Friday, May 28, 2010

Democrats afraid of Jewish revenge in midterms

by Paul Woodward on May 27, 2010

The niceties of America’s often straight-laced political discourse generally preclude the use of a phrase as provocative as this: Jewish revenge. One of the virtues of the Israeli press, however, is that it can be refreshingly blunt.

“Officials in the Democratic Party are afraid that the Jews will take revenge in the midterm elections, which is the reason for the vigorous courting of Israel,” reports Yedioth Ahronoth today. Some of the courting the paper refers to just came from White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, whose recent trip to Israel was ostensibly a family affair — he was there to attend his son’s Bar Mitzvah — but it turned out that he also had important and very public business to take care of: a kiss-and-make-up session with Benjamin Netanyahu.

War In Context

25 comments:

  1. From the angryarab (re:Chomsky's heinous act of not following the party line)

    "It is time that we learn that we dont have to stand and applaud any White Man who comes to our region with some criticisms of Israel, OK?"

    http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/05/chomsky-regards-himself-as-supporter-of.html

    This guy has become hilarious. I love the WE!  From Modesto, California no less.
    He claims to not believe in nationalism but made sure he obtained U.S. citizenship. Gee, wherever was the WE then? Why not Jordanian, Syrian, or Iraqi citzenship all those years ago? Any one of those countries would have given him ample opportunities for acts of defiance with his comrades! You know, for HIS people!  And why the hell isn't he teaching at the university in Gaza. instead of for the White Man in California? I am sure those tunnels he is so fond of would get him inside.

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  2. vza: If you don't like this country why don't you leave?
    AA: What , and become a victim of our foreign policy?
    (The old'uns are the best)

    Keep up the campaign for a red-free world, vza. Without your input capitalism would never survive.

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  3. <span>Funny as usual, Jemmy Hope. I have no desire to see the dear professor leave. He is an American. Just a little less b.s. would be nice. 
    I have no need to rid the world of communism. Communism's various incarnations and its adherents are making remarkable progress in achieving that goal all on their own.</span>

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  4.  I have a lot of respect for Chomsky, but he only speaks for himself, and he doesn't speak for Palestinians.(Despite is iconic status, I don't believe he claims otherwise). Palestians should be careful not to depend on others to speak for them. I think that was the substance of Asa'ad's post. He just has his own way of saying it. Personally, I like his writing style.

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  5. This is off topic, but it's pretty scary what's going on in the Gulf Of Mexico. Things  are going from bad to worse. They are actually talking about dropping a nuclear weapon on the leak to stop it. It's kind of ironic, after all we spent on defense not to get nuked, we may end up nuking ourselves. I have zero confidence in anything these people decide.

    http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0529/energy-expert-nuke-oil-leak/

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  6. This one is off topic, too.  But since the US 'Memorial' Day is coming up, here is a suggestion that gets my wholehearted support.

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  7.  We have nobody to blame but ourselves for this mess. The 70;s should have been the beginning of the end of our dependence on oil.

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  8. thankgodimatheistMay 30, 2010 at 3:45 PM

    <span><span>I love the WE!  From Modesto, California no less."</span>  
     
    I fail to see how becoming a citizen of a country cancels the legitimacy of using<span> WE</span> to refer to the "ethnic" group or the culture of origin of one's self. If it's allegiance to the old country is what you object to, how criticism of his "new" country's foreign policy towards his old one is indicative of such an allegiance?
     
    When exactly one stops being or feeling like an Arab? The day one receives a citizenship, a passport, or the day he sets a foot on the foreign soil?  
    How, becoming American and working in America, stops one from being a legitimate critic of America, or in this case, the "white man" ? I really don't get! I know we had this discussion many times before but, call me slow, I still don't get it!  
     
    Somehow related in the news is Rahm Emanuel who's in Israel for his son's bar mitzvah. He took a trip to the occupied Golan heights, a portion of Syrian land that Israel annexed in defiance of International law and the international community, including the US. Rahm's visit was organised by the IOF. He was helicoptered and guided through the spoils of war and as a representative of the US, chief of staff no less, found nothing abnormal or illogical in visiting an occupied territory that his country (no, not Israel, the other one the US) does not condone or agree to its annexation!!  
    I find this, much more than As'ad's innocuous statement, to be revolting and outrageous.</span>
    Things need to be put in perspective.
    A side note: I have to confess that I'm not a big fan of As'ad's style of writing on his blog, mostly rants, but appreciate to much greater degree his articles in the Akhbar paper.

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  9. <span>Really? Do you also support  
    memorializing the brave Indians who died while fighting other Indians? Didn't Iroquois team up with another tribe and steal the land of an indigneous tribe? Aren't there a whole bunch of stories like that? Did Indian tribes that gained ascendancy in parts of the Americas do so by being invited to take over from the first inhabitants? Hardly.  
     
