Thank you, Greg, for this detailed background but I confess I speed scrolled through most of it because it is too terrifying to contemplate. Not the history, but the fact that modern humans could be so irrational. And I keep making the point of America being founded on the separation of Church and State. Your clarification of the Evangelical interest in Israel should be broadcast as widely as possible. The assistance you credit from Skeptical Texan gives me hope that sanity will prevail.
BTW, Greg, I just confirmed that the words”under God” were added in 1954 to the Pledge of Allegiance. We came to New Jersey from England in 1958, and I never recited the Pledge in school. Glad to see various court cases have confirmed my right not to recite, although I think I stood so it wasn’t so obvious I wasn’t speaking. Now I see students can’t be compelled to stand either.
Great breakdown of the danger a man like Mike Johnson represents not only to the United States but also to the world. Hard to believe people believe such kooky stuff, and that they have achieved positions of power.
This column reminds me of a comment I read years ago on a Washington Post review of the movie The Book of Eli. The premise of the movie is that Eli possessed the last copy of the Bible after nuclear war. He fights to bring it someplace to preserve it (I don’t know the details as I never saw the movie). A comment on the story quipped, if he loved the world he would have burned it. How often I’ve thought of that anonymous reviewer’s wisdom as we’ve fallen prey to religious zealots
I've often thought that if Nero had been more thorough in his persecution of a small sect of idiots, and managed to kill them all, the rest of us would be much better off.
Maybe he did, and things would be even worse if he hadn't?
I don't think all of Christianity is terrible. Faith has helped a lot of people for a very long time. It's the organized religions, and the violence over their turf wars, and their insistence that their way is the only way, that are the problem.
Case in point: Christians until fairly recently were prohibited from lending money at interest. That was usury, a sin. It's also the basis of capitalism. Is Mike Johnson opposed to capitalism?
Fantastic read, thank you Greg! As a teenager a friend asked me to come with him to another town and “witness” to people on the street. We handed out little booklets that described an eternity in the fires of Hell for the non-believers. Most told us to take a hike, some were ready to listen to more. But mostly it scared the hell out of me, for years.
In the end I believe sanity will prevail, but not without a huge effort.
Oct 31, 2023·edited Oct 31, 2023Liked by Greg Olear
Thank you, Greg, for these superb historical details, which I read through slowly once -- and will re-read again. When I did my own research on Johnson the day he won the nomination (before the actual vote), my take was that he had the votes to claim the gavel -- and he did. I would agree with Johnson that his rise to prominence is no coincidence, but not for the reason he believes. It's clear that his mindset and communication are in a powerfully persuasively period of expression. He projects an aura of material self-sufficiency, appearing to not need input from anyone else, acting as a law unto himself.
While he may see himself as an innovative thinker, loyal to the needs of the collective, what drives him to do anything is likely a purely personal need for honor, recognition and love. I can see how he would be hell-bent on preserving a certain status quo, to keep things the Way Things Ought to Be. But his vision is likely blurred, and even more so in 2024, as dogmatic beliefs dissolve into fantasy and a potentially reckless crusade. The only upside I see is that conventional wisdom argues that enterprises built on inflated delusions usually fail.
Meanwhile, I can see how this period of development is likely to feel like the end of the world for the rest of us mere mortals, especially starting next spring. It will be even more challenging to find accurate accounts, as channels of information continue to be fractured (thx, Elon) and blurred (thx to AI, deep fakes, troll farms, etc.). This makes me appreciate the information you provide in this forum all the more.
Thanks so much, Elisabeth. I agree with your view of him. (Although I think he has much to hide, starting with the 14-year-old Black child he "adopted" when he was 25 and single).
The Eclipse two weeks ago was meant to stir up all the issues, personally and globally, that we need to deal with and then put to rest. This past Saturday’s Eclipse asks us to envision the kind of world we want to live in. Not an easy time for any of us...
The Oct 14th eclipse activates potential for daring or reckless action on his part, though he might think of it as merely innovative or unconventional. We see a repeat on the total solar eclipse of April 8th, which -- like the Great American Eclipse of August 2017, falls across the whole of the United States. That event is further activated in May 2024, especially in the last week, and it "coincides" with a need for a righteous, focused statement of purpose/ambition.
The "adoption" of the 14-year-old Black child coincided with a reinforcement of patterns he experienced at age 21, suggesting an intensified need for freedom, innovation, and disruption. That pattern was repeated in 2020, a year in which we would expect his ego energy to become prominent -- and that's when he led the crusade to overturn the results of the November election.
We don't have all the data required for a thorough assessment of likely developments, much as I wish we did.
I have learned so much from your weekly emails. I know a lot about the Sun, Moon and Earth but not about the other planets. Thank you for teaching me! I especially appreciate how you link the planets to current events - it's really helpful and interesting to me.
