Once in a while, I tune into KJSL, a St. Louis Christian talk radio station. I do this as part of a conscious effort to make myself listen to people with views that are dramatically different from my own. Perhaps I will understand those views better if I take the time to listen more.
While I was driving last week, the station featured a show called “News and Views,” hosted by a man named “Dr. Larry Bates.” The host repeatedly painted the future of the US as bleak, thanks to irresponsible financial policies by the federal government. Because I have some sympathy with that general conclusion, I continued to listen. It turned out that Bates was predicting the imminent financial collapse of the United States. Although I doubted that conclusion, I continued to listen.
Bates then indicated that he is also a big proponent of religious “End Times.” In short, he believes that Jesus will soon be returning to Earth in order to sort things out. I have no sympathy for this religious view. In fact, I find End Times beliefs to be irresponsible and destructive for the numerous reasons. For example, I do not hold the Bible to be inerrant. Based on my study of the Bible, although it offers some good stories and some reasonable moral instruction, it is also rife with bad advice, contradictions and senseless violence.
“Dr. Larry Bates” wears many hats. He claims to be an economist, publisher, editor, former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, former bank CEO and a “nationally recognized expert on political systems and the Federal Reserve.” Bates is also the President of First American Monetary Consultants, Inc. (FAMC), an organization that allegedly does “economic and market forecasting, in addition to offering a wide variety of other End Times services. “News and Views” is a syndicated radio show, available dozens of radio stations across the U.S. Larry Bates is thus well known in some circles.
After listening to Bates for only a few minutes, I learned that the United States needs to immediately and mercilessly bomb Iran because of what “those people” have done to “support terrorism.” I also learned that we need to support Israel without question, based upon what the Bible says. I persevered to the end of the show, saddened by and frustrated with the flimsy manner in which Bates attempted to support his conclusions.
At the end of the show, it was announced that Bates was going to be featured at a half-day conference in St. Louis, I took the bait. I thought it would be interesting to better understand the basis for the views of End Times (both economic End Times and religious End Times) proponents. The conference was called “Perilous Times: Significant End Time Events.” I paid $20 and showed up at the Crystal Ballroom of the Renaissance St. Louis Grand and Suites Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Here’s my ticket:
At the registration desk, I received a folder full of information. One of the pamphlets advised me that legalized gay marriage is a major obstacle to democracy:
When the US Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas last year that sodomy is a constitutional ‘right,’ the director of the lambda legal fund-a radical homosexual-agenda of pressure group-gleefully explained that this marks the beginning of the end to traditional marriage.
Another pamphlet advised that the United States is officially a Judeo-Christian nation. It quoted William Penn: “Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.” This pamphlet, printed by FAMC, “proves” that the United States is a Christian nation based upon the fact that the Constitutions of many of the states mention “God,” or “the Creator.” As though non-Christian religions don’t believe in a “God” or a “Creator.”
There were numerous products displayed and advertised at the conference. These products are the sorts of things you’ll need to have if you are going to be prepared for the economic and religious End Times. If you want to prevent cancer, you need to load up on Glutathione. The pamphlet says “your life depends on Glutathione.” To buy it, contact FAMC, according to the pamphlet.
What if you just want to make sure that you have access to “the most universal antibiotic” known to man, colloidal silver? It’s a “tasteless, odorless, non-toxic, purer, natural substance consisting of submicroscopic clusters of silver particles suspended by a tiny electric charge placed on each particle.” According to the pamphlet, you drink it. It kills all those pesky pathogens and protects all your good cells. According to the pamphlet, it is useful for treating allergies, boils, herpes, stomach flu, lime disease, gonorrhea, bladder irritations and chickenpox. The list goes on and on. Colloidal silver can be used vaginally, anally or dropped into the eyes.” You can even make your own colloidal silver out of silver wire, using the $189 generator you can buy from FAMC.
Another pamphlet advised me of my right to participate in jury nullification whenever anyone is being prosecuted for a gun crime. That is because “corrupted, anti-gun prosecutors and judges are common.” This information is distributed by the Fully Informed Jury Association.
After the economic collapse, you’ll need to make better use of all that expensive gasoline that all of us are going to need. Therefore, make sure you buy the “Power Plus Mpg” additive. Using this Power Plus, you can save 25 to $.50 per gallon. During his talk (which I’ll discuss in detail further down), Larry Bates bragged that his 5 mpg SUV improved its mileage 50% (to 7.5 mpg) after he started using this Power Plus. Those attending the conference were even invited to sign up as Power Plus distributors.
Additional Pamphlets were available advising how to support efforts to find those “30,000 POWs [who] were known to be behind alive after WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and War on Terror.” There was also a table full of conservative-message bumper stickers.
The nice old fellow minding that table offered me a chance to take any one of those bumper stickers for free. I really struggled to find anything that didn’t offend my politics (maybe I am a liberal). After searching for a full minute, I picked up Smoke – Choke – Stroke – Croak.
I wasn’t really at the conference to dwell on the End Times products, however. I was there to listen to “Dr. Larry Bates,” just like the 200 other people who attended. Although the crowd included a handful of young adults, most of those attending were in their 60s or 70s. As is often the case with groups of conservative Christians, this was an extremely polite and orderly group. People held doors for each other and took time to exchange pleasantries.
Dr. Larry Bates introduced himself and then introduced a local preacher who opened the meeting with a prayer. Almost everyone bowed their heads respectfully. Then it was time to offer a few door prizes. The winners had a choice of two books: The Coming Financial Wipeout or America’s Christian Heritage.
