in London Spectator. The usual Something something Palestinians something something. Melanie Phillips. Beautiful name. Ugly ideas.
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{ 11 comments }
Discover the network
Melanie Phlipps is part of the propaganda network that tried to launch the WMD's-were found-but-hidden-in-Iraq-hoax by Dave Gaubatz. She may well be the main go-to person in the UK. The main US channels I remember were FrontpageMag and The American Thinker and without doubt the "objectivist" fury Atlas Shrugged. Yes obviously
While Gaubatz himself led straight into SANE:
Ed, should join them, maybe? I am kidding.
I owe the destruction of my previous blog (naqniq) to another of these WMD's-were found-but-hidden-in-Iraq-hoax people : John Loftus. His theory, which was in FrontPageMag, borrowed from the film version of "Dr No" – an underwater nuclear stash, no less. And I ridiculed it, calling him names which brought his wrath down upon me. Then the blog was suspended, altho I had removed the offending item. So now I have another one.
Nothing here: John Loftus
But here: New York Times, June 23, 2006
Here in Britain, Melanie Philips is known as "Mad Mel."
She's an authentic neo-conservative, perhaps the only true one we have. She started out on the left, gradually drifted to the right, and continues to drift ever rightwards (needless to say she's also an ardent Zionist).
She's an intense, highly-strung character, with an unpleasant personality. Perhaps that explains why she seems permanently angry, and her articles (esp on her blog, where there is no editor to exercise any restraint upon her) have a hysterical quality.
She has some following amongst the extreme pro-Israel right in the United States. These people love her message that Israel is fighting a desperate war of survival, and that Europe and Britain are morally, culturally and militarily doomed.
Fortunately in Britain, Mad Mel is a bit of joke.
LeaNder, this is the passage I made fun of, from "Shattering Conventional Wisdom About Saddam's WMD's" by John Loftus, Front Page Magazine.com, Friday, November 16, 2007:
"Iraqi informants showed US investigators where Saddam had constructed huge underwater storage facilities beneath the Euphrates River. The tunnel entrances were still sealed with tons of concrete. The US investigators who approached the sealed entrances were later determined to have been exposed to radiation. Incredibly, their reports were lost in the postwar confusion, and Saddam’s underground nuclear storage sites were left unguarded for the next three years … "
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=f715a709-2614-4ea5-967c-f6151f94a364
She has some following amongst the extreme pro-Israel right in the United States.
And Canada, I am watching a very active "network member" there. He demanded that Norman Finkelstein be excommunicated. He even used this term. Maybe since Cherem used to exist during the Enlightenment except for the Haredim. But what do I know. And yes, Philips for him belongs to the righteous. Here is another one of my "GB friends"according to my Google Reader. Not quite as mad as Mel, admittedly. ;) Thanks for telling us: Mad Mel. We have a wellknown similar male phenomenon over here in Krautland. But it only became evident for me post 911.
Mad Mel is very important because she actually spouts the kind of hateful rhetoric and biased uber zionist approach to Israel that we need in order to be able to counteract with equal force, although she does try and crucify all of us who are anti Israel and label us anti semitic – it hardly shuts us up, one doesn't hear very much of her on the BBC these days with their emphasis on balanced views, so maybe she gets her come-uppance, the Spectator is too right wing for any of us sensible people to read so we just use the internet to get what we want, cheaper too, suffice to say that there are plenty of jews here who don't believe israel has a right to punish the palestinians in order to survive (what did a baby on the intensive unit in Gaza which has only emergency power have to do with any of that) and mad mel joins the orthodox jews here who do think like that so cannot be taken seriously
borrowed from the film version of "Dr No"
Rowan, so you only pointed out that there was a certain similarity to a James Bond (Dr. No) plot? How do you know, you "owe" the destruction of your blog to Loftus? (this guy has left no big traces in my gray cells yet.) Strictly, I trusted Hans Blix on the issue from the very start. But interesting discovery.
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Pam, thanks. I'll keep your take on the Spectator in mind. But basically any anti-* is not to my taste. Magnes Zionist seems to be orthodox or at least teaches orthodox Judaism, and I like him a lot. Don't trust the headline above. Or do, but then read it to the very end
We had trouble over here in Germany, only orthodox Jewish congregations were state supported. Maybe it changed. There were quite some activities by the Reform congregations. But strictly, I still haven't looked into the development of Reform in 19th century over here close enough, and have the vague suspicion that the "essentially" non-hierarchical structures of the Jewish faith may have led authorities to push reform. Besides, I could understand the desire for a break with an essentially German Jewish tradition in Judaism post WWII.
I agree though that the I/P issue must be resolved and that mystification should stop. …
I don't know it for sure, but I do recall that he left a really blistering comment on the story as I had posted it, and shortly after that the blog was suspended without explanation, appeal, or recourse, as is the way of all unpaid blogs.
Loftus is mainly famous for being the person who leaked to FOX News the fact that Finsbury Park Mosque Islamist and general boogie man Haroon Aswat was an MI6 agent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Loftus
Thanks for the link, Rowan – that gave me a much needed chuckle…..
I don't know it for sure, but I do recall that he left a really blistering comment on the story as I had posted it, and shortly after that the blog was suspended without explanation, appeal, or recourse, as is the way of all unpaid blogs.
Well, in that case I'd probably arrive at the same conclusion. Except of course, everyone could have called himself John Loftus, at least theoretically. There are many trolls about. Even private web sleuths? I once read a couple of lists of one such person. Ardently pro-Israel, ardently anti-Europe or "Europistan", anti-left, pro-Church (his staunch ally was a pastor) and he was a former intelligence officer also working for the industry.
I am gone for today. ;)
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