By calling America “dark,” “depraved,” and “irredeemable,” the GOP speaker may as well be citing Al Qaeda’s leader

In a video recorded just weeks before he ascended to his role as the most powerful Republican on Capitol Hill, Johnson filmed a video for the World Prayer Network with rabidly homophobic pastor Jim Garlow. As Frederick Clarkson has chronicled for Salon, Garlow is part of an apocalyptic Christian movement that wishes to end secular democracy and replace it with “a utopian biblical kingdom where only God’s laws are enforced.” (Which, of course, sounds much like bin Laden’s hope for an Islamic caliphate.) Garlow asked Johnson if he felt that it was finally “a time of judgment for our collective sins.”

To this, Johnson replied, “The culture is so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable.” As evidence, he noted how many young people identify as something other than straight.

Johnson’s words echo those of bin Laden’s "Letter to America: “We call you to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling’s, and trading with interest.”

  • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Surprisingly, his reasoning for doing it, while wrong, was instigated by the Waco Siege, which was a pretty shitty thing for the government to do. Turns out when you attack a group of people, they get radicalized (even further than that group already was)

    • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Waco was fucked up long before the siege. It was just a tinderbox by design because those people were absolutely nuts.

      • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        I think you’re missing the point. When the government decides to get violent with groups, it only leads to radicalization. Very rarely does it solve an issue.

        • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          Im Lakota, I’m pretty awake to it but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a powder keg and the Branch Davidians were a death cult. There wasn’t any outcome that wasn’t going to be a lot of death and violence.

          • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            They were an apocalyptic cult, but not necessarily a death cult. Mind you they couldve evolved into a death cult with time, but thsy were generally pretty open which is not common in death cults.

            But ill also note they needed to be dealt with, its just that the ATF and feds fucked it up massively trying to make up for Ruby Ridge. Seriously they couldve grabbed David Karesh at basically any other time, the fucker was a singer for a band they couldve grabbed him when he did a show.