The Washington Times, an ultra-conservative daily newspaper owned by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, celebrated its 25th anniversary last night – and former President George H.W. Bush was there to wish everyone well.
Bush’s relationship with the Moons goes back several years. In 1997, investigative journalist Robert Parry reported that since Bush left office in 1992, he and his wife have appeared at several Moon events and received enormous fees for speeches.
“Throughout these public appearances, Bush’s office has refused to divulge how much Moon-affiliated organizations have paid the ex-president,” Parry reports. “But estimates of Bush’s fee for the Buenos Aires appearance alone ran between $100,000 and $500,000. Sources close to the Unification Church have put the total Bush-Moon package in the millions, with one source telling The Consortium that Bush stood to make as much as $10 million.”
Since then, Bush has received more Moon millions – and shared the wealth with his family. Last year, the Houston Chronicle reported that the Moon-owned Washington Times Foundation gave $1 million to the Greater Houston Community Foundation in 2004. That Houston foundation later gave a grant in excess of $2 million to the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation at Texas A&M. A spokesman for the Bush family later confirmed that the money came from Moon’s group.
In September of 2005, the Universal Peace Federation, yet another Moon front group, gave $1 million to Bush’s Points of Light Foundation, ostensibly to fund Hurricane Katrina relief. In addition, The Washington Times Foundation has purchased educational materials for public schools from a software company owned by Neil Bush, the president’s brother.
The close relationship even includes the former first lady. Earlier this month, The Washington Times acted as a corporate cosponsor of an event in Bethesda, Md., sponsored by Barbara Bush’s Foundation for Family Literacy. A fawning story about the event appeared in The Times May 11.
Speaking at the Moon gala last night in Washington, D.C., ex-President Bush praised the paper and offered reflections on the end of the Cold War. Moon followed Bush at the podium. A report in The Times gave scant details about the speech by the controversial Korean evangelist, noting that he followed Bush “with a 35-minute Founders Address to the audience of more than 2,000, who dined on roast beef and salmon at the National Building Museum. He acknowledged his 88 years before beginning his address, delivered in Korean with simultaneous translation into English.”
According to the story, Moon said, “Please do not miss your chance to ride on the currents of heavenly fortune that will surge together during this important and sacred year.”
Chances are he said a lot more than that. Moon has a tendency to go off on bizarre tangents during his speeches. In March of 2004, Moon had himself crowned “King of America” during a strange spectacle in a room at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Days later, he gave a weird speech in which he bragged about the coronation and went on to advise couples to sleep naked and hold each others “love organs.”
Remarked Moon, “If three families do this in every village, we can get rid of all homosexuality.” (For good measure, Moon also attacked the separation of church and state, calling it “not God’s viewpoint.”)
Former President Bush was not the only public figure to salute The Times last night. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele was also there, and current President George W. Bush sent a congratulatory message. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher went so far as to send a video clip.
We can only speculate why any public figures would want to ingratiate themselves with Moon, an increasingly unstable man who believes he is the Messiah sent to rule the world – but we can always guess. Perhaps his exceedingly deep pockets have something to do with it.
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