A friend went to Jimmy Carter’s book-signing in Pasadena the other day. 3200 books, all snapped up weeks before, then signed by an aloof former president, who did not shake hands but was flanked by two phalanxes of security. Everyone who came in was X-rayed, or wanded.
My friend tells me Carter had a focused forward expression, he was on a mission. “Do you think someone is going to try and knock him off?”
The concern reflects a couple of realities. At 82, Carter would seem to have found a spiritual model in one of the heroes of his book, Anwar Sadat, who, at Carter’s urging, took on the orthodoxies in his own culture to sign a historic peace agreement, and who gave his life to do so. Carter is taking on the orthodoxies in his own culture, with the same sense of all or nothing.
The venom he is encountering on the Jewish right is staggering. Even I’m surprised. Marty Peretz has called him a Jew-hater. Shmuel Rosner, the Haaretz correspondent who not long ago rated American presidential candidates on the degree to which they ignored the Palestinian issue, with obliviousness being a positive, has branded him a likely antisemite. And in doing so, subscribed to the most parochial formulations offered by neoconservative Iraq-warrior Eliot Cohen.
When will the Jewish universalists in American life come forward? That is the great threat Carter poses to the parochial: that others will start to care. And a policy that has been commandeered by a small set of interests will at last become the business of the American people. A bestseller with the word “apartheid” in the title—we’re getting closer and closer to the Elian Gonzales moment, the moment when the American people wake up and realize that a fanatical lobby is not representing America’s best interest.
Again the real journalistic responsibility here is not to repeat the smears of the Rosners and Peretzes, but to examine the simple question: Is what Carter is saying of the Occupied Territories true? Having been there, I say it is.
This is being disingenuos in the extreme,
He is on record stating that Hamas leaders are men of peace. He thinks Gaza is worse that Rwanda. And he thinks that Israelis are persecuting the Christians like 2000 yrs ago. Which I suppose makes Jews the new Romans. The Carter center is financed by the Arabs and Jimmy Carter is just has partisan about this issue has I am. Whats argravating is not what he says, plenty of people like Phil Weiss himself is on board there and we've heard it all before. It's the hypocrisy. Jimmy Carter is on a book tour to sell books, He has tried to sabotage American diplomacy in the middle east and other places, he was a lousy president and is a dangerous ex-president. And is not being cencosed by the evil Jews. I can't turn on the TV or pick up a paper without seeing his smiling face. When you focus on Israel to the exclusion of everything else. And say that a tiny Jewish state is the trouble in the region and the world has Jimmy Carter says, then yes that's antisemitic. Being anti-Israel may not necessarily mean that your ant-semitic but it doesn't mean your not either. Jimmy Carter is and so is Phil Weiss. The antisemitic Jew is not a development. In fact there is a term for it called apikoros
When USofA realizes that Iraq is it's west bank that will be it's Elian Gonzales moment.
"Do you think someone is going to try and knock him off?"
– well, it's no coincidence that people like Baruch Goldstein were brought up in the so-called 'good old USA'. Most Kachists are of US origin.
I fear the type of Israelis and Jewish people such as Yitzak Rabin may have died with him or most are too silent to speak up, or the moderates have been radicalized just as some Muslims have in the past 10-15 years.
Remember, it was PM Rabin who referred to the American-Jewish entity which favored a more radical position with the Palestinians as "scumbags"
I don't think he's gotten his message across though. I mean firstly, most americans don't even know what the israel palestine issue is AT ALL. I mena literally don't know what the two sides are fighting over.
it's being presented in the press if at all as a debate between foreign policy wonks. None of what jimmy carter or alan dershowitz have said is being discussed at all. americans are intersted in slutty beauty pagents and celebrity cat fights. it's esoteric to them/ us
If the Jewish right thinks Jimmy Carter is bad, wait they see what will come down the pike if the Israel lobby gets us into a war war with Iran.
As an American Jew I have only one thing to say to all other American Jews who rant and smear Jimmy Carter….go the occupied terrotories and see for yourselves. I did several years ago and I know that everything that Carter has stated in his book is true. What Israel is doing to worse than any definition of apartied. Stop being blind and go see first hand, than and only then will you have all the facts to make an informed opinion.
