Bernard-Henri Levy on Huffington Post:
For the honor and the salvation of those still in Rwanda and Darfur, in solidarity with the homosexuals hanged in Tehran or imprisoned in Cuba, for the love of newlyweds burned alive in Afghanistan or stoned in any of the Arab Emirates, because nothing is more despicable, in a word, than a double standard in the matters of human rights. I'll say it again — let's forget this conference of shame and quickly get ready for Geneva III, the Estates General of poverty.
Nothing about BHL's favorite country in the region.
Let's see. Where would your most unfavorite country fit in BHL's statement?
Rwanda and Darfur? Hmmm… genocide. No, I don't think that fits, what with the population growth of the Palestinians 5,000 in nearly a decade doesn't cut it.
Homosexuals in Iran and Cuba? Well, in Iran they're hanged in public on cranes. I don't think that I've seen anyone hanging around here in Israel. In Cuba they're only imprisoned. But we have a healthy gay community here, with gay pride parades in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and we just elected our first openly gay Member of Knesset.
Afghanistan and the UAE? Nope. No burning alive or stoning here.
You know, Phil, maybe your headline should be turned around: "Why Muslims have a bad name with liberal internationalists"?
Or is that too "Islamophobic"?
Bigoted Muslims and bigoted liberal internationalists deserve each other.
I'll say something longer in response to JES. There should be criticism of human rights violations in Muslim countries and there is plenty to criticize, but there is also plenty to criticize in Israel and in America. And I do wonder if those who walked out on Ahmadinejad (who deserved it) would have also walked out on Lieberman (who would also deserve it, if he had been there).
liberal internationalists …referred as anti semites if it applies to israel in any regard….
JES write: "Homosexuals in Iran and Cuba? Well, in Iran they're hanged in public on cranes…..But we have a healthy gay community here, with gay pride parades in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and we just elected our first openly gay Member of Knesset."
Arab countries discriminate against homosexuals and Israel has less discrimination against them. So that somehow gives Israel the right to steal land?
Let's see my decoder ring is reporting you are using point 1 and 2 in the retrograde rhetorical system used by all apologists for Israel.
We rock. They suck.
1 We rock
2 They suck
3 You suck
4 Everything sucks
I'm waiting for number 3 now directed at me.
Ever try to get near an Israeli?
They STINK to high heaven.
They are too arrogant to even bother bathing.
But the whole world owes these fake Jews and fake human beings something.
Bisexuals like BHL jump back and fourth between left-liberalism and Neoconservatism like princely French potentates jumping back and fourth between the sexes. No wonder he is confused about "honor." I dare not ask what "salvation" means to BHL; no doubt, it involves more than one partner, all of them of the same sex as H the BJ, er…BHL.
Donald, your question about Lieberman is moot, because if he had indeed been there, he never would have been asked to speak, and that is the point.
If Lieberman would have been there then the US and all the other boycotters would have been there too, and that means that yes, Lieberman possibly would have been asked to speak.
What I find Ironic is that they can all boycott, but when people try to boycott anything Israeli, we are all beaten with the anti-semitisim lash.
JES – Ahmadinejad was not 'invited to speak'. All governments were invited to attend, and could send whoever they chose. Iran chose to send its President. If Israel had chosen to attend it could have sent Lieberman. I wonder why it didn't.
Who gives a shit about liberal internationalists? They see everyone's sins except their own because (1) they are saved by Jesus (2) they are the Chosen Ones (3)or they despise Muslims even more than Christians and Jews, because unlike other religious traditions, they don't have as many athiests, which makes them more studpid than the other two great religions.
Muslims need to come up with their own movement, and wean off of American/European markets before they become smart and wean off of the oil. They need to start building their own industries and investing in those instead of in the wall street. Hopefully the Saudi and Emirates royals lose enough money than they have already to finally get them to wake up.
No one hands anyone justice on a platter. If you want justice you have to fight for it one or the other. The best way to achieve justice to be independent and not owe anyone a favor.
haha. spelled stupid wrong.
What I meant to say was that the liberal internationalists are of the three kinds that I mentioned.
Although there is a fourth one I met. Not sure if the college republicans smoke dope but all the liberal groups on campus do, where i attend university, anyway. These kinds will pick up the latest cause on the liberal scene and not have a clue about it except for cursory information. At least they have hearts, I guess.
It's late. I think I have an exam tomorrow.
Stephen -
JES – Ahmadinejad was not 'invited to speak'. All governments were invited to attend, and could send whoever they chose. Iran chose to send its President. If Israel had chosen to attend it could have sent Lieberman. I wonder why it didn't.
True. All governments were invited and Israel could have sent Lieberman. What do you think the chances are, however, that he would have been invited to speak? You wonder with Israel chose not to attend? Go back and take a look at what happened at Durban I.
