Friday, January 26, 2007

 

AMERICAN FASCISTS, and KNEE JERK REACTIONARIES

Jimmy Carter Chris Hedges
Any of you who have even occasionally viewed my blog know that I have a certain animous toward the Christian right. You undoubtedly also know that I am an apostate evangelical, having become thoroughly disillusioned with not only evangelicalism, but religion in general. So you can be forgiven for taking my dire warnings with a grain of salt.

But it may be harder to ignore Chris Hedges. Hedges is a Christian, son of a Presbyterian minister, and a seminary graduate. He is also a veteran foreign correspondent who has spent years covering the Balkan wars, and conflicts in Africa and Central America for, among others, the New York Times and National Public Radio.

Hedges new book is titled AMERICAN FASCISTS: THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND THE WAR ON AMERICA. It takes dead aim at Dominionism and it's ties to powerful corporations such as Walmart. Hedges arguments are extremely well thought out and documented. After hearing Hedges on TOTN yesterday, I immediately went to Barnes and Noble and purchased his book (along with Jimmy Carter's PEACE NOT APARTHEID) . Even though I was running on 4 hours sleep, I ended up staying up well into the morning hours reading this book. I strongly believe what Hedges has to say is extremely important. If you are not convinced to buy his book, please do me the favor of listening to his interview on Talk Of The Nation. I believe strongly you will be impressed.
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Somebody please explain to me how we came to believe that Israel can do no wrong? Why it is that we have this knee jerk reaction to defend Israel no matter how heinous and immoral it's actions?

Jimmy Carter has been demonized over his new book PALESTINE PEACE NOT APARTHEID. Carter, who
probably has as much experience with the middle east and it's leaders as any westerner alive, is being castigated for daring to say that much of what is wrong in the middle east is Israel's fault. Issues such as forcing Palestinians off all of the most desirable and profitable land. Establishing settlements with the express purpose of making it more difficult for future leaders to negotiate a return of captured lands to the Palestinians.

Carter defended himself in an excellent interview on Morning Edition yesterday morning. You can listen to or read the text of the interview HERE.

So why is it we are willing to believe only good about Israel? I believe it is partly do to our Christian beliefs and the apopcalyptic end times. For the end of times prophecy to be fulfilled, there must be a viable Jewish state. Therefore, Christians (and remember the vast majority of Americans claim to be so) will defend anything that Israel does, and demonize anything or anybody that they deem a threat to the Jewish state.

Doesn't it seem odd to you that very little of the criticism of Carter is coming from the Jewish community in America? If Carter's book was really that biased or inaccurate, wouldn't they be the logical people to be protesting?

Comments:
Outstanding post as usual. Hedges' book sounds very interesting and I'll have to pick it up.

I agree with you about our defense of Israel. I believe it has a lot to do with the "end of times" mentality. Very little of the criticism of Carter that I have heard has actually been from Jewish leaders. If I have heard Jewish criticism, it has generally been from the neo-con branch.

Obviously, we have many reasons (strategically and historically) for being a strong ally of Israel. But those reasons don't extend to casting a blind eye when they do wrong.

And correct me if I'm wrong, why do some Jewish leaders go along with the dominionism types? From what I can gather, Jews get the short end of the stick in the whole Rapture deal.
 
I think the difference needs to be realised thatordinary Jewish people are like people everywhere... but Zionism I believe is extremist as are many other political movements, except that Zionism ensures that any criticism of it and its aims, is re directed away from the Zionists and onto the undeserving heads of the ordinary jewish people...and once that is done then you are labelled an anti semite by the Zionists and compared with Hitler and co which is a furphy and quite a clever way of covering up things which are unpalatable.
 
Excellent post, GWB. As a recovered evangelical, you clearly know which way the wind is blowing.
Daily K-os did a post on "dominionism as destructive cult" that hit on some of the same things.
dbackdad has a good point about the Jews. The Christian right has perfected the "art" of loudly loving Israel/Zionism while quietly hating Judaism.
 
Along with the rest of the usual gang, I agree that you once again have a great post here. You and the others have already covered all the main arguments so I won't bother rehasing them except to say that I think it would be interesting to see what things would be like if Carter were President today?

GWB, I'm also interested to know, as an American, what are your thoughts on the Arar situation?
 
I think what we did to him was disgusting, and not only should he be taken off the no fly list, he should be payed a large sum in settlement of damages for the pain he and his family suffered, and the year of his life he lost.
 
Good post. I'll have to listen to the clip when I get a spare moment this weekend, then I'll report back on whether I picked up the book. BTW, the religious right gets me going too.
 
I am a wilderness canoeist & poler. Therefore I agree with everything you say. I thought about a new relgion that is really simple.

If it ain't right. Don't do it.
Thats it.
Keep it simple.
 
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