Then it was time for four-hours of lecture. Bates bemoaned the lack of pastors in the audience. He complained that too many church leaders were “eating the sheep rather than feeding the sheep.” He asked for a show of hands of those who believe that we were in the last days, and perhaps a third of the audience raised their hand. When he asked whether we were in the very last days, 15% raised their hands.
Bates informed the audience that their job was to “raise up wisdom.” This has to be done by taking back the media, he explained, although “Fox news is one of our best news channels.”
He explained that the next election is the most important one ever. It will be about “class warfare.” The election whether we’ll have less government and bigger government. It’s between monopolistic versus competitive capitalism. Although the Republicans are imperfect, according to a distressed Bates, the only real choice in this upcoming election is Republican. More on this further down.
The United States is under attack by economic and political elitists who want to keep the middle class trapped as pawns and serfs in this elitist version of a caste system. These are desperate times, because “There are only two countries in the entire world where the middle class runs the government or has the opportunity to run the government: the United States and Israel.”
The elitists are “One World Socialists” according to Bates. They want to level everyone out to make everyone equally poor, except for themselves. A repeated target of Bates was the Federal Reserve, which “only looks federal and has no reserves.” Bates could barely contain his scorn for the Federal Reserve, which, he repeatedly emphasized, was totally owned by private bankers.
Bates is highly suspicious of George W. Bush’s “New World order.” It is a conspiracy against the people of the United States, and it amounts to “one world socialism,” an attempt to make everyone poor except for an elite ruling class. He exhorted that the creation of the Federal Reserve was a conspiracy to rob the American middle class. The Federal Reserve is a “criminal syndicate.” According to Bates, the head of the Federal Reserve is more powerful than the president of the United States. In all earnestness, he told the crowd that the 1938 panic-provoking radio adaptation of “War of the Worlds” was not entertainment. It was a test by the government elite to see if the federal government could maintain control over the New World Order.
What are the elitists trying to do? They are trying to create a North American Union. They want to merge the United States, Mexico and Canada and to destroy the sovereignty of the United States. That’s why we have a lax immigration policy, he warned. What’s the solution? “Build a fence and keep them out.” If the rate of immigration exceeds your rate of assimilation, “you lose your country.” Throughout his talk, Bates insinuated that the impending economic collapse will coincide with the religious Second Coming.
The Democrats are the party of big government, militant homosexual “rights and domination.” The Democrats are Socialists, from the party of Karl Marx, where the government owns and controls everything, including all means of distribution and production. “Liberals hate property rights.” Bates drew numerous parallels to the Soviet Union, where people had to wait in long lines for everything. That’s what the Democrats would bring us, he urged.
He warned that you can’t overlook the Republicans just because are imperfect. He understands that “Jesus Christ is not on the ballot.” If you hurt the Republicans, “you hurt yourself.” “Dingy Harry Reid “is corrupt and Nancy Pelosi is “a disaster.” Whenever you have a strong economy, you’ve got limited government. “It’s that simple.” Are there any litmus test for politicians? Absolutely. Don’t vote for anybody who believes in any right to abortion. “Nothing tells you more about politicians that sanctity of life. If they don’t get this right, they get nothing right.”
What else did he think about some the candidates? There was no holding back. Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be president because God has a natural order for things. Bates paused to caution the audience, “I’m not a chauvinist.” Then he forged on: “God is the head of man and man is the head of women. A two-headed family is a freak.” He offered this evidence of his position: Indonesia is struggling because it is a matriarchy. To allow women to run the country is to violate God’s order. God says there should not be a woman president. It is as aberrant as “letting children run a household.”
According to Bates, “Barack Hussein Obama” (he repeated this full name several times) is a radical muslim who was educated in a radical muslim school. His Church is full of people who, according to Bates, hate white people. [For those who are concerned about Obama based on Bates’ outrageous claims, check out this and this].
Are there some good Republican candidates? You bet, according to Bates. For instance, Tom Tancredo got it right when he recently got tough with Muslims. Bates described it like this: “if you use a nuclear device in the United States, then we will use a nuke to take out Mecca and Medina . . . [applause] . . . Brutal force is the only thing these birds understand.” Upon hearing and seeing this, I was stunned. Though I tried, I couldn’t recall the particular verse of the Bible where Jesus said, “If someone shits on you, shit on them.”
But Bates wasn’t done with the Muslims. According to Bates, the goal of Islam is “world domination under sharia law.” There are three types of followers of Islam, according to Bates. Type 1 is a revolutionary who sets off bombs. These people are terrorists. The second type is an evolutionary follower, distributing propaganda and prolifically “breeding.” The third type is a westernized Muslim who probably hasn’t even read the Koran. Nonetheless, those westernized Muslims will fall right in line, especially when those other Muslims threaten to cut off their heads or attack members of their families. The Koran “tells you “to kill and who to kill,” according to Bates. It tells you to kill Christians and Jews.
According to Bates, Sam Brownback of Kansas is misguided (too liberal) on immigration, perhaps because of his Catholic conversion. He doesn’t understand that we’ve simply got to keep those immigrants out.
What are some of the big issues of the upcoming election? National health insurance is a big issue. If we have national health insurance, it will “ruin the country. The country ends when we enact national health insurance.” What’s the evidence for this dramatic prediction? Tennessee has free government medical care, yet (according to Bates) nobody signs up for it. Therefore, there’s no need for national health insurance. Under national health insurance, Bill Clinton would have had to wait six weeks to get an appointment and six months to get his necessary surgery. National health insurance involves the “efficiency of the post office and the compassion of the IRS.” Furthermore, it will “drive the cost of health care way up.” National healthcare will bankrupt the country: “The government that can give you everything you want must, by definition, take everything you’ve got.”
