Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 231 (since 2009-09-23 05:31:46)

Don

Website: http://n/a

Showing comments 231 - 201
Page:

  • Neocons in Washington Post: Military strike on Iran would 'calm nerves in the region'
    • Don May 21, 2012 at 10:37 am

      I'd like to know how Georgetown University (a Jesuit institution) seems to find faculty members like this (Mathew Kroenig...assistant professor of Government at Georgetown University).

      How does a Catholic Jesuit university justify faculty members who advocate preemptive war? Absolutely appalling...at least to this Catholic.

  • More 'magnet than a mallet': RAND Corporation warns against striking Iran
    • Don May 16, 2012 at 1:59 pm with 2 replies

      It might be a precisely correct comparison. The terms Britain (and the other allies) imposed on Germany after the first world war were certainly considered "an unjust attack" by Germany.

      You are familiar with the result, no?

  • Al Jazeera exposes 2nd anti-Islam class taught to US military officers
  • 'Orgy in the desert' fails to wed young Jewish woman to Zionism
    • Don May 14, 2012 at 10:51 am with 2 replies

      ...the free sex vacation...a weeklong, all-expenses-paid orgy in the desert...

      Phil, you are not gonna believe this...I just remembered! I don't know how this could have slipped my mind...I am Jewish!!

      Uh...where do I sign up?

  • Brilliant judges rule that administrative detention is copacetic
  • 'Jewish Council for Public Affairs' mounts denial campaign against '60 Minutes'
    • Don May 4, 2012 at 12:44 pm

      Good point, Boulos.

      Here is a Palestinian Christian...Philip Farrah... responding to Michael Oren a few days ago in Huffington Post...

      "I am a Palestinian Christian, now a U.S. citizen, and my own experience and that of my family attest to the falsity of Ambassador Oren's assertion."

      Here is a link to his article...
      link to huffingtonpost.com

  • The Peacemakers of Palestine and Israel
    • Don April 30, 2012 at 2:34 pm

      .This nice catholic guy says...Three Cheers for the Quakers! And you, Joe.

      And I would love to know who the Catholic priest was...unless that would violate a confidence in any way.

  • American Jews won't vote on Israel in 2012 election
    • Don April 13, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      Mooser, I have no choice...you are today's winner of the Mooser Mondoweiss Humor of the Day Award!! (which award is apparently well named).

      Actually, with a little tweaking, I think the New testament can be brought into line with colonialism.

  • When is someone going to lose his job for calling someone an anti-Semite?
    • Don April 13, 2012 at 2:12 pm with 2 replies

      "You just have to love the Left, believing that their worldview of things is just always going to rule."

      You got that right, Sin Nombre.

      Thank god so many conservatives came to Ozzie Guillen's defense the last few days.

      Or did I miss that?

  • Jazz reviewer pulls glowing review of my album so as to 'stand with Israel'
    • Don April 5, 2012 at 12:59 pm with 1 replies

      Sorry you have to experience this, Rich. I'd like to read your defense of Gilad Atzmon. I have come to the conclusion Atzmon is being routinely smeared. And as for Abunimah's opinion of Atzmon...well, Abunimah is wrong.

      And based on Avi's comment after your post on Feb 4th...
      "I recently watched your performance of the song In Palestine, followed by an interview. I enjoyed them both and the song was very moving. Thank you."
      link to vimeo.com...

      I went and listened. mama mia...song is absolutely beautiful.

  • Iowa. New Hampshire. Yad Vashem
    • Don April 3, 2012 at 1:25 pm

      "Governer Krispy Kreme"...tooo funny, Woody.

      I hereby give you today's Mooser Mondoweiss Humor Award !!

    • Don April 3, 2012 at 12:37 pm with 5 replies

      Uh, unless I am mistaken, he is Catholic. We don't do that Christian Zionism thing (at least we are not supposed to).

      On the other hand, it certainly makes sense to me that a person who is Catholic, and is ethnically Sicilian, Irish and Scottish, would choose to visit Israel before any place else. Where else could he possibly want to go?

  • Flabby Zionism
    • Don April 3, 2012 at 6:03 pm

      Puuhleease...it has been a long time since someone called me wop or dago, but its' not like I don't remember. So when I described myself as an Italian American, it was in response to precisely what Woody describes. (and no complaints about the wop and dago thing...tinker toys compared to what other ethnics have experienced).

      But it was the white protestant (conservatives) who thought...and still think...they are the only true Americans...that are the source of the problem (if it is a problem).

      But to be much less nice than Woody...to find yet another phenomenon (harmless in my opinion) to "blame"on leftists strikes me as typical conservative mush-thought. Typical conservative lack of thought.

