Presents
Pamphlet #317
A Political Parable
by Pastor Steven Schlei
Once there were two people who were related to one another
named John Q. Public and Bill R. Public.
Both were regularly afflicted
by a mysterious swordsman
who would appear in the middle
of the night as they were sleeping
and inflict deep gashes upon
their bodies and cut hunks of bleeding flesh from their torsos.
The swordsman was seen wearing
a long white gown
with a stethoscope hanging around
his neck.
The disguise worked well,
for nobody ever saw his sword.
Then, he would disappear just as mysteriously.
This strange swordsman was occasionally
mentioned in the news media,
but always in hushed, reverential
tones.
In fact, though the news media
spoke frequently about the painful,
bleeding wounds suffered by
John and Bill,
they never attributed those
wounds to the swordsman.
Instead, they spoke of the swordsman
as a skilled surgeon doctor
who was coming to the aid of
John and Bill to heal and bless them.
Because the swordsman appeared
in the night
when John and Bill were dazed,
and the media assured them that
this strange
figure was really a doctor,
John and Bill were confused about
the origin of their afflictions.
They never even suspected that
the doctor was really their murderer in disguise.
In this nation, there were two political parties
that claimed to be very concerned for John and Bill's condition.
One was the Bankrupt Bandage Boys Party (BBBP).
Ostensibly, the BBBP was the party of compassion.
They advocated that John and Bill cough up substantial
sums of money
(pool their resources)
and allow the government to buy bandages to dress
their wounds
(with a large amount deducted along the way for handling
charges of course).
The other party was known as the Rugged Individualist Open Air Party (RIOAP).
According to their rhetoric,
the RIOAP was equally as concerned for John and Bill.
The RIOAP advocated that John and Bill should pay for
their own bandages
and not be so dependent upon the government,
though the RIOAP did feel that some government bandaging
was necessary.
If Bill could not afford bandages as well as John,
the RIOAP insisted that just leaving wounds exposed
to the open air
was also a healthy approach to healing.
So, while bandages were nice, they were not absolutely
necessary.
This attitude of the RIOAP was condemned as cruel and heartless by the BBBP.
In turn, the RIOAP warned that the false compassion
of the BBBP
would lead the nation into bankruptcy
and would corrupt the rugged individualism of its
citizens.
In actual practice, the BBBP,
while condemning the heartlessness of the RIOAP,
spewed forth similar rhetoric.
While expounding at length on the tremendous benefits
John and Bill had reaped from government bandaging,
the BBBP also spoke in glowing tones
about the benefits of being free of government supplied
bandages
and the virtues of open air healing.
On the other hand,
the RIOAP would condemn government bandaging operations
and claim that the BBBP was stealing its message.
Yet, when it really came down to it,
the RIOAP readily assisted the BBBP
in handing out rolls upon rolls of government purchased
bandages.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes and unknown to Bill and John,
the BBBP and the RIOAP were the actual sponsors of the swordsman
who was inflicting all of the wounds upon them.
The two parties created and trained the swordsman
and continued to lovingly feed him,
house him, and offer him his every desire.
The two parties rarely referred to him.
If they did mention the swordsman,
it was also in media-like hushed tones
in which he was cast in the role of a healing doctor.
The swordsman was rarely blamed for the wounds
suffered by Bill and John.
Instead, the two parties blamed each other for the afflictions.
It was said that the BBBP was supplying too many bandages
and taking too much money from the pockets of Bill
and John.
Conversely, the BBBP said that the RIOAP was allowing
John to wallow in his selfishness
(by letting him keep his own money)
and had little or no concern for the actual wounds
and the bleeding victims.
Bill, who wanted more government-provided compassion,
believed that many government bandages were essential to his healing.
He was a devout member of the BBBP.
John, who wanted to keep more of his own money
and did not particularly trust government bandaging operations,
loved the RIOAP.
Bill was not quite sure how supplying more government bandages
would stop the appearance of the wounds in the first place,
but nevertheless,
he continued to tout the virtues of the BBBP.
He was confident that too much open air was killing
both him and John.
Likewise, John was not sure how having less bandages
and more open air would prevent the wounds from appearing,
but he argued vehemently that the real root of the problem lay
with the phony compassion of the BBBP.
John and Bill would engage in heated debates
over which party was really to blame.
Their arguments would become particularly heated every
four years
when each party would hold a national meeting
to elect its party standard bearer.
At that time, the BBBP appeared more and more like the RIOAP in its rhetoric,
but at the same time would promise increasing supplies of government bandages.
Meanwhile, the RIOAP would wax eloquent about the hypocrisy of the BBBP
which was stealing their message about rugged individualism.
The RIOAP would condemn government bandaging operations
as the real source of harm to Bill and John.
Yet, when meeting in small groups with Bill and John,
the RIOAP would reverse its tune
and promise almost as many bandages as the BBBP.
Meanwhile, the media,
who tended to favor the pro-bandage party,
would spend months discussing the number of allocated government bandages
that each party would add to the political recipe for healing Bill and John.
It would focus long articles and news reports on the
deep wounds
experienced by Bill and John over the previous four
years.
This little scenario continued for many years
until Bill and John were gradually bankrupted
and their bodies were literally covered with scars
and open sores.
ANALYSIS AND EXPLANATION
Will John and Bill awaken to see who their real enemies are
(the swordsman, the two political parties, and the media),
or will they continue to accept this reality until they finally succumb?
That is the untold story.
You may have already guessed the symbolism.
If not, let me explain.
John is a U.S. citizen who belongs to the Republican Party (the RIOAP).
Bill is a U.S. citizen who belongs to the Democrat Party (the BBBP).
The media is the U.S. media.
But who is the swordsman?
That is the hardest to guess.
The swordsman represents the Federal Reserve System.
That system continues to rape and destroy the American
economy
at an incredible rate.
It is the source of most of our economic problems.
It has done huge damage to John and Bill,
and the Fed is supported and groomed by both political
parties.
In fact, these two parties created the Fed
and continue to allow it to exist in violation of
the Constitution.
Remember,
this is done in the face of the fact
that political leaders in both parties are sworn to
uphold and defend the Constitution.
The two parties are not ignorant of what is happening
to John and Bill
and
WHY it is really happening,
but they dare not say anything lest they both be implicated
in the disaster.
It is much more politically expedient just to blame
the other party
and keep John and Bill suckered into thinking
that which political party they support, is the real
issue.
If you think that I am exaggerating,
I would encourage you to read some books on the Federal
Reserve System.
A good place to start would be The Creature from Jekyll
Island by G. Edward Griffin.
It is well worth the price.
There are other good books as well.
Pastors (I am a pastor myself) are to be prophetic spokesman.
Most of us philosophically and theologically
are probably more aligned with the RIOAP in its rhetoric (though not its actions).
I say that it is long past time to pull the mask off
the RIOAP and the BBBP
and expose the swordsman.
These three masquerading clowns in concert
have been destroying the American economy for 84 years
now
(the Fed was established in 1913).
The American public is ignorant,
including most Christians.
I am not saying that we should turn our pulpits into political forums.
Sermons should be centered upon exegeting the Scriptures,
but if we never speak to pressing issues of the day,
are we being true prophets?
I don't think so.
It may offend some of our people who are like Bill and John,
vigorous proponents of the RIOAP and BBBP.
They may not want to face the fact
that their beloved parties are really vultures causing
many of their problems.
Nevertheless, it is the truth.
If anyone disagrees with me,
present your case.
Otherwise, join with me in exposing this vast fraud
and swindle of the American public.
This may help you to understand why I was a
Constitution Party supporter in the last election.
STEVEN SCHLEI
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