(by Greg Olear, article) he has a vested interest in there being a gigantic war in the Middle East where Russia and the Arab States invade Israel. He wants that more than anything. The Rapture is so close, he can taste it.
Great post. Growing up Catholic and going to Catholic school, being an altar boy, and the whole bit, we skipped over the Revelation crap in school, so I don't know a lot about it. (Luckily, I excommunicated myself when I was 16 or 17. I couldn't take any more of the hypocrisy).
It sounds like we had pretty much the same life, Rick. It's odd the things Catholicism skips over, but you're 100% on that, and no one ever questioned it. Dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden? Nope, never heard anyone ask about that. It turned out to be a very strange religion with internal contradictions that were always glossed over with gold and marble. They were very pretty.
Thanks, Rick. Excommunication always seemed ridiculous to me, like Bugs Bunny begging not to be put in the hole. "Whatever you do, don't make it so I can never go to Church again!"
This might be one of your best pieces ever written. My God what damage has been done by Citizens United. I just recommended this to David Kurtz at Talking Points Memo as follow up to his posting Bulwark piece on Mike Johnson.
Thank you, Greg, for this detailed background but I confess I speed scrolled through most of it because it is too terrifying to contemplate. Not the history, but the fact that modern humans could be so irrational. And I keep making the point of America being founded on the separation of Church and State. Your clarification of the Evangelical interest in Israel should be broadcast as widely as possible. The assistance you credit from Skeptical Texan gives me hope that sanity will prevail.
Thanks, Katharine. I can't say I blame you.
Like all conspiracy theories, the religious prophecy ones are extremely seductive. That doesn't make them real.
Evangelical interest in Israel is cynical and always has been.
BTW, Greg, I just confirmed that the words”under God” were added in 1954 to the Pledge of Allegiance. We came to New Jersey from England in 1958, and I never recited the Pledge in school. Glad to see various court cases have confirmed my right not to recite, although I think I stood so it wasn’t so obvious I wasn’t speaking. Now I see students can’t be compelled to stand either.
Great breakdown of the danger a man like Mike Johnson represents not only to the United States but also to the world. Hard to believe people believe such kooky stuff, and that they have achieved positions of power.
This column reminds me of a comment I read years ago on a Washington Post review of the movie The Book of Eli. The premise of the movie is that Eli possessed the last copy of the Bible after nuclear war. He fights to bring it someplace to preserve it (I don’t know the details as I never saw the movie). A comment on the story quipped, if he loved the world he would have burned it. How often I’ve thought of that anonymous reviewer’s wisdom as we’ve fallen prey to religious zealots
I've often thought that if Nero had been more thorough in his persecution of a small sect of idiots, and managed to kill them all, the rest of us would be much better off.
Maybe he did, and things would be even worse if he hadn't?
I don't think all of Christianity is terrible. Faith has helped a lot of people for a very long time. It's the organized religions, and the violence over their turf wars, and their insistence that their way is the only way, that are the problem.
Agreed. Never trust a paid priesthood.
Thanks, Janine. I never saw that movie, and wondered what it meant. Now it makes sense.
Funny how people who worship based on stuff they read in a book are the same people who burn books...
That’s kinda an oxymoron...heavy on the “moron”.
It’s TUESDAY🎉🎃⚖️
And Halloween!
OMG Greg. I love the diversity of your work. This was powerful. Yea separation of church and state!
Thanks so much, Bill!
"Not only is it a fairy tale, it’s a remake of a fairy tale, with much of its original meaning lost."
Thank you for that.
He is scary because his cherry picked beliefs are so rigid.
Case in point: Christians until fairly recently were prohibited from lending money at interest. That was usury, a sin. It's also the basis of capitalism. Is Mike Johnson opposed to capitalism?
So many contradictions. Ridiculous.
I've always maintained that there is nothing in this world scarier than a True Believer. In whatever.
The terrorists among us.
Agreed. Because you can't argue with faith.
Fantastic read, thank you Greg! As a teenager a friend asked me to come with him to another town and “witness” to people on the street. We handed out little booklets that described an eternity in the fires of Hell for the non-believers. Most told us to take a hike, some were ready to listen to more. But mostly it scared the hell out of me, for years.
In the end I believe sanity will prevail, but not without a huge effort.
Thanks, Carl. It IS scary, of course, and is supposed to be. Fear drives all of this. I hope sanity will prevail, too. It has to.
🎯 Excellent commentary for Halloween 🎃, Greg ☕️☕️ ➕ 🍸 🥃, 🫣 and so on.
