Inc.) The following are Some comments that have been made about this book:
"The best study of this period that I have seen by anyone. It is strictly accurate, very complete and in my view thoroughly satisfactory and a splendidly written account." - Paul M. Kattenburg, Professor of Government and International Studies, University of South Carolina and author of The Vietnam Trauma In American Foreign Policy,1945 -1975.
"An indispensable source for those studying the Vietnam era." - Former
President Richard Nixon.
"I have no doubt that this will be a valuable contribution to the history of our involvement in Vietnam. A careful and dispassionate account of these years has long been needed." - Dean Rusk.
These two books will be my primary sources for this section of the article. While this study is by no means exhaustive, it is an honest attempt to determine the truth and the facts of the matter. These references have allowed me to do so. Instead of the usual footnoting I will simply cite the books (by abbreviation) and pages for each point made. "IH" will stand for The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War, and "KV" will refer to Kennedy In Vietnam. Here are facts that I learned:
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Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his Government
1. Diem seriously considered entering the Catholic priesthood before deciding to go into politics. (IH pp. 33-34)
2. He remained not only a devout Catholic but was regarded as a *zealous" Catholic. (Ibid.) ,
3. Diem lived in the United States for a while in the early 1950's. He met with, and gained the favor and support of a number of prominent Roman Catholic clergymen and politicians. Among them were Francis Cardinal Spellman and then Massachusetts Senator, John F. Kennedy. (IH p. 34; KV p. 5)
4. Diem's older brother, Ngo Dinh Thuc, was an ordained Catholic priest and during Diem's presidency was Archbishop of Hue. (IH pp. 69-60)
5. Diem gained his position of power by devious and fraudulent tactics with a fixed election. (IH p. 34; KV P. 7)
6. His presidency was dictatorial, corrupt and oppressive even though his government was made out to be a good democracy by the American press and by the Kennedy administration. (Ibid.)
7. Diem presented himself as being anti-communist to gain American support for his government but imprisoned any opposition even if not Communist. Again the American press and government indicated to the American people that only Communism was being suppressed by his government. (IH p. 34)
8. The CIA built Diem's power base and then helped maintain it for him.(IH p. 36)
9. Diem's spitfire sister-in-law, who was very actively involved in the Vietnam government of Diem, sponsored a "family bill" for the Vietnamese which imposed Catholic-style strictures on marriage, divorce, and sexual relations. This was a deliberate use of force for the promotion of Catholic concepts. (KV p. 11)
10. Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, Diem's brother, placed a ban on the display of religious flags in an effort to curtail Buddhist activities in Vietnam. This precipitated a protest on May 8, 1963 which resulted in the killing of at least seven demonstrators by government troops under the command of a Catholic deputy province chief. (KV p. 94)
11. Diem with the support of his brother attacked Buddhist's pagodas on August 21, 1963. His Combat Police and Special Forces, which were CIA trained, arrested and imprisoned more than 1,400 Buddhist monks and nuns thus stripping the Buddhists of most of their leadership. (IH p. 60; KV p. 107)
12. Diem's primary Vietnamese support was from fellow Catholics and his aid programs always favored Catholic villages (IH p. 59- 60)
13. His reign as president was totally dependent on the support of the United States government -- financially and otherwise.
14. Diem who at first did not want American combat troops fighting for fear of the U.S. government meddling too much in his country's affairs, later wanted and expected heavy combat support from Kennedy's administration. (KV pp. 34. 38)
15. Diem and his brother were finally assassinated in a coup d'etat after he lost the political support of many of his officers because of his dictatorial policies.
16. Diem's downfall was at least passively supported by the CIA after Diem would not back down from his oppressive (religious) stance which was proving embarrassing to the Catholic American President and his administration.
John F. Kennedy and his Administration
1. President Kennedy is known to have been a devout Roman Catholic, and the first Catholic president of the United States.
