Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Why Do The COG's Continue To Allow False Prophets In Their Midst?




This is a reposting of a 2013 blog entry, by request. Almost seven years later and the various ACOG leaders still do not speak out against ACOG leaders who are abusive and liars, like Pack, Flurry, Thiel and others.  They still consider them "brothers" and choose to let their god take care of matters.    So here we are seven years later and horrendous abuse is still being dished out and ACOG do not care.





The All About Armstrongism has an excellent blog entry today asking why it is that COG members continue to allow lying false prophets in their midst. Men like David C. Pack, Ron Weinland and Gerald Flurry, lie through their teeth with one false prophecy after another and yet the sheeple continue to support them.  Why?
And then there’s what happens when the prophecies completely fail. You would expect from Christian people a certain respect of what God says about false prophets. You would expect from Christian people to be intolerant of proven falsehoods. You would expect them to immediately withdraw from those who speak things that don’t come true in God’s name. You would expect Christian people to get as far away as possible from those that meet the criteria of a false prophet. But the reality is, there is little respect for God’s opinion in the COG’s when it comes to false prophecy and false prophets. Nearly every time, the prophecy and the prophet are excused by COG members – even when the false teacher’s own words condemn themselves as a false prophet. Then the “everybody makes mistakes”, “errors happen”. and excuses start up as the false prophet blasts excuses, clarifications, rewrites and reboots. And what do the members do? They excuse the person and fall for the reboot all over again, just to have it fail again, and again, and again.

They have no problems giving mainstream Christian leaders every judgement in the book as to what they are doing wrong, how they are doing it wrong, where they are weak, in error, in confusion, or just plain wrong – and every vile thing they have self-righteously judged others on – but when there’s something going on as serious as accepting false prophets and false prophecy when there is clearly no excuse to do so, there’s no fear. There’s no repentance. There’s no respect.

And this to me raises many questions. They claim to take God’s word seriously. But do they? Do they really and honestly? One thing I’ve learned from Armstrongism over decades in the religion is that they only take seriously what they want to take seriously. Armstrongism is a hodgepodge religion full of pickings and choosings, lines upon lines, precepts upon precepts, where certain things are taken VERY seriously, and other things are ignored or completely whitewashed away. Members are used to being told, thus, what is right and what is correct, not by the understanding given by the Holy Spirit to themselves, but by the understanding given to the Apostles then to the ministers and then to the members.


46 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why does anyone do what they do? If we could answer this question we might make some progress on improving human life, but the diversity of human needs and greeds makes a simple answer inpossible.
A. Boocher

Anonymous said...

ACoG members: Busted!

Head Usher said...

Excellent point.

In all of Armstrongism, they're following a man. That's how it started and it's no different today. They claim to be christians, but they don't follow Jesus and they ignore plenty of what he said. They prefer to prooftext and cherrypick from the Old Testament anyway. They follow someone else. They do what someone else tells them to do instead. Someone who claims to an "apostle" and to speak for Jesus, even though he contradicts what the bible says Jesus said. But nobody notices, because they don't want to notice. These "apostles" sometimes speak prophecies, which invariably fail. Then they tell you that they're not a false prophet because they're an "apostle," not a "prophet." Well does this god speak to you or not? (Yes!!!) And were you relaying what this god spoke to you? (Yes!!!) And did this god make good on it? (Um, no, but...) Well then, either you're delusional, your god lies, or both. But nobody notices this because they don't want to notice.

NEXT!

Anonymous said...

just because someone stands up and preaches the Sabbath, Holy Days, food laws, etc doesn't mean they are part of The Church.....and just because someone listens to them doesn't mean they are not part of The Church (although if they continue with such a person for very long, one would wonder how much they truly understand).

you folks here do a pretty good job exposing the nutcases out there, but you err by presenting them as part of God's Church....they are just hangers-on, for if they truly understood they wouldn't be doing the things they do.

the Roman Catholics and Protestants are already going down the wrong path, so why wouldn't Satan focus his energy on The Church, sending his "ministers" there to mislead as many as possible?

Byker Bob said...

This is just another one of those inexplicable aspects to the Armstrong movement in general. I've often stated that many of their problems are self-created, stemming from the fact that they do not understand the Holy Spirit (leading to the creation of harsh and intrusive church government), and that they downplay Jesus Christ, supplanting Him instead with their own "apostles". Their treatment of prophecy is another one of those fake and embrace things. It is an attempt to falsify one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and mass or group delusion as to the outcome following failure.

