One of the most positive developments amidst the open cesspool in our nation's capital that has spewed enough political sewage in the last six months to qualify as a Superfund toxic waste site is the exposure of the "devil in the details" in President Obama's Red Tape Health Care plan. The mad dash to passage in order to avoid such exposure failed, and now the people are getting a frightening glimpse into the true heart of our Government Gone Wild – led now by fascists.

One look into H.R. 3200 and we see the final frontier of Orwellian tyranny proposed by democratically elected representatives of what was once a "shining city on a hill" for all who yearned to be free. It must be appallingly disconcerting for immigrants – legal and illegal – who have fled oppression for a chance at peace and prosperity, only to find that Lady Liberty is now holding a gun instead of a torch.

Yet, once again we have to ask ourselves just who are the culprits in this madness? A morally, philosophically and spiritually bankrupt Democratic Party? A floundering, weak and ineffective Republican Party? Politicians who wax eloquent on the campaign trail only to morph into an invertebrate when they enter the state or national capitals? Yes … and no.

Legend has it that P.T. Barnum once said, "There is a sucker born every minute."

If that's true, it's possible that Harvey Dockstader Jr. is out to find them all—from prison, and using pastors and "church" leaders to find his marks.

Dockstader was convicted of running an illegal pyramid scheme in Harris County (Houston), Texas, in 2008, and sentenced to two years in jail. Dockstader's scheme was an odd mix of an old-fashioned chain letter, a multi-level marketing organization, and prosperity theology. His organization, Elite Activity, recruits pastors into the organization, who then recruit their flocks. The new recruits give money to the organization—in amounts as small as $50 but in some cases as large as $1,000 a month. The money goes to those at the top of the pyramid, with those at the bottom getting nothing—unless they are able to recruit more people below them. The organization sells nothing, has no products or services. It exists purely to get more people to join the network.

"It's a classic pyramid scheme," said Valerie Turner, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted Dockstader. "A pretty straightforward case."

But this pyramid scheme has a twist. New recruits are told they are embracing a "belief system of giving." Their payments are not fees or dues—but gifts. And like much "prosperity gospel" teaching, recruits are promised a massive "harvest" on the "seeds" they plant...

Many Christians, once motivated by protecting the sanctity of life, religious freedom, and traditional marriage, seem inconsolable—as if the fight is over and there’s nothing we can do about it.

But embracing this attitude is a certain prescription for disaster.

I received last month a newsletter by Don Reeverts of the Denver Leadership Foundation. In it he gives the following quote, often attributed to an 18th-century Scottish writer:

The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence...from bondage to spiritual faith...from spiritual faith to courage...from courage to liberty...from liberty to abundance...from abundance to selfishness...from selfishness to complacency…from complacency to apathy...from apathy to dependency...from dependency back to bondage.

These are sobering words. This question of where America is in the cycle should be extremely important for Christians. That’s because I firmly believe that culture is nothing but religion incarnate—that when we see a culture losing its moral footing, it’s because believers have failed to bring Christian truth to bear in society. We haven’t been, as Calvin put it, making the invisible kingdom visible...

Czardom has its privileges. This week, President Obama's healthcare overlord, Nancy DeParle, launched a taxpayer-funded initiative to recruit an Internet Snitch Brigade that will combat "disinformation about health insurance reform." As the White House explained in a special online bulletin:
 
"These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain e-mails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an e-mail or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov." 

What will healthcare czar DeParle do with this information? Where will it be stored? Who has oversight of the czar's powers, budget, and personnel? Concerned citizens, alas, will have a hard time tracking down the "Office of Health Care Reform" created by executive order in April. There is no central website for the office, no direct channel for transparency, and no congressional accountability.
 
At least one member of Congress has started asking questions. Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn sent a letter to Obama demanding that he disband the Internet Snitch Brigade immediately...