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Do you remember the movie Star Trek: Generations starring William Shatner and Patrick Stewart? Early on in the movie Dr. Tolian Soran, played by Malcolm McDowell, encounters and is enveloped by the "Nexus", an energy ribbon traveling through space, during which time he experiences complete "rapture". His ecstasy is short-lived, however, as circumstances pull him abruptly back to reality, and he subsequently commits the rest of his life to relocating and re-entering the "Nexus" so that he may live forevermore within its seductive grasp. One small problem. To accomplish this, Dr. Soran must cause the destruction of an entire planet inhabited by billions of souls. If you saw the movie, you know, of course, that ultimately his evil plans are thwarted, and the planet is saved.

That was fiction. What's going on in our world, however, is not, and I've mentioned this movie because I'm truly concerned about the existence on our planet, in our country, and in our heartland of a growing collection of fanatics who in their hearts believe, much like Dr. Soran, that they're entitled to manufacture a path for themselves into the waiting arms of their vision of Heaven, and seem to have no qualms about designating and rejoicing in the end of the world as their gateway to this Nirvana.

My Oh My. Where do people like this come from? Human life is not sacred to them. The world is not precious to them. The physical universe holds no meaning for them. All that really matters is the attainment of "rapture", and even then only for the faithful few. To hell with all the rest. And the sooner this happens the better. Oh, and did I mention the part about complicity in murder? Because, quite frankly, I see very little difference between those who pull the trigger and those who stand by while offering encouragement to the ones pulling the trigger, so that they can then proceed to step over the corpse once the trigger's been pulled.

Until recently, it never occurred to me that humankind would be struggling to save the planet from, among other things, a group of faith-obsessed fundamentalist Christians who're actually endeavoring to hasten its demise. As mind-boggling as this sounds, though, it wouldn't really be anything to worry about except for the fact that these lunatics have allied themselves with what might easily be thought of as the most high-strung, idealogically racist nation on Earth. I'm referring, of course, to the Zionist state of Israel, and Israel, as we all know, is also aligned with Washington's high-strung, idealogically racist Neoconservatives, who likewise share a common vision with the fundamentalist Christians.

And round and round it goes. Where one group stops and another one starts nobody knows. A three-headed hydra gyrating its way through some macabre dance of death, commanding the attentions and loyalties of millions, possessing vast amounts of nuclear armaments, and hell-bent on redefining the priorities which govern our community of nations.

Is it just me, or is this beginning to sound kind of dangerous? I mean, what exactly are we dealing with here, and where will it eventually lead to? Does anyone even know?

The ultimate goal of the Israelis appears to be that of converting the Middle East into one all-encompassing Zionist-dominated region, while the Neocons believe the entire planet would be better off if it were simply "regime-changed" into one all-encompassing Anglo-dominated region; and if neither of these two propositions works out, that's okay, 'cause the Evangalists are praying that none of us survive anyway, as they build a Stairway to Heaven for themselves upon the bones of the countless dead created by the other two.

Pretty gruesome scenario, if you ask me. And yes, maybe I'm exaggerating somewhat, but then again, who'd have thought six years ago that we'd be where we are today, involved in two unending pre-emptive wars and threatening to initiate a third?

In any event, it's only through our acquiescence that the aspirations of such people can ever truly be realized. It's our fear and our ignorance, after all, that they depend on more than anything to catapult them to their goals. And no matter which of these three villians you choose to examine, you'll find the method of operation used is pretty much always the same - generate enough fear, and violence or the acceptance of it will inevitably follow.

The Israelis, for example, have spent decades preying upon the fears of their Arab neighbors, goading and provoking them into violent responses. After all, without the occasional Palestinian bomb or rocket being set off, Israel would have no justification for rolling into the Occupied Territories with their tanks and armies, flattening whole communities, bulldozing orchards, robbing innocent people of their livelihood. Of course, they do this anyway on a regular basis, but without some level of resistance, they're naturally obliged to keep a lid on their criminality. (And I ask you, is that any way of ethnically cleansing the people whose land you're trying to grab?)

As for the Neocons, the power to pursue their violent strategies across our beleaguered globe has been lavished upon them by an American public steeped in fear (not to mention ignorance). Look how easily we allowed ourselves to be swayed by fear when 9/11 occurred, how skillfully this fear was manipulated and exploited, and how transfixed we were in responding to it through violent means.

And then there's the fundamentalist Christians, conjuring up the fear of demons and hobgoblins, while screaming violence at the top of their lungs in the most unchristianlike manner imaginable. Who could have imagined that the road to eternal bliss would be smeared with so much blood?

Put it all together and you've got a very freakish alliance of nearly comical proportions, but of not-so-comical implications - a fear factory, if you will, managed and operated by a small coterie of snake-oil salesmen, propagandizing their barbaric plunder by assuring the workforce that it's all being done in the name of what's right and good. Anxiety and hysteria are their production units, manufactured through an ingenious collage of press briefings, television interviews, and personal appearances, while infectious soundbites and catch phrases are regurgitated ad nauseum, reminding us of the unending need to guard ourselves against the beasts and ogres who threaten our existence.

I'm sorry folks, but the only ogres I see are the ones in the factory board room, spouting lies to justify their own programs of butchery and slaughter.

One might say that there truly is an Axis of Evil in our world, but it doesn't involve Iraq or Iran or North Korea. What it does involve is a group of misguided, miscreant men and women, who've lost all touch with whatever goodness might have at some point in their lives motivated or inspired them, and whose outlook on reality has become so distended over time as to leave the rest of us in complete awe and disbelief.

Why, then, are we allowing the reigns of our planet's destiny to be controlled by such people? Isn't it time to hand these shallow and pretentious con-artists their hats and show them the door? Don't we owe it to ourselves at such a critical time in this world's history to put into practice those values which are so necessary to its survival?

I believe we do. And if our efforts are successful, then we too will have saved an entire planet inhabited by billions of souls from the sour intentions of small-minded and insignificant beings, a planet which can then breathe a collective sigh of relief and return to the business of moving our civilization towards a better future.

Live Long and Prosper.