The Illuminati

by Larry Burkett

  What had been a “situation” became a crisis when the FCC confirmed the ban of all Christian broadcast on radio and television. The last straw came when the administration pushed a bill through Congress taxing all church property and income. Elder pulled out the stops and rallied his followers to organize demonstrations protesting this blatantly unconstitutional action.

  Without access to any public media, John Elder fell back to his only option: organizing “grassroots” committees to keep Christians informed. He and his group began printing weekly newsletters announcing protest rally dates and locations. Condensed versions were distributed through church bulletins in thousands of churches throughout the country.

  Elder decided that a mass rally should be organized to confront the Washington politicians. As a forerunner, smaller planning meetings were scheduled in churches by the thousands.

  Tony Moran was one of the group leaders whose function was to coordinate his church’s participation. He received an urgent call from John Elder’s headquarters instructing him to schedule a planning meeting for that evening. Some of Elder’s contacts in Washington had notified him that President Hunt had decided to sign an executive order authorizing the so-called “Crack Babies Bill,” abolishing the babies’ civil rights.

  “Notify your group that we’re going to march on Washington next Saturday,” Randy Cross, a leader in John Elder’s Constitutional Rights Committee (CRC), told Moran.

  “I don’t know if we can get our group together than soon,” Moran said. Inside he had a sinking feeling that once they publicly made their move, there would be no turning back. He wasn’t at all sure he was ready or willing to take that step.

  “If we don’t act now, it will be too late,” Cross warned him. “If the Crack bill becomes law, they’ll begin processing the kids. John says we need to act now!”

  Tony Moran put the phone down. His hand shook from the fear he felt welling up inside.

  “What’s wrong, Tony?” Susan Moran asked her husband when she saw his ashen face.

  “The committee wants us to call an emergency meeting to plan a march on Washington Saturday.”

  “We knew we’d have to take a stand sometime,” his wife said as she put her arms around him.

  Susan spent the next three hours calling every member of their church’s CRC group. The meeting was set for seven o’clock that evening.

  “I don’t think we should go tonight,” Tony said as his wife completed her last call. “We’re taking an awful risk.”

  “We have to take a stand sometime, Tony,” she replied as they sat down to eat. “First it was the ban on Christian radio, then television. Then the tax on church property, and now this terrible Crack Babies Bill. Who knows what may be next? Maybe they’ll declare it unconstitutional to witness.”

  “You don’t understand,” Tony said grimly. “Remember Robert Barnes? Well, he got fired from his job this week because he insisted on reading his Bible at lunch. It’s tough enough for us to make it now. What will happen if I lose my job?”

  “I don’t think a job is as important as a life, Tony. Besides, we’re not plotting anarchy. We’re just trying to protect those who can’t defend themselves.”

  Susan Moran sounded a lot more confident than she felt. She had seen the trend, even in their own neighborhood, toward religious intolerance. The more the government legitimized it, the more overt it became.

  I wonder if this is the way persecution came to the Jews in Germany? she thought.Were they just eased out of society until nobody really noticed they were missing?

  Even as the Morans were preparing to meet with their group, a meeting was taking place in the White House that would have a profound effect on their future.

  “I simply can’t believe this report, Cal,” President Mark Hunt remarked as he reviewed the document before him.

  “Believe it, Mr. President. The FBI has firm evidence that the religious right is planning government assassinations as a part of their opposition to your Crack bill.”

  “But they’ve never been violent in any of their past protests. They shout and scream a lot, but in the end they adjust,” the president said as he reread the document about members of a religious group, calling themselves the Constitutional Rights Committee, who were planning to assassinate several Senate leaders and federal judges. It went on to say that the FBI had also uncovered a plot to assassinate President Hunt if he signed the so-called “Crack Babies Bill.”

  The Humanitarian Action Legislation, dubbed the “Crack Babies Bill” by the religious right, was legislation Hunt had just sponsored while in the Senate. Nearly twelve million babies born of crack and cocaine addicts over the last decade were wards of the government; over $48 billion a year of taxpayers’ money was required to care for them. Hunt had been genuinely surprised that there had been such an outcry in the Christian community when he first introduced legislation to utilize the crack babies for the good of otherwise hopeless people. His researchers had irrefutable evidence that these crack babies had less learning ability than a chimpanzee. And other than a few animal rights radicals, nobody minded using the chimps for the good of mankind. Not only would using the crack babies’ organs help many terminally ill people, but it would also bring more than $6 billion a year into the government and eliminate the drain of nearly $50 billion to support and sustain them.

  Virtually the entire country supported the bill, except the Christians. They had succeeded in getting the bill delayed in Congress, but one of his campaign promises had been to get the bill passed into law, which he planned to do by executive order immediately. The procedure on the crack babies would be done humanely. Those who were diagnosed as mentally deficient would be sent to government hospitals where they would be injected with coma-inducing drugs. From there they would be transported to organ banks throughout the world where their organs would be used to help productive people live useful lives.

