MC: Hello, are you the guardian spirit of Mr. Rick Santorum?

Guardian Spirit of Santorum : Yeah.

MC: Former Senator of Pennsylvania? Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us here at Happy Science Headquarters in Tokyo for an interview. We were wondering if you could share with us your views and opinions.

G.S. of Santorum : You speak Hawaiian English, right?

MC: A little bit. Thank you so much. You could recognize it? Could you also share your religious perspective?

G.S. of Santorum : OK.

Family and Faith Are Very Important Things for Americans

Ayaori: We just interviewed the guardian spirit of Mr. Mitt Romney, another candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. He is your biggest rival right now. What do you think about him?

G.S. of Santorum : I will be the next president. I’m sure.

Tsuiki: What would be your first priority in office if you became the president of America?

G.S. of Santorum : Hmm… Protect America from other countries, I mean from enemy-like countries, and keep the good family and traditional American life. And, hmm, yeah, I want to keep the good traditions of America.

Ayaori: So you want America to step down from its current role in the world and return to how it was before the 20th or 21st century?

G.S. of Santorum : The United States of America is … how do I say, it’s aiming towards the direction of destroying itself; America is becoming corrupted.

Tsuiki: Earlier, you were talking about “enemies.” Which countries are you referring to?

G.S. of Santorum : Hmm… in the near future, it might be China, I think.

Tsuiki: The Obama administration presented a new U.S. military strategy that commits to solve issues with China in the Asia-Pacific region. Do you want to follow Obama’s strategy and build upon it?

G.S. of Santorum : I don’t have much concern about the global strategy of the United States of America. I am a domestic person, so I think American happiness is beautiful. I want to keep the normal family-style of America, the old-fashioned American style and now we are ending.

Ayaori: You favored Bush administration’s stance towards the Iraq War…

G.S. of Santorum : Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ayaori: And to a certain degree, you have taken a hard-line stance on Iran’s nuclear development issue. I think this contradicts your earlier opinion about family values.

G.S. of Santorum : It’s to get votes from Republicans. But I am a man who wants to walk the middle way. It’s not my main point.

Ayaori: Are you saying that you don’t want to get involved in the conflicts overseas?

G.S. of Santorum : Yeah, yeah, yeah. Family and faith are very important things for Americans. Family, faith, and Christianity.

America Is Not a Superpower Anymore

Ayaori: Mr. Xi Jinping, China’s presumed next president, is visiting America right now. Within this decade, China is planning to make advances into the Pacific Ocean. But, you don’t want to get involved in these conflicts?

G.S. of Santorum : Hmm… After my election, when I take my place in Washington D.C., in the White House, I’ll think about that. Haha. Sorry, sorry.

Ayaori: So you don’t really care about the situation in North Korea, either?

G.S. of Santorum : North Korea? Of course, we can make them perish when we decide to do it. But I think they will destroy themselves within ten years or so. They will change their constitution and be absorbed by South Korea. South Korea and Japan should cooperate with each other and resolve this problem. You, too, should cooperate with each other and think of something.

Tsuiki: Do you have any thoughts on how to pressure North Korea to end its regime?

G.S. of Santorum : Nothing. I have no thoughts about that. I will think about it after I take office at the White House. If I take office.

Tsuiki: I heard you place great importance on faith. You have faith in Roman Catholicism which is a Christian faith. So, will you be supporting Israel in the Middle East?

G.S. of Santorum : No. No. No. If I have a strong policy or will, in saying that being the world’s policeman is the ideal style of the United States of America, it will make unhappy families all over America. So, in my mind, I don’t like military action.

Tsuiki: You don’t want to fight wars because many people will lose family members.

G.S. of Santorum : Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, right, right. You should fight. You should change your Japanese Constitution, that’s all. That’s all. You, yourself, should change. Make up your mind. Change your Japanese Constitution and fight against your enemy. That’s all. We don’t need any budgets for that. You, Japanese people, are protesting against our military presence in Okinawa. It’s humiliating America.

Ayaori: I think America is a country that works to realize the justice of God…

G.S. of Santorum : No, no, no. That was the old days. Those were the old-fashioned days. America is not a superpower anymore. It is only one of many powers. There will be several powerful countries in this decade or two, and America will be one of them. I mean we will be one of the four or five countries with power.

My Main Policy Is to Be Vice President

Ayaori: Are you saying that you will not try to maintain America’s position as the most prosperous country in the world?

G.S. of Santorum : Obama ended everything.

Tsuiki: Aren’t you going to do anything about that? Don’t you want to rebuild the economy?

G.S. of Santorum : Hahahaha… after I become president of the United States of America, I will think about that. Hahaha.

Ayaori: I think you’d better start showing more enthusiasm (Audience laughs).

G.S. of Santorum : I am young. I’m only 53, so I have a lot of chances in the near future.

Ayaori: So is this just a trial run?

G.S. of Santorum : Yeah, yeah, my main policy is to be vice president. So I will be vice president of the United States of America next year.

Ayaori: Will you pair up with Mr. Romney then?

G.S. of Santorum : No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It’s not the time.

Ayaori: Have you already discussed it with Mr. Romney?

G.S. of Santorum : No, no, no, no, no, no. It’s not time.

Ayaori: Mr. Romney is struggling to get votes from conservatives.

G.S. of Santorum : It’s a secret promise. So, don’t speak about that.

Ayaori: You aren’t very good at keeping it a secret (laugh). Anyway, I understand.

G.S. of Santorum : Romney needs me, of course.

Ayaori: So, you will follow Mr. Romney’s plan regarding the economy?

G.S. of Santorum : He is proficient in reconstructing the American economy. I can rely on him. Maybe next year, you will see a new president whose name is Mr. Mitt Romney and a vice president named Rick Santorum.

