Paul Collins Remembers Michael

I remember when The Hidden Face of Terrorism was first published. The book came out looking really bad. In fact, it was terrible. The front cover did not reflect my vision at all and the interior format was like a very bad school report. But Michael didn’t see all that. He considered the substance and understood that the book’s message was what was important. He was the first radio talk show host who gave me an opportunity to get the word out. But that’s not all. What started off as a simple interview concerning terrorism as a tool of social engineering turned into a six year collaboration that turned over a lot of rocks and exposed aspects of the deep political world that not even some of the most informed people know about. Michael began passing leads to Phillip and I and commissioned us to conduct investigative research that would be published in the pages of the ACL Report. One of our greatest stories, which concerned the racist fifth column within the immigration reform movement, was the result of a lead given to us by Michael. Concerned patriots know about the Tanton network today because Michael recognized the danger and brought it to Phillip and my attention. And he gladly took the heat when white supremacists hurled insults and threatened him for his efforts to get the word out. He didn’t care. He had a nose for news and knew an important story when he saw one. And when Michael found such a story, he was willing to following it wherever it led.

But Michael was more than a top notch researcher and talk show host. He was also a very dear friend you could talk to for hours about issues not related to the dark and murky world of deep politics. Sometimes normal life gets lost in when looking into the dark topics. But Michael could sit and talk to you about friends and family. When my grandmother passed away last year, he shown genuine concern for us and said a lot of comforting words I needed to hear at the time. He also had a great sense of humor. He was able to find something to laugh about, even when it came to the dark topic of elite criminality. “Hey, you got to laugh or you would cry,” he used to say. And he was right. If you lose your ability to smile and laugh, then you lose yourself. You become a pathetic, pessimistic, and cynical creature and that’s exactly what the power elite want. Laughter shows that there is still light within your soul. It shows that you still have a soul. Michael knew that.

But above everything else, I consider Michael to be a brother in the faith. He knew that behind all the megalomaniacs and political crimes, there was a spiritual battle between good and evil. Michael knew that without faith, hope, and love, the battle is lost. He understood that, ultimately, our enemy is not flesh and blood. Michael correctly identified the “center of the onion” as being the adversary which the Lord Jesus Christ warned us is prowling about looking for whom he might devour and destroy. Michael believed that the father of lies can only be vanquished if we turn back to our Heavenly Father. Without that essential move, all of the political activism in the world is worthless. For that reason, Michael encouraged people to return to their faith.

I love Michael and I will miss him greatly. He has left an empty space behind that no one else will be able to fill. I will probably think about Michael every day for the rest of my days because of the profound effect he has had on my life. But I take comfort in knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that legions of angels escorted Michael into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Goodbye for now, Michael. I will see you again, my friend, in the presence of the Father we both share.

Paul