Oddly, the most damning expressions regarding false prophets come from the very part of the Bible which they overemphasize as being the forgotten, the key part of what they say is wrong with mainstream Christianity. To objectively thinking Christians, de facto acceptance of false prophecy and false prophets makes no sense at all, making no sense being something which would instead be expected of a bogus, and somewhat superstitious religious system. To be fair, there are ACOGs which have learned not to dwell on prophecy, and to retreat from Armstrongian church governance, but those who have not tout themselves as being the preservationists, who use their fidelity as evidence that they are the true ones who stick by the faith once delivered by HWA.

Don't expect this to go away any time soon, either. As Armstrongism continues along the death spiral, desperate adherents are going to do more and more desperate things, and will continue to blame God as they fail. It is the only thing they know to do.

BB

Anonymous said...

I believe because prophets are allowed because it's just so darned entertaining

Byker Bob said...

One more thing. Hypocritical aspects: Don't dare lie to your children about Santa Clause. Eliminate all vestiges of past lying witness, such as ancient paganism. But, excuse us for the lack of understanding, or the slow and gradual ways in which God works through "His" ministers and "His" church! As far as other slow and gradual processes such as evolution go, forget about them. That's not the way God works.

The problem is that when you are working with someone's fake crap, like Armstrongism, you constantly need to explain it away! If you question, hold accountable, or don't totally buy in, it is taken as evidence that you are unconverted. So, naturally, all members are going to try to prove they are converted by doting on every false word uttered by their leaders.

BB

Anonymous said...

While this sort of devotional delusion happens to such as Scientologists, there is hubris added to the rank bearing false witness, the stench of illegally stealing the heritage of the Jews through British Israelism, the idolatry of worshipping Herbert Armstrong, taking God's Name in vain, the lust of wanting to be special a coveting power over people who annoy you, the murder in the hearts of those who hate people they want killed and conduct their church wars, committing spiritual adultery by giving devotion to The Leader over your spouse and, for many of them, not actually keeping the Sabbath by going out and eating in restaurants (whether it is wrong or not is not he question here, it's the rank hypocrisy).

So here we have the Cult of Herbert Armstrong so comfortable in being members of The Armstrong Mafia as sociopaths having adopted a "conditional conscience" to ignore laws, ethics and morals as it suits the group, insistent upon proselytizing the naïve, stupid and moronic into their delusional perceptions so they will have the support of others. It's entirely selfish, pursued by people who wouldn't have much social contact otherwise and certainly wouldn't choose those people they were with otherwise because the have ABSOLUTELY Nothing in Common with them except folie à plusieurs. These are sick people who can do your mental health absolutely no good and if things go south your life could be threatened (how quickly we forget LCG in 2005).

It's not much a stretch to see Armstrongists as Sabbath keeping Scientologists (replete with an L. Ron Weinland).

The Bible clearly says "from such turn away".

You don't have a leg to stand on.

You Arsestrongists are busted!

Anonymous said...

2Ti 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

Jer 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

2Pe 2:1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2Pe 2:2
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

2Pe 2:3
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Anonymous said...

Just as rats run to eat rat poison made of 99% food and 1% poison and fall for it. We humans do the same thing, but we cannot worship the Father in the midst of deceit, nor does he accept our offerings. So, people GET OUT from among them! Help the needy instead of a false teacher.

Corky said...

No. They do not take the Bible seriously. Ever since the early church finally figured out that "the end of all things is at hand" needed to be amended to "a thousand years is only one day to God". Because, at that time, it had become obvious to every bishop of the church that Jesus was not coming back - then or ever. But, to keep their jobs as preachers and tithe collectors, they had to keep on keeping on...

Anybody who would take the Bible seriously would also be scared s**tless about the things they do. They would not be able to sleep at night for fear of what was going to happen - at any time! You know...the way they scare the hell out of their kids with this stuff and give them nightmares and psychological problems that lasts a lifetime? Yeah, like that.

A "GOD" is coming and he is really, really pissed off! Does that scare them? It would if they really believed it. Hardly anyone does, not really. If they did, they would be literally shaking in their shoes, too afraid to even breathe wrong.

