By Pastor Chuck Baldwin                     
A friend recently turned me on to the CBS television series, Jericho. I watch so little network television that I confess to never having seen the show before this week. Obviously, then, I am quite uninformed as to the overall plot and previous episodes. What I saw Tuesday evening, however, stunned me. Why? Because it very aptly depicted what could become a very real-life scenario for these United States in the not-so-distant future.
If I accurately picked up the basic plot of the show, average, freedom-loving citizens in the Western U.S. are fighting against tyrannical elements of their own government, including military forces. The State of Texas has declared its independence from the corrupt new government and another civil war is breaking out in America. And all this was predicated upon a nuclear attack, which some believed was an inside job. Am I close?
Contributing further to my amazement was the way Jericho used real-life political events to depict America's fall into tyranny. I was flabbergasted to see the characters of Jericho refer to the Continuity of Government act as the foundation for the government's declaration of martial law after the nuclear attack had occurred.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Continuity of Government (COG) act is not television make-believe: it is the real deal.

To read up on COG, go to Wikipedia's entry by clicking here.

In addition, I have reported the potential problems associated with COG in this column
Here is a quote from the Wikipedia entry: "The George W. Bush administration put the Continuity of Operations plan into effect for the first time directly following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Their implementation involves a rotating staff of 75 to 150 senior officials and other government workers from every Cabinet department and other parts of the executive branch in two secure bunkers on the East Coast . . . .
"The Bush Administration officially admitted the implementation of the plan on March 1, 2002. Key congressional leaders say they didn't know this government-in-waiting had been established.
"On July 18, 2007 Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., a member of the U. S. House Committee on Homeland Security, was denied access to the classified version of the continuity of government plan. Though members can access classified information, this is the first time documents have been denied."
As I wrote on January 12, 2007, "In a nutshell, proponents of COG envision a terrorist attack that would precipitate the suspension of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, COG would authorize Congress to appoint its own members, including those in state legislatures, without a vote of the people. COG even envisions the enactment of such authority for reasons of 'incapacitation' (whatever that is) even if no emergency exists."
Noted author, Dr. Jerome Corsi, wrote this of Bush's enactment of COG, "Translated into layman's terms, when the president determines a national emergency has occurred, the president can declare to the office of the presidency powers usually assumed by dictators to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over."
Contrary to the ranting of politicians and media talking heads about how great things are going in these United States, millions of Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the total corruption, crookedness, and chicanery of government officials. They have had it with being lied to, cheated, and beaten down with thousands of rules, regulations, and laws, which serve only to empower the political and business elite. They do not trust any of their politicians to tell them the truth. Their money and jobs are disappearing; their children are being brainwashed in government schools; their homes and property are being taxed out of existence; and even their country's very sovereignty is being forfeited to foreign interests. I believe the level of frustration and anger is rising to the point that a Jericho scenario could very easily occur.
I personally believe there are only three reasons why we are not already living the Jericho experience. One, people have been quite comfortable in their own personal lifestyles. They have enjoyed comfortable homes, nice automobiles, fine clothes, and pleasure-filled vacations. Who in their right mind wants to give up the tranquility of hearth and home? Two, most of America still rests upon a Christian foundation. As such, Americans believe in peace and harmony. They believe in law and order. They believe in submitting to authority. Three, there has not been an overt, large-scale attempt by government to confiscate the firearms of the American people. Remember, it was the Crown's attempted gun confiscation at Concord that ignited the American Revolution back in 1775.
However, the materialistic comfort of the average American is quickly fading away. People are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, their homes, and their savings. More than that, they are losing hope for a better tomorrow, and they are losing confidence in their government to honestly protect their freedoms--even their national identity.
Plus, most Christians know that there is such a thing as lawful rebellion. Even Christ's early disciples said no to various governments during extreme situations. And for us Americans, freedom and liberty runs deep in our veins. Many of us have not buried our Don't Tread On Me banners. We share the sentiment of Benjamin Franklin who said, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."

Furthermore, Hurricane Katrina put the American people on notice that their government is more than willing to confiscate their firearms. Plus, the forthcoming Supreme Court ruling regarding the right to keep and bear arms is likely to authorize even tighter government regulation on this fundamental right. Even more disconcerting are the reports we are hearing from soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan telling us that they are being told to prepare for orders to turn their weapons on the American people, should the President declare martial law. (I have had more than one Iraq War veteran tell me this.)
I am afraid that the CBS television series Jericho is more than fantasy: it could be a prediction of the future. As Thomas Jefferson said, "I tremble for my country."
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