Past and Present
PAST AND PRESENT PREMILLENNIALIST PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE MARK OF THE BEAST
by Andrew Hicks
Premillennialist prophecy writers have developed and updated scenarios for the world's end based on prophecies from the
Biblical books of Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel and others. One ongoing component of the accepted scenario is the mark of the
beast, which was forecasted by John in Revelation 13:16-18, which reads, "He [the second beast] also forced everyone,
small and great, rich and poor,
free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that
no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the
beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has
insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number.
His number is 666" (NIV Translation).
Many premillennialist Christians in the past 2000 years have speculated on exactly what this "mark" will be. While some
dismiss the mark of the beast as a figurative sign of allegiance to the devil, most premillenialists believe Revelation 13
is a prophecy to be taken literally. And the general consensus among premillennialists today is that the mark of the beast
will be a universal means of identification hooked up to a worldwide computer network.
The opinions of prophecy writers concerning the mark of the beast have evolved greatly with technology improvements. Earlier
this century, many premillennialists believed the mark would be tattooed on the recipient's hand or forehead. Early 70's Christian
novels and films on the end times followed this line of thinking. Salem Kirban, enduring prophecy writer and novelist, wrote
a book entitled 666, in which the mark of the beast was a giant tatoo reading "666." Popular 1973 Christian movie A Thief
in the Night went slightly further, showing the mark as a tattoo of what one character said was the computer readout for
"666." Kirban, in his book The Rise of the Antichrist, attacks the prevalence of numbers for identification in society,
noting that the most universal number for Americans is "your Social Security Number. Quite conceivably, it could become the
Mark. Technology is already here whereby the Social Security Number could be painlessly imprinted on your forehead or right
hand in invisible ink revealed only by a special light" (Kirban 31). Kirban isn't the only 70's prophecy writer who gave the
speculation that the Mark would be an invisible tattoo consisting of the Social Security Number. John Wesley White wrote in
his book Re-entry, which had a foreword by Billy Graham, that the only number that could control a person's ability
to buy or sell in modern society is the Social Security Number. He added that the number could be imprinted permanently on
the "hand or forehead by an electronic device and with an instrument can be read in a glance" (White 159).
That seemed to be the agreed-upon method for the prophecy of Revelation 13:16-18 until 1974, when "a strange new mark began
appearing on products." It was the UPC--Universal Product Code, also known as the bar code. It didn't take long for this new
technological advancement to be heralded as the mark of the beast by some avid prophecy believers. The Christian video Rock
and Roll Sorcerors of the New Age, whose main purpose was to show how Satan was preparing our generation to accept a one-world
government through pop music messages like "come together in every nation" and "we are the world, we are the children," also
had a segment on the mark of the beast. A picture of the barcode's inventor was displayed on the screen, with a bar code superimposed
on his forehead. "Now, I'm not saying the bar code is the mark of the beast," the host said, but the implication was clear.
Other Christians wrote about the three hidden numbers on every bar code. "What are the three hidden numbers?" Terry Watkins
asks rhetorically on his "Mark of the Beast" web site. "YOU GUESSED IT! 666!" According to prophecy writers, the only symbols
on the UPC that don't correspond to the product's individual numbers are three strategically-placed sixes, the first, middle
and last numbers on every bar code.
The bar code theory advanced levels of paranoia even more among prophecy believers. After all, if each bar code was individualized,
obviously the computer bar code readers would have stored information on them. Since that point, computers have played an
increasing role in prophecy writers' end times scenarios. More prophecy books from the 80's than anyone would care to mention
put forth the observation first noted by Reverend Richard Thomas--that by assigning values in multiples of six to letters
of the alphabet, the word "computer" adds up to 666. In Kirban's words, "The computer may well become the mechanical monster
Antichrist may use to exercise control over the population."
