I was thinking the other day about Shoko Asahara and Aum Shinrikyo.

Remember them? - Of course you don't - that was a trick question.

Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese Doomsday Cult founded by Shoko Asahara.

You MIGHT remember them as the cult that released poison sarin gas into the Tokyo subway system on March 20, 1995.

All they accomplished was to kill 13 people, severely injure 50 more (some of whom later died) and in giving ALL doomsday cults a bad name.

Shoko Asahara was executed for this by hanging on July 6, 2018.

Thirteen other senior Aum leaders were sentenced to death and later executed, many others were given prison sentences up to life.

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I remember one thing I thought was weird about their cult (ONE thing?) was that they had set up a radio transmitter in Russia and were constantly broadcasting their "teachings" in Japanese toward Japan.

Each of their cult members was expected to listen constantly, 24/7, on little portable radio receivers to their leader's instructions as to what they should think and what they should do.

A direct and constant channel from the leader to his followers.

Constant and relentless - the brain washing effect must have been incredible.

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I know what I'm about to say sounds totally crazy - it does to me too.

So I should start out by saying that when it comes to straightjackets I take a 44 regular (actually I'm kidding, I don't know what size straightjacket I take - I've always had mine tailor made for me in the past :-)

But it seems possible to me that this sort of direct information feed is what Trump is doing to his followers with Twitter.

His tweets don't seem to be particularly aimed at the general public, he has the White House Press Secretary for that, but a direct feed to his true-blue believers. A dozen a day sometimes - bypassing the media entirely.

He tells them what to think and what to do.

I know this sounds nutso, but I can't help considering it.

Trump supposedly has about 55 million followers on Twitter - that's about 20% of the U.S. adult population. (Some question this amount but he does appear to have a lot of "followers").

Are a lot of them basically mindless zombie cult members?

That can't be right, can it? - That kinda creeps me out just to think about it.

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Before you dismiss this all out of hand - remember that this is EXACTLY what -I'M- trying to do to -YOU- with my weekly Hit-Of-The-Week News Letters :-)

So knuckle under and think what I tell you to think and do what I tell you to do :-)

And stay jazzed! :-)

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