Bates warns that people need to quit concerning themselves with the healthcare establishment. In fact, he’s suspicious of the healthcare system. People need to focus on preventing disease rather than treating it. They need a laugh more. “Laughter is better medicine.” People would “rather be victims-our diseases are other people’s faults.” People need to take responsibility for their own good health, said Bates, who looks to be a few pounds overweight. It all starts “with what you put in your body.” Bates then spent a serious chunk of time touting the healthcare products displayed on the tables in the lobby.
Bates explained that churches will need to get more into the healthcare business, because they have more to offer than the healthcare establishment. Churches have the courage to “tell the bums that they are bums” (I wondered what the bum lobby would think of this statement.
We have too much Blue Cross and Blue Shield. We depend too much on man and not enough on God. We’ve replaced God on the throne with government on the throne. We look to Jehovah government instead of God.
Bates announced that if anyone gets sick, it’s that person’s own fault. There are plenty of things you can do so that you don’t get sick, according to Bates. You can take regular doses of that colloidal silver I first learned about from the handouts. He announced that colloidal silver kills all bacteria. Someone in the back of the room then announced “Amen!” Gee, Larry, I wondered. Are you sure you want to kill all the bacteria in your body, including the beneficial bacteria that reside in your gut? He marched on, undeterred. Bates claims that he puts silver in his milk to keep it from spoiling. It will never spoil as long as you put silver in your carton of milk. He urged the audience to buy the colloidal silver generating kit, so they can make their own colloidal silver. He warned the audience that the FDA does not want people to know about the amazing healing powers of silver. The FDA doesn’t want the competition—it would put some big pharmaceutical companies out of business. In fact, the FDA is about to try to outlaw the use of silver as a medicine. Modern pharmaceuticals are “witchcraft.”
What else can you do to stay healthy? If you’ve got cancer, make sure you consider getting vitamin C injections. These have been phenomenally successful, according to Bates. This new knowledge about the healing powers of vitamin C reminded him that the Bible predicted “God’s plan of healing.” This kind of “new important knowledge” is another sign of “the last days.” We need to be the “salt” (disinfectant of the evil people) and the “light” (spreading wisdom). Bates warned that many believers are going to have to do God’s work on their own because churches “have been corrupted by world government.”
What would you do if you’re laid-off in the impending economic collapse? You need to get a trade. You need to do something with your hands, such as plumbing or electrical work. “The time will come when you have to barter your skills for someone else’s skills.” The End Times are apparently not going to be pretty.
The last section of the presentation was an indictment of US monetary policy. Bates pointed out that the United States now has $25 trillion in domestic debt which must be serviced, whereas the M2 money supply is only $7 trillion. This sets the stage for the economic End Times. The government can either go into default work or print fake money to dilute real wealth. He warns that the U.S. is busy printing lots of fake money. That’s what the recent $300 billion injection of “new money” was. It was used to allegedly stabilize the stock market. He warns that it would take a 7.1% added payroll tax to service our current debt, an amount that would break the backs of most families. Bates sees a massive restructuring of the social security system forthcoming, including raised taxes and reduced benefits, as well as means tests.
What can we do about the impending economic collapse? One thing is that we can make sure that no one takes away our guns, said Bates.
There will be no total economic collapse until there is total gun control. The tyrants don’t want to deal with an armed populace. The enemies of liberty hate your guns. The Second Amendment protects the First Amendment.
Here’s what else you can do, according to Bates. Elect people who will build fences to keep out the immigrants. Hone your communications skills, because the upcoming wars will be wars of world views. According to the Bible, “when you see the enemy, you’ll need to warn the city.”
As far as protecting your assets, Bates gives this advice: Stay away from “Loanership” assets, such as Money Market funds, T-bills and CD’s. They are “pieces of paper: IOU’s. Beware of real estate, in this age when the government is taxing it heavily and abusing eminent domain. Instead, load up on precious metals, such as gold and silver coins. This is especially important, given that the U.S. has long been off the gold standard, which has invited the dollar’s slide versus most currencies. He claims that you should not get gold or silver bullion because federal law gives the government the right to confiscate these in times of economic emergency.
Who’s going to buy your precious metal coins in the time of economic collapse? Bates is convincing to me when he answers that question with another question: “Who is going to buy your paper dollars?” He characterizes gold and silver as “money.” Everything else is only “credit.”
So Bates’ program includes both saving and eating silver! Where are you going to get all of those precious metals? From a reputable company like FAMC, of course. Bates tells you to buy precious coins and his company is happy to sell them to you. He told the crowd that precious metal coins are “real money” and that they will be exchangeable until the absolute end of time. Didn’t the Bible say that people will throw their gold and silver into the street? Absolutely, says Bates. But that will be toward the end, when we’ll see a “large scale transfer of wealth from the wicked to the righteous.” It’s all in the Bible, according to Bates. Up until those End Times, then, rely on precious metals, says Bates, citing Ezekiel 7:19 (“Precious metals very valuable until the time that God’s wrath is poured out”) and Haggai 2:6-9 (End time transfer of wealth using precious metals”).
Bates is not embarrassed about having money. “God doesn’t mind if you have nice things.” You should use and enjoy your money, he stresses. Have as much of it as you need, even if you use it to buy expensive houses, cars and vacations. No problem. It’s only the “love of money” that is the root of all evil. His literature cites Proverbs 28:20 (“Eager to get rich; will not go unpunished”), Ecclesiastes 2:26 (“One who pleases Him receives wealth”) and Genesis 2:11-12 (“God put gold in the earth for a reason”).
