Election and poisoning 1984 continued:

 

They had already poisoned a County Commissioner and County Judge by offering them water laced with Salmonella bacteria.

In the summer of 1984 the County Commissioners had taken their annual trip to the ranch, prior to a festival that would have thousands of sannyasins come to the ranch, to assess what was being done.  On the way down they stopped at the little general store/cafeteria at Antelope.  They were all given water to drink.

The Rajneesh placed the salmonella bacteria in the water of these two commissioners; the third one they felt was more inclined to support them so he received a germ free glass.  They, of course, didn’t feel the effects right away.

They drove down to the ranch where they parked their vehicle in the parking lot of the visitor center.  They were then escorted around the ranch, in one of the Rajneesh vehicles, and told how the upcoming festival would be handled.

When they returned to their car they found they had a flat tire.  The weather was hot and changing the tire was hot and sweaty work, the County Judge was thirsty – all were offered water, but only the Judge accepted, it was another glass of poison.

Both men got sick.  The one, who had only one dose, was able to ‘tough’ it out and as he told me, ‘work through it.’  The County Judge almost lost his life as he became very ill and finally listened to his wife when she insisted he go to the hospital – that saved his life.  In back tracking what he did and where he may have gotten the bacteria he came to the conclusion that the Rajneesh had poisoned him, they denied it and there was no proof.

The District Attorney of Jefferson County was also a victim who almost died from poisoning.  I am still shaking my head over that fact – he had been a strong proponent of trying to work with them, but he also was a man of integrity and that might have been what upset them.

In September 1984 Carla and I, along with our children, decided to go to Dufur and attend a potluck for the local citizens and anyone that was running for office, at Barlow Grange.  It was a campaign trip, but we enjoy the people of Dufur; they are proof of small town hospitality. 

We talked with people, left our cards and other election papers on the tables, along with that from several other politicians and shook a lot of hands.  We explained what we intended to do and how we intended to operate the Sheriff’s Office once elected.

At the same time we were enjoying our meal and fellowship in Dufur over 750 people (at least) were being poisoned as they partook of various salad bars in restaurants throughout The Dalles. 

Salmonella bacteria were introduced into the salad bars of these restaurants.  Several seriously ill people had to go to the hospital, most of them young or elderly.  Visitors passing through also experienced the illness and hospitals up and down the Gorge had the same kind of patients – victims of the poisoning.

While no one died, many were seriously ill and out of commission for weeks, some even had permanent damage to their health.  Public health was called in and did an investigation, even calling the poison control center in Atlanta and using personnel from the National services to attempt to run down the carrier. 

There was a strong suspicion in The Dalles that the Rajneesh had somehow tainted the vegetables in the salad bars, but there was no proof.  Later, we learned that at least one grocery store had also been attacked by a follower pouring the bacteria over fresh vegetables.

There was no common carrier found.  The reason given for the mass illness was servers in the various restaurants were not taking proper sanitary precautions.  While it was very strange and quite a “coincidence” that all of the restaurants had the same problem at the same time, no other reason could be attributed to the outbreak, or so the National service decided. 

In fairness to them they had never encountered anything like this before and there was no proof of a direct attack.  Without the ability to issue search warrants on mere suspicion they couldn’t force a search of the Rajneesh compounds so even if they had determined it was a deliberate attack it would have been almost impossible to make a case. 

Later it was to be found the Rajneesh had indeed committed the mass poisoning attack.  This was germ warfare, and it has been declared as the first mass attack of Germ warfare on American citizens. 

The Rajneesh felt that if they poisoned people then fewer would go to the polls on Election Day and it would be enough for them to have their candidates win the election.  However, not enough people got sick from the salad bars and now, due to their experiment, you couldn’t find a salad bar in The Dalles anyway. 

To this day many Wasco County residents will never go to a restaurant with a buffet.

More on election 1984 at a later date:

Mathew 24:9-13 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

What does God want of us?  Verse after verse in the New Testament tells us that to serve Him we must be willing to die.

Why?  Why are so many Christians in this world today suffering and dying for Him?

Why does He demand such sacrifice from His people, why not just lift them up out of their torturous situation and give them sustenance and peace?

We know that not just Christians are suffering, we know not just the Jews are suffering for their faith – there is collateral damage where many others are also suffering.

Right now we have radical Islamic groups that are terrorizing and killing people – they are making it their ‘duty’ to kill Christians and Jews in particular, and then others that are getting in the way.

We have nations that are more and more anti-Christian the discrimination and persecutions can be subtle, but are becoming more and more overt and even violent.  Many Christians are finding the same kinds of persecutions that the Jews had from the Nazis – and are still enduring from some countries.

We have nations that are demanding that Israel be destroyed and more and more nations are refusing to confront these countries and tell them to back off – and many of the leaders in America seem to be following suit.  I believe there will be serious consequences to those actions and America will not be immune.