In the late 80's and early 90's, as computer technology made leaps and bounds, imaginative premillennialist authors updated
their predictions for the mark of the beast. Two advancements in particular have been pounced upon by prophecy writers--the
smart card and the implantable microchip. Smart cards are like credit cards but contain miniature microchips that can store
and manipulate information. And microchip implants, currently being used to keep track of people's pets, are about the size
of a grain of rice, can be injected under the skin in a matter of minutes, and never need to be replaced (Fernandez). The
most prevalent mark of the beast scenario today involves both the smart card and the microchip implant.
Premillennialists say soon there will be a government-issued smart card everyone will use as a primary means of identification.
Internet prophecy writer Terry Watkins says Clinton's proposed health care smart card will be the first step. "For the very
first time in history, every man, woman and child will be numbered and required to carry a card. No exceptions! No excuses!
EVERYBODY!" That will lead to an all-purpose identity card that will replace the driver's license and Social Security card,
among other things. A PC Week article from May 9, 1994 said, "The Clinton administration is working on an identification
card that every American will need to interact with any federal government... Sources close to the administration said President
Clinton is also considering signing a pair of executive orders that would facilitate the connection of individual's bank accounts
and federal records to a government identification card..." (Watkins).
Prophecy believers say the marriage of finances and government on one smart card will be ushered in by the much talked-about
cashless society. The CEO of Visa, Carl Pascarella, thinks "everything will migrate toward a single card. I might want to
have my driver's license, frequent-flier miles, medical information and HMO data on one card" (Levy 65). It's a well-documented
fact that world commerce is moving away from cash dealings and toward more credit card and check transactions. Premillennialists
have long warned about the possibility credit cards will lead to the mark of the beast. Maranatha's Internet site includes
a "Mark of the Beast" page as well, with links to both the MasterCard and Visa ("One World, One Currency") homepages. The
web site does offer the disclaimer, "I am not suggesting that credit cards are the mark of the beast. I include information
on credit cards only as a demonstration of the technology that could be used by the beast to control commerce."
Credit cards are a gateway to something much worse in premillennialist belief. These doom prophecies are fueled by the
fact that MasterCard is planning "to smarten up every single one of its credit cards by 2000" and Visa is rolling out its
smart card for visitors to the Atlanta Olympics next summer. The smart cards allow a customer to buy a value on the card up
front and make purchases accordingly, with the card's microchip keeping track of how much money is left. "Banking visionaries
see the cards as another step toward a cashless society," a secular news article reads (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 23,
1995). An April 1995 article in Network World says these smart credit cards "will pave the way for the digital money
revolution." Indeed there is a digital money revolution of sorts beginning to form. A new company called DigiCash lets customers
purchase "e-money" to spend on the Internet. An English company, Mondex, is out to do "no less than create an electronic world
currency," according to Newsweek. The same article notes that the basic concern of Christians and Non-Christians alike
is that "smart cards may evolve into a personal ID with a wealth of personal information the holder can't necessarily control"
(Levy 65).
Christian prophecy writer Irvin Baxter, Jr. unquestionably agrees with that sentiment. He includes in his book Message
For the President a page with a sample printout the government could use to gain knowledge of every person's activities
if such an ID system were created. Baxter's fictional printout sums up one day's actions for a John Doe-type individual, including
every purchase and phone call he made, and even what the man had for breakfast, with added analysis at the bottom. "Heavy
starch breakfast, probably overweight... Bought $6.00 worth of gasoline. Owns VW. So far this week has bought $14.00 gas.
Obviously doing something besides just driving nine miles to work... Phone #328-1826 belongs to Shady Lane--Shady was arrested
for bookmaking in 1975... Bought very expensive lingerie, not his wife's size..." (100). Christian prophecy often includes
this amusing element of paranoia as a main component. The clear implication is that the current government and the one-world
government to come will pry into the lives of the average individual once the people unknowingly accept identification devices
that are actually the mark of the beast.