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It’s hard to know how to sum up this Perilous Times Conference. The lessons taught by Bates are laced with radical conservative values, that is true. His characterizations of both Republicans and Democrats are cartoonish. His xenophobia and racism (especially toward women and people from the Middle East) are intense. His plan to capitalize upon the fears he drums up, both economic and religious, is predictable and obvious.
Bates has a ready and willing audience, because his targets are big and fat. Anyone with energy and creativity can vigorously hack away at pharmaceutical companies, drug companies, bankers, politicians and bureaucrats. If you can convince your audience that it might lose much of what it has worked for, you could readily stir up their deep fears about out-groups such as gays, women, atheists and immigrants.
Bates is playing a game that is played by many people who have some legitimate credentials. During the final portion of this conference Bates sometimes sounded like someone who was giving some reasonable economic advice based on sophisticated training. He sometimes spoke as person who relied on his training and experience in economics and banking. I am not an economist or a banker, and I have not read nearly enough to know the extent to which Bates is giving decent economic advice, though what I have read about United States fiscal policy also concerns me greatly. I’ve seen similar admonitions regarding the United States fiscal policy on “liberal” shows such as Bill Moyers. I think it is this part of the show that gives Bates the foot in the door with his audience.
Nonetheless, it is a standard trick to parlay one’s legitimate credentials far beyond the realm of one’s expertise. When Bates talks with ultra-assurance of the alleged Second Coming of Christ or when he touts the medical quackery he is so happy to peddle, he looks both naïve and devious. Shame on his audience members, though, if they really step up to buy that little bottle of fuel additive that will allegedly make their humongous SUVs get 50% better gas mileage. Shame on the people who think that the FDA is trying to outlaw silver potions because drinkable silver is so incredibly good that it would put pharmaceutical companies out of business. Shame on people who trust people who sell snake oil.
I couldn’t help but conclude that there is much in common among the sorts of people that listen to Bates and the sorts of people with whom I more commonly associate. We are all worried about our corrupt government, our poisoned food and water, our shortsighted fiscal policies, our many failing schools, our own deaths, about numerous people illegally pouring over our borders, about the many people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol and about a media with an agenda secretly dictated by those who hold disproportionate power. Many Believers and non-Believers are downright suspicious of organized religions. We differ profoundly, however, in the ways in which we would address these threats. What Bates offers is a bomb-shelter mentality. He relentlessly warns his audience of the need to hunker down and protect one’s own and let everyone else be damned.
As I left Perilous Times Conference, I wondered whether it would be an impossible task to convince the people in that audience to put down their Bibles and roll up their sleeves when they discuss politics. I wondered whether these people would ever be willing to open their minds to diverse ideas from people who might look and act differently than they do. I wondered whether Bates’ fans would ever be willing to look at their own cherished ideas as skeptically as they look at the ideas of others. I wondered whether they would ever be capable of pretending, even for a moment, that they were not under attack by all of those people of the world who they don’t know well. I wondered whether they could ever be convinced to consider that strangers are, for the most part, people with hopes, dreams and fears much like their own.
After mega-doses of Larry Bates, is it even possible for people to consider that there is a vast commonality all people share and that this could really be a starting point for a functional world view, one that is not based on paranoia?
Here's other info I've read/heard, etc., FWIW:
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I've heard Larry Bates say several times (whenever he is on "Jewish Voice of Victory" program, the only place I'd ever seen him), that everyone should:
–NOT hold ANY "paper" whatsoever, ie, stocks, bonds, CDs, retirement accounts, etc. as these will be worthless.
–And that if you must invest in stocks, only buy stocks in ENERGY and DEFENSE.
–And that 30% of your total assets should be exchanged for HARD MONEY, ie, gold and silver.
–And, of course, do NOT keep any debt whatsoever.
–And a year-and-a-half ago (Fall of 2006), I saw him saying sell your house and rent until this is all over, and then buy another house after the housing crash.
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Earlier this year, around January, I remember reading in Lawrence Patterson's http://www.criminalpolitics.com/ CRIMINAL POLITICS magazine (hardcopy), that people may not lose ALL their money, but as an example, he had said that if you had a million dollars, you will likely end up with that being slashed down to approximately $400,000 when this is all over (or was it that you would lose $400,000 out of the million and end up with only $600,000? I can't remember which, but you get the point. It's still going to "ouch" either way).
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Wednesday 8/13/08 I saw Pat Robertson on Benny Hinn's program and they were discussing various things, including the USA's financial situation. BH was asking Pat what should people do about their money and the collapsing dollar, etc.? Pat chuckled and said he does some investments and handling of the money for REGENT UNIVERSITY, and that he recently made an EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS by simply trading their funds FROM THE DOLLAR to SWISS FRANCS and the JAPANESE YEN. BH asked Pat re: what about gold and silver? Pat said putting your money into GOLD MINES seems to be a good thing to do (ditto Ron Paul has a lot of investments in Gold Mines).
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continued from above…
I'm no financial expert, but it would seem to me that if everyone put their money overseas, then the Dollar would surely collapse in a flash. So, should Americans stay "loyal" to the Dollar? Or face the fact that the globalist-elite plan to "kill" the dollar (whether by "slow death" or a "crash" to make way for the "Amero"), and proceed accordingly to try to save your own stash of cash from being wiped out?
