Deprogram? Intervention? Impeachment? You Decide:
So the Rude Pundit has been reading all the recent stories about the as-yet-unfound-and-of-course-the-rest-of-us-know-never-to-be-found weapons of mass destruction, including the scathing Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report; that amazing Washington Post article on how the weapons existed, like the masturbatory fantasies of a zit-covered teenaged boy, as a diagram on a CD; and now the Paul O'Neill revelations, which are not so surprising to everyone paying attention, that Bush was obsessed with Iraq from the beginning of his administration and that O'Neill saw no evidence of WMDs; the wonderful little tidbit from Condi that there's no solid evidence of Iraq moving said weapons to Syria, and of course the facts that David Kay is leaving the search, and we're pulling out the 400 elite searchie people. And then there's the sad, sad sight of Colin Powell, needing prostate surgery probably from all the rumsfeldings he's been getting, standing there, sphincter a little tighter than usual, declaring that the weapons exist and that "the game is still unfolding."

So, like, you remember that cult a few years ago, Heaven's Gate? The one that committed mass suicide, the one where the men cut their nuts off and all of them wore Nikes? Sure, you remember them. We got to see the photos of those Nikes over and over. You remember anything about them? They believed that a UFO was following the Hale-Bopp comet, and that the UFO was a sign of coming changes. In 1997, their proof, a photograph, was shown to be a hoax, and their response? "Irrelevant." The comet alone, see, was enough of a sign. The other fucked-up, eerie thing? The nutso head of the cult gave everyone cute little new names.

Now, let's put two and two together. Here's some info on what makes a cult, from a cult awareness network:
"The group will have an elitist view of itself in relation to others, and a unique cause. They are the only ones who are right - everyone else is wrong. They are the only ones doing God's will - everyone else is in apostasy.

"They will promote their cause actively, and in doing so, abuse personal rights and freedoms.

"They use intimidation or psychological manipulation to keep members loyal to their ranks. This could be in the form of threats of dire calamity sent by God if they leave; certain death at Armageddon; being shunned by their family and friends etc. This is a vital part of the mind control process.

"Members will be expected to give substantial financial support to the group. This could be compulsory tithing (which is checked); signing over all their property on entering the group; coercive methods of instilling guilt on those who have not contributed; selling magazines, flowers or other goods for the group as part of their 'ministry'."

This could go on and on. Criticism is seen as rebellion, loyalty is prided above all else, etc. And the comparisons here are frightening, no? Financial support as taxes. Abuse of freedom in the form of the Patriot Act. It's obvious.

When the President and Colin Powell stand up there, foolish, frightening us with phantom weapons, they are just Jim Jones with a bigger megaphone. And America, with its vacillating alerts, its complicit media, ignorant citizens. We're just living in Jonestown, waiting for the next attack as a sign that we should drink the Kool-Aid.

Tomorrow: Deprogramming for Democracy.