13th
Here’s my comment, which may or may not be approved by the Times:
Sadly, Mr. Hagee’s anti-Catholic comments are only one facet of his deplorable crusade. He openly promulgates, among other things, the idea that God will send Muslim terrorists to smite America because we support a two state solution in Israel [1], God (and the Bible) demand that we preemptively declare war on Iran[2], and that Hurricane Katrina was sent by God to destroy the “sinful, decadent” city of New Orleans[3].
Meanwhile, while claiming to stand up for the Jewish people, he stated on pp. 92-93 of his book Jerusalem Countdown, “Their [the Jews] own rebellion had birthed the seed of antisemitism that would arise and bring destruction to them for centuries to come…. it rises from the judgment of God upon his rebellious chosen people[4],” explicitly faulting the Jews for the Holocaust, rather than the barbarity of Facism.
I find the comments made recently by Jeremiah Wright deplorable, but they pale in comparison to the outlandish, hate-filled words of Mr. Hagee. It saddens me that the outrage reserved for Mr. Wright has not been brought to bear against the truly offensive statements of Mr. Hagee.
[1] Video of Mr. Hagee’s religious service (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWMmVIAtHAU)
[2] Article on Mr. Hagee’s appearance on Fox’s Your World (http://mediamatters.org/items/200608170002)
[3] Appearance on NPR’s Fresh Air (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6097362)
[4] Jerusalem Countdown by John Hagee, pp. 92-93