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And speaking of gold, Lawrence Patterson always says do not just get regular gold coins, as these will be confiscated by the feds (laws already on the books to do that once their "right time" is at hand), so only buy ANTIQUE GOLD since no laws have been made to confiscate antique gold. He said that is because a "certain" people [I won't name who] trade among themselves in antique gold, they have huge antique-gold trading events among themselves, and they will not allow any laws to be written against THEIR OWN holdings, so, Patterson said, you have to learn to think and act as those "certain" people do, to keep your money. Patterson's website says the only "safe" kind of gold to buy is: "antique numismatic coins with a rarity value specified at DOUBLE the bullion content… this is they KEY formula…" They also advise to: "…secure your financial assets in the proper form of gold coins, gold stocks and offshore Euro-denominated bonds" and their 2007 warning was/is, "Beware, as Exchange Controls are coming" which is what the current George Green interview is all about (see below for link to that).
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Telephone audio interview (34 minutes) w/George Green from July 16, 2008, with Conscious News Network, re: the Economic Situation, which banks you should transfer your money to, and much more. He says 9/30/08 is the end of the USA's "FISCAL YEAR," and the elite would love to start the "war" by then. He said now is the time to "downsize," by separating your "needs" from your "wants" and concentrate on "needs." He said if you have more than $5,000 in any bank, you should put it in overseas banks, though he said credit unions are pretty good in the USA, and that the feds are making it harder for Americans to put their $$ in overseas banks, so you have to look around, and he said he helps people with that, etc.
You can also watch a prior video w/George Green posted at google video in November 2007, 45 minutes: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22George+G…
CREDENTIALS: George Green is a former investment banker (Registered Financial Principal with the N.A.S.D. and a Broker/Dealer). Securities Underwriter, Real Estate Developer, Insurance Broker and Publisher. A frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows. He is Publisher of "Handbook for the New Paradigm." He is President of Global Insights, Inc. George Green has spoken to 1000s of people through his lectures and has appeared on numerous talk shows and TV shows telling his story: http://www.nomorehoaxes.com/
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From another site, Rumor Mill News:
GEORGE GREEN: GIVES
SOBERING ECONOMIC PREDICTORS
FOR THE REST OF 2008
Posted By: Ladyhawke
Date: Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 7:44 p.m.
George Green is a retired investment banker – a businessman with many contacts in high places. In this interview, George discusses the current economic crisis from both a domestic and global perspective. He shares certain insights about what he sees America facing in the near future. YOU MAY LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE:
http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/news.htm
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Afterthought to clarify my last comment since people tend to jump on things that may not have come out right:
In the Old Testament there was no law to kill women who had abortions. However, if anyone CAUSED a woman to abort or give birth prematurely, even if by accident, there were penalties for that: Exodus 21:22-25.
Wow I must say, I am amazed at the insanity spewed out by people on here. Its a rant. People poo-poo the North American Union that the liberal globalists are setting us up for. Bush already signed the treaty for it over a year ago. Doesn't anybody here read or listen to any news that is not socialized propaganda spoon fed into your shallow brains by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN? Are you people incapable of reading or researching anymore?? You hear it on Communist News Network, therefore it must be true??? And I am also amazed at the crass ignorance displayed here about what a fundamental Christian actually is. David Karesh, the polygamist whacko from Waco was not a fundamental Christian, nor were the people who ran the Catholic Inquisition. Most people slain in the Inquisition WERE fundamental Christians!! There is a whole world of difference between a Catholic and a fundamental Christian, so give it a rest until you know what the hec you are talking about. All you people out there who think we ought to kow-tow to the Muslims because they are our best friends — well you all go ahead and kow-tow. Why don't some of you nut jobs try a visit to Britian, and really walk the streets where entire neighborhoods are Muslim controlled, and check it out before spouting off all your mis-directed idealism about their religion of peace? The native Brits are afraid for their lives because of Islam. The USA is about 2 steps behind being right where they are. The British government is too scared to even keep a proven Muslim terrorist in jail. Those of you promoting homosexuality — how long do you really think the radical Islamists will let you keep your body parts once you meekly step aside and put them in power? What will we do with a Muslim president, come November??? And you liberal dems who are tearing your own country down with your bare hands and your ignorant mouths, how long do you think they will allow YOU to retain YOUR heads??? They have zero respect for people turning against their own. Hey — I say if you liberal democrat nut jobs and crack pots want it so bad — bring it on, keep on tearing down the good ole USA until you wreck us with your insane economic ideals. Then you greenpeace nuts chime in with your idiotic dogmatic vendattas against in-country energy sources — then you'll all get what YOU deserve–a USA turned into a third world toilet. Woo Hoo. Good job. (How does it feel, being called a "nut job"–simply because you don't subscribe to someone else's ideal?? — free speech, right??) I actually believe we are ALL sunk, once you give-it-all-away nut jobs get what you want — our borders removed and our country transformed into the North American Union, and all the real, working, tax-paying citizens over-run with our freedoms ripped away by socialism, and our resources consumed by illegal aliens and radical Muslims. When you nut jobs run US into the ground, who will then pay the way for the illegal alien insurrection you promote??? Why don't some of you guys take a good look at the Koran — better still, take a good look at the societies that the Muslims control, instead of whining about "The religion of peace". I believe the Muslims will allow the Christians (me) and the Jews to keep their heads far longer than they will allow you America-hating liberals and openly practicing gays to keep yours. At least WE stand for something. You think Christians hate gays? We don't – we only speak out against the actual practice because we feel it's against nature–we don't hate the people. Only a lunatic fringe HATE the gay people, so don't go lumping me (us) in with that minority lunatic fringe. Muslims, on the other hand, truly hate gays and want them dead! If you dont think so, I dare you to put on your big girl panties and go somewhere they are in control and see what happens when you try putting on a gay pride rainbow march??? Why is it that you liberals say you are all for FREE SPEECH until a Christian disagrees with YOUR speech — then you want to shut us down and call