Holy War: The Rise of Militant Christian, Jewish and Islamic Fundamentalism

Author: David S. New

Pub. Date: 2002

Publisher: McFarland & Co.

Reviewer: Don C. Marler

Holy War is one of those books that tantalize with little known facts and then uses those facts to scare the reader; the combination is powerful. For example: who knew that Ronald Reagan was “hooked” since childhood, on Apocalyptic Dispensational Millennium and Armageddon? Who knew that he was later heavily influenced in these beliefs by Pat Boone, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson , W.A. Criswell, Jimmy Swaggert and others.

President Reagan believed that Armageddon and the coming of the Messiah were near and he wanted these things to happen during his term of office. Along with many other fundamentalist Christians he believed that the actions of men could hasten or bring on this event. And with this event the “saved” would be immediately caught up to heaven and would not have to endure the conflagration.

The author relates the unease and fear the Presidents staff felt about where these beliefs might lead the president. In short we barely dodged the bullet with President Reagan.

Given his wild, impulsive nature we dodged a bigger bullet when Pat Robertson was not elected to the presidency.

Cannibalism, Headhunting and Human Sacrifice in North America

Cannibalism, Headhunting and

Human Sacrifice in North America

George Franklin Feldman

A most fascinating and disturbing phenomenon in the U.S. is the neglect, denial, distortion and suppression of certain unpleasant, disruptive, criminal and treasonous episodes in the history of the country. This suppression is not surprisingly aided, abetted and enforced by “the powers that be” such as politicians, captains of industry, religious institution, a highly energetic and motivated patriotic subculture. These powerful forces exert pressure on professional historians who have their own subculture of conformity.

As a result the image of Native Americans as the Noble Savage has been promoted. School children learn that the Noble Savage was one with nature, free and generally at peace with other tribes and clans. While the Europeans who came to their land treated the Native Americans badly they tried to convert them to Christianity, which supposedly softened the blows delivered to these noble people. School children, even today, know little of the cannibalism, human sacrifices, headhunting, torture and other atrocities committed before the Europeans arrived and the European participation in many of the atrocities after their arrival.

In Cannibalism, Headhunting and Human Sacrifice in North America Mr.

Feldman rips the scab off these taboo subjects, shining the spotlight on cannibalism, human sacrifice, headhunting and other atrocities, some of which were committed by both sides.

That headhunting was widely practiced by both sides is fairly well known. Even the Puritans participated in headhunting bounties in order to bring in cash. Less well known is the wide spread practices of cannibalism, and human sacrifice among many tribes across the U.S. and especially along the Gulf Coast.

While it is not pleasant to read about victims being sliced and eaten while dying at the burning stake, it is refreshing to see these taboo subjects uncovered and discussed.

This book is well researched and well written. Anyone interested in a reality view of life in North America will not be disappointed.

 

Falling Off The Family Tree

Kinfolks: Falling Off The Family Tree

The Search For My Melungeon Ancestors

See this book and all Lisa Alther titles at Amazon

Lisa Alther

Arcade Publishing

Lisa Alther, novelist, has written her first non-fiction book and may have created a new genre. Kinfolks is neither fish nor fowl and tastes better than either. This last sentence is the kind of quip she injects into her delightful book.

Her account describes her search for her Melungeon ancestors involving traveling down the Appalachian roads of sensitivity, denial, subterfuge and struggle with ancestors who themselves are struggling to avoid the prejudice of a society that is still influenced by its racist past.

Kinfolks will serve well as a primer for those who are beginning the search for their own ancestors, especially Melungeon and other “mixed blood” ancestors. For those seasoned Melungeon researchers it will serve as an overview of the tremendous amount of work already accomplished and it will highlight the ongoing search for a definitive answer to who the Melungeons are and where they came from.

Did the butler do it or was it the Spaniards, Portuguese, Indians, Africans, Scots or Jews.

Enjoy a different kind of book.

Don C. Marler

Author of Redbones of Louisiana

One Nation Under Gods

ONE NATION UNDER GODS: A HISTORY OF THE MORMON CHURCH

By Richard Abanes

651 pages

Basic Books

Richard Abanes is a religion journalist who has written extensively on religious groups and cults in America. ONE NATION UNDER GODS is well researched and carefully written to reflect the history of Mormonism from its early 19th century founding to its present day status. The great grand daughter of Brigham Young, the leader of the church following the murder of founder, Joseph Smith, and who was reared in the church, endorsed the book by writing its Foreword.

Given the extensive and wide ranging elements of the book no attempt will be made here to review and comment on them. Suffice to say that the reader will be amazed at the character of Smith and many of his lieutenants, the gullibility of his followers, the violence, deception, corruption and determination to overthrow the government of the United States.

At the theological level the reader will be amazed at the rationale for polygamy, for the belief that all MEN were potential gods–hence the book title. Mormons were to rule the world sooner than later beginning with the United States.

Perhaps the story of Mormonism can be best illustrated by two quotes from the book.

You will see the constitution of the United States almost destroyed. It will hang like a thread….A terrible revolution will take place in the land of America….[T]he land will be left without a Supreme Government,… [Mormonism] will have gathered strength, sending out Elders to gather the honest in heart…to stand by the Constitution of the United States….In these days…God will set up a Kingdom, never to be thrown down….[T]he whole of America will be made the Zion of God.

Joseph Smith (May, 6, 1845)

Founder, Mormonism

I’ve never seen it worse than this, where the Constitution literally is hanging by a thread.

Orrin Hatch (November 9, 1999)

Republican Senator, Utah

Mormon

Anyone interested in Church & State relations and especially in a relatively new American made church will find ONE NATION UNDER GODS: A HISTORY OF THE MORMON CHURCH of great interest.

The Plot

THE PLOT TO SEIZE THE WHITE HOUSE:

The Shocking TRUE Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR.

Jules Archer

The plot to overthrow U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and to install a fascist government constitutes one of the most serious threats to Democratic America and is no doubt one of the most thoroughly squelched episodes in the history of the U.S. During the late stages of the Hoover administration the government reneged on its promise to pay WWI veterans a bonus. As a result a huge veterans march on Washington occurred and President Hoover ordered General Douglas MacArthur to break it up. The veterans were camped in tents and shacks erected in fields in Washington. MacArthur drove them out at bayonet point and burned their shacks. Several veterans were killed and all, including wives and children were driven out.

At a subsequent meeting General Smedley D. Butler, an enlisted man’s general, spoke to a large contingent of these men. He was so well received that a large group of individuals and corporations who were developing a plan to take over the now Democratic government headed by FDR, chose him as their choice to run the government according to their desires. These plotters had already studied the methods of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin. They preferred the Mussolini model. They may have succeeded had they selected another potential figurehead. Ex-Marine General Smedley was a bad choice to lead a treasonous plot.

Without giving too much of the story away suffice to say that they wanted General Butler to lead 500,000 disgruntled vets against Washington and overwhelm FDR. Butler would then become an assistant to the president and would do the bidding of the plotters. The plotters included Al Smith, the American Legion and many wealthy people and corporations whom the reader will recognize.

After gathering his facts and evidence, General Butler took the story to the McCormack-Dickstein Committee (A Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities). This was a huge story with a lot of investigative work to be done. Unfortunately, the committee was up for renewal and funding; instead, it was allowed to die. Later the HUAC led by Martin Dies and J. McCarthy was created to replace it.

Before the death of the McCormack-Dickstein committee a report was submitted and promptly buried. The report did survive however and it verified the veracity of the Butler story.

The book is well researched and well written. It is a Must Read for anyone interested in the history of the United States of America.

Reviewed by: Don C. Marler

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing