I tend to always be behind when it comes to TV shows. Needless to say I just got around to watching last Sunday’s 60 minutes. One segment was on Iraq’s Christians and how countless numbers have been killed and the rest forced to flee their homes. Now they have to worship in secrecy underground and live with the fear that they could be kidnapped and killed at any time.

I would think this would get Bush’s attention. After all, he is an evangelical Christian. His administration has been nothing but gifts for his far right Christian base. Yet his decision to invade Iraq has brought fear, death, and horror to Iraq’s 1.2 million Christians.

A Vicar sent to Iraq by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury in the 1990’s says that things are the worst for Christians in Iraq than they ever have been in 2000 years. Things were much better under Saddam for Christians. Christians have had a presence in Iraq for nearly 2000 years. The Vicar said that never before in the entire history of Iraq have Christians been persecuted and killed as much as they are now.

I find this sad, tragic, and ironic. The sad and tragic parts are self-explanatory. The ironic parts are that in the minds of many of the hard right evangelical Christians the Middle East will be the battle ground for Armageddon. The invasion of Iraq was a signal to many that the end times were near. Now the fundamentalists are calling for the invasion of Iran to help accelerate Armageddon. Do they know there are also Christians in Iran?

Some like Erik Prince, CEO of BlackWater USA, an evangelical Christian, feel they are modern day crusaders. I wonder how many Christians BlackWater has mistakenly killed. Did those in the military who have commented that we are in a religious war realize they were endangering their fellow Christians?

I’m reminded from my days in history class of a story from one of the crusades. The crusaders came to a town and peered down from a nearby hill at its people. They were brown in color wearing what looked like the clothing of Muslims. The orders were given and the town was sacked. Men were slaughtered, women raped and slaughtered, and children sold into slavery.

After nearly everyone in the town was killed the crusaders later found out that its people were Christians.

Watching the 60 minutes video, many of the Christian women were wearing head scarves and of course had “Arab looking” brown skin. I am reminded of the recent flap over Rachel Ray’s neck scarf where right wingers like Michelle Malkin went ape shit saying she looked “too Arab”. If Malkin were to see some of these Christian Iraqis my guess is she would assume they were terrorists and call for their immediate slaughter.

Some things never change.