us nut jobs. Mr Bates has some very sound ideas as to what can be done to protect our finances in this crazy time. Mr Bates' plan makes more sense than burying your head in the sand chanting "oohhh lala, peace be with us, may Allah's goodwill abound, let us protect ANWAR, NO nuclear power plants polluting our fair ghettos, let us hate on the Christians and silence them, let us all inflate our tires higher and drive our Priuses to solve the oil crisis, lets wear organic cotton to protect the mongolian fireflies, the middle east is our friend, and let us all take a leaf from Al Gore's book and stop eating beef to protect the ozone layer from the odious cow farts, and all the world will be harmonious and at peace, oooohh la la we love greenpeace, let's smoke our peace pipes together in unity!" while banks close all around you with your money in them, and your mortgage company goes broke, and the guns of war and terrorism rattle in the distance. Again, I say who's the real NUT JOB?????? I will buy gold. I will buy silver. Therefore I will eat beef when your freezer is empty of your politicaly correct soy burgers and all other food. And I will make colloidial silver – because I've tried it and it works. Those of you jeering against it — have you tried it??? If you haven't, then shut up and keep your ignorance under wraps. You make yourself look like an idiot. You'd rather pay $100.00 for a bottle of antibiotic that you'll soon be immune to, so you can catch and die from the strange diseases and infections brought into this country from all over the globe by the wide open borders you're trying so hard to get. More power to you. I say that the nut job is the one who closes his eyes to the disaster overtaking our economic system and the chaos consuming and destroying our American world. Globalism will kill America. We Christian "nut jobs" may be the only ones eating, once more banks close down and more financial institutions go broke, and more stocks crash — and your foreign oil supply is suddenly shut off by your best pals, the barbaric, head-whacking Muslims. Who will you call a nut job when YOUR CITY gets bombed because you thought to prove your "political correctness" to the world by advocating our borders be unprotected from global terrorists?? Wake up and smell the "silver latte", simple minded people!!!! Get a clue. Yeah…..long winded, I know. Who will read it? Who cares, right? I'm sure the Christian fundamentalist hater replies will abound. I don't care. I won't be visiting this site again —- too many soyburger eating, Prius-driving, nut jobs hanging around in the wings spouting their ignorant, anti-christian hate speech for me — and I could give a gold-plated rats rear end what someone that addled in the head believes.
I hope twila bird feels better after getting all of that off her chest.
When I read her terrified warnings about the Muslims, I think about The superb documentary entitled, “The Power of Nightmares.” I wrote about it here.
Curious how, from the perspective of so many conservatives that the position I have often taken, of being tolerant of gays, turns into "promoting homosexuality."
Also interesting that I showed sympathy with some of Bates' concerns about the economy. What the U.S. is doing to the economy terrifies me. Here's some of the corroborating evidence. Yet I am portrayed as ridiculing Bates' concerns regarding the economy.
I am criticized for being "against" nuclear power when I'm not against carefully implemented nuclear power.
Twila Bird also displays an inability to distinguish between good and bad Muslims, even though she is happy to tell us that there are both good and bad Christians.
Such a narrowed ability to consider evidence and argument. Truly, Twila Bird is a victim of the "Power of Nightmares." I hope that she can be courageous enough to take a deep breath and then read A) the original post and B) her response before watching "The Power of Nightmares."
I'm sure that it is not easy for her to understand that we live in a world of nuance, a world of many degrees of both good and evil, both of these things found in varying degrees in each human that ever walked this planet.
Dear Mr. Bates,
Thank you for your years of honesty and efforts in educating the public. You should be knighted for "services to honesty".
I have recently read your book "The new world Dis-order". I note your comments on page 140 "As a former banker, I have literally created Millions of dollars out of thin air with the stroke of my pen. …… In other words, with a 10 percent reserve requirement, I can take $1,000,000 in new deposits and under fractional reserve banking can parlay that into a maximum of $10,000,000 in newly created money supply."
One aspect that I have not seen adequately explained in public is; Having created the $10,000,000 and funded loans. What happens when the borrower expenses this in to circulation? For example if the borrower buys a block of land and writes a check for $10,000,000 how is this debited / credited from the borrowers account, the banks account at the FED etc.
Some authors suggest at this point the borrowers bank actually needs the full $10,000,000 in credit at the Fed. (Which means the whole credit creation argument is moot)
Others suggest that the funds are not actually debited to the borrowers bank, the borrowers bank simply notes the funds COULD be due to be debited – one day.
Other again suggest that the net flow of funds between banks would be debited to the borrowers bank account at the Fed. Which would make it very hard for a new bank.
I would very much appreciate your comments – if you find it easier I could call you if you would like to nominate a number and time / date.
Larry Bates is onto something; back in 1997-98 he suggested buying GOLD; I bought at $290. per ounce. Gold is now at $900.00 per ounce. Larry must have known something….
It is easy to see why Larry Bates comes off as a nut case. The old expresson "Jack of all trades Master of none" comes to mind when I think of how diversified he is. But if you connect the dots and think about what he promotes you can see the big picture. What are the fears of the average person today- rising insurance and the risks of being with out. Getting sick and dying, lsoing control of the basics area of our lives-our finances, our property, our health. The esseential points that he is trying to make are take responsibility for yourself and stop thinking it belongs to someone else. Healthcare cannot not keep away illness it only provides in the event you so get ill- it is gambling. Instead make good choices and learn and be accountable for yourself. Be good stewards with your
finances. Buy within your means, stay out of debt, own hard and soft assests and be realistic about the value of money. Can everything magically multiply in value forever. Can we all save a dime and have it turn into a million? The government is of the people. If the people are greedy and want to subjugate others so they can have plush lives is this not seen over and over in history. Why is it so unrealistic to think that someone dosen't want to gain off of others. Look at colonization and slavery and the history of the english people wih their "Lords of the Manors". Look at what the English did to the Irish and the Romans to the rest of the world. Look at Hitler. Think about the power of the few to control the many. Is this new world order conspiracy really so unimaginable. It has been the goal of man since the beginning to rule over one another and subjugate and exploit. The truth is it could happen at anytime. If we are asleep and not watching and resisting then we will be ensnared. This is the reality of our world.
