Pastor Hagee's Desperate News Suppression Campaign Backfires

During the week of July 1, lawyers representing far-right Pastor John Hagee demanded that YouTube remove scores of videos supposedly infringing on the copyright of John Hagee Ministries. YouTube acceded to Hagee's attorneys without even a cursory review of their claims. As the Huffington Post's Sam Stein reported, the maneuver resulted in the immediate disappearance of over 120 videos from YouTube -- almost all of which depicted the preacher in a negative light.

Among the videos removed by YouTube was my mini-documentary, "Rapture Ready: The Christians United For Israel Tour." Considering that my piece contained no copyrighted material whatsoever, it became apparent to me that Hagee's minions were guided by ulterior political motives. Instead of guarding their copyrights, they sought to stifle legitimate reporting on Hagee's far-out End Times ideology.

Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour from huffpost on Vimeo. See the video Pastor John Hagee doesn't want you to see.

After a series of contentious conversations with Hagee's top PR flack, Juda Engelmeyer, who initially accused me of harboring "conspiratorial" motives for daring to ask if Hagee's people were behind the video removals, I finally confirmed the obvious: The Hagee video slaughter was a naked exercise in news suppression orchestrated by high-level operatives from the preacher's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.

Video has proven a particularly effective medium for encouraging mainstream media coverage of Hagee's radical political activities. In the past, reporters from the national press corps generally ignored print exposes of Hagee by progressive reporters (including me). But when presented with explicit visual evidence, the national press found it difficult to dispute the fact that he sought to advance a radical End Times agenda in America and throughout the world.

When I published "Rapture Ready" here on the Huffington Post in July 2007, I was immediately beseeched with interview requests from outlets including the Forward and Hagee's hometown paper, the San Antonio Express-News. This year, when progressive bloggers turned John McCain's endorsement by Hagee into a national controversy, the YouTube edition of my "Rapture Ready" video became one of their most effective tools. Thanks to widespread online dissemination, its hit count spiked from just over 20,000 hits to close to nearly 150,000 in less than a week (its Vimeo version had already been viewed by hundreds of thousands).

But after a video produced by progressive blogger Bruce Wilson prompted McCain to discard Hagee's endorsement, members of Hagee's political team concocted a desperate strategy to stanch their public relations disaster. They trolled YouTube for hours, identifying videos that seemed critical of Hagee, then demanded that YouTube remove them one by one on the grounds of copyright infringement. Besides my documentary, Hagee's minions flagged videos by Bruce Wilson and People For The American Way which reproduced some of the preacher's most hysterical sermons. (In one PFAW video, Hagee is seen predicting that Jesus will one day punish the ACLU "with a rod of iron;" a video by Wilson contains an audio clip of Hagee calling the Holocaust the will of God.)

Hagee's operatives correctly assumed that YouTube would approve their copyright infringement claims without even reviewing them. They were also keenly aware that once YouTube removed the videos, users like me would be limited to only one means of recourse: filing a counter-claim that would take at least two weeks to process.

Hagee's YouTube slaughter was carefully timed to provide PR cover for his Christians United for Israel Washington-Israel Summit, which convenes in Washington on July 21. By the time the Summit begins, YouTube will still not have been able to process counter-claims by me and others whose videos were scrubbed. Thus, "Rapture Ready" will remain off YouTube's server until Hagee's summit is over.

But Hagee's news suppression campaign will do little to reverse the damage he has already done to himself. Candidates hoping to cultivate a broad-based national constituency now recognize his endorsement as the political equivalent of a malignant cancer. He is simply too toxic to participate in mainstream American life. Among high-profile lawmakers, only Joseph Lieberman is still willing to share a stage with him, though that may eventually change as well.

The end may be nigh for Hagee's Armageddon-based agenda.

Comments

[broadsword]

I would suggest that you take your documentary, and syndicate it to every video distribution service in the world. YouTube is definitely not the only game in town.

Try this:

http://www.tubemogul.com

and this

http://www.blip.tv

Each offers automatic distribution to dozens of video aggregators. It's about time these throwback fraudulent mouth-breathers learned that it's in the nature of information to be free.

And if one of them is lurking here seeking to supress *my* thinking, I would advise them to take their religious belief, and stick it. What would Jesus do? Ah, suppress dissent and the truth, of course.

So strong is their conviction in their religion that it's important that nobody understands what they actually believe, eh?

[BADEN]

Correction on last post:

It is NOT about state's rights..

[BADEN]

"The Hagee video slaughter was a naked exercise in news suppression orchestrated by high-level operatives from the preacher's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas."

Anyone else ready to see Texas removed from the United States of America unless they agree they are a part of such completely?

This IS the question that needs answering. When one region consolidates around a fundamentalist ideology and operates the government in accordance with an ideology rather than the will of the people - should that region be eliminated from the country it so absolutely disagrees with?

No "slightly pregnant" on this. This is just about "state rights" - this is about creating your own country in the middle of the United States with the distinct reason to bring down those United of States for political and ideological reasons.

Tom Delay is alive and well. Sadly.

So, do we kick them out now?

[Soapydog]

I.Love.Your.Words.

Keep it going, Max. Eventually the sheeple will "see the light."

[torch77]

Congrats Max on getting kicked out. It shows what they are really like. If you question them then you get booted out. By the way I was raised a Christian ,so I know where these folks are coming from,but it's hard to understand it now that I'm older. I believe the divine loves all his creation today ,but they teach us you can't get along with Satan and that muslims are Satan. Sad and very dangerous teaching for our posterity to have to live with :this stuff they preach that is.