Watching the C-SPAN lighting of the Menorrah, the message was of strictly Jewish "universalism" as the worries of other nations/tribe was inconsequential. It also had a distinctly pro-war message. It praised the masters of chaos as it brought up the Iranian boogeyman. It asked for sympathy for what Israel's captured IDF, but no mention of the rain of destruction and death they have subjected others to.
Lance, you seem real obsessed with us. Are you sure your not a JEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NORMALLY MONDO WOULD BE SCORCHING JIMMY CARTER AND THE OPEC OIL COUNTRIES AS MONOPOLISTS STEALING CONSUMER MONEY WITH MONOPOLY PRACTICES; BUT THE MIRACULOUS THING IS, WHEN YOU MENTION, 'JEWS,' SUDDENLY MONDO AND THE OTHERS REVERSE SIDES. JIMMY CARTER IS A PROVEN LIAR; IN HIS CLAIM THAT THE PEACE PROCESS OF 1979 WAS HIS IDEA WHEN IT WAS THE IDEA OF ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER, MENACHEM BEGIN. JIMMY LIES AND LIES THROUGHOUT HIS BOOK, NOT NOTING HE GETS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM SAUDI ARABIA AND OTHER OIL STATES, WHICH EXTRACT MONEY FROM OUR AMERICAN CONSUMER. THAT IS THE REASON HE WILL NOT DE3BATE ANYONE ON THE ISSUES, KNOWING THEY WOULD BRING UP HIS INDEBTEDNESS TO THE ARAB OIL STATES, WHO ARE STEALING AMERICAN CONSUMER DOLLARS FOR OVERPRICED OIL. JUST IMAGINE WHAT THEY WOULD BE SAYING IF ISRAEL HAD THE OIL!! "THOSE JEWS…….".
BUT ISLAM CONDEMNS CHRISTIANITY ALSO, SO JERKS, YOU ARE THE SUCKERS WHEN YOU LINE UP WITH THE ARABS. TRY READING THE NEW TESTAMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA, AND YOU WILL WIND UP WITH YOUR HEAD IN A BAG.
JERRY BORIS PHILA
Whatever his motivations, and it is only these frankfurt school crazed Jews who perpetually try to reduce politics to a matter of personal pathology, Lance is quite right to home in on the loathsome Lubavitch menorah ceremonies everywhere : these are global thought control at its worst and most insipid.
PearlsB4swine – In this world, anything's possible. I'm of Russian/Lithuanian stock but do not have a lot of geneological info much past the grandparents. Since conversions to Xianity for safety's sake was somewhat common at the time and places preceding my grandparents, there's always that chance. No matter, I eat ham, cheeseburgers, shellfish, and spell out the name of God (though often leave off the capitalization as the gods of the Big 3 to me are as the gods of Olympus).
What you call an obsession to me is following things and events that have an interest for me for whatever reason. Your obsession seems to be with Mr. Weiss and having a deficient signal to noise ratio.
I used to be involved in the leadership of church/state separation groups. Do you object my viewing the observances of the Lubbavitchers? I think I helped pay for some of it. To my atheist eyes it is overblown kitsch speaking primarily to the tribe. Ditto for the Labor Day Telethon. And I found the militaristic message of the program awfully one-sided.
Though now longer a xian, there are elements of Christmas celebrations that I find enjoyable. I was curious as to the crossover possibility for Jewish customs and song. The 3 Cantors were not too terrible but my favorite all-time version of "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" is the one sung on the South Park Christmas Classic. Now *that's* entertainment!
Here are points that Carter missed:
Judaism is a primitive tribal religion and its claims to describe our origins are bizarre;
A claim that "God" chose one bloodline among all of nature's families is the root of the idea of a superior race;
It is childlike in the extreme to claim a God was in the real estate business.
Apart from that, Begin gave a press interview in which he took full credit for leadership of a gang of thugs who committed the extraordinary bloodthirsty atrocity at Deir Yasin. Shamir also was a terrorist.