I've listened to Larry Bates for years and it is apparent that no matter what issue, the Bateses, their guests, and advertisers do little more than promote economic uncertainty to "jawbone" the precious metals markets upward. I would imagine they're heavily invested in gold and silver, so they have a vested interest in metal prices, of course.
What I can't figure out is how they reconcile their heavy obsession with personal economic security and reliance on gold and silver with faith in Jesus Christ.
Erich,
It's Oct. 2008 and banks are failing. Congress just approved a $700,000,000,000 bill to "bail out" the investment bankers.
The housing market is crashing.
People's 401K's are tanking.
Erich, you look really lame right now.
A. Townsand:
Where did you learn how to read?
Please re-read my post. You will see that I admitted to also having serious concerns about the U.S. economy. Admittedly, I don't subscribe to any sort of religious end-times viewpoint. I admit that I disagree with Larry about his views on spiritual end times. And so far, I have not been disproven (admittedly, neither has Larry Bates). When Jesus descends from heaven to usher in the end of the world, I'll admit that I was wrong and Larry was right about the spiritual end time. Until then, Larry was right to raise his concerns about the economy and I was correct in agreeing that I was concerned about the economy too.
This is just another hit piece with the same old subtext:
"People against the Federal Reserve are kooks and must be discounted"
So, would buying silver at that time have been a good investment? YES
A lot of atheists and new agers, not just backward Christians take silver internally.
A. Townsand: Again. Read the Piece. I thought that Larry Bates offered SOME good advice regarding the economy. I think his religious advice is off-base, totally unsubstantiated. Show me where in this article I tried to defend the Federal Reserve. The quote you have placed into your comment is not mine.
If you're going to attack me, make sure that you are really attacking me.
Did I say that silver doesn't work? After writing this article, a friend gave me a bottle of silver. I even tried it.
I bought some gold after listening to Larry (Note to world: I do NOT keep it at my house).
I suspect that you're mad at me because I made Larry's religious beliefs look a bit silly. If so, you can tell me that you're mad about THAT. But don't make stuff up.
Dear Sir,
You certainly put alot of thought into all this. I myself am a self seeker, I take noones word for anything religious or political.
I have lived all over the world, I hold two passports, I have lived under socialism for many years, saw it's rise and now it's strangulation on my second home nation.
You would be wise to take off a few years and live in the UK as a for instance.
Chucky and Lar are profound and may tag on alot of seemingly silly stuff but the fundamental message is spot on.
Go live in a black neighborhood, african and Jamaican. Then live in a muslim neighborhood or country.
Talk to people see where they are at mentally, their indoctrination as it were.
You will find to my discust a programed hatred for all things US accept the funds.
You must remember you are dealing with tribal mentality masses. No facts, just the three promonent elements of tribalism, religious mythe attached to sexual virility attached to violence.All riding on primitive emotion.
I've seen it at eye level, no philosophizing nor assumptions, just the flesh and blood of it.
The US is now in a battle for it's life, socialism is real it is dangerous but don't worry it will take a while like in europe.
First it will be all promises, good intentions, "we will provide". That's all it takes, know your factual history from WW2 till now.
Chuck and Larry won't look so foolish……unless your mind is already made up and you refuse further factual knowledge as socialists always always always do are doing will do to the end.
'
Rem: I have sometimes wondered whether the topics you have raised here were deep currents underlying at least some of Larry Bates' opinions. At the convention I attended, Larry Bates never said the things that you have written about in your comment.
I'm curious: has Larry Bates expressed opinions of this sort on his radio show from time to time, or are these just your personal opinions?
I have rarely, very rarely ! read such SICK and OBNOXIOUS rhetoric in reference to Jesus Christ who volunteered his very life, suffered and died on the cross for the sins of ALL mankind only to have a better brand of braindead animals write about him like I have read on this website.
"If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be accursed" 1 Corinthians 16:22
View your confirmed reservation here: http://www.flairfordesign.com/hell.html
Bon Voyage !
As for mythological figures, to the person who mentioned them, yes there are just that (mythological figures) Myths with no eyewitness testimony, unlike Jesus, some date before Jesus, but their resurrection didn't make it to the myth untill after Jesus, after the first century. and they don't have the strong historical evidence Jesus has. Most when studied by worthy scholars with many phd's in this field, and have studied the original myths, that have been changed over the years. Most of this comes from the hyper-skeptical community on the internet, and popular books that are marketedto people who lack the backround to analyze the facts critically
Take Mithras one of the most common figures used to compare Jesus to,Mithraism as a mystery religion cannot be attested until about A.D.90, well after Jesus. He was not born of a virgin, as you want us to believe, originally he came from a rock, I guess you could call that a virgin,lol. fully grown and naked, holding a Dagger, and a torch. Nor was Jesus born in a cave, and nowhere in Christianity does it say Jesus was born on Dec. 25th, we only celibrate it then. Mythras was not a teacher with 12 desciples, he was supposed to be a god. There is no mention of Mithras death, or self sacrifice, he killed a bull, and if no death, how could he have a resurrection,,uhg. people do your studying. Read the book The Case For The Real Jesus, by Lee Strobel, Challenge #4 starts on page 157, the names of the scholars, and historians are in the book……
RAC: Thanks for writing. I have a challenge for you, though. Go do some thorough research and come back and write out for me, verbatim, all of that first-hand contemporaneous historical research proving the existence and deeds of Jesus. There won't be much for you to report, I guarantee. And be careful when you cite to Joesphus, whose writings have been widely panned as non-historical.