2. Kennedy was acquainted with and a friend of Ngo Dinh Diem, who was himself a zealous Catholic. (IH p. 34. KV p. 5)
3. Kennedy and his administration were fully aware that Diem's government was corrupt, dictatorial and oppressive both religiously and politically. (IH p. 34, KV p. 98)
4. The Kennedy administration and the American press portrayed Diem's regime as a democratic and good government fighting to save his country from communism, knowing full well that it was a lie. (IH p. 34)
5. Kennedy and his administration's choice to head up the "Black Psyche" warfare in Vietnam was Brigadier General Edward G. Lansdale. The idea behind "Black Psyche" is to plant a (false) rumor which is untraceable and turns the listener against the subject. (IH p. 36; KV p. 22)
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6. Among the devious and destructive tactics Lansdale used was the destruction of crops with fungi not only to bring physical hardship upon the Vietnam people but also to exploit the superstitious minds of the Vietnamese peasantry into thinking that God was against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese government. Lansdale used many other false rumors to gain support for Diem's Catholic government. (KV pp. 21-22) "Assassination was also a feature of Lansdale's bag of tricks." (IH p. 38)
7. Despite Kennedy's reluctance to send American combat troops into Vietnam, it was his leadership that actually set the stage for their entry onto Vietnamese soil. The Johnson administration simply carried through that which had already been set by the Kennedy administration. (IH p. 63)
My Conclusions
In my opinion about 58,000 Americans lost their lives in Vietnam as a result of a Catholic-led American government which was intent on maintaining a corrupt and oppressive Catholic dictatorship. This support was given under the guise of fighting the spread of Communism in the world and in the Far East. The Kennedy administration intentionally lied to the American people to gain support for his Vietnamese program. The American news media was, by-in-large, supportive of the Kennedy's administration's lies. I believe that Diem, apart from his personal lust for power, was religiously motivated to spread and, where he felt it was necessary, to force Catholicism on his people. I cannot believe that John Kennedy was not aware of Diem's motivations both selfish and religious.
Further, the fact that Kennedy was supportive of the Diem regime makes me conclude that Kennedy was ideally supportive of promoting Catholicism in Vietnam. However, as noted from the facts, Diem's aggressively oppressive policies became embarrassing to the Kennedy administration. The reason, I believe, Kennedy became embarrassed and concerned about the public's awareness of Diem's oppressive regime is because he realized that a large portion of the American public were still sensitive about having a Catholic president who might appear to show any propensity to a religious oppression. The fact that Kennedy was supportive of Diem could be easily interpreted as being sympathetic to religious oppression for the purposes of promoting Catholicism if the truth of Diem's administration were clearly known to the American people.
I believe Kennedy's concerns were not that he was supporting oppressive means to further Catholicism but that his concerns were 1) to protect his own selfish political career, and 2) not to damage the efforts of his church to propagate Catholicism in the United States. At that time, the Roman Catholic Church did not have the power base to implement any oppressive actions on the American people. To try to do so without that base would be counterproductive to their ultimate aims - to dominate America and the world.
The Mafia and the Vatican
Richard Hammer in his book, The Vatican Connection, shockingly describes how Detective Joseph J. Coffey, Jr. (a devout Catholic) of the New York City Police Department traces (just shy of) a billion-dollar fraudulent securities crime to the doorsteps of the Vatican. Hammer names prominent Mafia bosses, German financiers, and Vatican personnel who were involved in this elaborate fraud scheme. He tells of the connection between the Vatican bank and the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, and how Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, who has been nicknamed, "God's Banker," was involved in Italy's biggest bank failure. This book - The Vatican Connection - is a 1982 Charter Books publication (New York), and worth careful reading.
The book, however, that picks up where The Vatican Connection left off is the book by David A. Yallop. In God's Name. (Bantam Books Publication, New York, 1984) This book is to be highly recommended to all who are diligent seekers of truth wanting to know what is happening in the religious world. In addition to giving some well researched facts about the murderous death of John Paul I with a very thorough background as to whom might have committed the crime, Mr. Yallop explains the interrelationships between the Free Masons, the Mafia, the CIA and the Vatican. Not only is this book fascinating reading, it is startling!
