To begin with, Lee Clark has been having “visions” and “messages”1 that this fits into nicely. Of course all his ranting and raving about the “chem-trails” he’s been seeing above Las Vegas doesn’t really fit in well, because he thought the attack on America would come from the United Nations.
On the other hand, Garner Ted Armstrong is following in his father’s footsteps nicely — poor writing, an overwhelming sense of self-importance, and totally belittling treatment of anyone with a different opinion.
To begin with, Armstrong doesn’t really have a firm grasp of basic English grammar, including parts of speech: “Adjectives cannot describe what I saw; what I felt. Outrage. Anger. Rage. Shock. Pity.” It’s funny that there’s not a single adjective in his list. It’s not that he started out with a list of adjectives and accidentally switched to nouns. He used nouns from the beginning and called them by another name.
I won’t provide documentation for Armstrong’s sense of self-importance because it’s in abundance at his website (http://www.gtaea.org) and I just don’t want to wade through his inept writing to find it all again.
Finally, in discussing international reaction to America’s bombing campaign, he refers to an “empty-headed young lady” and later refers generally to “thick-headed” people. Sounds like Herbert.
Finally, there was this proposed solution to the problem of America setting up a “puppet government” in Afghanistan when it’s all over (a claim he provided from one of the “thick-headed” folks protesting the attacks, not his own):
What should be done is this: Say to the neighbors surrounding the forbidding mountain wastes of Afghanistan that each of them are hereby offered a share of the pie. Say to the Iranians, Turkmenis, Tadzhikis, Uzbekis and Pakistanis that each can occupy a portion of what was Afghanistan in return for the following quid pro quo:
(1) They will immediately cease all research and development of weapons of mass destruction, and sign a 100-year pact agreeing never to seek such weapons, including permission for open inspections by the international community.
(2) Iran and Pakistan will dismantle and destroy any nuclear facilities, and destroy all stockpiles of chemical or biological agents.
(3) Each country will declare war against terrorism; will arrest and hold for trial any and all terrorists or their supporters.
(4) Each country will guarantee human rights, free access to education, free speech, free expression of religion, and will grant to women the right to vote, and, horror of all horrors, even to walk about in public with their faces showing.
(5) Each country will sign a peace treaty with Israel, and guarantee Israel’s right to exist.
Following the dismantlement of the Ottoman Turkish empire after World War 1, many “nations” were created in the Middle East. Following the gradual disintegration of the world’s major colonial empires of Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Spain and Portugal, many other nations were created. Nations such as the “Anglo-Egyptian Sudan” became Sudan; “Trans-Jordan” became the “Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan;” Yugoslavia was pieced together from a collection of several ethnic groups, as were nations in the rest of the Balkans. Czechoslovakia was pieced together from the Austro-Hungarian empire, and has since divided into the Czech Republic and Slovenia. There is plenty of precedent for big powers to partition, absorb, or divide up conquered territories. It has taken place virtually from the beginning of time. Clearly, the beleaguered, war-weary, exploited peoples of Afghanistan deserve something better than the governments which have suppressed them for the past many decades.
He’s basically suggesting a partition of Afghanistan. “It’s been done before!” was his justification. Yes, and it always works wonders.
This, though, is a perfect example of the ethnocentrism, racism, and imperial/colonial apology/worship that seems to run in the Armstrong family. One can clearly see, for example, what happened to all the nations of Africa once they got their independence from the “oppressive” rule of Great Britain — so goes their argument. And here it is again — whatever the great Anglo-Israelite American government decides would ultimately be best for Afghanistan, no matter what they think. See, backward races like that simply don’t know what’s good for them. They don’t know how good they in fact have it. Such racist ignorance.
Armstrong also appropriates this as proof of his prophetic acumen. He doesn’t say that he predicted this or any such nonsense, but simply he knew something catastrophic was going to happen. “All of you who are a part of this work of the Watchman, are most probably, just like me, shocked at this — but you are not surprised!”
Giving credit where it is due, he did say something similar about a month earlier (or so he claims).
Something has just been brought to my attention. On the 18th of August I was speaking before a group in Lexington, Kentucky. At one point I was recounting the time Jesus was talking to the disciples about the temple and how “the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down (Luke 21:6, Mat. 24:2, Mark 13:2).” I then went on to describe what this would be like for us in the “here and now”. I then stated. . .
“That would be tatamount [sic] to saying; driving down Wall Street in New York, you are going to see the day when it is a pile of rubble. There will not be the Twin Trade Towers, there will not be the Chrysler building; there will not be the Empire State Building. . .. . .. . ..it will be ground level.”
An astounding analogy, given the events of the past week!
The only problem with that is that this was an analogy to what was to happen in Jerusalem, not a prophecy of what was going to happen in New York. And amazingly he even comes close to admitting that, saying it was “an astounding analogy.” And giving himself a nice pat on the back at the same time.
Finally, Armstrong has an article entitled, “50 Years of Warning!” in which he praises his tireless efforts over the last forty-two years2 to warn the world. No mention of the fact that there has always been a tendency to say, “It’s coming in the next x to y years!” and then when the given date comes and goes, it’s just reformulated. Silly men.
1 I think indicates that he’s in some serious need for some psychiatric help. We often say, “This guy needs help,” but don’t really mean it. This time, I honestly do believe he needs some time with a psychologist or psychiatrist. He’s hearing voices, which of course he’s interpreting as being from God, and he’s having rather “vivid” dreams, which naturally is also from God, but probably is probably just the effects of his hyper-imagination. The voices, though, I don’t believe would be the product of such an overactive imagination.
2 Strangely he begins the article, “For 42 years, I have continually warned.” I guess he decided to round up because “50 Years of Warning” sounds better than both “40 Years of Warning” and “42 Years of Warning”