Euston Manifesto, Wednesday, 29 March´2006

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Signing Statement:

Ralph Seliger – With the exception of remaining a loyal Democratic party voter (too loyal, perhaps), I disaffiliated with the general left about 25 years ago; I grew weary of explaining what I was as a progressive Zionist and defending why I support Israel's rights to security and peace as a Jewish state. At that time, I embraced the socialist-Zionist Americans for Progressive Israel/Hashomer Hatzair. In the 1990s, our comrades in Mapam merged with Ratz and others to form the Meretz-Democratic Israel party and we formed Meretz USA. We stand for an equitable two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and a negotiated peace. We draw fire from both right and left, Zionists and anti-Zionists. Too much of the left is still apologetic for authoritarian movements and mindless anti-Americanism (not to mention, anti-Israelism); most of the right is still wrong. Hopefully I fit here.

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This Ralph Seliger is different from a Neocon how, exactly?

Is that all that you've got, warring?

That's pretty funny coming from a Zionist.

Bin Laden's quarrel with the Saudi royal family is largely about American military presence in Saudi Arabia. America represents zionism: though an international movement, the colonization of Palestine clearly derives the bulk of its funding from the United States, for at least the last several decades.

And notice how zionist propagandist Seliger wants us to think in terms of Islamic countries. As if there are Christian countries, Islamic countries, Buddhist countries, and one Jewish one. If anything, cultural and national identities are derived from ethnicity AND religion and other factors. Who in the Western discourse thinks in these terms of religious nations? Primarily: Zionists.

Seliger talks about parting company with "the left" a while ago and joining the Democratic party, and I am inclined to take him at his word. Very little of the left supports imperialism and colonialism the way Seliger and today's Democrats do.

(It's the same as the irritating Jon Stewart line–nothing wrong with invading a country that posed no harm to Americans, but did it have to be so messy?)

Of course it's hard to take Seliger at his word, or even seriously, that his zionism had nothing to do with his wanting regime change in Iraq. What is revealing about that is how stupid he imagines Phil to be. Wow.

Ralph has been great (let's give him a hand for trying) but I would love to see Phil move on to another dialog..

Or just this question:

What is the zionist contribution to the invasion and occupation of Iraq?

…posed to Joe Klein, Greenwald, Richard Silverstein, Tony Judt, Jim Lobe, Chomsky, "Sampo", Chris Matthews, Nader or McKinney or Ron Paul… then some ultrazio's-to-the-end like Marty Peretz, Dersh, Richard Witty, etc.

I'd take it further.

What is the Zionist contribution to America and the rest of the world?

Damned if I can think of one thing.

If you are unconditionally anti-Zionist, then there isn't much to talk about.