Mr. Yallop tells of how the Vatican has been actively evading Italian taxes. This involves huge sums. He goes into extraordinary detail of how the Mafia figures such as Michele Sindona worked together with corrupt international bankers as Roberto Calvi, Free Mason sects called P2, Opus Dei, and Archbishop Paul Marcinkus of the Vatican Bank (IOR) to bring vast sums into the Vatican coffers. The Vatican bank was (and could still be) used to launder illegal Mafia monies. Yallop tells how the P2 Grand Master Licio Gelli was a puppetmaster "with few thousand strings from which to select. Strings appear to have led everywhere: to the heart of the Vatican, the White House, to presidential palaces in a wide range of countries." (p. 313) Gelli was intimately involved in the fraudulent international banking schemes which so greatly benefit the Vatican.
Concerning Opus Dei, Yallop writes:
Opus Dei is a Roman Catholic organization of international scope. Though its actual membership is relatively small (estimates very between sixty and eighty thousand), its influence is vast. It Is a secret society, something that is strictly forbidden by the Church. Opus Dei denies that it is a secret organization but refuses to make its membership list available. It was founded by a Spanish priest, Monsignor Josemarie Escriva de Balagner, in 1928. It is a part of the extreme right wing of the Catholic Church, a political fact that has ensured that the organization has attracted enemies as well as members. About 5% of Its members are priests; the others are laypersons of both sexes. Although Opus Dei has members from many walks of life, it seeks especially to attract those from the upper classes, including young professionals with potential to rise to positions of power. Dr. John Roche, an Oxford University lecturer and former member of Opus Dei describes it as "sinister, secretive, and
Orwellian."
No one, however, should doubt the total sincerity of the Opus Dei membership. They are equally devoted to a task
of wider significance: the take-over of the Roman Catholic Church. That should be a cause of concern not only to Roman Catholics but also to everybody else. Under Pope John Paul II, Opus Dei has flourished. ... One of his first acts after his election was to go to the tomb of the founder of Opus Dei and pray. (pp. 265/266)
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If not shocking enough, here is more. When Cardinal Montini, later Pope Paul VI, was trying to raise money for an old people's home, Mafia figure Sindona stepped in and raised the entire amount. "What Cardinal Montini may not have known is the $2.4 million were supplied to Sindona very largely from two sources: the Mafia and the CIA.
Former CIA agent Victor Marchetti has revealed:
In the 1950s and the 1960s the CIA gave economic support to many activities promoted by the Catholic Church, from orphanages to missions. Millions of dollars each year were given to a great number of bishops and monsignors. One of them was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini. It is possible that Cardinal Montini did not know where the money was coming from. He may have thought it was coming from friends. (p. 108)
Yallop also observes - "The CIA never initiates policy; it merely implements or attempts to implement presidential instructions." (p. 123) Consider this in the light of the CIA's activities in the Vietnam involvement under Kennedy.
The P-2 Organization
In 1963 one Licio Gelli joined a conventional Masonic Lodge in Italy. He rose rapidly to a third-degree membership which permitted him to lead a lodge. He received a commission by the then grand master to form a group which was given the name "Raggruppamento Gelli P2." Concerning the P2 led by Gelli, Yallop writes:
On the surface P2 was and still is a fanatical insurance policy against potential Communist governments. Excluding Italy, there are still branches functioning in Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia, France, Portugal, and Nicaragua. Members have even been active in Switzerland and the United States. Moreover, P2 interlocks with the Mafia in Italy, Cuba and the United States. It interlocks with a number at military regimes of Latin America and with the CIA. It reaches into the heart of the Vatican. Apparently, the central common interest of all these elements is a hatred and fear of communism.
In fact, P2 is not a world conspiracy with the aim of preventing the spread of Marxism or its many variations. It is an international group with a number of diverse aims. It combines an attitude of mind with a community of self-interest.
