The more that comes out about Mike Huckabee, the more I get scared.

So far, he's admitted he's part of the "Left Behind" fandom crowd, he's gotten endorsements and help from hate groups (like a pastor linked with "Watchmen On The Walls" who also wants to kick all non-dominionists out of the country), released rapist-killers from prison, wants to change the constitution to make the US a de jure theocracy, snd rather explicitly has invoked "God's Army" in his speeches.

As bad as that gets, though, it's worse than I feared. It seems that Mike Huckabee is not only a good friend of neopente cult leader and "Bible-based baby beating" and Joel's Army-with-guns advocate Bill Gothard...but he's also a member of his Bible-based cult.

And folks...that has some very scary implications in regards to that whole "Christian Nation" thing.

Huckabee: Joel's Army stalking horse?

The more I read about Mike Huckabee, the more that people find in digging up stuff, the more he opens his mouth...he sounds, more and more, like someone who would be the perfect "sergeant-at-arms" for the most extreme wing of the dominionist movement--the "Joel's Army"/"Joshua Generation" contingent of neopentecostal dominionists.

First it was the call for the US Constitution to be "changed"--and the US de jure converted to the Republic of Gilead, or (more properly, considering Huckabee's theology) a one-nation version of the "Tribulation Force" popularised in the Left Behind novels. (And he could do so; something like 34 states have made calls for a constitutional convention to attempt to pass a "Human Life Amendment" that would ban not only abortion but practically all forms of birth control. According to Article V of the US Constitution, only 27 states need call for this; it is still legally iffy whether a "ConCon" resolution can be revoked or whether it can be limited.)

Then it was finding that Mike Huckabee was explicitly getting not only endorsements but a lot of informal help from Joseph Fuiten--yes, that Fuiten, the same guy who called for mass denationalisation of non-dominionists.

Then it was finding he was a Christian Zionist, a premillenial dispensationalist, and released a rapist-killer from prison despite protests.

Then it was Huckabee literally invoking "God's Army" in a speech in New Hampshire, using words that would have more place in an Assemblies tent meeting.

One of the real puzzlers to me in all this is why he has supported stuff that...even for a dominionist, steeplejacked SBC...seem more distinctly neopente than SBC. Why is he getting so much support from neopentes (even more so than the SBC itself)?

As you will soon see below...some new discoveries have pretty much revealed why--and made it even more absolutely imperative that Mike Huckabee is not allowed near an office of trust in the US, much less the Presidency.

Mike Huckabee: So fond of Gothard, he became a member of his neopente cult

Huckabee has been throwing some major danger-signals for me for some time, even with him ostenably being a Southern Baptist preacher. For one, he's been supporting some things--and been getting a lot of endorsement from people--that tend far more towards the Assemblies of God end of things than SBC (things like endorsements from practically the entire Assemblies leadership of the Washington/Oregon/Idaho area, for starters, or endorsements by some of the SBC theological seminaries where Assemblies partnership is close but not others, or Tim LaHaye's explicit endorsement).

I had suspected it may be a sign that Arkansas may be having worse troubles than most with neopentes partnering with the SBC and possibly injecting some of their theology in--but then I saw this little article in Salon and things made frightening sense why Huckabee has gotten most of his support from neopente dominionists:

As governor, he also promoted the faith-based programs of a reconstructionist minister named Bill Gothard -- and even boasted that he had gone through Gothard's "basic program" himself. More reputable evangelicals consider Gothard to be a cultish fringe character, but he has built an enormous empire, which depends on funding from local and state governments to bring his authoritarian version of the Gospel to prisoners, police officers and welfare recipients, among others. He experienced a moment of unwelcome notoriety recently, when the Denver Post revealed that Matthew Murray, the 24-year-old gunman who killed four people at two Christian centers in Colorado in December, had been subjected as a teenager to Gothard's superstrict "home-schooling" programs.

