It was on the sidebar of the internet page I was reading: “EXPOSED: The church’s involved in Obama’s greatest cover up . . .” Below was a picture of President Obama greeting the Pope and the hot link for playing a video. Curious, I clicked on the link. Up came scenes of street violence with ominous music and the quote from Jeremiah, “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray.” Below was a paragraph describing Nathan Shepard as a Bible scholar. A voice said,”Little do you know that Obama and the leaders of our church have a secret sinister pact to hide from the public the most terrible warning encrypted inside our Holy Bible.”

“What kind of wacky Christian fundamentalist film is this?” I wondered. I continued watching and was treated to a point-by-point description of how the USA is heading for disaster that will end the country sometime in 2016. Obama is to be our last president because there will be no USA in 2017. How will it end? Russia will detonate a secret weapon in the skies over the center of the USA and knock out our high-tech infrastructure. All our computers will suddenly be dead and the lights will go out forever. This prediction, the film said, is contained in the Bible's Book of Revelation. All these dire predictions are delivered by the unseen narrator (presumably, Nathan Shepard) and a series of very official-looking men who aren’t identified by name or by credentials.

The film presents a veritable catalog of common prejudices and conspiratorial fears. The video plays on these fears with ominous background music, scenes of violence, and verbal content. All biases and prejudices are covered. Do you harbor racial prejudice? There are plenty of scenes of black people in violent roles and, of course, there is Obama as the primary American villain of the piece. Do you hate the Jews? You learn that, “48% of American billionaires are Jewish . . .” and you are even presented with a list of names. Do you hate Catholics? You learn that the Pope is in on the sinister secret of the demise of the US. Do you hate Russia and “Communists”? Russia and Vladimir Putin will bring on the "End Times."

Expecting to be urged to repent and be saved, I continued to watch. What came on instead was an offer to buy the “Survive the End Days” kit for only $37, marked down from $97. What a bargain! Only $37 to find out how to survive the End Times!

I closed the page—only to be presented with a message that warned me, “This may be the last warning you will ever get before America will collapse . . .” and a “Stay on Page” button. Intrigued, I clicked on the button and was presented with a further discount. I could get the whole kit for only $26, a discount of $11 dollars and they would even throw in two other kits: “How to Survive the Next Nuclear Attack” and “Chemical Wars Survival Guide.” When I started to leave the page, I was presented with a further discount, bringing the price down to $18.50.

Digging in still deeper, I learn that I can share in the profits generated by the video. I can also sell “End Time” goods for a tidy profit to all the suckers who have bit on the hype. They provide everything I need to get started—hot links, banners, emails, etc. all ready to go. This is internet marketing at its finest!

By the way, they strictly prohibit copying any of their stuff, so the graphics I’ve presented here are a violation. If "FandangoLife" suddenly disappears from your computer, you will know that the End Times Thought Police have found me here in Spain and pulled down this site. Until then, you can read it here.

So, who is "Nathan Shepard"? Like the Wizard of Oz, he doesn't really exist. Nathan Shepard is the pseudonym for the anonymous onscreen voice that is behind the curtain operating the wheels and levers of this hateful little show. Welcome to the Land of Oz, Dorothy and Toto!

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