The US-based Anti-Defamation League is usually far more interested in slamming critics of Israel, but its latest report makes for sobering reading:
Since the election of Barack Obama as president, a current of anti-government hostility has swept across the United States, creating a climate of fervor and activism with manifestations ranging from incivility in public forums to acts of intimidation and violence.
It's kind of ironic that the ADL is complaining about this type of thing since they have been doing it for years to any critic of Israel. It doesn't look so neat when someone else does it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the ADL agenda is such the norm that it is rarely recognized. I just saw this item on the CNN website about another Israeli defensive attack:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/11/22/mideast.violence/index.html
Notice no mention if the "weapons factory" was in a civilian area or if any civilians were hurt. Also, there was an explaination for the Israeli attack, but not the Palestinian rocket fire. I guess they just hate Jews. Also, they give an exact number of Palestinian rockets fired-how about the number of Israeil bombs, missiles, and bullets fired into Gaza in the same time frame-just for context. In the last paragraph, they do mention that over 1,400 Palestinians were killed in Operation Cast Lead, between 40 and 60 per cent civilians, but they don't mention that only thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed in the attack. It kind of seems more of a massacre than an attack when you put it that way. Oh, and they don't mention Hamas announced that all the small militant groups had agreed to a cease fire just before the latest attack.
Anyway, the ADL would have much more credibility if they complained about things like this too.
Yes, the fascist groups are starting to arise. They are fueled by moneyed interest (medical, defense, various corporate entities) in order to preserve what they think are their “rights.” Apparently their “rights” consist in preserving their stranglehold on whatever industry, and this fueled by the Fox media junta. If no opposition arises to this perceived privileged riot, one which does not necessarily agree with the current course, but embraces all people, there is the chance of being swallowed by a fascist onslaught.
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ReplyDeleteTrue, the radical right is making a lot of noise now, but the ADL's lamentations about it ring a bit hollow to me. They exsist to demonize anyone who criticizes Israel-which is basically providing cover for a huge hate crime against the Palestinian people. The ADL's protests about "uncivil" discourse would have a lot more vadility if they said, "From now on, we will express our love for Israel without indulging in charactor assasination, inuendo, and guilt by association. Also, we will expose racial crimes by Israel with the same passion we expose other racial crimes." Fat chance.