Its main goal being not the destruction of a particular ideology but the acquisition of unlimited power and wealth and the furtherance of self. These goals hide behind the acceptable face of "defenders of the free world." In the world of P2, nothing is free. Everything has a price. (pp. 116-117)
Concerning another man completely under the control of Gelli, Roberto Calvi, chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, Yallop writes of his activities:
Millions went secretly and illegally to aid Solidarity in Poland. This particular transaction was a mix of money that Calvi had stolen and Vatican Bank funds collected from the Catholic faithful." (p. 312)
Yallop also implicates in this activity, Wojtyla, now Pope John Paul II. We today see the final outcome in the revolution that has shaken Eastern Europe.
Yallop, in passing, comments about David Kennedy who became Treasury Secretary in the Nixon cabinet. Prior he was chairman of the Continental Illinois, the bank through which the bulk of Vatican Incorporated's investment in the U.S. stock market was channeled. It was also through this bank that Cardinal Cody of Chicago diverted thousands of dollars to his friend Marcinkus in the Vatican Bank. Marcinkus would then divert the money to the cardinals in Poland.
The Catholic Church through the P2 was active in helping Ronald Reagan to be elected president. Yallop notes that P2 grand master, Licio Gelli was an honored guest at the [1981] presidential inauguration. (p. 315)
International financial schemes devised by Calvi involved Marcinkus and the Vatican Bank. Here is how it worked:
The Vatican Bank received huge annual payments for providing the facilities for the Knight (Calvi) to operate a gigantic international fraud. This money was paid in a variety of ways. All Vatican deposits with Ambrosiano banks received interest at least 1% higher than for the other depositors. Another method was for Ambrosiano to "buy" shares from the Vatican. On paper the Vatican Bank would sell a block of shares to a Panamanian company at a price approaching 50% more than the shares were actually worth. The shares never leave the Vatican portfolio, and the bank that Marcinkus controlled would be millions of dollars better off. The Panamanian company, usually with a capital of only a few thousand dollars, would borrow millions from Banco Ambrosiano in Nassau, where Marcinkus was a director. The Nassau branch would have been loaned the money initially by the Luxembourg company (Calvi's shell holding company), which in turn borrowed the money from international banks. (p. 146)
My Conclusions
For years I suspected that there was a connection between the Mafia and the Vatican. Now we have at least two authorities who have documented well the interface between the two. I would term the connection as the Mafia being the right arm of Catholicism in regards to financial matters. What I had not suspected was the interrelationship between the CIA and the Vatican - a very interesting and alarming discovery in its own right. I could not help but wonder who really controls the CIA - the U.S. government or the Vatican. It certainly seems that the U.S. government is doing the biddings of the Vatican whatever the case may be.
Catholics In Power In the United States
From what I can observe about America politics, it seems that an unusually high proportion of government leaders are Roman Catholics. And of those who are not, a large proportion are sympathetic to Catholicism. Further, I believe that many persons are for practical purposes, Catholics in spirit, even though they do not realize it. Let me explain some of the reasons for these conclusions.
1) Several years ago, I became friends with a young securities broker from the Kidder Peabody Co. in Spokane, Washington. He was quite religious and actively involved with his church - the Episcopalian or Anglican. I did not realize it until he told me that Anglicans are referring to themselves as "Anglo-Catholics" these days. On Friday, September 29, 1989, England's Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, traveled to Rome for four days of talks with Pope John Paul II on the subject of formally uniting the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches.
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Consider what this would mean for the Protestants of Northern Ireland if the Anglicans formally became Roman Catholics? The Catholic controlled news media often indicates that the Catholic Irish are looking for "the unification of Ireland." What they are really meaning, of course, is the total conquering of the island for Catholicism. If the two churches formally unite (under Roman Catholicism), what will happen to the Protestant Irish? If British protective troops would be withdrawn and Northern Ireland left to a fully armed IRA, would not Protestantism be wiped out? How long would Catholicism put up with a conscientious Protestant who resisted becoming a Catholic because of a deep belief that to do so would be uniting with the Devil? Right now there is a lot of talk about simply getting along with each other, so as to stop the violence as if both were equally at fault. But when Catholics gain full control, what then? I am concerned!