Huckabee's close connections with the likes of Grant and Gothard date back a decade or more -- and his rhetoric has surely changed, if not his views. He no longer denounces environmentalism, for example, at least not publicly. But he still maintains contact with reconstructionist leaders, some of whom are supporting his presidential candidacy. Just last month, Huckabee attended a campaign fundraiser at the Houston home of Dr. Steven Hotze, who became one of the nation's most notorious advocates of dominionist ideology when he led the religious right's takeover of the Texas Republican Party. Huck's old friend Gothard was also at Hotze's home, along with a bevy of extremists including Rick Scarborough, author of "Liberalism Kills Kids" and "Mixing Church and State."

(Emphasis mine.)

Suffice it to say, I went "oh, hell"...and started looking for backup confirmation.

It did not take long to find. A longterm "Gothard-watcher" on Talk to Action has posted rather extensively on Huckabee's links to Gothard:

First came the Body Snatchers. Then the Night of the Living Dead. Now our nation must face what may the most cunning and relentless invaders ever. Yes, America, I'm talking about Gothardite Zombies for Huckabee!

As reported by The Cincinnati Beacon, it began in Arkansas. If only we'd heeded the warning signs in plain sight. If only someone had listened when Governor Mike himself admitted that he walked among them:

"As a person who has actually been through the Basic Seminar, I am confident that these are some of the best programs available for instilling character into the lives of people."

Then, hiding behind an "aw shucks" grin and a Fender bass, he installed Gothard's faith-based programs into Arkansas towns, prisons, and schools.

Another post by the same wonderfully irreverent Gothard-watcher also notes some interesting things:

But my letter today concerns matters far more serious than earthly possessions and multi-million dollar bank accounts. Today I'm asking you to save the eternal soul of the man you support to be the next President of the United States - Mike Huckabee. Thanks again to recent articles by The Dean, I learned that you and Governor Huckabee are longtime associates and that you were photographed together at a recent "Huckabee for President" campaign event at a Houston home.

It's not just our irreverent friend, though. Ethics Daily (via Bruce Prescott's blog) has also noted the links:

Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has ties to a controversial Bible teacher known for authoritarian views that critics say border on spiritual abuse.

Most Americans never heard of Chicago-based teacher Bill Gothard until newspapers wrote about Colorado church shooter Matthew Murray's 2006 Internet rant about growing up under strict homeschool teaching developed as part of Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles.

That piqued attention to a photo of Huckabee and Gothard together at a Houston fund-raiser posted to a family blog of a Gothard disciple.

The Cincinnati Beacon described Huckabee as a "long-time admirer" of Gothard. The former Arkansas governor wrote a letter used by Gothard to promote a program aimed at infiltrating city governments with core principles of the ministry stripped of overt religious references.

"As a person who has actually been through the Basic Seminar, I am confident that these are some of the best programs available for instilling character into the lives of people," Huckabee wrote in a letter promoting Gothard's prison ministry. Arkansas prisons had been using Gothard seminars and materials since 1996.

Huckabee also endorsed Gothard's "Character Cities" program. Gothard described a meeting in Little Rock as laying groundwork for "the most exciting opportunity I can imagine" to merge his institute's teachings with government programs.

The actual

Much has been made recently in the press in regards to Ron Paul having received some, shall we say, rather notorious endorsements from hate groups.

Not as well publicised--and IMNSHO, worth paying much closer attention to--is the fact that Mike Huckabee seems to have gotten a rather official endorsement from none other than Joseph Fuiten--the same regional Assemblies of God leader who is is an active supporter of notorious neopente-dominionist hate group "Watchmen At The Walls.

And it would appear, disturbingly enough, that Huckabee would have absolutely no problem with this endorsement--especially considering a recent statement about changing the Constitution to officially convert the US into the Republic of Gilead.

Huckabee endorsed by "Watchmen"-linked Assemblies regional head...