And Sharon was responsible for the butchery of thousands of helpless non-combatants at Sabra and Shatilla. It is dishonorable for Dershowitz to ignore the birth of the Jewish nation among a grpi[ pf bloody thugs and a private militia that became the so-called Israli "Defence" Force. I recommend that he reads Gen.E.L.M. Burns neutral account, "Between Arab and Israeli" a Canadian "blue beret" investigation into troubles after '56.
burns recommended that funds to Israel be with held until the state observed UN resolutions.
the menorah lighting was wack
Michael Callaghan:
And I suppose Islam is a religion of peace and the pope is really infaliable. And Deir Yasin was extraordinary and the massacre of the medical convoy on Mt. Scopus was what, just the yids geting what they deserve. Last but not least my mick friend the concept of being chosen is we were the the first montheists, which we were. Its got nothing to do with being favored, which we most assuredly haven't been.
Lance ( shit for brains ) thruster: What do you do, look for anything jewish related on TV and tivo it. The c-span lighting of a menorah for the love of God. Do you ever just go to ballgame, ride a bike, or take a shit without having it be conected to the JEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Last but not least my mick friend the concept of being chosen is we were the the first montheists, which we were."
Posted by: Bill Pearlman | December 25, 2006 10:59 AM
No Bill, as far as we know the first monotheists would be Pharaoh Akhenaten of Egypt and his followers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten
It is very probable that Moses himself was an Egyptian btw!
And more to the point, the fact is that after searching for decades, archaeologists still haven't found any evidence of the Exodus (tens of thousands of people supposedly wandering around the desert for 40 years)…
But please, don't let archaeology bother you and your self-serving Bible mythology, especially the part where God becomes a friendly real-estate agent.
Alan:
Don't you have anyhting better to do on Christmas than sit around thinking about the JEWS!!!!!!!!!!!.
Seriously man, do you ever go to movie, go to a game. Or do you spend all your time contemplating the international Jewish conspiracy. Yes Alan, Moses never existed, the Egyptians invented montheism, and its all bullshit, Jesus was just another jew who got crucified by the Romans and Mohammad was a well know homosexual. So what, it doesn't change the fact that we have been shit on long enough and need a little strip of land thats ours. And yes i believe its the promised land. You believe or you don't, I do. But let me ask you this, the Arabian tribes were a bunch of nomadic wanderers. what gives them title. The west bank is the biblical heartland, the temple was in Jerusalem, and your a guy who sits in his room and obsesses about Jews. Joel Teitelbaums family doesn't know has much about him as you do, very strange behavior if you ask me.
Billy Pearl – Sad to thank that excrement with brain power has more substance to it than your meat computer.
In answer to your query, maybe you could point to the TV void of a Jewish connection. Love The Daily Show; the lighting of the menorah, less so. I could give a rat's @ss regarding professional sports (ballgames for fun vs. competitive leagues are fine), I ride a bike for enjoyment, transportation, and exercise and if tribal issues are on my mind, then they might be on my mind biking. Now as to pinching a loaf not linked to the chosen might be more of a challenge. Recently I read about the so-called "kosher tax" and all the processed food I was eating had the designation for kosher [a (K) or a (U) somewhere on the label] so odds are that more than a few bowl snakes head towards the ocean with the remnants of some rabbi's blessing.
Interestingly enough, I just happened to look for it recently on my bottle of Sobe' Strawberry Banana drink, and saw no indication anywhere. I hope no rabbinical organization will go hungry from missing out on their fee for bestowing kosher status on the Sobe' brand. It's possible it is there and I just missed it, but I checked my other flavor too and came up empty.
Lance, Lance, Lance:
What kosher tax are you referring too. Any why do you buy kosher food. I would think a guy like you would lean toward heavy germanic stuff, You know the pig with the apple in its mouth. So much like Berlin in the good old days. Personally I'm going to ask the elders to bar stores from selling to you. Sobes Strawberry banana, again, why does that not surprise me. Not to worry though, that one probably kicks in to those lovable guys at Hezbollah.
"Last but not least my mick friend the concept of being chosen is we were the the first montheists, which we were."
– even if it were true, so what. Monotheism is nothing to be proud of.
I thought the zorastorians were the first
BP – Look it up on your own fer chrissakes. Whether you're truly as ignorant as you appear, or are remarkably adept at faking it, you are one trick pony nonetheless.