Baxter also refers to a Reader's Digest article on the possibilities of a cashless society where universal I.D.
cards are used by all. The article said anyone who didn't pay his bills would have his card cut off. "This would make him
a non-person." Baxter adds that if the government would revoke a person's citizenship for failure to pay bills or taxes, they
wouldn't stop there. Once the apostate one-world religion, an agreed-upon component of the premillennialist endtime scenario,
is instituted, "It might become convenient for the government to tag [people who don't go along with the false religion--
a.k.a. Christians] as 'non-persons.' As a matter of fact, this is exactly what is going to happen! Such control over the citizenry
is frightening!" (95-96).
The government has been testing the possibilities of a cashless society for years. A 1989 Newsweek article talks
about a Marine base in South Carolina which is "a cashless economy--even the telephones take smart cards." Marines get smart
cards on payday instead of checks and use the cards to make their purchases (Rogers 54). Christian writer J.R. Church talks
about a proposed card to be distributed to servicemen in all branches of the military, a "Multi-technology Automated Reader
Card." He notes that the acronym spelled out is "MARC," asking if this obviously evil name is "a cruel joke to play on service
men and women?" MARC is a smart card that includes an integrated circuit microchip, bar code, magnetic strip, photograph of
the card holder and printed information about the person. "The card," he says, "can be used to transact business, exchange
money and totally control the lives of the cardholders." He suggests these cards will be issued to more than just servicemen,
pointing to a USA Today article from July 1994 titled "National Citizen ID is Proposed." The article speaks of a proposal
to Congress to prevent illegal aliens from getting jobs. All U.S. citizens would be issued a national ID card with their photo
and fingerprints. "Social Security-type cards," Church calls them. His belief is that the name of the MARC card is definitely
prophetic, as from his standpoint, they will be the required national I.D. cards for all citizens. His reasoning is that they
can be used in "every type of reading device," from bar code laser readers to magnetic strip credit card readers, with the
"computer chip for future use in a computerized cashless economy" (289-292).
A cashless society would no doubt be more convenient for everyone, Irvin Baxter concedes. "If a foolproof electronic money
system could be designed, much of the crime in our nation would be eliminated." There would be no forgery, no costs for processing
checks, IRS records would be indisputable because "every transaction made by every individual would be recorded on a printout
sheet by every bank in America on a monthly basis." Baxter says that the banking community wants to eliminate paper transactions
entirely, including cash and signed receipts and paperwork for credit card purchases (97).
In the current premillennialist scenario, smart cards are only half of the "terrible technology" which will be used as
the mark of the beast to condemn people's souls to hell. Once the smart card I.D. system is instituted, they say, the question
on everyone's minds will be, according to Information Week magazine, "What if a thief swipes your card?" (36). Terry
Watkins, Internet prophecy writer, adds, "If you think we've got problems with credit card fraud now--What do you think will
happen when your 'financial-healthcare-identification-everything-smart-card' is stolen... The answer is obvious... It's going
to have to be--PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO THE INDIVIDUAL!" After that revelation, Watkins refers to an article in Automatic
I.D. News from March 1992 which said, "Automatic identification plays an important role in the emerging cashless society"
(E40).
The same magazine, a year and a half before, had said, "The fastest segment in the access control market... is biometric
sensors. These devices identify people by fingerprints, retina patterns and other body-based methods" (37). Merchants will
have to verify the smart card holder is indeed who he or she claims to be. Some prophecy writers are leery of the practice
of biometrics, which identifies people based on characteristics unique to them, like voice prints, fingerprints and retina
patterns. The Maranatha "Mark of the Beast" Internet page includes links to the "Biometry Home Page" and "Association For
Biometrics." Baxter says the voiceprint method is "quite expensive" and using fingerprints faces "technical difficulties that
prevent its use from being implemented" (99). That leaves one viable option. In the words of Christian Microsoft employee
Roger Voss, technologically-versed and one of the more outspoken prophecy expounders on the Internet, "implanting a smart
card chip into the owner's body would be a far simpler, cheaper and more fool proof manner of authentification."