They say that love casts out this fear but there is no way that anybody can truly love a monster "GOD" who is coming to kill everybody except for the few that believe just the right doctrine and go to the one and only truly true church. Yes, yes, I know that one can say they love this being, entity, ghost or whatever it is but they can't fool it/him/her because it/him/her is omniscient and even sees you when you poop...

Anonymous said...


“Almost seven years later and the various ACOG leaders still do not speak out against ACOG leaders who are abusive and liars, like Pack, Flurry, Thiel and others. They still consider them 'brothers' and choose to let their god take care of matters.”


Gerald Flurry, David Pack, Ronald Weinland, and Robert Thiel are all FALSE prophets who came only to LIE, STEAL, DESTROY, and KILL.

Byker Bob said...

False prophets are not unlike the women who wear falsies, or the guys who stuff their pants when going out to the dancing clubs.

It’s a given that someone’s going to get a disappointing surprise!

BB

Hoss said...

And again, my currently favorite COGprophet is warning about how all the other COGprophets are false and fooling themselves...

Anonymous said...

I disagree with 3.47 PM. A trait of God that I love is that He doesn't lower his standards. This is an expression of the preciousness of human life. So no, God is not some "monster God" for destroying, if need be, billions of people who feel that life is cheap or that life is a crime. I've been surrounded by such people all my life, so good riddance. They deserve Gods just punishment.
If this poster was being persecuted, he would comprehend this. It would be the self evident.

Anonymous said...

"One thing I’ve learned from Armstrongism over decades in the religion is that they only take seriously what they want to take seriously. Armstrongism is a hodgepodge religion full of pickings and choosings, lines upon lines, precepts upon precepts, where certain things are taken VERY seriously, and other things are ignored or completely whitewashed away."

This is really a good comment here. I remember several years ago at the FOT in Destin with Dave Havir where he brought up picking and choosing. He warned people about trying to force people to accept or believe in holy day observance by using OT scriptures, because it is so easy to point out the picking and choosing especially in that area. It shouldn't be that difficult to admit that what the cogs observe concerning the festivals are in actuality a tradition set in motion by a man in an attempt to "keep" those days rather than following commands. Picking and choosing is the responsibility of the Apostle isn't it?? ;-)

Anonymous said...


Anonymous on March 20, 2019 at 6:49 AM said...“I disagree with 3.47 PM. A trait of God that I love is that He doesn't lower his standards. This is an expression of the preciousness of human life. So no, God is not some 'monster God' for destroying, if need be, billions of people who feel that life is cheap or that life is a crime. I've been surrounded by such people all my life, so good riddance. They deserve Gods just punishment.
If this poster was being persecuted, he would comprehend this. It would be the self evident.”



There are a lot of “monster people” in life. The great HERO God sometimes steps in and deals with them to avenge their victims, or better yet, to save their intended victims from them.

Byker Bob said...

6:49, I don't want this to be an Eliphaz,, Bildad, and Zophar type of thing, but my comment to you would be that most of the persecution I suffered in life, I had brought on myself. How, you ask? Self righteousness, dramatizing and making a federal out of things which could have been kept low-key, always demanding that special exceptions had to be made for me, and all too often, being human and failing to walk the talk.

My own life circumstances could have been different from yours, though. I can't imagine, as an example, having to live in a very small town where everyone knows everyone else's business and anyone who is different is mistreated. Or being part of and actually being close to a large family in which one is expected to be just like everyone else in the family. There are also employers who are very demanding of one's time, and expect employees to fully embrace the corporate culture of the workplace.

I certainly would not be wishing eternal death on any people who tended to be my rivals or opponents. I wouldn't even wish that on HWA. I hope nobody ever gets that sort of punishment because of anything they did that negatively impacted me, because I know in my heart that there are people whom I certainly negatively impacted.

BB

Dennis said...

Remember This is old post. Corky passed away several years ago.

Anonymous said...

A lot of pathetic people still look to what others think. It's the band wagon fallacy. Kind of a crutch for the mentally and socially weak who are products of their time. They are "with it" but they are brainwashed because every society has been brainwashed, especially in this fake news age.

Byker Bob said...

I hear ya, 10:11. We've got this fake emergency at our southern border. Seems as if our senators and the public are waking up now that the cuts POTUS said wouldn't happen to the miltary bases in our states to fund the wall actually are happening. It's his version of "you get to keep your own doctor".

Anonymous said...