Your projecting has gone off the scale. Now the combination of strawberry banana is somehow indicative of some particular trait in your fevered mind (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more, say no more!).
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar you pathetic little toad. One can hope that you might at least experience some measure of catharsis from having your personal demons unbound.
" … we have been shit on long enough and need a little strip of land that's ours."
Diaspora Jews are in safer environments than Israeli Jews. There is less anti-Semitism in the US than there is in the ME. What about moving to the suburbs and cultivating a vegetable garden?
Lance, "pathetic little toad" ouch, I'm wounded by that one. And Brenda, its apples and oranges. Sure there is less antisemitism in America than the 22 Arab countries that surround Israel. Actually thats not a real high bar. But our comparing apples and oranges. There has always been antisemitism and will always be antisemitism. The indcidence of Jew bashing in countries where we don't live and have never been is truly amazing. America is unique, it always has been, but juding by the temper of the talkbacks here there are plenty of people who would like it to be otherwise. that's why Israel, post holocaust, is a necessity. And I am continually amazed at people who purport to be liberals and side with Hamas, Fatah, the islamic Jihad, Iran, and countless others against Israel totally to the exlusion of all the other trouble spots in the world.
Lance, "pathetic little toad" ouch, I'm wounded by that one. And Brenda, its apples and oranges. Sure there is less antisemitism in America than the 22 Arab countries that surround Israel. Actually thats not a real high bar. But our comparing apples and oranges. There has always been antisemitism and will always be antisemitism. The indcidence of Jew bashing in countries where we don't live and have never been is truly amazing. America is unique, it always has been, but juding by the temper of the talkbacks here there are plenty of people who would like it to be otherwise. that's why Israel, post holocaust, is a necessity. And I am continually amazed at people who purport to be liberals and side with Hamas, Fatah, the islamic Jihad, Iran, and countless others against Israel totally to the exlusion of all the other trouble spots in the world.
Israel announced a ceasefire and got missiles in return.
Islamic Jihad fires missiles as children go to school.
They aim missiles at petro chemical facilities.
In Sderot alone 500 israelis have been injured or wounded.
The missiles are getting more powerful with better range.
With olmert in power israeli citizens in sderot and ashkelon are being occupied by islamic jihad.
Israel announced a ceasefire and then announced a new settlement in the West Bank even though it had promised the US it wouldn't build any.
The IDF fires artillery shells and missiles in civilian areas where children sleep.
They (the IDF) aim at government buildings, power generators and even hospitals.
In Gaza alone 400 Palestinians have died since June, including 100 children.
The IDF missiles were not powerful enough so Israel fired 4 million (!) cluster bombs in villages in southern Lebanon while negotiating a ceasefire at the UN.
With Olmert in power, illegal settlements in Sderot and elsewhere continue to sit on Palestinian land and about 40% of ALL settlements are on PRIVATE Palestinian land.
Funny how "Islamic Jihad" obligingly pop up with their jet propelled tin cans whenever the entity needs a pretext to kick some more Arab ass, isn't it? Ever think about that "army of informers" the Shin Bet maintains in the territories? how it might be paid, or blackmailed, into performing a few helpful false flag ops? I mean, the palestinian 'resistance' is so fragmented and penetrated and turned and suborned that there is no way the average resistant could have the faintest idea who was real and who was what in rumsfeldspeak is known as p2og.
"Apartheid" isn't the right word. Israel isn't an apartheid state although if it is to remain true to its roots, it must become one someday. A "Jewish" homeland cannot have a non-Jewish population that is completely equal to and larger than the Jewish population. As the Arab birthrate continues to rise, Israel will need to address this issue.
The Israeli policy toward the occupied territories isn't 'aparteid' Seizing 'lebensraum' is a more accurate description of what is happening today
Gerald Ford had a lot of class so did Bush Sr. and Reagan, when you are an ex president SHUT UP. especially Carter who was such a lousy president he would have lost the election to anyone including Bozo the clown, but it's great that Reagan was the one that send him back to his peanuts.
He could write books but he cannot rewrite history.
I hope we see one day that arabs finally realize that a little part in the world could belong to someone who is not muslim and treats his wife with flowers not knifes.