I've been definitely keeping a very close watch on Joseph Fuiten lately--partly because (as noted above) he's an active supporter of the hate group "Watchmen At The Walls" (the same group who beat Satender Singh to death and throws poo at LGBT people whilst promoting a particularly anti-LGBT version of Holocaust revisionism popular in the neopente community).  Fuiten has called for the denationalisation of non-dominionist and their internment as "illegal aliens", and who literally declared war on America during his speech to the hate group (of note, at least two "Watchmen" members are now on trial for the hate murder of Satender Singh.

As I've noted in past articles on Fuiten, one of the front-groups he runs is a group called "Positive Christian Agenda"--it's pretty much a de facto political lobbying wing of Cedar Park A/G (and can really be considered a regional political wing of the Assemblies in that entire part of the country).

And it seems--at least according to Fuiten's blog--they are officially endorsing Huckabee as the Knight in Shining Armour for a dominionist presidency:

Last week, in advance of Mike Huckabee's visit to Washington State, I called together a group of Christian leaders and key citizen activists to join me in endorsing the Presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee. I am happy to report, we were able to gain the support of 30 of these leaders in just a few short days prior to Mike Huckabee's arrival. Our official endorsement was announced at a press conference on Thursday, November 14. (Click here to review some of the local and national coverage of the event. Clarification: the "Positive Agenda" referenced in the articles and blogs should be "Positive Christian Agenda".)
. . .
It is my firm belief that Mike Huckabee could be elected.
. . .
Do you want to join me?

I'm writing to you today to invite you to join me and the others in this endorsement of Mike Huckabee. If you agree, please indicate your support by updating your profile by using the "SUBSCRIBE or UPDATE Your Profile" form, located at the top of the left column.* (Replies to this email work too.)

Please note, if you're receiving this email directly, when you input your email address in the form a message will appear indicating you are already a subscriber. Please ignore this and follow the prompts to submit your email address. A link will then be sent to your Inbox, which will allow you to access and update your profile. Of course, I would appreciate you updating any other information as well, but I am most interested in knowing if you ...

... stand with me in my endorsement of Mike Huckabee for President in 2008!

It's been no news to those of us watching that Mike Huckabee has been pretty much bending over backwards to be the Perfect Dominionist Candidate, and is starting to get more dominionists behind him.

Following the first link leads to a Google News blogroll of various news sites promoting Fuiten's endorsement, including this blurb from the Seattle Times which indicates Fuiten may have endorsed Huckabee at a Republican fundraiser (which also indicates the GOP in Washington State has been thoroughly steeplejacked).  

How steeplejacked?  Another Seattle Times article indicates the Republican dinner seemed more like a pentecostal tent meeting:

Mike Huckabee picked up endorsements in his presidential campaign from local Christian conservatives Thursday -- a move he said is being repeated around the country and is a better indicator of evangelical support than the high-profile endorsements his Republican opponents are getting.

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, was endorsed by Joseph Fuiten, pastor of Cedar Park Church in Bothell, and 29 other evangelical-faith community leaders from the area.

"The governor represents our values," Fuiten said after a small fundraising luncheon at the Harbor Club in Bellevue. "I like that he believes, and I like what he believes. His Christianity is organic; he has been this way all his life."

Huckabee also apparently visited Microsoft--which has been the specific target of a threatened boycott by Ken Hutcherson, who is the de facto American ringleader of "Watchmen At The Walls" (and apparently runs the English-language portions of the website) and is the other major dominionist leader of substance in Washington State.

There are also indications his "group of 30 leaders" likely had links to Focus on the Family--as it turns out, Fuiten became effective head of a new FotF state affiliate and effectively merged Positive Christian Agenda with the FotF back in August 2007. (This is not unlike how "Freedom's Heritage Forum" effectively became a lobbying wing of AFA-KY; Fuiten and Frank Simon have similarly politically influential positions, though Fuiten is quite a bit more influential in the Assemblies hierarchy itself.)