No, there's no emergency at the border!!!!!

https://amac.us/illegal-immigration-cost-1/

I realize that this link comes from a conservative site but judge it by its contents. Anyone thinking that illegals don't cost us billions isn't thinking at all.

Byker Bob said...

Ain’t you heared nuthin’ 9:11? The illegals just changed their name! Now they’re “assylum seekers”. The wall won’t solve it. Besides, in 2020 the Dems will render the wall useless after all the billions were already spent.

BB

Anonymous said...

9.11 AM
BB has never once on this site disagreed with the main stream media. He is their parrot. From being a HWA parrot, he has graduated to a MSM parrot. Ah, the warmth of the herd. I prefer the warmth of the truth.

Byker Bob said...

The two most profound examples of my disagreement with the mainstream media are the topics of abortion, and gun control. Those are a couple of biggies for you.

BB

Anonymous said...

1:57pm, yeah I know, from no emergency at the border to climate change, he's a parrot.

Flying across this country and across the Atlantic makes one realize just how insignificant the human race is. We aren't causing "climate change" the earth is too big in comparison.

Tell me, just how intelligent are Journalists? Yet they influence so many of the weak minded. It's hilarious how quick they are at labeling those who disagree as ignorant.

Here is a link to an intelligentsia on the subject of climate change.

http://www.thegwpf.org

Anonymous said...



http://www.thegwpf.org/category/press-releases/

Anonymous said...

The earth is constantly changing yet we're almost daily bombarded with Anthropogenic Climate Change propaganda from liberals and the MSM. As if we in our 120 years of data can definitely say what's going on with a planet billions of years old.

At least at The Global Warming Policy Foundation they're making sense of the rhetoric.

Their latest research shows that cosmic rays have a greater influence on climate than what scientists have thought. Could we possibly be moving through a part of space with more cosmic rays?

Oh no!!!! The media can't be wrong.

Here's the link.

https://www.thegwpf.org/new-paper-solar-impact-on-climate-greater-than-thought/

Byker Bob said...

The cosmic rays are another factor that is measurable. Just like the data on the ice caps, glaciers, altered jetstreams, and rising and warming oceans. So, the cosmic rays become an additional part of a perfect storm. The point is, as in the case of minimizing casualty from a hurricane or tornado, there is much that man can do. If he has the will.

BB

Byker Bob said...

You may want to do a little more background research into your gwpf, 3:18, 3:32, 4:26.

BB

Anonymous said...

7:19 Oh no, the left would never try to refute the gwpf. I'm amazed that there's any negative reactions at all. Not!!!

As far as our responsibilities to our planet I have no problem with finding ways towards a cleaner environment. Look at Pittsburgh 50 years ago, Pittsburgh is now a fairly beautiful city. This was long before the current Anthropogenic Global Warming craze. In fact in the 70's we were being warned of a coming ice age.

I can't believe a U.S. citizen would favor any of the "goals" of the Paris climate treaty seeing that China and India could still burn all the coal that they wanted.

Let's see, 300 million vs. 2 billion in both Asian countries. Yeah, we can override the polution that they would be pumping in the atmosphere.

Much like the leftist elites who can pump all the co2 that they want as long as they can afford to buy carbon credits.

With enough money you can buy your daughters way on to the USC crew team too. Sorry Aunt Becky I always thought you were HOT!!!

Please don't read a corporate greed "to hell with the environment" attitude into my statements, I'm all in favor of a common sense effort to protect the planet from the greed of corporations but not to the detriment of our country.

Anonymous said...



https://www.fastcompany.com/3051847/most-of-the-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-a-few-polluting-countries

Anonymous said...


China, almost four times the population of the U.S. pumps 30 times the pollution into the oceans.

https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most/

Anonymous said...

"Corky passed away several years ago."

:(
I miss Corky's posts!

DBP

Anonymous said...

"Oh no!!!! The media can't be wrong."

Americans need to prepare for some massive cognitive dissonance coming our way in the next year-in-a-half.

DBP

Byker Bob said...

Gotta love your logic, 8:34: The Chinese have full blown AIDS and are spreading it, so why should we have to wear a condom for our syphilis? What great survival ethics!

BB

Anonymous said...

6:37 The logic is, if the Chinese have full blown aids, why should we have to practice celibacy?

They are destroying the earth, but U.S. citizens are expected to bear the burden of "going Green" when our small effort will never override their pollution. Yet our small effort will hurt our economy. It already has!

