Mitt Romney Praises Israel's Socialized Healthcare System

"When our health care costs are completely out of control. Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? 8 percent. You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. And you’re a pretty healthy nation.” ~Mitt Romney praising Israel's socialized healthcare system, reported in FORBES

Fundamentalist "Christians" and Israel

I'm surprised no one makes this comparison.

The fundamentalist "Christians" on TV and Colorado Springs and other enclaves across America "love" Israel the way prospective heirs used to "love" the dying rich relative in nineteenth century novels.

They love Israel because they know Jesus will come when an independent Israel is consumed in fire and bloodshed according to the book of Revelations, or according to some interpretations of the book of Revelations. They don't care so much about Israel qua Israelis but Israel as a stepping stone to ancient prophecy. These "Christians" are less interested in preserving our world as they are in ending it in a specific way, and soon.

Just some thoughts I had reading Michael Tracy's Mother Jones piece this morning. I wish more political commentators would make this comparison.

Governing Like There's No Tomorrow

There's an excellent piece about Michele Bachmann in Mother Jones. I've written essays and satires on this strange rapture-wishing, and am surprised there isn't more discussion of the odd priorities that apocalyptic thinking pushes to the fore.

Let the environment go to hell, let global issues fester and explode, let the financial system collapse, make the world fall apart so Jesus will come.

They also want to be in government so they can run it into the ground.

Does Israel know the kind of ally they have in these strange Christian rightists? They want Israel to exist so it can be drowned in blood. These Christian "friends" are like greedy heirs who hover around a "loved one" hoping he will die soon, and plotting to make it happen. It is the stuff of a bad murder mystery, which everyone ought to be able to see through.