American Christians Love Money

G.S. of Santorum : Obama likes the poverty god, the poverty-oriented god. But, Romney likes the money-oriented god. That’s great.

Ayaori: Do you believe in that god too?

G.S. of Santorum : Yeah, yeah, yeah. In Christianity, money is not good. But in America, money is good. Historically, in Christianity, money is not considered to be good. Jesus said this.
But 2,000 years have passed since then. Now, American Christians love money, so I think that Romney is a symbol of American Christianity.
Roman Catholics, of course, like money. But it is money for themselves, for Roman Catholics only. It’s for their church. It’s for the running costs of Roman Catholic churches, and not for the people. But we are aiming for the welfare of all American people.

Ayaori: Do you really believe in Catholicism?

G.S. of Santorum : A little. No, no, no. Not a little. A lot.

Ayaori: Are you pretending to have faith for your campaign?

G.S. of Santorum : Haha. You are a religious group, right? That’s why you think too much about that! The common people don’t think too much about that. It’s just an outside policy. It’s only a behavior of whether or not you go to church. That’s all! It’s just an appearance.

Japan Will Be Absorbed into China

Ayaori: We were discussing about foreign diplomacy earlier, but what do you plan to do with Japan?

G.S. of Santorum : Japan? I like Japan. Geisha, Fuji-yama, Ukiyoe, Utamaro, Kyoto, Nara, Daibutsu, Kamakura, yeah, yeah. I know. I know.

Ayaori: How do you intend to treat the Japanese, or Japan, as a country?

G.S. of Santorum : As a country… Hmm… Japan should be like a faithful dog of the United States of America, in Asia.

Tsuiki: Right now, China is expanding militarily and economically. If you were placed in the situation where you had to choose between China or Japan, which would you choose?

G.S. of Santorum : If more than ten thousand deaths are estimated from our military, I don’t want to fight against China.

Tsuiki: If China threatens to use nuclear weapons against Japan and America, what will you do? Will the Japan-American Alliance still be intact?

G.S. of Santorum : We are safe. “We” means American people. We are safe. China cannot fight against the United States of America.
But Japan is scheduled to confront China in the near future. I am guessing. And I think you will lose; Japan will be absorbed into China. So, when this happens, we’ll remake our friendship. That’s all.

I Do Not Pay Much Attention to Religion

Ayaori: Returning to the topic of faith, you seem to have a little faith in Christianity. What do you actually believe in?

G.S. of Santorum : The Catholic church teaches only about how to be a good daddy and a good mommy, and how to keep a family and breed good children. It’s a Catholic policy. I’m very faithful to Catholic teachings.

Ayaori: Romney pointed out earlier that the modern American Christian faith includes a belief in Mammon or Baalism. Do you agree with him?

G.S. of Santorum : Mammon? Umm? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know about that.
I do not pay much attention to religion. I just chose Roman Catholicism, but Roman Catholicism will do nothing for America. A Roman Catholic refers to a normal man, a normal person.

Tsuiki: Mr. Santorum is strongly supported by the American Tea Party. The Tea Party supports a limited government and fewer taxes. What are your thoughts on this?

G.S. of Santorum : Almost same. Almost same. Yeah.

Tsuiki: So are you basically against President Obama’s healthcare reform, and do you think you should abolish it?

G.S. of Santorum : I like liberty. Everyone has liberty. “Liberty for each one of us” is an American policy. It’s the origin of America. Liberty is greater than a totalitarian system, a social system like the Obama system.

Mr. Santorum Was a Roman Consul in a Past Life

Ayaori: You are Mr. Santorum’s guardian spirit. Who do you normally speak with? Does anybody advise you things?

G.S. of Santorum : Umm… (deep in thought for about 15 seconds) I’m not an angel but I’m not a common person, either. I’m in the middle class, the good gentleman class of Heaven.

Tsuiki: This is also a religious topic; do you understand “past life”? Do you know where you were born or what kind of job you had in your past life?

G.S. of Santorum : In Ancient Rome, I had a high position. I was one of the consuls, one of the top leaders of Rome.

Ayaori: The guardian spirit of Mr. Romney said that he was also born in Carthage. Were you born in the same age?

G.S. of Santorum : I’m not Cato, but I’m close to Cato. Do you know what I mean? Cato is not a Japanese name, “Kato.” Cato is a Roman name. Cato the Elder and Cato the Younger (Note3). Cato the Elder said, “Carthage must be destroyed.”

Ayaori: Does that mean you were his (Romney’s) enemy in your past life?

G.S. of Santorum : Yeah. Surely, surely, surely. In the ancient age, surely, we were enemies.

Ayaori: But you two will be friends in this lifetime?

G.S. of Santorum : Right now, we are enemies, but after this August, we will be friends.

Note 3: Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Elder) (234 B.C.～149 B.C.) was a Roman general, politician and scholar. After serving as military tribune in the Second Punic War, he was later elected consul. He strongly urged that Carthage must be destroyed.

In the Next Decade, China Will Control the World

Tsuiki: At this point in time, we would rather hope for a strong America. We believe that America’s role as the world’s policeman is not yet over.

G.S. of Santorum : No, it’s finished. Obama ended it already. We will never survive.
In the next decade, I think that China will control the world. You must study Chinese from now on.

Ayaori: We hope that America will elect a strong candidate who acts like a “real Republican.”

G.S. of Santorum : In that case, you will need Mr. Gingrich. He’s strong, very strong. He’ll fight against China. Only he can fight against China. We won’t fight.

Ayaori: We hope that you will study more about China and change your thinking.

G.S. of Santorum : We must raise our children. That’s all.

(end of interviews)