Whether or not we agree with the Palestine issues, to deny Israel its right to exist and defend itself from countries such as Iran is absolutely wrong and foolish if we don’t think God will pass judgment on those that do.

Both ‘religions’ are being target because of their faith in God and their adherence to His Word – I understand that most of the Jewish people do not accept Christ and they will be held accountable to Him for that rejection; but they are still the chosen people of God and being persecuted for their relationship with Him.

Yet, the countries and groups that are attacking and killing seem to be prospering while Christians are dying, by their hands, why?

Mathew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

First whatever happens in this world it happens to everyone in the area.  If there is a drought it affects the Christian as well as the non-believer.

If there is a flood, it affects everyone.

There are times that God will intervene and perform miracles, but He rarely does that and when He does it is to make a point for His Glory.

None of this seems very fair.  We dedicate our life to Christ and we end up being punished for it – how many of us signed up for that kind of life?

In order to present the plan of salvation we cannot always go into the nuts and bolts of what it means.  However, we do have an obligation to let people know – if not before conversion soon after – that God expects obedience and that in doing so persecution may be the result.

Nope, not fair, but neither was requiring Jesus to forgo His Godly trappings’ and come to earth as a relatively poor child; leaving all the glory of heaven behind to be born in a manager.

It wasn’t fair that He had to go through all the struggles of a man instead of having no struggles at all.

And it certainly wasn’t fair for Him to be tried, convicted and strung on a cross; to be ridiculed and humiliated and then to die – having never sinned forced to carry the heavy burden of all of man’s sins while God turned His back on Him.

There are those that minimize and even deny that Christians will suffer – I imagine most of those are in the United States where some preachers still proclaim that you ask of God and believing He gives you riches here on earth – and if you aren’t getting those blessings there is something wrong with you.  The so call prosperity teachings have led many astray and away from Christ.

The same holds true when Christians start lifting evangelists, preachers or leaders as having divine providence and inspiration without testing their teachings by the Word of God.

God warned all of us that this would happen when we followed Him, first to the Jews (as documented in the Old Testament – and of course other writings) and then to those that would take up the mantel of Christ. 

Many Christian Jews were ostracized and punished by not only the leaders of the Jewish religion, their families and friends, but by the government – and they are still subject to that persecution, today.

American Christians have always endured persecution just as they have in other countries.  However, we also had the protection of the Constitution to worship as we desire.  The persecution was more one on one, more one group against another and it was relatively limited in scope – particularly compared to our brethren in countries where to admit you were a Christian causes imprisonment and death.

However, we are seeing a more dangerous persecution than in years past and the government is not only allowing it, it is encouraging it.  People are losing their livelihood and homes; their lives are being threatened and some are being physically attacked.

The basis for our beliefs is being attacked and a growing number of people are defying God and His Word.  They are using every form of media to justify their actions and spread their brand of living for themselves.

If they can discredit God then they can discredit sin.  If they can discredit sin, then they can – and are doing – anything they want to do.

In an effort to try and keep Christians in their organizations and to attract more people to it, far too many of these establishments are not only watering down the Word of God, but adapting it to the current social norm.

Instead of preaching Christ and the need of forgiveness of sin, they are changing the definition of sin and leading people astray.  For the sake of numbers they deny people they understanding of what He stands for and what they must do to be saved.  Passing over what sin is they condemn the death of Christ to a man on a cross, who had great teachings (in some things) but just a man who has no power or authority over man.

There is no easy way to follow Christ.  Satan will make sure of that by putting all manner of things in our way.  He cannot block the path in Christ but he can lure us off the path and away from Christ’s righteousness.  Satan has a growing number of followers and a growing number of people who are unaware patsies for him.

Too many people think the peace the angels declared at His birth means there should not be conflict here on earth – and there wouldn’t be if people actually followed the teachings and accepted the salvation of Christ.  Satan doesn’t want that, the world doesn’t want that. 

Christ knew that when we testify as to His love and grace it will be an affront to those that do not want to accept God’s love or be obedient to His mandates.  His message does indeed create a division and the result has been open warfare against those that claim Him as Savior.

As Christians, no matter where we live, we must live for Christ and understand there is going to be consequences for our relationship with Him.  But to do less is to let Him down and deny that relationship – a dangerous position to be in when we come face to face with Him.

Mathew 10:32-34 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

We all have seen those that have gone astray who have interpreted God’s Word to justify sin in their lives.  We have seen those that find themselves falling short of what they know they should be and instead of continuing the struggle they give up.

We are all faced, daily, with decisions that can either allow us to grow in Christ or fall away from Him.  We do not know how long we will live on this earth – be do know that we must remain true to Him and walk His path, not our own.  But it will be worthwhile in the end.

Mathew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

The one thing that is encouraging is that in many of these areas of high persecution God is working and even though it means imprisonment or death, many are accepting Christ and His Church is actually growing in those areas.

God is ready to give up on the human race and the world, just yet.  There is still hope that He will send a revival that will encompass the earth and many more will come to Christ.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again