Reply #37: "Full Moon"

[Minstrel Boy]

Posted to my blog here Feb 16:

Full Moon

Since Jeff Gannon reminded us of Craig Spence, who got us thinking about George HW Bush and Reverend Moon, and then Moon's place of privilege in the parapolitical world, I was interested to see this today on Democratic Underground, which seems to close the circle.

Bobby Eberle is President and CEO of GOPUSA, "a privately-held corporation dedicated to promoting the conservative political philosophy through the distribution of conservative news, information, and commentary via the Internet and special events." Both "gopusa.com" and Gannon's "talonnews.com" are registered in Eberle's name, and TalonNews stories consisted of brief introductory paragraphs, with a link "to read more" which redirected visitors to gopusa.com.

There's an interesting thing about Eberle's online bio, apart from the fact it's no longer online. (Here's its Google cache.) Eberle's opinion pieces, so it says, "have been featured in the Washington Times, Human Events, Insight Magazine, and numerous newspapers across the country." How significant is it that all three listed are Moonie publications? Hard to tell, perhaps, without a list of the "numerous newspapers." But it makes me wonder about the provenance of "GOPUSA," and just who was running a male prostitute in the White House.

And another thing I learned from that DU post: Moon is waging a campaign to persuade American churches to trade the symbolism of a cross for a crown. (A cross is just so, you know, yesterday's Messiah.) Something he probably doesn't include in the ecumenical pitch: the crown represents his own.

As bizarre as it sounds, it's finding success. Here's some indication, from April 2003, and the Unification Church publication True Parent. (And who do you think that might be?)

A truly profound moment in history has occurred. 123 clergy took down their crosses over the Easter weekend. This was supported by another 135 clergy who attended services participating and in accord with this dispensation. All told, 258 clergy directly affirmed the taking down of the cross proclaiming an end the era of bloodshed and sacrifice and the beginning of a new era of faith and resurrection.

The desire of God for the second Israel is now being realized. Christian pastors are uniting with the Lord of the Second Advent and taking down the cross. They are embracing the blessing and coming forward to build the Kingdom of God on Earth. These pastors are standing on the foundation of direct experience with Father during the 50 state tour and the profound leadership he has given to the ACLC through the Blessing of Marriage movement and the courageous public proclamation of the revelations of Jesus and saints from the spirit world which confirm that True Parents are the ones anointed by Jesus to fulfill the second coming.

(For my own paranoid reasons, which I hope need no explanation, I won't live-link to the church. But cut and paste tparents.org/UNews/Unws0304/ and you're off and running. Just don't look behind you.)

Two scenes, from 123 "taking down the cross" ceremonies:



"In response to Rev. Moon's teachings on the cross, Rev. John
Kingara takes down the cross at the Worldwide Greater Mission
Church in Worchester, MA on Good Friday, April 18, 2003 as
members of his congregation look on."



"In response to Rev. Moon's teachings on the cross, Bishop C.
Phillip Johnson and members of the New Prospect Family Praise
and Worship Center in Washington, DC, take down their cross
on Good Friday, April 18, 2003."

Interesting, maybe. Disturbing, probably. But so what?

Do you recall the initial ban on the display of crosses for the Bush/Cheney 2005 inauguration parade? Under pressure from Christian activists - apparently of the non-Moonified variety - the Secret Service rescinded the ban. Rev. Patrick Mahoney, the director of the Christian Defense Coalition, called the decision welcome, but added "the original ban was troubling because 'Christianity's most sacred symbol has been singled out as the only religious item prohibited' in the initial regulations."

Perhaps we ought to rethink the rationale for the ban. Could it have been a sop to Moon, one of the Bush family's dearest paymasters, and the figure overshadowing America's "Christian" Right?

Also, if we have the stomach for it, perhaps we should revisit the redecoration of the Lincoln bedroom. Remember? Here's Sidney Blumenthal, writing last Oct 14:

Even now, the White House is being redecorated for President Bush's second term -- or at least one room, the Lincoln Bedroom. The famous long bed will remain; so will the original Emancipation Proclamation in its glass case. But dominating the room, above the bed, will be a large carved crown from which will flow, ceiling to floor, royal purple satin drapes. The crown has been sent to be gilded with gold in anticipation of Bush's triumphant return from his campaign.

Well, perhaps not. Perhaps the crown actually belongs to another.