That seems to be the consensus of most prophecy writers--that the mark of the beast system will be a carried smart card
along with an implanted microchip in the hand or forehead. Christian author Peter Lalonde takes a different yet similar perspective.
"It could well be that what this prophet [John] was referring to 2,000 years ago was what is known today as the computer microchip.
In fact, the microchips currently being used in 'smart cards' could easily fulfill the definition of the 'mark' which will
be issued under the Antichrist regime... The only remaining requirement would be for the chip to be taken out of the card
and actually be implanted into human flesh" (229). Lalonde's view is that all the identification needed will be in the person's
hand, but most modern prophecy writers believe the implanted microchip will only be the foolproof means of identification
for people using their government smart cards.
Computer microchip implants have gained a lot of ground these past few years in animals. An article in The Ledger
from October 1994 says nearly 1.5 million chips have been implanted in domestic pets since 1991. Although the majority of
these have been in dogs, the article states that "almost any pet can be implanted, including cats, reptiles, horses, birds
and even fish." Veterinarian Steve Dunham, who implants 30 to 50 of these chips a month, is quoted in the article as saying
the American Kennel Club sells registered chips and "is on the verge of formally suggesting that all dogs be microchipped."
The primary reason for injecting the microchips into pets is for instant identification when the animals are lost (Fernandez).
Peter Lalonde quotes from a Cat Fancy article which says these microchips emit "a numerical or letter combination
code (about 4 billion are possible) which has been assigned exclusively to that cat." He also reprints literature from Identification
Devices, Inc., a company which manufactures the pet ID chips. "System I.D. transponders are encapsulated in an inert epoxy
to protect the electronic circuitry during use... Transponders implanted in animals... have tissue-compatible coatings to
prevent rejection by the body... And it is so durable it has a projected operating life after implantation of over 100 years."
Lalonde goes on to discuss proposals to inject these microchips behind the ears of children in the event they are lost or
run away, speculating that that would be the last step before everyone would be required to get microchip injections (238-240).
The Second Advent Ministries' booklet "Implantable Biochip Technology" concedes that "this technology is based on
a great idea... but students of Bible prophecy
will feel a chilly, futuristic wind blowing across a sinister horizon, for the
Bible warns us in Revelation, Chapter 13, that someday soon the global
economic system of the Antichrist world dictator... will call for just such
an alphanumeric system... Undoubtedly, human beings will find
themselves the next target of such technological marvels in the
not-too-distant future."
The booklet also quotes Tim Willard, the managing editor of Futurists, the World Future Society's bimonthly magazine,
who says that microchips could be used for... "a variety of human applications. Conceivably, a number could be
assigned at birth and follow someone throughout life. Most likely, it
would be IMPLANTED ON THE BACK OF ONE'S HAND for
convenience, so that it would be easy to scan at stores. It could be
used as a universal identification card that would replace credit cards,
drivers' licenses, that sort of thing. At the supermarket checkout stand,
you would simply PASS YOUR HAND OVER THE SCANNER and your
bank account would be debited automatically."
Willard, a secular writer who may have never even heard of the mark of the beast, sums up the perspective of premillenialists
with that statement. The emphasis on the phrases "implanted on the back of one's hand" and "pass your hand over the scanner"
was added by Second Advent, but the statements were all his. The "Implantable Biochip Technology" booklet goes on to assert
that the current nine-digit Social Security Number (which "allows them to be tracked anywhere in the country with computers")
will soon give way to... "a new, global, 18-digit mesh-block configuration of international numbers
that will allow people to be tracked internationally... The 18-digit numbering
system will consist of THREE separate sets of SIX DIGITS each: 6-6-6!
Coincidence? No. Not if you believe Bible prophecy... The biochip will be
the agency by which all financial transactions are registered. Without it, no
transactions of any kind will be permitted; there will be no income, no food,
no shelter. Once in place universally, Satan's system of total electronic
enslavement will have been imposed upon all citizens of the New World
Order. No one will be excluded from having to take his 'MARK' without
facing the death penalty ... a truly 'DO OR DIE' situation."