  Hunt slammed the report down on the Jeffersonian desk that had been used by so many previous presidents. “I want this made public, Cal. Get it leaked to the press so that it doesn’t look like we did it. But get it done!”

  “I’ll do it, Mr. President,” Rutland promised as he picked up the report. Perfect, he thought as he returned the report to the pouch labeled “Top Secret.” I knew how he’d react to that part about his bill. Rutland smiled as he visualized the reaction to the article in the press. The religious right can protest all they want, but the more they protest, the more they will appear guilty. As long as we control they media, the public will accept what we say as truth.

  6

  THE ARRESTS

  “John! You’re not going to believe this! Come here! Hurry!”

  Pastor John Elder knew his wife was watching the morning news. For her the latest news, along with the current weather forecast, was a daily routine before starting breakfast. Julia Elder was a typical Baptist minister’s wife most of the time, but lately her life was being reshaped. As a pastor’s wife, she was accustomed to life in a “fishbowl” within the confines of their church membership, but as her husband was being thrust even more into the public eye in the protests against the government, she was being placed in a much larger “fishbowl.”

  “What’s wrong, honey? Is the weather girl topless again?”

  The comment was meant to be amusing, but Julia was not in a humorous mood. She looked like she was about to vomit. “You’d better get in here, John. You’re on television.”

  Elder hurried into the living room. As he entered, he heard the announcer from WNN say, “The FBI report states that an underground religious group known as the Constitutional Rights Committee, or the CRC, led by the Reverend John Elder, a Baptist preacher from Atlanta, Georgia, has made several threats on politicians who oppose the group’s teachings. Elder, who heads a fifteen-thousand-member organization, has led many protests in the past, including the notorious ‘midnight run’ on Congress.”

  “That’s a lie!” Julia Elder shouted. “We had nothin
g to do with breaking into the congressional building. Those were not our marchers.”

  “Of course, they weren’t,” Elder said, trying to calm her down. “Don’t worry about it, dear.” It wasn’t surprising that his group was getting the blame. He had irritated both the politicians and the press when he led several thousand peaceful demonstrators in a march on Washington to protest the government’s blatant assault on religious freedoms.

  The misinformation was created when the vandals who had been arrested claimed to be members of the CRC. Later he learned that they had done so in exchange for representation by the National Civil Liberties Union. All of those arrested received small fines and suspended sentences. Yet when some members of the Constitutional Rights Committee struggled with the D.C. police along the parade route, they had been arrested, cited for assault, and sentenced to three years in prison. In addition, CRC’s demonstration permit had been permanently revoked, and as group organizer, Elder had received ninety days in jail for contempt of court. All the public saw were the short clips of his CRC members shoving the police. What the media didn’t show was that the marchers had just been struck by night-stick-wielding police officers.

  Elder’s attention remained riveted to the television. A reporter was asking the deputy attorney general from the Department of Justice what the government’s response would be.

  John Elder saw his own face appear in one corner of the screen as the young deputy answered, “We will watch this Constitutional Rights Committee very closely. At this point I cannot comment on our plans, but we certainly do take their threats seriously. Plots to assassinate members of the government have been authenticated. This group has demonstrated that they will resort to violence if necessary to achieve their goals. We have evidence that they are teaching their members guerrilla tactics.”

  The scene shifted to a heavily wooded area where armed men and women were engaging in what was obviously combat training.

  “Lies, lies! Those are not our people,” Julia protested.

  “We knew this wouldn’t be easy, Julia. Just remember what I keep telling the members of our group. The politicians are not our enemies, even if they are against us. Our enemy is the master deceiver.”

  As tears welled up in Julia’s eyes, her voice broke and she struggled to maintain her composure.“Maybe so, John, but you’re going to be the one who will bear the brunt.”

  “A lot of God’s people will bear the brunt, Julia. I just happen to be the spokesman right now. Remember that Peter and John rejoiced at being found worthy to suffer for the Lord.”

  “Yes, but I also remember that Peter was crucified and John was banished,” Julia retorted.

  “I wish that we could be found as worthy,” John said to no one in particular as he sank into his favorite chair and turned his attention back to the news program. “Sometimes I think it would be easier to be martyred than to fight the politicians.” He stared at the television as the newscast moved on to a new piece.

  “This is Nathan Mather in Detroit; I’m outside the Government Service Center,” the onsite reporter said. “With only three hundred new service jobs available for this city of one hundred thousand unemployed workers, nearly ten thousand people applied for the positions. The Service Center director tells me that according to the new job preference bill, only workers over sixty-five will be considered for these positions.”

  Stepping up to one of the younger men in line, Mather asked,“Sir, are you aware that the available jobs will be filled only with over-sixty-five workers?”

  “Yeah, I heard that, but I’m goin’ to stay in line anyway. I have a wife and four kids to feed.”

  “What do you think about the jobs bill since the Japanese car companies left Detroit?”

