In a comment on an article by Chris Hedges: Bush’s Nuclear Apocalypse, a reader named Mason states:

…I am absolutely horrified about what’s going to happen and with the GOP now unravelling behind Predatorgate such that the Dems have a legitimate shot of winning control of at least one house in Congress, I realize that any reservations that King George entertained about nuking Iran have evaporated because, in what passes for his mind, he cannot allow the elections to take place. A Democratic majority means subpoenas, hearings, and impeachment by inches.

God, how I wish it were not so, but I think we’re looking at nuclear war in fifteen days followed by cancelled elections and dissenting citizens being rounded up and disappeared into gulags, never to be seen or heard from again.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m terrified and I don’t scare easily. I think that the only hope we’ve got is if someone wearing a ton of brass marches into the White House and takes the car keys away from the madman whose foreign policy is dictated by a disembodied voice in his head that he calls God.

I would agree with some of the article’s commentators, in that the scenario would seem overly apocalyptic. I also think that some of the information on the reasons for deploying aircraft carrier battle groups to the Persian Gulf is too lightly researched (what about regular rotations, the beefing up of the U.S. military presence in a final attempt to get Bagdad under control, etc.). And what do you mean – they won’t let us blog from the gulag ;)?

I work with a lot of reservists. If they start disappearing without notice then I’ll be getting very nervous.

All in all I am nervous. Mr. Bush looks like he’s less and less in control of his faculties. He is manufacturing stories that have no relationship to reality. He’s combative and defensive in interpersonal contact. It’s not a stretch to think of what he might do; the story by Mr. Hedges being a possibility.

If Mr. Bush finally attempts to, or takes a step over the cliff-of-no-return, what are the possible choices for those who could do something?

• If I were Congress I’d be moving for impeachment. As a matter of fact, do it now, even with a weak case —“ it could distract him long enough. This is the best scenario as it falls in line with our democratic principals.
• If I were the military I’d be preparing to do a Thailand type coup. This would be among the worst scenarios, but I think people would buy it if there was a looming danger. It’s also classic Rome revisited —“ history repeating itself. ‘Oh Caesar, save us!’ It’s just that Caesar won’t go away.
• If I were the Russians and the Chinese I’d be pointing my ICBM’s right back at the U.S. They might be able to shut Mr. Bush up with one call on the ‘red phone’. They could care for our government or people, but they do have to protect their self interests. This may or may not work. In Mr. Bush’s own mind he’d probably figure that he could speed the second coming through MAD.

When you have a madman running a superpower you pretty much assure that everyone else will be looking to anyone that makes more sense (and that’s pretty much everyone else right now). Can you see China or re-emergent Russia steering the ship?

As Christians we are to be a eschatological people. We pray the Our Father – ‘Thy Kingdom come’ but in praying for the coming of the Kingdom we follow by praying ‘Thy Will be done’. Acknowledging God’s will is supposed to be an act of submission. Somehow, those of Mr. Bush’s ilk have decided that they can forego submission and tell God what to do.

Remember, the Kingdom is here but not yet, and only the Father knows. Focus your attention and energy on living within God’s parameters and maybe then you would speed the coming of the Kingdom.

Just a few questions:

• Why is the first, and pretty much only question, the affect this scandal will have on the November elections?
• Why is the second question whether this guy is lying about his alcoholism and prior contacts with deviant clergy?
• Why is the third question the affect of the scandal on the homosexual community?

Shouldn’t the first, second, third, and fourth question concern the welfare of these young men who have been victimized?

For some reason people assume that if you’re sixteen years old and male you can’t be abused or victimized (by either sex). It’s part of the dichotomy between excessive Victorian guilt over sexuality and living in a society where everyone is expected to engage in sexual behaviors as early and as often as possible.

• That boy and the hot teacher —“ ‘Oh, oh, oh, wish it was me.’
• ‘Mom, dad, how should I respond if someone comes on to me? — Oh son, lets not talk about it, its dirty.’

It seems to me that Catholic Christianity has a lot to say about the proper ordering of sexual celebration within marriage and the relationship between healthy desire, pleasure, and commitment (what everyone wants —“ but no one will say, and what all parents should discuss with their children).

And if you don’t think that this person’s lechery and disjointed personality have had an affect on these young men, forcing them to question their sexuality at an age where everything is appearances, and forcing them to loose what little faith they have in the pillars of society, while they still have some modicum of faith in the ‘establishment’, you are deluding yourself.