Authoritarians
brace for Y2K

Authoritarians are digging in for Y2K trouble in the U.S. and abroad.
The FBI recently issued a statement clarifying a USA Today story, which had made it seem the government was preparing for a millennium Armageddon with "anti-government" elements -- especially those of a religious persuasion. But the clarification still sounded like the FBI had identified Christians, patriots and other anti-establishment individuals as public enemies.

"'Project Megiddo' is the culmination of an FBI research initiative which analyzed the potential for extremist criminal activity in the U.S. by individuals or domestic groups who attach special significance to the year 2000," said the report. "In an effort to educate investigators and officials in the law enforcement community about potential violence associated with or motivated by the arrival of the year 2000, the FBI conducted extensive research into the various ideologies and concepts which serve to motivate groups or individuals with violent agendas. Many extremists place significance on the next millennium, and may present challenges to law enforcement authorities. The significance is based primarily upon apocalyptic religious beliefs or political beliefs concerning the New World Order conspiracy theory. The report is intended to provide a clear, measured and responsible picture of potential extremism motivated by the next millennium, and to increase awareness among law enforcement officials of the unique challenges that may be presented by extremists motivated by millennial agendas."

That's part of what the FBI had to say. It isn't much different from what their counterparts in Beijing were doing a few days later.

Here's part of a dispatch from the South China Morning Post this week: "A crackdown on cults across the mainland has been organized by the authorities ahead of the millennium to prevent possible unrest instigated by religious fanatics."

Like Louis Freeh and company, the boys in Beijing said they were "deeply alarmed by the influence in the countryside of some doomsday cults."

"Some cults have preached that the end of the world would come in the new millennium and have urged followers to give up their 'worldly fortunes' to follow their leaders," the report said.

Amazing, isn't it? Why are officials and in Washington and Beijing so scared of what's coming? Why are they both preparing crackdowns on dissidents in anticipation of the year 2000?

The reason the tyrants in the U.S. and China are behaving so similarly is that they are afraid of people who believe in something other than raw state power. That's the bottom line. That's why China used excessive, brute force to crush the Buddhists in Tibet. And that's why the FBI presided over the wholesale slaughter of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas.

There's really not all that much difference between the totalitarians in Washington and those in Beijing. Oh, yeah, sure there are degrees of difference. In China, they execute cult leaders as a matter of course. In the United States, fortunately, it is still unusual for religious dissidents to be killed by the government. But it happens. It happens.

And it's likely to happen more frequently in the new millennium. Why? Because the governments are preparing for it. How else can one explain these reports? I haven't heard of any attacks by millennial cultists on government installations or personnel. Have you? Yet, here are the most powerful governments in the world preparing for an assault. Go figure.

It's true that some religious groups and individuals put much stock in the significance of the calendar. Big deal. Do any of them call for the violent overthrow of the government? I don't know of any such plans or theologies. The overwhelming majority of religious people -- whether they are Buddhists in China or Christians in the U.S. -- are peaceful, exceptionally peaceful.

You would think the government would be more concerned with non-religious people who feel no sense of accountability to a higher authority. Those people tend to be less peaceful and more of a threat to their neighbors.

But it's not the safety of your neighbors the government is concerned about. It's you -- you people who don't think government represents the ultimate authority. That's what concerns the authoritarians in Beijing and Washington.

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A daily radio broadcast adaptation of Joseph Farah's commentaries can be heard at http://www.ktkz.com/

Humpty&Dumpty

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