The Christian publication "Microchips and the Mark of the Beast" contains quotes from Dr. Carl W. Sanders, the senior engineer
on a 1968 medical project that resulted in the microchip. At the time, the only forseen use of the microchip was to monitor
individuals' health from inside the body, but he now believes that the microchip will be the mark of the beast. He notes,
interestingly enough, that the microchip has a lithium battery that recharges based on body temperature changes. And what
are the two places in the body where the temperature changes most rapidly? The forehead and the back of the hand. The anonymous
author of the booklet is definitely in agreement that the mark will be a computer microchip. He reports that... "There
are bills before Congress right now that will allow them to inject a
microchip in your child for identification purposes. The president of the
United States of America, under the 'Emigration Control Act of 1986,'
Section 100, has the authority to deem whatever type of identification is
necessary--whether it be an invisible tatoo or electronic media under the
skin. So I think you have to look at the facts, folks: This is not coming
as some big shock. The paving has been done ahead of time."
Prophecy believers have developed scenarios for the mark of the beast for almost two millenia. Their beliefs on which method
the Antichrist will use to brand people with his wicked mark have evolved and changed with every major technological advancement.
The more recent ones have become increasingly convincing. In fact, according to some secular articles, the only reason we
don't already have a cashless society with microchips implanted in our skin is that premillennialist Christians would raise
too much of a fuss. The widespread belief in prophecy and the apocalypse can't be ignored. And if the predictions of prophecy
writers on globalism and the emerging cashless society never do come true, you can be sure there are future technologies we
can't even imagine which will be manipulated by premillennialists as a possible fulfillment of Revelation 13's forecast.
NWO( New World Order)
The Axis of Corporate Evil |
In what appears to be an attempted corporate takeover of America,
the same names keep coming up time and again. Click
the numbers on the chart or scroll down to see the connections. | |
Note: This chart does not touch on campaign spending. Bush/Cheney
represent the State Department. Many of the seeds of this evil axis were sown during the Bush, Sr. and Clinton administrations. |
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1. Enron and Global Crossing used a complex deal brokered by a third company to
sidestep accounting rules in a March 2001 transaction that was designed to help Global Crossing disguise a loan and allow
each company to book revenue, according to executives and traders involved in the transaction. New York Times May
19, 2002 Enron has link to Global Crossing
Enron and Global Crossing participated in the first-ever commodity bandwidth
trade. Global Crossing was the seller, Enron was the buyer. Jeff Skilling said, “This is ‘Day
One’ of a potentially enormous market.” Enron Press Release December 2, 1999
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2. Arthur Andersen is Global Crossing's auditor, too. Andersen
ties among similarities to Enron Mississippi Clarion Ledger June 27, 2002
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3. Roy Olofson, former vice president of finance for Global Crossing, accused
company executives of overstating the company's assets, like with Enron, and of firing him when he tried to blow the
whistle. Mr. Olofson told of shady deals being made with companies such as the telecommunications company Qwest. InfoWorld February 8, 2002
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4. Arthur Andersen kept the books for Qwest, too. Is Qwest playing accounting
games? MSNBC.com Jan 31, 2002
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5. On January 7, 2002, Qwest Chairman and CEO Joseph P. Nacchio was named
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC).