Byker Bob said...

Throughout our history, the USA has led by setting a more noble example, and by covering for and taking care of those less fortunate. Europe was rebuilt in the aftermath of World War II based on those same ideals, and still largely follows them. Of course, it requires sacrifice, your exaggeration of my original analogy notwithstanding.

If America ceases to lead with the higher ideals which have always distinguished us, gives up and arbitrarily decides to be just like the worst, that is not MAGA. It is falling to lowest common denominator.

I believe I can know where you are coming from, and what informs your logic, so I guess it’s appropriate to wish you a happy sabbath.

BB

Byker Bob said...

When you raise the topic of China, you open up the greater issue as to who is responsible. You can start with the door opening work done by Richard Nixon. Follow the trail as corporate greed takes over, and it is realized that manufacturing can escape environmental regulations, OSHA regulations, child labor laws, fair wages for workers, and high loading costs due to many types of insurance all by moving manufacturing offshore. Watch as Walmart gleefully insists that its suppliers lower the cost of their products to meet the profit levels which they can enjoy from "made in China" products, and American corporations are all too happy to share their intellectual properties and proprietary information with the Chinese all the while laughing all the way to the bank!

American corporate greed and desire to escape civilized regulation reinvented China, and over several decades, made that nation the toxic waste center of the planet! Hell, up until recently, we even sold them our garbage and toxic waste, because regulations make it too expensive for us to process it here! Gradually, over a period of time, we created contemporary China, and now that environmental issues are reaching critical mass, the same moneyed conglomerates that used China and India to escape responsible regulations that would cut into their profits, are using the toxic monster they created as an excuse or leverage against the responsible environmental stewardship which they sought to thwart and escape in the first place! And they are using Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Donald Trump as their lying shills.

BB

Anonymous said...

BB
On the contrary. It's government lust with its increasing taxes, and strangling uncivilised regulations that reinvented China. Detroit is a textbook showcase of this.
That companies fled to a less oppressive China, parallels members fleeing HWAs original church and splinters. Some things don't change.

Byker Bob said...

Yes, I’ve heard Rush say all that, but you must think more deeply than that.

Corporations have their tax Einsteins in place to largely exploit and neutralize the tax code. So do the principals and most highly paid executives. They have minds at their disposal that most of us could not afford.

Secondly, the safety and environmental regulations in place in American industry are soley there to force corporations to adhere to the moral and ethical practices that human conscience normally does dictate. Fair, livable wages (minimum wage is barely livable), a safe working environment free of discrimination and hazing, safeguards to the environment, protection from toxic materials and dangerous equipment, good healthcare insurance, etc. These are all essential because corporations today have more rights and protections in place than do humans.

You don’t believe in the regulations that make our lives so good here in the USA? Work for a year in Mexico or China and come back and give us a report. Rush is articulating and translating the views and opinions of the 1%, the detached from reality owners of the world, and he’s done an awfully good job of getting much of the American public to parrot it without considering all if the implications.

You think that corporate moguls are going to play nice and refrain from exploiting people and screwing the environment just because they move their operations to China? Hell no. Unbridled by regulation, they become even worse!

BB

Anonymous said...

BB, the amazing thing is that I agree with everything that you've said in your last three posts, other than your implication that my opinions come from Limbaugh or Hannity.

What you describe above is human nature. Corporate greed, government greed, and just plain greed of the U.S. populace wanting everything cheaper.

I'm surprised that nobody has chimed in blaming religion.

We were told decades ago that the powers that be were working towards bringing the U.S. down and the rest of the world up. The problem is we were so high economically and the rest of the world so low the only way to do that is to bring the U.S. way, way down.

I agree, it's those in power who are doing this, on both sides. The average Joe in the U.S. will hurt more than those among the 1%, Rush included. Rosie O'donnell, Joy Behar, etc. etc. included also.

Apparently you're a Trump hater. Who cares, both sides are evil. The left claiming Russian collusion by Trump, while willingly forgetting about Skolkovo.

You think I'm being blinded by free market Capitalists when it's quite apparent that you're being influenced by socialists. Both sides are evil. Free market capitalism is just as evil as socialism. The only reason capitalism seems to work better is because of human greed. Survival of the fittest. Socialism on the other hand destroys incentive. Why work hard if I get the same as that lazy bum over there. I understand that both systems are evil. I understand that the "left" and the "right" are both evil, do you?