Now, essentially receiving an endorsement that is as close as we'll likely see to an official "Watchmen At The Walls" endorsement of Huckabee is quite bad enough.

Unfortunately, it appears that Fuiten et al are not the only "servers of the haterade" that have explicitly endorsed Huckabee as their man.

...and a whole other mess of rogues endorsing him, too

Whilst Fuiten has started a new frontgroup specifically to try to promote voting for Huckabee (of note, they're trying to be careful to claim it's not officially linked with the main election campaign--probably to avoid having Huckabee's FEC funds put to risk), there are other dominionists nationwide who have endorsed Huckabee.

At best, much of the list reads like the "Who's Who" of the "Generals of Joel's Army". At worst, we have a few bona fide hate groups.

From a supporter's link, it appears a whole mess of neopente dominionist groups have explicitly supported Huckabee, including heads of HSLDA (which has had links to the Constitution Party--which in the 80s, in its life as the "US Taxpayers Party" was known as a hotbed of "Christian Patriot" militia groups as well as racists (including a number of Klan and neo-Nazi groups) and pro-dominionist domestic terror groups like the Army of God--and not much has changed), one of the co-authors of the "Left Behind" series (yes, the badly written fictionalisation of "Joel's Army"/"Joshua Generation" end-time theology which includes a "Rambo Christ" at the end book ("Glorious Appearing") who literally cleaves all non-dominionists in twain and casts them into the lake of fire even as the "God Warriors" are literally hip-deep in blood and corpses) and folks associated with Pat Robertson's Regent University, among others.

And why has Huckabee become essentially the Great White Hope of dominionists (who even as recently as four months ago were very seriously discussing jumping ship to the Constitution Party if the GOP couldn't elect an acceptable candidate in the primaries?

Well, two reasons.  One, Huckabee actually won Iowa (which is one of those areas where the GOP party apparatus has long been steeplejacked). And the second?

Well, it seems that Huckabee has been making statements that sound pretty much like the Constitution Party's platform as of late.

Huckabee in turn endorses the Republic of Gilead plan

Huckabee (even for a Southern Baptist minister) has been doing a rather surprising amount of kowtowing to dominionist causes--and possibly the most extreme members of the political dominionist movement, at that.

Among other things, he recently--I am not making this up--outright called for the US Constitution to be specifically amended to be more dominionist-friendly and to turn the US de jure into the Republic of Gilead:

The United States Constitution never uses the word "God" or makes mention of any religion, drawing its sole authority from "We the People." However, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee thinks it's time to put an end to that.

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."

When Willie Geist reported Huckabee's opinion on MSNBC's Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski was almost speechless, and even Joe Scarborough couldn't immediately find much to say beyond calling it "interesting."

(For those morbidly curious, the whole trainwreck is on video at Raw Story's website at the link above; Bruce Wilson has also reported on this on Talk to Action and has full video.)

One wonders if--especially considering some of the folks explicitly endorsing Huckabee like Fuiten and the "Left Behind" crowd--if some of these "constitutional amendments" include things like federally sanctioned progroms against LGBT people and Moslems (including the use of frank Holocaust revisionism to justify aforementioned progroms) or stripping all non-dominionists of US citizenship--even if they were born in the US (something, as an aside, which would likely legally make people  who were denationalised in such a fashion legal "non-persons" under US law with literally less civil rights than animals--at least cruelty to animals is illegal; in the court decision in question, torture was seen as "justified").

Let's just say that if Huckabee has many more successes of the manner he has had in Iowa...we better work and pray we get someone electable (and in this circumstance, I do not think Hillary is--sorry) and...well...people might want to start investigating countries of asylum just in case. (For all we know, fighting may not be an option if the Constitution gets changed, especially with some very aggressive attempts at steeplejacking of the military by many of the same folks supporting Huckabee--I don't put it past them to make it illegal for non-dominionists to possess firearms, either.)