Letters to the Editor
Jim White
Published Letters: 1094 Editor's Choice: 15
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Poor Norm--his PTSD leads to depersonalization
[Read the article: Angry, hateful liberal bloggers]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]On a recent thread, there was discussion of a new program in the military to "pre-screen" recruits to identify those most susceptible to PTSD and to redirect them away from combat roles into support roles. It was pointed out that this could eliminate virtually all recruits, because the insanity and inhumanity of war is starkly encountered by every soldier in direct combat. Fortunately, many respond as our veteran Congressional leaders do and return to civilian life to advocate against combat as a solution to any but the most intractable situations. Sadly, others simply break down mentally and are never the same.
Podhoretz's experience with playground bullies is his only experience with "combat" and his response is more in line with PTSD than a healthy revulsion to violence on a personal level. Note that he realizes that this violence is carried out on a distinctly personal level. In his discussion about his early childhood friend Carl, who hit him and accused him of "killing Jesus", he mentioned that they continued at the same school until 8th or 9th grade and "there would be embarrassed moments of catching his eye or of his catching mine", but no attempt was made to abandon the underlying need for violence and rekindle their lost friendship.
Instead, Podhoretz depersonalized all "Negroes" and ultimately found that he could not contemplate a society in which they were equal participants, but could only be tolerated through their obliteration through interbreeding. Had he based this on a consideration of whether Carl had a right to exist, I'd like to think the outcome would have been different. Instead, he focused only on his failed toughness to the point of depersonalizing an entire race.
Maybe it would help if just bought one of these and then abstained from further comment on the Middle East:
http://www.shenis.com/about.html
I can't help noticing that it's even a fairly dark shade... -
Looking at the ADL website
[Read the article: "Nazis" and "Hitler" -- the Right's casual, trivializing political insults]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From their press release of May 2, 2007:
Glenn Beck's linkage of Hitler's plan to round up and exterminate Jews with Al Gore's efforts to raise awareness of global warming is outrageous, insensitive and deeply offensive. Unfortunately, his remarks are just the latest example of a troubling epidemic on the airwaves, where comparisons to Hitler and the Holocaust are becoming all-too facile.
It has become almost commonplace for talk-show pundits to use comparisons to the Holocaust and Nazi imagery to attack people whose views they disagree with, whether the issue is global warming or immigration, as we witnessed when CNN's Lou Dobbs recently suggested on his program that immigrant rights groups use tactics similar to those of Nazi propagandists.
The six million Jewish victims and millions of other victims of Hitler deserve a measure of respect. Their deaths should not be used for political points or sloganeering. Every time a radio or television personality takes that unique event in history and twists it for their own political agenda, it cheapens the public debate and distorts and trivializes the Holocaust.
It appears to me that in this press release, the ADL is making many of points Glenn makes in his post, but refrains from joining in any of the political debates in which the comparisons are made. In fact, they decry how commonplace Nazi references are for on-air pundits, and even use "trivialize", just as Glenn does.
If you look at their archive of press releases on Nazi references, you find them condemning politicians from both sides of the aisle, especially when the rhetoric heated up about judge nominations (remember the days when the Senate Republicans held simple up or down votes as sacred?).
Although they only put out a handful of press releases a year on the topic, my quick look at the list doesn't see any particular side being spared or pointed out more often.
I was especially impressed by the work the ADL highlights on its hate crimes page: http://www.adl.org/combating_hate/
Support for prosecution of hate crimes against many groups, including Muslims, Hispanics, Blacks, gays, Indians, Sikhs and others are easily found. Given the number of times crimes against Muslims are decried on this page, I find it hard to believe that a Neocon agenda could be present here. This is impressive and difficult work in today's society.
However, I can't get past the Op-Ed by Foxman reprinted from USA Today saying that Ahmadinejad did not deserve the opportunity to speak at Columbia. To me, the academic setting is just the place to hear, and then take apart, MA's most ridiculous statements while listening for anything he might have to say that could lower tensions and avoid another catastrophic war.
http://www.adl.org/ADL_Opinions/International_Affairs/20070924-USAToday+Oped.htm
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Obama then and now
[Read the article: Adam Smith and the village's amusement at war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yesterday in War Room, Tim Grieve also mentioned Obama's speech and noted that it was delivered on the fifth anniversary of a speech Obama gave, as a Senate candidate, describing just why invading Iraq was a terrible idea.
The War Room permalink:
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/10/02/obama/index.html
I strongly recommend reading the speech, it was very much to the point and sadly overlooked at the time. In the very first comment on that thread, saintzak pointed out the contrast between Obama taking such a principled stand in 2002 and then choosing not to vote when the Kyl-Liberman resolution was in the Senate, even though it is clear to all involved that this is a back-door authorization for war with Iran.
I have yet to see a statement from Obama that justifies this abdication of responsibility. Sadly, it fits perfectly with the Washington malady Glenn is documenting here.