John F. Kennedy was the first official Roman Catholic president of the United States, but have you thought about the fact that we now have an Anglo-Catholic president? Keep in mind also that George Bush was at one point in his career head of the CIA. Did you notice that the first overseas trip Bush made as President of the United States was to Europe, and his first stop was Rome and the Vatican? On his second trip to Europe, the first two countries visited were predominately Raman Catholic - Poland and Hungary. After leaving these two countries, he attended a conference of Western European leaders and aggressively promoted financial aid for them. On his return to the United States, he then recommended to Congress substantial aid for them. Out of whose pockets will this aid come? American citizens!
2) As noted above, the Catholic Church was active in getting Ronald Reagan elected president. When one considers that through Reagan, two Roman Catholics were appointed to the United States Supreme Court, it is easy to see the nature of the payoff. His first appointee, Sandra Day O'Connor, is soft on Church-State separation. Keep in mind that another Justice, Byron White, was appointed by John F. Kennedy. This forms the basis of my next comments.
3) Three of the nine Justices of the Supreme Court, Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Brennan, are officially and practicing Roman Catholics, although Brennan is a liberal Catholic and stands stiffly for the separation of Church and State. Let us consider some of the recent Supreme Court rulings:
a) The Desecration of the Flag Issue. All three Catholic Justices voted that it was okay to burn the symbol of the United States - its flag.
b) The Abortion Issue. Note the Justices who were ready to scrap the prior Roe v. Wade decision - Rehnquist, White (Kennedy appointee) , Scalia and Kennedy. Sandra Day 0'Connor was the swing vote that will now allow the States to limit a woman's right to have an abortion. Her vote kept the Roe v. Wade decision from being completely overturned. Scalia reportedly was the primary moving factor in this key judicial reversal, and was quite critical of Justice O'Connor for not going all the way in the reversal.
c) Both Justices Scalia and Kennedy have made statements which indicate that the wall of separation between church and state needs to be opened or removed. As noted above, the United States through the CIA has already provided much assistance to the Roman Catholic Church. The next step is to make it official. Think of the consequences!
d) The Next Big Issue - The Right to Die. Will the Catholic and pro-Catholic Justices deny people the right to die when they are clinically dead? We should be watching for this decision.
4) Becoming aware of local city, county and State politics, I took cognizance of the high proportion of the people in these governmental strata that were Roman Catholics. My state, Wisconsin, one of the highest taxed states in the Union, has some of the strictest abortion laws, some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, and when I consider these have been set up through Catholic politicians, I have become quite alarmed. My city, Madison, does not allow handgun sales within the city limits. How is this for flagrantly violating Article II of the American Bill of Rights which reads - "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." (I will discuss the gun control issue in depth later. There is more to it than just an "emotional" hating of guns because of traditional Adventist indoctrination.)
Have you noticed that in almost all countries that are predominately Catholic, that the economic conditions are at the low end of the world's scale, while the most affluent are the predominately Protestant countries of Northwestern Europe (plus Japan)? In those predominately Catholic countries, almost invariably you have a small, super rich class and a mass poverty class. The middle class is virtually nonexistent. There are a number of people who are becoming aware that the United States' middle class is shrinking. More are becoming a part of the lower class while a few select rich are becoming super rich. It has now become quite fashionable in business to exploit the public. The old Protestant Work Ethic, for the most part, has already been replaced by the exploitation ethic.
Who are responsible for this? Can they be identified? I believe so, if this factor were carefully studied. Basically, the super rich, the country's law makers, the court system and administrators are responsible. But who are these people? I do not know who all they are, but I have begun taking some notes. As near as I can ascertain most TV and movie "stars" are produced by either Jews or Catholics, primarily Catholics. What about the ridiculously overpaid sports personnel? I have been noticing a growing number of these people crossing themselves before they get up to bat, or perform athletically. More and more players are wearing crucifixes. Certainly someone needs to make this aspect a matter for serious research.