I really think my views are more balanced than yours but again, who cares?

Anonymous said...

"I believe I can know where you are coming from, and what informs your logic, so I guess it’s appropriate to wish you a happy sabbath."


"I believe I can know where you are coming from, and what informs your logic, so I guess it’s appropriate to wish you a happy sabbath."



Is that how you were taught to debate? By using an accusatorial tone? You realize that's referred to as a strawman argument?


Anonymous said...

I've got a question that I'd like you to answer. If greedy corporate moguls are going to China because of less regulation then is China's part in the Paris Climate Treaty just for show? Did those moguls know that China would either not abide by the treaty or were given more leeway in the treaty than the U.S.?

With less regulation, as you state, even while being a signatory to the Paris treaty, why is it that the left and Obama were pushing this treaty? Why, if Trump is of the corporate mogul mindset, did Trump pull out of the treaty and why did the left call him on the carpet for doing so?

Could it be that Trump cares more for the U.S. than the left, who are more in favor of globalization?

Byker Bob said...

I believe in free market capitalism, too. I’m a business owner and have been for decades. What I don’t believe in is totally UNBRIDLED free market capitalism. Like anything else that requires oversight, it must be regulated in order to ensure that it doesn’t run amuck, causing bubbles and busts, damage the little guy while protecting the fat cats, cause catastrophic damage to the environment, and exclude those who are disadvantaged (among other things)

The types of challenges we face around the world today require a united approach to deal with them effectively. A certain amount of globalism is necessary. That word scares people off because it conjures up images of fascism, lowered lifestyles through communism, world religion like international Islam, forced godlessness, etc. Speaking of strawman arguments, that’s the scare model to which some politicians point. Fact is there are much looser versions of global cooperation which preserve freedom, and the incentives needed for the human spirit to flourish.

Yes, I do believe Chinese membership in the Paris Accords is questionable. I would cite the many ways in which communist nations have abused their memberships in the UN throughout the past decades.

As for Donald Trump, prior to his showing his true colors, I had self-identified as Conservative, and Republican. The Republicans did not initially accept him, in fact they repudiated him at first. I was shocked at how quickly they allowed him to completely morph their philosophy and agenda. He’s a dangerous white nationalist, is turning his back on all of the policies and alliances which have kept us from World War III, his trade war has already started the next recession only nobody knows it yet, and his support of the fossil fuel industry is nothing less than anti-environmentalist activism. He’s got to be stopped before he inflicts irreversible catastrophic damage. My fear is that in 2020, rather than a restorative centrist we’ll get an equally dangerous polar opposite from the liberal corner.

I do blame Hannity and Limbaugh for all of the cliches heard in the supermarket or on the street. I hear verbatim quotes repeated all the time as if they were originated by the one repeating them. Last week Rush was denying that plastic pollution in the oceans is a problem. Oh well, I guess that doesn’t matter.
There is now a privately funded project cleaning up the gyre in the Pacific.


BB

Byker Bob said...

Your last question totally baffled me. What are you saying? That nationalism constitutes caring for the US, and global solutions are not caring for the US? That strikes me as being terribly binary, because there is a whole range of solutions possible between the twixt.

I do believe that Donald Trump cares for Donald Trump and the people who go along with him. Beyond that, we have no certainty, although I think he cares for most conservative straight white people, in fact he’d probably like me until I challenged some of his ideas. He certainly loves his buddies running the oil companies and coal industry. I’m fairly certain he loves many of the rich people, just so long as they are not George Soros or Alec Baldwin types.

By the way, you may want to read up on the Bali Action Plan, aka the Bali Road Map. And the earlier Rio Earth Summit. George HW Bush signed the treaty in Brazil, having campaigned as the “environmentalist president”, and George W Bush’s administration, at Bali, was instrumental in pushing fast growing, fast developing countries like China, Brazil, India, and South Africa to submit cleanup plans of their own. Prior to that, under the previous administration, Bill Clinton had signed the Berlin Mandate, which declared that only developed countries like the US, the UK, Japan, and Canada were legally bound to reduce their emissions. The Bali Action Plan, therefore, removed a major obstacle and made the Paris Accord possible by elliminating the barrier between the developed nations and the developing ones. Without George Bush, it wouldn’t have happened.

BB