    American wars against Indians were wars of conquest...just like thousands of other wars of conquest throughout human history. Nothing to be proud of and certainly much to deplore. Neverthless, facts.  
    I had long ago ancestors who fought to defend Constantinople and were summarily slaughtered.. Will Turkey memorialize them?   
     Now really,where on earth does all of this end?  
    If the writer wants to honor the brave Indians who defended their way of life and lands, good for him. Get together with other like-minded people, raise some money and DO IT! Just do not expect the American government to do it.  Well then, where does it begin and where does it end? Who is worthy and who is not?  
    The past is the past and should be studied...not used as an ideological weapon. One of the favorite arguments of some of the Arab commenters is to invoke America's treatment of Indians to compare it to the Palestinians treatment by the Zionists. Hell, why must they go so far afield for their examples? Look to their own history.  
    Lesson: With the exception of remote peoples in certain parts of the world WE ARE ALL on land that belonged to other peoples at one time or another and how that land was acqiuired is rarely an edifying story. Learn from it and move forward.</span>

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  10. Don't have an embolism.  In case you missed the point, the "Memorial" in Memorial Day is derived from "Memory".  According to your train of logic, perhaps we should just abolish the holiday once and for all and forget all the dead from US wars and move on, too?

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  11. <span><span>"Now really,where on earth does all of this end?"</span></span>

    I wonder the same thing when I see you writing about the ancient Assyrians in Iraq.

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  12. <span>"Don't have an embolism."</span>

    ?


    No....., according to my train of logic,  I do not expect the U.S. government to memorialize other than our soldiers and those who fought with us. The writer is free to gather with like-minded individuals and honor whomever he wishes to honor.

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  13. Ah, but the point is that the Assyrians are still being deprived of their lands today!

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  14. As for Rahm Emmanuel......please. Do not look for me to defend the guy. I do not see how he can visit the Wall when he very well knows what is going on in East Jerusalem.

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  15. <span><span>"How, becoming American and working in America, stops one from being a legitimate critic of America, or in this case, the "white man" ?" </span></span>


    <span><span>I have no problem with the criticism. Some of it is certainly deserved. I do have a problem with the silly pose about being against nationalism. He can't stand Lebanon as a nation yet wants AUB to be nationalized? He ridicules AUB and thinks he is brave for criticizing the university while he was speaking there. Some act of courage! As if AUB is going to do anything! He does not like the fact that AUB is directed by the White Man from New York....and ridicules the university, then why on earth did he get TWO degrees from AUB?    
    I have very little time for the ethnic, WE mentality. Along with religion, it is the cause of a great deal of trouble.</span></span>

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  16. Plus, the whole Chomsky thing makes me sick. Follow the strict party lines or you are the WHITE MAN. Yuck.

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  17. Human Rights Watch Report 2009

    http://www.aina.org/reports/hrwiraq20091109.pdf

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  18. Can the Aztec remnants in Mexico come back to reclaim their lands in the South West US, too?

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  19. <span><span>Really? Do you also support    
    memorializing the brave Indians who died while fighting other Indians? Didn't Iroquois team up with another tribe and steal the land of an indigneous tribe? Aren't there a whole bunch of stories like that? Did Indian tribes that gained ascendancy in parts of the Americas do so by being invited to take over from the first inhabitants?</span></span>


    Sounds like a subtle form of racism to me:  "Since these barbarians were fighting amongst themselves, that we came along and slaughtered them all and took their land ought not to matter too much."  Kind of reminds me of the argument (likely espoused by you, too!):  "Since black tribes fought and enslaved each other on the continent, that we came along and brought them as slaves to America ought not to make anyone lose sleep over it."

    My bad.  Why should I be surprised to see that coming from the same individual that once let slip that Arabs complain about land theft unless they are doing the stealing.

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  20. <span>Sounds like a subtle form of racism to me:  "Since these barbarians were fighting amongst themselves, that we came along and slaughtered them all and took their land ought not to matter too much."
    </span>


    Oh yes, here we go...play that card. Why am I surprised? How very, very disappointing.
    Just about all of the various groups of people that make up humanity have been barbaric at different times in history.  That was my point. No excuses were given.
    Don't bother responding.

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  21. The Assyrians are THERE NOW and their lands and villages are being stolen.

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  22. How very convenient!  Cut off the conversation when it starts getting uncomfortable.  You say you teach?  At the highschool or primary level?  No wonder you don't identify yourself.  If I were an Arab with children attending a school where a teacher expressed him or herself publicly to the effect that 'Arabs don't mind stealing land if they are the ones doing the stealing', I would not only yank my children out of that school, but I would denounce the teacher as well.  You had better keep your anonymity.

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  23. <span>How very convenient!  Cut off the conversation when it starts getting uncomfortable.</span>

    Not uncomfortable at all, just disappointing and fruitless. You effectively cut off the conversation with your base accusations of racism. That ploy has been overplayed once too often.  I suggest you stop misquoting and twisting my words, sir, and while I shall give you the benefit of the doubt, your last lines could be taken as a threat. Hardly the conduct of a gentleman and scholar.

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  24. <span>I suggest you stop misquoting and twisting my words, sir,</span>

    I will search for and post your exact quote so the readers can judge for themselves.

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  25. You have already done that....several times. 

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