The Devil's Brigade in America

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The Devil's Brigade in America
by Diane Alden

A recent investigative report in Insight Magazine by Paul Rodriguez tells us that the FBI, BATF and other alphabet agencies are being used -- by guess who -- to snoop on Catholics and certain Protestant organizations. Such dangerous persons as the late Cardinal John O'Connor have a dossier kept at the Justice Department. But not because he was a secret agent for Saddam Hussein or a former Russian KGB agent looking to reestablish Stalin style communism, but because he was pro-life. Apparently the government decided, with absolutely no proof, that men like Cardinal O'Connor and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops are aiding people who do violence to abortion doctors or bomb clinics. The FBI is also maintaining surveillance on the Christian Coalition, non-Catholic group, and various women's groups, which are pro-life, not to mention the NRA, the Nynex Telephone Company, and many more. Certain individual agents at the FBI protested this travesty but not enough to stop the FBI and the Clinton-Reno Justice Department from keeping a database or investigating Catholics who are pro-life. The Insight article says that an FBI agent related "It wasn't the inclusion of suspected criminals or the infusion of old files on such activities that we objected to," a senior FBI agent told Insight. "It was the collection of political and personal information on people such as the cardinal that many of us found objectionable. It should not be in the database or passed over to Justice for general reading - this is obviously political in nature and something we work hard to avoid."

This database was gathered by electronic and other types of intrusive actions. It includes personal details and biographies and any political activities of Christian groups and individuals such as credit card, telephone, financial, and lobbying efforts. Better known to government as VAAP, which stands for Violence Against Abortion Providers Conspiracy; it's sometimes also referred to as VAAP. The paper work on this recent government activity was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. This kind of surveillance was supposed to have ended in the 60s but apparently the Congress and the Courts and the Executive Branch have evolved above the law and common decency and are going into persecution mode. No wonder Cardinal O'Connor asked that the Clinton's not be allowed at his funeral. But just blaming and bashing the Clinton's isn't enough. There are enough folks who deserve to be called to task on this deal, including lazy and complicit Catholics.

Add the KGB-style snooping into Christian groups to recent Supreme Court decisions and what you have is a total misreading of the Bill of Rights. The Founders never meant to deny religious expression in the public forums, they only wanted to prevent the establishment of a particular religion. On its face the First Amendment guarantees "that Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion…" There is not a word about keeping faith based activities out of public activities or public life.

As America becomes more decadent it seems willing to accept the persecution of Christians or devout Jews or anyone else who bases their life styles and living arrangements on reasons of faith. Dr. Laura Schlessinger has found that out as radical homosexual groups and their sympathizers try and muzzle her expounding her beliefs in public. Now by decadent I don't necessarily mean sexual mores'. Frankly, I have always felt that if you want to sleep with sheep go ahead -- just don't brag about it or give me the gory details. As far as I am concerned decadence has to do with the decline of something political scientists call "civic virtue." This has to do with ethical behavior and standards based on long held societal beliefs. It includes such things as honesty, keeping one's word, obeying the rules which make for civilized behavior, it means that government must remain as much as possible above corruption or manipulation by those who would impose tyranny, lie, cheat or steal. In other words the 'rule of law.' But than the 'rule of law' seems to be going the way of public morality. The adolescent in the White House is only the most visible face of that loss of "civic virtue." These are a few reasons why we are becoming a decadent people.

The most recent persecution against Christians, conservative Jews and Catholics in particular can also be traced to Catholics themselves. Unfortunately, many Catholics choose to place a political philosophy or party above their supposed beliefs. Over 50 percent of Catholics voted for a man who believes in barbarisms such as partial birth abortion, expansion of government intrusions into our lives, taking money from the successful and giving it to government which spends most of it on itself, allowing the erosion of basic liberties under the Bill of Rights. Catholics for the most part vote Democrat. They believe in rhetoric over actions and that is something their founder -- Jesus Christ warned them about. The man-God know as the Christ said "by your fruits you shall know them…because a man speaks with his mouth that he is with me and his heart is far from me... such a one will be cast into darkness."

I used to be a JFK Democrat. But in the early 70s I saw the shift towards anti-human ideas and ideals happening in the party. A party which used to believe in life, and people and did so many wonderful things including helping to establish civil rights for minorities. But the party went where I couldn't go, their respect and love of life shifted towards a mindset that allowed over 40 million abortions to take place in the abortion mills of the United States.

Now I know I am not convincing anyone who hasn't already decided the abortion issue so I won't try. However, I do resent the pro-abortion side denying the Catholic heart felt belief that abortion is wrong. I do resent the government using its tax paid powers to intimidate and persecute religious groups or people. I do not understand how Catholics continue to vote Democrat merely because they incorrectly believe "they are for the working man." To me that means they have decided their bellies override their immortal souls. Christ used to speak about how one couldn't have both "God and mammon." Voting Democrat with the accepted beliefs of the official party means that one has chosen mammon.

Again, I know I am not convincing the folks who say "yeah but they are for the working man." Believe that if you will, but it will be all you have left when the state eventually rounds you up because you are Catholic, Jew, or any Christian religion which holds unacceptable beliefs. The Bill of Rights was given to us to protect us from the government and from the majority when that majority would inflict tyranny on the minority.

I recently wrote a brief depiction of the historical character William Wallace (of Braveheart fame). Wallace was taken into the local Catholic abbey at age 16 where his uncle-priest taught him the classic authors and instilled in him a love of liberty and freedom. He had a towering intellect and could have been a scholar and doctor of the church, protected and privileged his whole life. He never had to take on the cause of liberty and the cause of freedom for his beloved Scotland. Instead Sir William Wallace chose to live with a band of guerilla fighters in the Forest of Leglen. On the run and without the good things in life of many of his contemporaries he gathered together enough brave Scots to defeat the forces of Edward Longshanks at the Battle of Stirling in 1297. Wallace, unlike the conniving Scottish nobles such as Robert the Bruce, accumulated neither lands nor wealth. Eventually he was betrayed by the English and the Scottish nobles; tortured, hung, drawn and quartered while still alive, dragged through the streets and his head was displayed on a pike. Legend had it that his final words were: "Freedom."

We live in a new age similar to the time when Wallace lived. The self-absorbed and the conniving "nobles" of our age turn their backs as the persecutions begin. The complicit Catholics, the FBI, the Justice Department, the cowardly congress are the devil's brigade because they stand by and do nothing as good people have their basic human rights trashed. As in the case of Sir William Wallace history and God Almighty will be their judge.