Bubba: Always Where You Least Expect Him

"There is no law against cults. Even in France, the only country where such legislation has been passed (the 2001 About-Picard law), the prohibition is restricted to 'registered organizations that violate human rights and the principle of freedom.' A number of provisos were softened in the wake of harsh criticism from politicians and observers both in France and abroad, among them former U.S. president Bill Clinton. They argue that the French law itself violates the principle of freedom."

-- Avirama Golan, reminding me of another good reason for despising Billary - who never met a guru/motivational speaker/cult leader, etc., that they didn't like - while also explaining the legal difficulties of bouncing weirdos in the can, even to Haaretz.

[Read the whole thing.]

Bill Clinton's name can pop up in the oddest places. I mean here I am, reading an article about a serious cult episode, written in Israel, that takes a turn into French law and - *boop* - My Boy Bill pops up, somehow defending cultism.

My brain registers these bizarre juxtapositions as "Wha-wha-wha..?!?" The actual position Bill took on cultism doesn't jar me nearly as hard as him just showing up in the piece, since I already know, nowadays, he also gives these self-help tours with the likes of Tony Robbins.

But do you see what I'm getting at, about it messing with my head? Come on. Think about it this way:

Montel Willaims and Sylvia Browne are pulling scams together, too.

But see that kinda makes sense, because he's a sleazy talk show host and she's a scumbag "psychic", right? They go together. Now does that same kind of symmetry occur, in your mind, when it's the President of the United States and a motherf*cking motivational speaker? I short out.

And when you've got Bill and Hillary quoting their "friend", Ken "The Theory of Everything" Wilber, plus the now-Secretary of State's past episode of hanging out with NewAge "psychics" in the White House,...well, you get what I'm saying, about some context making his political position more predictable than his presence, in a french debate? Billary's for freedom: surprise. Do I believe them? Nope.

Which brings us to the meaning of freedom. To me, using a defense of liberty to defend cult behavior - where brainwashing has definitely been used - is perverted. No surprise there, this being Bill Clinton's advocacy we're talking about. The man who told everyone Monica Lewinsky was a crazy stalker when it became apparent she thought those secret trips to the Oval Office bathroom could lead to something more. Yea, he can be trusted to help sort things out correctly. Seriously. I'm not kidding.

Everyone knows the man's a pro.