It never ends. Israel used violence to steal land from the people who had been living there for thousands of years. Sounds like how every existing nation on earth began, steal land from weak people and claim it was “destiny” that made you do it.

Then in a couple of hundred years, start feeling bad and build the weak people a museum or a monument or some shit… it’s the way of the world.

The one thing that bugs me about this Israel/Pal nonsense is we have to pay for it. Hey Israel, if you want to steal land and toss weak people into reservations, that’s great, just do it on your own dime.

Now, can get back to discussing why Johnsen didn’t speak out when Bubba effectively “legalized” extraordinary rendition?

Why should the U.S. even participate to this extent?

It's a fair question. In an ideal world, perhaps one could say we shouldn't be.

But at this point, we've enabled and lent blind support to Israel for so long that the suffering of the Palestinians fuels not only anti-Israel hatred but anti-American hatred as well. It would be very hard to change that perception just because we suddenly become more neutral.

Islamic radicals have many grievances against the U.S. beyond Israel/Palestine (particularly our hegemony in their region). But resolving the I/P conflict would be a huge step -- perhaps the biggest -- in diffusing the fury and hatred that fuels anti-U.S. sentiment. I think it's in American interests to have a resolution of that conflict.

Otherwise, besides being a bloodthirsty genocide loving ass-hat,

One thing, heru-ur. I can, to some extent, respect a "bloodthirsty genocide loving ass-hat" who goes out and puts his own ass on the line. He is willing to kill, and take the consequences, or be killed. (I'm an easy-going guy)

But little yeshiva boys who are genocidal by proxy? There is nothing more disgusting. To think that a person who calls themself Jewish can glory in big tough Jews with an overwhelming military advantage killing civilians? There is no shame like that.

The other thing which is so shaming is how stupid guys like Winsmith think we are! They think that each new comment they write completely erases every other comment they wrote previously.

Now all of a sudden Israel has to explain! And Winsmith hates neo-cons.

Winsmith, how stupid do you think we are? Do you think I haven't been listening to, involved with, related to and harassed by Zionists my whole life?

Winsmith comes here with one set of attitudes and facts, and by now, he is espousing another!

I would suggest, Winsmith, that you push the "read other letters" button before you post. Look at your other letters and ask yourself, "why am I changing my tune all the time"?

Yeah; because brutalizing and killing Iraqis isn't free, you know. We need every penny ourselves for our own Arab-bashing.

You are right. I may be a student of Gita and Buddah, but I am angry at Glen. He strikes me as the worst kind of self hating Jew, in that he holds Israel to an impossible standard no other nation in the history of the world has ever been able to reach. You are already aware of the strangely feminine focus most self annointed progressives hold toward endless negotiations, be they with the Stalin or Ahamaditajobs of the world. He couldn't even admit in the interview that we were wrong to give Hitler so much time. If we had people like him running things in the 1940's, neither he nor I nor my children and grandchildren would exist today.

It is one thing to be klueless. It is another thing to be so self absorbed in one's own intellectual folly that he INSISTS on remaining clueless and thereby placing us all in great danger. We have lived a privileged life here in America. We have no idea what trouble really is.

There is a new strain of Jews in the world today who just will not get on boxcars ever again, Mister Smith, no matter how many moon-bats like Glen insist that everything will be all right if we just keep talking and making nice.

Progressives are so arrogant they deny the facts of human nature and the other realities of the world as it is, and instead, impose their own separate reality on us, insisting on an impossible world as they think it should be. So we get people like Hillary selling favors in exchange for guaranteed profits in a trading account, and pardons in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars, while spouting platitudes about equality and justice. We get hypocrits like Pelosi doing the unions' bidding as long as they don't organize the workers in her own botique hotel.

And, yes, many feminists have gone too far, in declaring war on boys just being boys. We have a natural yearning for the peace and comfort of traditional family life. The lack of a traditional family life leaves us with generations of lonely and rootless illiterates begging for real life relationships on their cell phones.

I am sorry I have offended you. You are one of the few here I have come to respect, Mr. Smith.

Lab2112

I'm glad you came back. I wanted to thank you for leaving what is probably my favorite comment ever since I began blogging:

http://tinyurl.com/8q6txb

It'll be difficult for you to reach those heights ever again.

-- GlennGreenwald

Please do not feed the trolls.

Thank you.

i thought:

http://www.jeffreygoldberg.net/articles/tny/a_reporter_at_large_among_the.php

http://www.alternet.org/story/117568/unprecedented_numbers_of_americans_question_israel%27s_actions_in_gaza/

But while Israel's PR machine cranked its Mighty Wurlitzer to full blast, drowning out all opposing voices with its droning sound, a surprisingly substantial portion of the American public decided to dance to its own tune. According to a December 31 Rasmussen poll (so far the only measure of US opinion on the Gaza assault), while Americans remained overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, they were split almost evenly on the question of whether Israel should attack Gaza -- 44% in favor of the assault and 41% against it. The internals are even more remarkable.

While Republicans supported the assault on Gaza by a large margin, a predictable finding, only 31% of Democrats did. Members of the Democratic base thus stood in sharp contrast to most of their elected representatives (freshman Rep. Donna Edwards is a notable exception), who backed the latest Israeli assault in lockstep, and seem to support Israel no matter what it does. The rift between the progressive base and the party played out on Barack Obama's Change.gov site, which was deluged in recent days with demands for a statement condemning Israel's assault on Gaza.

I wonder if one aspect of this reputed shift in public opinion may be associated with the recent confirmation that America has resoundingly rejected Bush. Bush's continued strong vocal support for Israel is a gift to any opponents to the Gaza invasion.