The appointment was announced by FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell. "In addition to his role as chairman of the NRIC,
Nacchio is vice chairman of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), a select group of
industry executives that provides advice on security and emergency preparedness issues to President George W. Bush. Nacchio
is scheduled to become chairman of NSTAC later this year. The leadership roles for the government will not distract
Nacchio from running Qwest. Qwest Communications Press Release
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6. Enron and Qwest struck a deal
last fall to swap fiber optic network capacity and services at exaggerated prices in an effort to improve each company's financial
picture. Broadband Week March 29, 2002
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7. October 04, 2001 - Nortel
Networks has been selected by Global Crossing to provide IP service management software for Global Crossing's
worldwide deployment of next generation IP and ATM services. MPLS World News MPLS World News
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8. October 11, 2001 Nortel Networks Deploying Voice, Data Network
for Qwest Using Internet Technology RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Nortel Networks* [NYSE/TSE: NT]
is deploying for Qwest Communications International, Inc. a new, packet-based network infrastructure that Qwest
intends to use to replace traditional, circuit-switched networks throughout its 14-state region. Nortel Networks Press Release
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9. "Carlyle has also invested in Global Crossing, Nextel and Nortel." The Industry Standard Money Watch Apr 23 2001
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10. Until October 11, 2001, William E. Conway, Carlyle Group Founder
and Director, was also Director of Global Crossing. Bermuda Stock Exchange
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11. Until April, 2001, the chairman of the board at Nortel was Frank Carlucci,
who is also chairman of The Carlyle Group Press release from Nortel Networks
"Carlyle has also invested in Global Crossing, Nextel and Nortel." The Industry Standard Money Watch Apr 23 2001
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12. George Bush, Sr. is Senior Advisor to The Carlyle Group's Asia fund.
For full details see The Ex-President's Club Meet The Carlyle Group
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13. The Carlyle Group is the 13th largest government contractor. Federal Access The Carlyle Group is the 10th largest defense contactor. Government Executive Magazine
Northrop Grumman is the 4th largest defense contractor, and the 6th largest government contractor.
The Carlyle Group bought into Northrop Grumman's Commercial Aerostructures business (now called Integrated Systems
Sector), which is the largest supplier of aircraft structures to the Boeing company, which is the nation's 2nd largest contractor. Northrop Grumman News Release July 24, 2000
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14. John F. Harris, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of The Carlyle
Group, was previously a Senior Manager with Arthur Andersen Hoovers Executive Biography
The Carlyle Group is a partner and investor in Apteka-Holding, a Russian pharmaceutical company.
From their website: "At the request of The Carlyle Group the business processes of the company were surveyed at the first
stage of the project by the specialists of Arthur Andersen, one of the Big Five consultancies." Platinum SQL Implementation at Apteka-Holding
The Carlyle Group is an investor in a property management technology company called Realeum. From
their website: "The former SC Partner from Arthur Andersen responsible for Realeum development serves as CTO and has established
the infrastructure for analysis & design, development, platform operations and product management." Realeum - About Us
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15. The Carlyle Group is connected to Qwest through it's investment
and partnership with a company called Citynet. Qwest Communications supplied bandwidth for Citynet as the company rose to become West
Virginia's largest internet service provider. State's Largest Internet Company Sees Bright Future Ahead Inside Citynet July, 2001
Carlyle Group purchased QwestDex yellow pages for $7 billion. Washington Post, August 20, 2002
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16. Robert E. Grady is a Partner and Managing Director at The Carlyle Group,
and is also a member of the Advisory Board of Enron Corporation. USBX Board of Directors
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17. George Bush Sr. accepted $80,000 worth of Global Crossing shares in
lieu of payment for speaking fees for a 1998 speech he gave on the company's behalf in Japan. The value of those shares
went up to 14 million. San Francisco Chronicle Feb 11, 2002
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Also see: New Ruler of the Information Super Highway
18. Global Crossing is still in the running for a $400 million defense contract,
despite having the project taken away from them in July, 2001. Washington Post WashTech.com Feb 12, 2002
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19. The federal government paid Arthur Andersen $93 million for services in 2000.
Visit the Federal Procurement Data Center. Do a search for "Andersen". It will give you a drop-down menu of companies; in particular
select ANDERSEN, ARTHUR, LLP_______CHICAGO, IL. You can search by what agencies contracted with them and how much they
spent, or by what and for how much Andersen sold.
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20. Enron's ties to the White House too extensive to list here. Please see
Ken Lay Slept Here: The Enron Photo Album
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