Saleema -
What I find Ironic is that they can all boycott, but when people try to boycott anything Israeli, we are all beaten with the anti-semitisim lash.
Come one! And I suppose that when anyone tries to boycott anything Muslim we're all beaten with the Islamophobe lash. Get off it. I think that the majority of intelligent people are able to separate legitimate criticism (both of Israel and of Arab/Muslim states) from irrational hatered.
BluePearl -
Arab countries discriminate against homosexuals and Israel has less discrimination against them. So that somehow gives Israel the right to steal land?
Now dweeb. But whether or not Israel steals land does not give the other countries mentioned (and those implied) the right to commit the crimes – genocide, public hangings and imprisonment of homosexuals and stoning or burning of couples suspected of adultery – a free pass, which is essentially what Durban II tried to do.
Do you understand now?
"All governments were invited and Israel could have sent Lieberman. What do you think the chances are, however, that he would have been invited to speak?"
The same chances as Ahmadinajad. He was not "invited to speak" -this was not some roast in the Catskills. He exercised his right to speak as the representative of his country.
"the right to commit the crimes – genocide, public hangings and imprisonment of homosexuals and stoning or burning of couples suspected of adultery – a free pass, which is essentially what Durban II tried to do."
I haven't checked but would be fairly sure the final text condemned genocide. As this conference concerned the question of racism, it is possible it didn't delve too deeply into questions concerning persecution on grounds of sexual orientation or moral transgression. I suppose you could argue this amounts to giving such persecution "a free pass" in the same way that you could argue that legislation to regulate gambling gives a free pass to animal cruelty but it is a bit tenuous even by your standards.
JES "Now dweeb. But whether or not Israel steals land does not give the other countries mentioned (and those implied) the right to commit the crimes – genocide, public hangings and imprisonment of homosexuals and stoning or burning of couples suspected of adultery – a free pass, which is essentially what Durban II tried to do."
No one should be given a pass when it comes to violations of human rights. We do hear about those violations you cite in the US press. But when it comes to Israel's violation of human rights there is an almost virtual silence in the US main stream media.
New word for you: alethophobia
Bernard-Henri Levy. French philosopher and writer. Well, he is French, and he does write, but I haven't seen much in the way of philosophy from this blow-dried, tanning-bed buffoon. Nor much in the way of objectivity or the capacity for even the simplest of political analysis. For example, here is how glorious, egalitarian France stacks up in one important measure of equality:
From an AFP article after the last parliamentary elections of 2007:
Women hold a record number of seats in the new French parliament, including the first ever black female deputy elected on the mainland, but legislative elections Sunday failed to radically shift the balance in a chamber still dominated by white men.
Political parties on the left and right were under pressure to boost the share of women and black and Arab lawmakers in the National Assembly.
They can claim a partial success: 107 of the assembly's 577 seats went to women candidates, a jump of 31 deputies compared to the outgoing chamber.
With 18.5 percent of seats now held by women, France lifts its country ranking in terms of women's representation in parliament from an embarrassing 86th to 58th spot, in between Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Of the 318 seats won by Sarkozy's right-wing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), she said, only 14 percent went to women. The party had fielded less than 30 percent women candidates. . .
Representing ethnic diversity in parliament has also been a frontline issue since the 2005 riots in France's immigrant-heavy suburbs, where black and Arab populations complain they are shut out of mainstream society.
Sarkozy made headway last month when he appointed Rachida Dati, a French-born magistrate of north African parents, as justice minister.
But despite a record number of black and Arab candidates vying for seats — Sarkozy's UMP fielded 12, the Socialists 20, and smaller parties several dozen — only one seat on the mainland went to a minority candidate.
Neoconservatism like princely French potentates jumping back and fourth between the sexes
The master of boredom.
What is the dirtiest part of your body? It's your mind.
Citizen somewhere wrote about fake Christians, that's the nitpicking self-righteous kind. People like you, shrunk heads. Eddie boy you are pure moraline acid.
Why am I the first comment to show up here when I read earlier published comments on this thread earlier today?
Mr. Levi failed to mention the tens of thousands of minority Americans serving long prison sentences for possession. The US has more people in prison than China.
Mr. Levi failed to mention the tens of thousands of minority Americans serving long prison sentences for possession. The US has more people in prison than China. –tommy ..and you don't hear Obama exonerating these non-violent prisoners rotting away in our gulag. No. He only grants pardons to NSA eavesdroppers and CIA scum who torture innocent people to death. Then he congratulates them for a job well done.
They don't fit in Obama's notion of affirmative action? Wonder how he makes that distinction? He publicly ID'd with Israeli families and their kids, was mute on the Palestinian families & theirs. Even though he once let it slip he thought the Pals suffered the most…. What does that tell you? Is he being sly, laying what he thinks is the foundation for a cure-all, or is really he simply compartmentalizes like old Slick Willy? Until he actually has not ethics at all except to stay in power?