“One of the biggest changes in politics in my lifetime is that the delusional is no longer marginal. It has come in from the fringe, to sit in the seat of power in the Oval Office and in Congress. For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington. Theology asserts propositions that cannot be proven true; ideologues hold stoutly to a world view despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind. And there is the danger: voters and politicians alike, oblivious to the facts.” — Bill Moyers
The brilliantly articulate Bill Moyers is a great journalist reviled by the Radical Right. His retirement leaves us poorer, weaker and more in danger. mjh
His tendentiousness in choice of targets has earned him the fealty of public-television audiences and the enmity of conservative observers.
[A] conservative Web site published a detailed retrospective earlier this month on Mr. Moyers, describing him as a “sweater-wearing pundit who delivered socialist and neo-Marxist propaganda with a soft Texas accent.”
And Mr. Moyers has done nothing to endear himself further as he heads for the exit, telling anyone who will listen that “the conservative press is a propaganda wing of the current administration and the mainstream press thinks only of the bottom line.”
“They are the people who believe the bible is literally true ? one-third of the American electorate, if a recent Gallup poll is accurate. In this past election several million good and decent citizens went to the polls believing in the rapture index. That’s right ? the rapture index. Google it and you will find that the best-selling books in America today are the 12 volumes of the left-behind series written by the Christian fundamentalist and religious right warrior, Timothy LaHaye. These true believers subscribe to a fantastical theology concocted in the 19th century by a couple of immigrant preachers who took disparate passages from the Bible and wove them into a narrative that has captivated the imagination of millions of Americans. …
“A war with Islam in the Middle East is not something to be feared but welcomed ? an essential conflagration on the road to redemption. The last time I Googled it, the rapture index stood at 144 ? just one point below the critical threshold when the whole thing will blow, the son of god will return, the righteous will enter heaven and sinners will be condemned to eternal hellfire. …
“[M]illions of Christian fundamentalists may believe that environmental destruction is not only to be disregarded but actually welcomed ? even hastened ? as a sign of the coming apocalypse.
“As Grist makes clear, we’re not talking about a handful of fringe lawmakers who hold or are beholden to these beliefs. Nearly half the U.S. Congress before the recent election ? 231 legislators in total ? more since the election ? are backed by the religious right. Forty-five senators and 186 members of the 108th congress earned 80 to 100 percent approval ratings from the three most influential Christian right advocacy groups. …
“A 2002 TIME/CNN poll found that 59 percent of Americans believe that the prophecies found in the book of Revelations are going to come true. Nearly one-quarter think the Bible predicted the 9/11 attacks.” … [read it all]