  “I think it stinks. Hunt promised he would do somethin’ to help us. I listened to his promises and voted for him; now I expect him to keep his word.”

  “Well, as you know, the older generation holds the majority vote in our country now. Don’t you think it will be difficult to get support for any new jobs legislation favoring younger workers?”

  After a moment’s hesitation from the young man, he stood straight and spoke with conviction, “Maybe so, but I’ll tell you this: these so-called older workers caused this mess we’re in, an’ now they want us to pay the price. There’s nothin’ right about that! They may have the vote, but we have the power. We need Hunt to act.” Looking away from the reporter and into the camera, he continued, “You hear me, President Hunt? Do somethin’ now!”

  A troubled John Elder looked away from the television. “It seems that every group is being pitted against the other. The young against the old, blacks against Hispanics, Christians against non-Christians. If anything else happens, this country could be in real trouble. Everything I see around us now reminds me of what I’ve read about pre-World War II Germany. Inflation was running 1,000 percent per month, and unemployment was nearly 40 percent. The people were ripe for a political savior.”

  “But our economy isn’t as bad as that, is it?” Julia asked, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than her husband. She knew John had a better grasp of history than most men of his generation.

  “I’m afraid this depression is just going to get worse, Julia. We’re in for a battle ahead.” He stood up and walked to the kitchen, staring out the window. Americans had always believed that the government could call forth some magic genie to save them from any economic trials. Now they knew better. When President Kilborne announced that the FDIC could no longer insure bank accounts, depositors rushed to get their money, only to discover that there wasn’t any money. So a lot of older people saw their life’s savings evaporate, and they had to look for work. All this jobs bill had done was to alienate the younger people who were already strapped with tax upon tax. It’s just a matter of time until our government totally runs out of money. Then they’ll either print it or scrap it altogether.

  “But the Balanced Budget Amendment is supposed to keep the worst from happening, isn’t it?” Julia called from the living room.

  “Theoretically yes, but most Americans don’t understand what it actually means to run out of money. It would cost millions more jobs and ignite riots in the cities. I don’t know just what can be done, but I’ll guarantee you the government is looking for a ‘rabbit in the hat’ right now.”

  “I don’t understand,” Julia said. “The government can’t just ignore the Constitution. The Supreme Court won’t allow it, will they?”

  “Julia, we don’t know how far politicians like Hunt will go to make themselves look good. Even the Supreme Court may not be able to stop him now. It’s possible he is part of an effort to take over the government.”

  “What do you mean? You’ve hinted at that before.”

  “The attacks on Christians are accelerating since Hunt’s landslide election. Our people in Washington believe there is a secret society within the government that is behind both the attacks and Hunt’s election.”

  “What kind of society? Does it have anything to do with you being accused of heading a subversive group?”

  “I don’t know, but their strategy seems to be to stir up hatred of Christianity.”

  Raw emotion caused Julia’s voice to waver as she said, “I can’t believe we’re in the middle of all this. This is America, not China.”

  Before her husband could reply, tires screeched to a stop in front of the house. Julia looked out between the blinds and saw several men in dark suits emerging from two plain black cars. A mobile van from Channel Six TV pulled into the driveway behind them; several people jumped out and began to set up remote camera equipment. One of the dark-suited men yelled at the TV crew and the camera was quickly relocated to the edge of the Elder’s driveway.

  Two of the men approached the front door while another went around to the backyard. Julia’s heart almost stopped as she realized they were probably surrounding the house.

  “John, you’d better come look at this,” sh
e whispered.

  “What, honey?” he asked as he saw her pale. “What’s wrong?”

  Before Julia could answer, the front door burst open and two men pointed automatic weapons at them both. “John Elder? John Elder! FBI! You’re under arrest!”

  The last thing Julia remembered seeing was her husband’s shocked expression—then darkness. She slumped to the floor. As John attempted to reach for his wife, one of the men blocked his way and shoved him against the wall. In one swift motion he was handcuffed and a choke collar attached to his neck and wrists. John knew not to struggle against the collar. He had experienced the same apparatus when he had been arrested while leading demonstrations against abortion clinics.

  Within minutes the news networks were showing footage of “suspected terrorist” John Elder being taken to police headquarters by FBI agents who “had been tracking his whereabouts for several days.”

  After the news report, several hundred members of the Atlanta-based CRC gathered in the church sanctuary. The mood was one of shock and disbelief. There was a buzz of conversation until Bill Frost, area director of the CRC, stood to speak. “I know you’re all worried about Pastor Elder. These are troubled times. If this can happen to a man of God, it can happen to any of us.”

  “Where’s the pastor now?” someone asked.

  “We don’t know. All we know is that he was moved from the city jail to another location after the judge refused to set bail.”

  “How can he do that? I thought everyone was entitled to bail.”

  “They charged him with heading a terrorist organization, so the judge can deny bail.”

  “Terrorist organization!” someone yelled from the back. “You mean those accusations on television?”