Thanks, Steven. Yes, let the witches fly and the wolves howl! : )
Thank you, Greg, for these superb historical details, which I read through slowly once -- and will re-read again. When I did my own research on Johnson the day he won the nomination (before the actual vote), my take was that he had the votes to claim the gavel -- and he did. I would agree with Johnson that his rise to prominence is no coincidence, but not for the reason he believes. It's clear that his mindset and communication are in a powerfully persuasively period of expression. He projects an aura of material self-sufficiency, appearing to not need input from anyone else, acting as a law unto himself.
While he may see himself as an innovative thinker, loyal to the needs of the collective, what drives him to do anything is likely a purely personal need for honor, recognition and love. I can see how he would be hell-bent on preserving a certain status quo, to keep things the Way Things Ought to Be. But his vision is likely blurred, and even more so in 2024, as dogmatic beliefs dissolve into fantasy and a potentially reckless crusade. The only upside I see is that conventional wisdom argues that enterprises built on inflated delusions usually fail.
Meanwhile, I can see how this period of development is likely to feel like the end of the world for the rest of us mere mortals, especially starting next spring. It will be even more challenging to find accurate accounts, as channels of information continue to be fractured (thx, Elon) and blurred (thx to AI, deep fakes, troll farms, etc.). This makes me appreciate the information you provide in this forum all the more.
Thanks so much, Elisabeth. I agree with your view of him. (Although I think he has much to hide, starting with the 14-year-old Black child he "adopted" when he was 25 and single).
What's happening in the spring?
Also: eclipses happening right around now...
The Eclipse two weeks ago was meant to stir up all the issues, personally and globally, that we need to deal with and then put to rest. This past Saturday’s Eclipse asks us to envision the kind of world we want to live in. Not an easy time for any of us...
The Oct 14th eclipse activates potential for daring or reckless action on his part, though he might think of it as merely innovative or unconventional. We see a repeat on the total solar eclipse of April 8th, which -- like the Great American Eclipse of August 2017, falls across the whole of the United States. That event is further activated in May 2024, especially in the last week, and it "coincides" with a need for a righteous, focused statement of purpose/ambition.
The "adoption" of the 14-year-old Black child coincided with a reinforcement of patterns he experienced at age 21, suggesting an intensified need for freedom, innovation, and disruption. That pattern was repeated in 2020, a year in which we would expect his ego energy to become prominent -- and that's when he led the crusade to overturn the results of the November election.
We don't have all the data required for a thorough assessment of likely developments, much as I wish we did.
Thank you, Elisabeth! I love your keen insights that explains why he is doing what he is doing. May 2024 will be interesting...
You're welcome, Gail...and thank YOU for taking time to write a note of appreciation. Made my day!
I have learned so much from your weekly emails. I know a lot about the Sun, Moon and Earth but not about the other planets. Thank you for teaching me! I especially appreciate how you link the planets to current events - it's really helpful and interesting to me.
(by Greg Olear, article) he has a vested interest in there being a gigantic war in the Middle East where Russia and the Arab States invade Israel. He wants that more than anything. The Rapture is so close, he can taste it.
Scary.
Great post. Growing up Catholic and going to Catholic school, being an altar boy, and the whole bit, we skipped over the Revelation crap in school, so I don't know a lot about it. (Luckily, I excommunicated myself when I was 16 or 17. I couldn't take any more of the hypocrisy).
"I excommunicated myself when I was 16 or 17." Me, too, Rick! Though I may have been a little younger.
I was around that age, too, but I held out for the confirmation party...
😉
It sounds like we had pretty much the same life, Rick. It's odd the things Catholicism skips over, but you're 100% on that, and no one ever questioned it. Dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden? Nope, never heard anyone ask about that. It turned out to be a very strange religion with internal contradictions that were always glossed over with gold and marble. They were very pretty.
Thanks, Rick. Excommunication always seemed ridiculous to me, like Bugs Bunny begging not to be put in the hole. "Whatever you do, don't make it so I can never go to Church again!"
The stronger the faith, the closer the devil 😇 #TaxTheChurches
Ooo, I like that.
Tax them, yes yes yes.
Revelation is the all-time ultimate conspiracy theory. Perfect for authoritarians to weaponize.
Perfectly put, Rick.
another piece to that 'they can taste it'
Something about the European Union
and then 1 original member leaving(Great Britain?),
the stars and number of stars increasing then decreasing by a specific number, it continues, Yada Yada
Yeah, I forgot about the EU coming together. Of course it doesn't mention the US or China at all, which seems like a glaring omission...
Check out today's re-post of your February 2020 pieces.
Scary.
Sarah Palin 'explained much of it'.
This might be one of your best pieces ever written. My God what damage has been done by Citizens United. I just recommended this to David Kurtz at Talking Points Memo as follow up to his posting Bulwark piece on Mike Johnson.
Wow, thanks Sue!