Letters to the Editor
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Kovie
Kovie, just read your posting.
You claim that many Israeli's do not like the policies of ADL and similar organizations. But where is the opposition? Why does ADL have such clout then? Its obvious that ADL wouldnt be doing the things that it does unless it got some of the encouragement from Israelis and and American Jews. This looming war with Iran wasnt cooked up one fine day. Ahmedinajad's loopy rants aside, there is obviously a significant chunk of Israelis, left wing social progressives included, who do not mind war with Iran and do not mind ADL and AIPAC pushing for it in their name. You honestly mean to tell me that AIPAC would not listen to what Israelis have to say if Israelis didnt want war with Iran?
I didn't see Israel up in arms, asking it benefactors to defend the tenureship of Norman Finkelstein. Also, it was Israel who gleefully cheered on the war with Iraq and by that extension, implicitly allowed for ADL and AIPAC to speak and pursue tactics that are considered abhorrent by GG (such as trivializing the memory of Holocaust by branding anti war activists as such)
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WT and ondelette
I think they meant the disgusting title. Notice that Gulf War I (estimates on Wiki vary from 20,000 to 200,000 fatalities) is completely missing and that the only deaths in Iraq from 2003 to present are 75,000 listed as "domestic". We got ourselves a certified wacko here. Notice there is also no citation.
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@patg
"it is about policy of an ally that contradicts what we wish to stand for. abe foxman is not standing for jewish interests per se, but for israeli politics, likud style."
Now we're getting somewhere. That's the core defense against the slur of 'anti-semitism.' Foxman isn't for Jews or Israel per se, but a particular political party in Israel. It's like when Coulter calls democrats treasonous. Time will tell (as it's been telling, really) whether the policies of the Israeli right have been good for that country. Have they made Israel safer? Is it a better country to live in now compared to when Labor was more dominant? I think not.
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@ kovie, @ pantanal
Thanks. Thanks, very much.
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tommydsz
Apparently you haven't noticed that 2/3rds of Americans hate this fucking war/occupation and the bastards that keep it happening but it goes on anyway?
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tommydsz
You claim that many Israeli's do not like the policies of ADL and similar organizations. But where is the opposition? Why does ADL have such clout then? Its obvious that ADL wouldnt be doing the things that it does unless it got some of the encouragement from Israelis and and American Jews.
This is the same bizarre reasoning you kept using the other day when you were claiming that Americans must really support Bush or else Democrats in Congress wouldn't vote to condemn MoveOn -- and that David Broder and David Ignatius wouldnt' be writing what they write unless they had the support of Americans. Why would you think that's how things work? Some Americans support Bush and most don't. Some Israelis support militant policies against Iran and some don't. AIPAC and the ADL appeal to the ones who do.
You honestly mean to tell me that AIPAC would not listen to what Israelis have to say if Israelis didnt want war with Iran?
There is no such thing as "Israelis" who think X and "Israelis" who think Y any more than there is such a thing as Americans who think X or Y. Many Israelis support aggression towards Iran and many oppose it.
Do you really dispute that there is are Iraelis who reject the political agenda of AIPAC?
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@RMP @WT
The most immediate source for the figures is an article by Gunnar Heinsohn and Daniel Pipes, "Arab-Israeli Fatalities Rank 49th" FrontPageMagazine.com October 8, 2007.
The asterisk refers to:
*All figures rounded. Sources: Brzezinski, Z., Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the Twenty-first Century, 1993; Courtois, S., Le Livre Noir du Communism, 1997; Heinsohn, G., Lexikon der Völkermorde, 1999, 2nd ed.; Heinsohn, G., Söhne und Weltmacht, 2006, 8th ed.; Rummel. R., Death by Government, 1994; Small, M. and Singer, J.D., Resort to Arms: International and Civil Wars 1816-1980, 1982; White, M., "Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century," 2003.
Heinsohn is credited with putting the list together. The Iraq statistics are a total wash, not even close to any good current estimates. The Indonesian casualties are at tributed to "Marxists", I guess General Suharto just twiddled his thumbs. Brzezinski's figures are likewise low on the Chinese Cultural revolution, but count famine deaths in the Great Leap Forward.
Nevertheless, the list is sobering. If I made all the changes I saw, the total would go up, not down.
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Foxman and the Armenian Genocide
Foxman has been using a great deal of ADL influence, by pressuring US congresspeople, to oppose the classification of the murder of one million Armenians by the Turks as genocide. This also happens to be the Likud position and probably the position of some in the Israeli government. The rational behind it is that Turkey is a strategic ally of Israel and Turkey is fighting tooth and nail against the classification of that terrible atrocity as genocide. This is a perfect example of Foxman's hypocrisy and moral corruption.
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Rumi Nietzsching re: emotional terrorism
An apt label indeed for which your insightful son is to be commended, as well as for the apparent he grace with which he has handled the abuse from his father. I'll bet he gets these qualities from his mother! You are clearly blessed to have each other. I wish you both the best always.
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Salon.cm: 'Edit' Function would be real nice!
...apparent grace...
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Glenn...
Clearly this country is moving in the direction of another war with a country for which we have no evidence regd their misbehaviour. What no one seems to address is this: Why are we moving in the direction for war with Iran? Haven't we learned anything from our fiasco in Iraq? I dont see why my reasoning is bizarre. These Democrat candidates and the Congressional hacks, why are they so running to line up for war with Iran? Most Americans now believe Iraq was a folly. So by that logic, dont you think we should be seeing more opposition against this new looming war? dont you think Americans would be questioning General Petraeus accusations against Iran with more scrutiny. And yet he is the guy whom no one will question. Show me even one article that talks about everyday folks questionin Gen Petraueses claims?
Same applies to my point regd Israel that you quoted. I am sure there is a diversity of beliefs within regarding war with Iran (I read Haaretz everyday, as one sourcepoint) But where is the significant opposition?? there was diversity of beliefs in Israel even regd the looming war with Iraq, but much of the population seemed in favor of it at the end of the day. Same goes with Iran. My point is that at the end of the day, groups such as ADL and AIPAC speak the way they do becuase they genuinely feel they have the go ahead to do so. Even Greg Levy is saying that much of Israeli is in favor of more aggressive policies. And since ADL has appointed itself as spokesperson for all things Israeli and Jewish, I am not surprised that they feel emboldened to attack left wing groups
maybe I am on drugs...i dont know, but I could sure use some clarity