AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
Max Blumenthal, released a whale of a video that I blogged about last week that I highly recommend, Generation Chickenhawk: a look at The College Republicans. He's got another spot-on film on the Christians United for Israel's annual Washington-Israel Summit, organized by a Texas-based megachurch pastor named John Hagee. Seriously, watch the whole video, these religious extremists border on insane. It's truly disturbing.The end times are near for these folks; Max actually asks one of them if he can have his car when the Rapture comes and takes them away.
Appearing in the video at the conference: Tom DeLay, Holy Joe Lieberman and -- get this -- Rick Santorum, man-on-dog himself.
Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour from huffpost and Vimeo.
But CUFI has an ulterior agenda: its support for Israel derives from the belief of Hagee and his flock that Jesus will return to Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon and cleanse the earth of evil. In the end, all the non-believers - Jews, Muslims, Hindus, mainline Christians, etc. - must convert or suffer the torture of eternal damnation. Over a dozen CUFI members eagerly revealed to me their excitement at the prospect of Armageddon occurring tomorrow. Among the rapture ready was Republican Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. None of this seemed to matter to Lieberman, who delivered a long sermon hailing Hagee as nothing less than a modern-day Moses. Lieberman went on to describe Hagee's flock as "even greater than the multitude Moses commanded."
...I was forbidden from asking Hagee about statements he made in his book, "Jerusalem Countdown," that appeared to blame Jews for their own persecution. After doing just that during a press conference, I was removed from the conference by off-duty DC cops summoned by members of Hagee's family.
I have covered the Christian right intensely for over four years. During this time, I attended dozens of Christian right conferences, regularly monitored movement publications and radio shows, and interviewed scores of its key leaders. I have never witnessed any spectacle as politically extreme, outrageous, or bizarre as the one Christians United for Israel produced last week in Washington. See for yourself.