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There are Statistics available as to whom among the nation's governors, senators, congressmen are Catholic. Wouldn't it be interesting to learn the religious makeup of the Federal Reserve Board! It would also be of interest to know the religious backgrounds of all the board members of, say the ten to twenty largest business corporations in the nation! This should become a quest of same reader whose circumstances permits such a research project.
5) Getting elected to any public office requires vast amounts of money these days. It has been said, "Dollars buy votes." When one considers the vast amounts of money that the Mafia has at its disposal, we can easily see how these people can influence elections in this country. When a financial "fat cat" is in power, he tends to make laws that perpetuates his wealth while he gives lip service to helping the poor.
Combine with this the wealth and influence of the Catholic Church and one can realize the tremendous political influence it wields in this nation. Virtually every presidential candidate makes an appearance before American bishops of the Catholic Church at an extravagant dinner during the campaign. One needs to take note of recent intimidation tactics by the Catholic clergy on the elected members of Congress and other government officials with regards to the abortion issue. State Senator John Amri from Birmingham, Alabama, stated, "I'm not as interested in getting re-elected as I am getting into heaven." [Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin), Dec. 6, 1989, p. 8] To say the least, a very revealing statement indicating how he will vote on the abortion issue.
To be concluded
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ABOUT REID C. GRANKE
Reid C. Granke was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and was nurtured in the Adventist Church by his mother. His maternal great grandmother was the first person to accept the Three Angels' Message in the little village of Saratov, on or near the Volga River in the area of Kraft, Russia. Elder L R. Conradi was the minister instrumental in the conversion.
Brother Granke entered denominational employ in 1972 as a Trust Officer with Loma Linda University. After four years with LLU, he served in the same capacity in the Wisconsin Conference before "accepting a call" to the Upper Columbia Conference as Associate Treasurer and Associate Trust Director. It was in this capacity that he confronted the Davenport scandal calling the attention of those responsible to the questionable security of the money advanced to Davenport. He was transferred to the Pacific Union Conference as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer in the Association. Subsequent events of his life are a report in their own right, and we would hope that he will give this personal account with documentation in a future article.
In our exchange of correspondence over the above article regarding some editing, Brother Granke's comment as to why he had written a certain way is worth noting. Under 3a, p. 6, his original draft read:
Desecration of the Flag Issue. All three Catholic Supreme Court Justices voted that it was okay to desecrate the symbol of the United States Constitution - the U.S. flag.
As you can see, in editing, I deleted the Word, "Constitution." Granke's response to my deletion tells us something, and tells us something about him. He wrote:
While the United States flag does indeed represent the United States in a broad general way, it is particularly important to me as a naturalized American citizen that the flag represents the freedoms of the United States Constitution. I am sure most American citizens born in this country do not give it any thought, but it is of utmost importance to me. In my making that statement as I did, I was trying to make the readers aware of that significance. I would never have become a U.S. citizen were it not for the significance of the Constitution.
Letting Granke tell you why, is better than simply restoring the word back into the text.
You will observe on p. 6, col. 1,, par. 4. Brother Granke notes among the affluent countries, "Plus Japan." On this he comments in a letter: I don't know whether you went to include some comment which would expand the significance of the fact that Japan is included as one of the wealthy nations. William Manchester's book of General Douglas MacArthur clearly shows that (Protestant) MacArthur was primarily responsible for tearing down the feudal society that existed before World War II and established not only a democratic government but put land ownership back into the hands to those who worked the soil. While Catholicism has historically blossomed in feudal style settings where it could manipulate everyone, MacArthur revolutionized Japan giving
it its base for wealth today. So it is Protestant ideals that have brought material wealth to those countries who now possess it.
We might ask - is America's decline due to the fact that we no longer have a Protestant and Republic form of government?
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