Comments on: Bromwich on Bronner’s shocking euphemism

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:56:58 +0000

Like my impression of Friedman, I believe that the two are examples of the conventional wisdom shifting to the critical of likud in particular, NOT to “hasbara”.

I find that their reports include criticism of Israeli policies, and take heart in that.

They do not criticize the validity of the state of Israel, in formation, orgination, current existence, or its right to self-defense. They do point to excess that extends beyond self-defense, while noting that dealing with Hamas or those in the BDS movement that indulge in “we’ve got them on the run”, is not an easy task.

By: potsherd

potsherd — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:13:48 +0000

And you, refering to Bronwich’s statement as Bronner’s.

Those who can’t do, carp at others who can.

By: MRW

MRW — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:21:13 +0000

So much for your lecture about journalistic responsibility.

By: Chaos4700

Chaos4700 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:00:01 +0000

Pot. Kettle. Black.

And don’t say you’re sorry, when you don’t actually mean it.

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:51:21 +0000

Its intellectually paltry to confuse a quote of another, with an original statement.

Sorry to accuse Phil of that, but that is what he did now three times.

By: Chaos4700

Chaos4700 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:04:06 +0000

At worst, you’re only making those here out to be as bad as you and your denial of Hamas’ adherence to the ceasefire, November 4th and the actual targets of Operation Cast Lead and all of that. It’s like you’re trying to rearrange deck chairs on someone else’s Olympic while your own Titanic is sinking.

By: Oscar

Oscar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:54:37 +0000

C’mon, Richard, that was NPR’s excuse for the shocking story Sheera Frenkel reported about gangs of gun-toting Israeli vigilantes harrassing Palestinian boys who are seen with Jewish girls. They were just reporting the story! From link to npr.org

“The point of the story was to shed light on a group of self-styled vigilantes who were both racists and sexists and who were trying to prevent normal youthful fraternization that crossed racial lines,” said [NPR] foreign editor Loren Jenkins. “The story wasn’t racist but it depicted racists — the settler vigilante groups — and their racist actions in hunting down bi-racial couples.”

Since Bronner blithely quotes the IDF officer without comment of his own, it appears that the vernicular is acceptable to him as a metaphor for the night-time raids. And Bronner’s legitimizing the phrase through its publication in (what once was) “the newspaper of record.”

Surely you would agree had the paragraph following the quotation had the Palestinian perspective on “cutting the grass,” it would be at least a bit more balanced? On September 22, Mohammad Othman was arrested by IDF soldiers on the Allenby Bridge Crossing, and is being held in an Israeli prison without being charged with a crime. A perfect example of “cut grass.”

Do you, as a Zionist, support this form of “cutting the grass?” www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgTeRzueWsY

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:07:47 +0000

And now you are repeating that the falsehood that the euphemism was Bronner’s and not the individual that he was interviewing.