[Sixtwo]

Considering the inordinate amount of coverage that the media gave to the Rev Wright sound bites and Obama's association with Rev. Wright, I want to know why the same media have not done the same with the Hagee-McCain connection!! I know the answer, DOUBLE STANDARDS! Hagee appears to be much more dangerous...

[DeWayne]

Another posted reply gone-disappeared, so will answer "Dept of Defense pushing End Times down oour troops throats."

There is easily 75% of America (altho hard to believe from screaming secular)... that believe in God and have religion as an important part of their life.

The Cheney-Cabal has been involved in the Defense Dept/Pentagon a long time, purging out many that do not espouse the PNAC-Org 'World Domination Policies', leaving a lot of incompitent warmongers. Remember those that did not go along with Iraq debacle were sidelined.

It would then appear the godless Cheney-remains of the Pentagon are more likely ending religious freedom of the majority in Americas military. This is taking in consideration the (single) general espousing diatribe that if anything supports the Cheney warmongering.

[AzRealProgressive]

DEwayne, do you understand what you just posted ?. I gave it a go, but with all the double speak, I failed to grasp your point.

Can you speak plainly?

[stop7997]

In other words, try it sober next time.

[openhand]

This is a very simple mirror placed in the face of an exclusive group of religious xenephobe's. Nothing fancy, just let people talk for themselves. Frightening.

[glaze]

"Jesus©", "Jesus Christ©", "Christ Jesus©", "Son of God©", "The Way, The Truth, and The Life©", "Lamb of God©", "Our Savior©", "The Messiah©", "Our Lord©", and any variation of the preceeding terms are now © Copyright by me, (also known herefore as "glaze") on this date, 9 July, 2008.
Any unauthorized use of these terms, or any variation of same, whether in print, electronic, or spoken aloud without my expressed permission will result in criminal prosecution.
(signed)
glaze©

[glaze]

(The little squares in my original post are actually those little 'Circle C' things, OK?)

[DeWayne]

John Hagee must be understood is a slanderer (one that speaks carnal untruth), such as charging the Iran President had said "Israel needed be Wiped Off The Map", a charge that has now been totally rebuked as false.

John Hagee makes great issue about Theodor Herzl being the person that began the formation of Israel, when in truth this man (secular Jewish and unbeliever in G_d) began in early 1900 the plan for a Jewish 'Homeland'. It was Chaim Weizmann that later talked Britain into establishing a State of Israel employing a Belfore Declaration (in year 1917), that was almost completely rescinded in 1938 by the British government White Papers.

Many call themselves Christian, yet have failed to "therefore become as wise as the serpent", and these as a Christian I am sorry to say, are led astray by false teachers and prophets such as John Hagee.

[AzRealProgressive]

The Balfour declaration of 1919, was not even close to being rescinded in 1938. If you plan on speaking in tongues, about prophecy, at least have your facts straight. Post this for review for accuracy and you would be torn to pieces.

The areas of Palestine was under British control after WW1. The Jewish homeland question had been around for awhile before that point in time.

At the risk of being less than wise as the serpent, you should look in the mirror yourself and see if a serpent looks over your shoulder.

[SpaceyG]

Dude, you are my new media hero! Great reporting on the utter wackification of America. (Taking along Lieberman with 'em too. WTF was up with that?!) Delighted to see you were kicked-out of the conference. Means you were doing a job no one else had the cajones to do. If you come to Atlanta on any far-out evangie, preacher man-pocket-lining investigative mission, let me know and I'll gladly run camera, free, for you.

[mikie63]

I have a stupid question: Does Hagee give ten percent of his vast income into his church every year as he requires his whole congregation to do? And if he does, is it as hard on his pocketbook as it definitely is to so many of the poor people there? Also, if he does donate 10%, that amount is probably 100 times the amount of income that many poor unintelligent christian believers make in one year. But Hey. God is so happy to get all that money from whoever gives it to him.

[DeWayne]

John Hagee must be understood is a slanderer (one that speaks carnal untruth), such as charging the Iran President had said "Israel needed be Wiped Off The Map", a charge that has now been totally rebuked as false.

John Hagee makes great issue about Theodor Herzl being the person that began the formation of Israel, when in truth this man (secular Jewish and unbeliever in G_d) began in early 1900 the plan for a Jewish 'Homeland'. It was Chaim Weizmann that later talked Britain into establishing a State of Israel employing a Belfore Declaration (in year 1917), that was almost completely rescinded in 1938 by the British government White Papers.

Many call themselves Christian, yet have failed to "therefore become as wise as the serpent", and these as a Christian I am sorry to say, are led astray by false teachers and prophets such as John Hagee.

[AzRealProgressive]

See my post to DeWayne.

[Raymondf]

My pastor lives in a 1700 sqft house(not furnished by the church) and makes 600.00 a month so what's the big deal if a church of 25,000 wants to give their pastor what he wants. So what. Our church has only 300 members, and at least 2/3 come every Sunday, some twice on Sunday. and about 1/3 on Wednesday.

[Viper]

Funny how many people did not feel that way about Rev Wrights retirement home based on the emails the lunatic right was sending out...

Regards

[Raymondf]

John Edwards house is 8,000 sq ft and Gores is 8,500 sq ft. So Hagee's is way smaller.

[SonnyBono]

Edwards and Al Gore worked for their money - Hagee just pulled it out of his members - but what is your point - I mean other than being a Republican plant?

[AzRealProgressive]

Really? Edwards was a trial lawyer who sues people.

On the scale of acceptance in society that ranks below a used car salesman.

Gore invented the internet. So he said.

Hagee just preaches and sells snake oil. What is the difference?

[Raymondf]

Very good work by the Ex-DC cops.