None of your first hand accounts will be from the Gospels themselves, because the first Gospel wasn't written for more than 40 years after the death of Jesus. The Epistles won't help you either because they fail to describe the Jesus of Nazareth who worked miracles and taught the people (you might not believe this assertion, but go read the epistles and you'll see).
I'm not here to uphold the Divinity of alternative gods. I don't believe that any gods, Mithras included, ever visited the earth in human form.
For some real eye-opener research, including detailed analyses of the writings of Josephus, visit the extraordinarily researched site written by Earl Doherty: http://www.jesuspuzzle.org/
I'm sure you'd like to be well-informed, right? Then make sure that you read Doherty's new book: "CHALLENGING THE VERDICT: A Cross-Examination of Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ" (You'll find the link at the same site of Jesus Puzzle).
Here's an excerpt:
It is only with Irenaeus of Lyons, writing around 180, that a Christian commentator lists the four canonical Gospels by name, presenting them as a set to be regarded as dependable and authoritative, and as written by people who were reputed to be followers of Jesus or in close contact with those who were.
Please also consider the scholarly work of Bart Ehrman, who examines the origins of the new testament. The following post will be an eye-opener for those who claim that the Bible accurately records historical events. I'm not denying that the Bible records some historical events accurately. It is clear to me, though, that many of the claims of the Bible were not based on historical truth, including the many contradictions among the writers of the Gospels (for example the conflicting genealogies allegedly leading from David to Joseph, who, puzzlingly, was not biologically related to Jesus). For more, see here: http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/10/22/who-c…
For those who wonder what it's like to go to hell, Keen Riches took the time to send me a link on what it's like (he wrote a post telling me that I was going to go to hell). It takes you through the first six days only. You'll have to use your imagination for the rest of your stay.
Thanks again, for the link, Keen.
http://www.flairfordesign.com/hell.html
My only response is:
His prediction of economic collapse, guess what?
It happened.
I guess the man was not so far off from the truth after all.
Predictions within the laws of nature always come true, eventually. Psychics and seers always use vague enough terms that eventually one can point to a prediction and say, "See? I predicted that." Ignoring the other dozens of predictions that have not yet come to pass.
The U.S. experiences economic downturns every generation or so. It is not unexpected. Especially during a borrow-and-spend administration.
Erich,
Woah, where do I begin? Jesus is The Son of
The Living God. I dare you to ask The Lord to show you if Jesus is The Son of The Living God. He will. He showed me. Hell is real. You don't want to go there. There is definately two opposing forces (good and evil) at war here – in politics as well. You are naive not to recognize it and to believe everything that the liberal left feeds you. I have prophetic dreams. I know it will be bad in the end. Many will be martyred when they refuse to accept the antichrist's new world order which will include worship of him, renouncing christianity, and taking the mark of the beast. I am not crazy. I am a psychotherapist. I know the criteria. It is true that the only HATE CRIMES allowed today are against christians – and don't forget the unborn babies that your party slaughters. I love you through Christ Jesus and pray that you find your salvation.
Sarah: You are probably the 30th person posting a comment telling me that I'm going to hell. Thank you for your concern, but If there is a God, I am trying to use the mind He gave me by carefully weighing religious claims.
Please feel free to wander around this site to see WHY I have come to the conclusions that I have come to. I can assure you that I am not a product of the "liberal left." I used to vote Republican until I saw that this is party of fraud, corruption and irresponsible economic policy (consider that Republican administrations are disproportionately responsible for running of the massive debt that could likely destroy the American way of life).
Sarah writes:–"I have prophetic dreams. I know it will be bad in the end."
Really? Did you predict the recent stock crash? Oh, yeah, it doesn't work that way.
You know, they have medication for that these days.
Normally I would be a bit more gracious and tolerant, but claiming that one has prophetic dreams places the speaker in the same category as clairvoyants, fortune tellers, ghost whisperers, and the psychics on the Dionne Warwicke Psychic Friends Network. It doesn't matter what label you use, christian, pagan, etc, this is a species of B.S. for which I have no tolerance or patience. Giving people the benefit of the doubt in this kind of thing is actually cruel.
There are two kinds of psychics—those who make a good living off it and those who do something else for a living and just brag about it at parties. The former are frauds, the latter are deluded.
And for the record, it is irritating to have skepticism continually labeled as a Liberal thing as if that's something to be ashamed of.
Liberal Ideas: equality, free trade, public education, the abolition of slavery, the abolition of hereditary rulers, open courts, personal property rights, evidentiary justice, free speech, freedom to practice your religion unmolested (no matter what it is as long as it does not violate someone else's freedom), habeus corpus, freedom of association, science, public libraries, personal choice.
Just because some people may do something with any of these that you find objectionable does not render any of them any the less valid. The fact that you get to foist your personal philosophy on readers in a public forum is a consequence of the labor of people in the cause of liberal ideas, so instead of condemning them you should perhaps take a moment to understand how hypocritical your implied (or otherwise) condemnation really is.
Forgive me, all the rest of you—my crankiness is a bit less controllable recently.