      With all due respect (I guess) Dan, your post above strikes me as nearly incoherent as anything Richard Witty used to say. (the second to last paragraph makes so little sense it is positively awe inspiring.)

    • Don April 3, 2012 at 5:53 pm with 1 replies

      I keep reading bits and pieces of Atzmon's articles. I have listened to a few interviews. Could the people who trash him, including Palestinians, provide evidence for what they say about him? That evidence may very well exist...but I haven't seen it yet.

    • Don April 3, 2012 at 5:45 pm with 1 replies

      Hi Eljay. In answer to your question...its complex.

  • My spirit is American (a religious manifesto)
    • Don April 3, 2012 at 9:50 am

      1. Nice post, Phil...I think. Then again, it strikes me as so...20 minutes ago. Given how quickly and seriously we Americans are abandoning our commitment to human rights, etc. (including our own civil, legal and human rights).

      For a rather in depth approach to American Civil Religion, a link to Robert Bellah's writings...
      link to robertbellah.com

      2. Hophmi...does indeed make some absurd points. But also makes some very good points. More on that later...if I have the time.

  • Jewish food fight (at Park Slope Co-op)
    • Don April 1, 2012 at 10:23 am

      Ben Adler "If you want to boycott Israel itself, then you need to explain why you’re not calling for a boycott of other countries in the Middle East which oppress their own citizens worse than Israel does anyone living within the Green Line."

      Noah Pollak "Global March to Jerusalem needs a more accurate name, like Global March to Become Target Practice for the IDF."

      When public intellectuals (and I obviously use the term "intellectual" here rather loosely) like Adler do not respond to comments like Pollak's (a comment I suspect, if made by a German citizen about Jews, would earn that German citizen a prison sentence) what right does he have to tell anyone else what they NEED to do if they choose to boycott Israel. ?

  • Sullivan forces American attention on the settlements
    • Don March 31, 2012 at 2:02 pm

      What exactly is your point? Tel Aviv could not be "vital, energetic and wealthy" without America's support. Sullivan speaks the truth. If that is "provincial"...so what?

    • Don March 31, 2012 at 1:59 pm with 1 replies

      Once again...thanks, Annie.

      ...2nd to last paragraph..."...threatens to eclipse Israeli democracy, corrupt Jewish ethics..."

      and I found myself thinking, relative to Phil's post about Noah Pollak and Rachel Abrams...threatens to...corrupt? For these 2 at least, way past threatening.

  • Head of Bill Kristol's lobby group calls on Israeli army to use Palestinian protesters as 'target practice'
  • Sullivan unmasks Goldberg as a propagandist for Netanyahu's 'lies, bluffs and deceptions' aimed at getting us into war
    • Don March 28, 2012 at 6:57 pm with 5 replies

      I agree...very interesting article, Annie.

      But I think the most significant aspect of Andrew Sullivan standing up (and that is the right phrase) to Goldberg is that Sullivan, like Walt and Mersheimer, is not Jewish (he is Catholic). I think in some significant ways what Sullivan is doing takes more courage. He has no academic standing. If he can take the withering assault...more will undoubtedly follow.

      I can certainly understand Goldberg's frustration...what gentiles have been able to withstand the public accusation of anti-semitism (since the end of WW2))? Not many. And as a result, I think Goldberg et al have simply assumed they can do as they please on this issue....dictate the discussion. As Phil has pointed out many times...American Jews do not want American gentiles involved in this discussion.

      I don't mean to underestimate Walt and Mearsheimer...but Sullivan is doing the equivalent of Gary Cooper in High Noon.

      He is out there all alone.

  • 'Peter Beinart's offense against liberalism' and the spiritual crisis Zionism has wrought
    • Don March 27, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      Excellent link Bumblebye...this young man...Saar Szekely...says Israel is on the brink of catastrophe. I think Phil and his friends have also said as much, in different ways.
      And yes, very gutsy guy.

    • Don March 27, 2012 at 4:23 pm

      I unfortunately agree with you, Phil. I don't want to make more of this than it is, but it is my impression the Rabbi has not the slightest idea of the unpleasant implications of calling assimilation a disease, and those implications are probably not his intent...but are there none the less.

    • Don March 27, 2012 at 1:41 pm with 6 replies

      It is always fascinating to read your posts, Jack.

      When he comments (at about 4:45) about "the disease of assimilation"...wow. ..kind of leaves me (almost) speechless.

  • Responding to commenters on recent bannings
    • Don March 2, 2012 at 12:56 pm

      Well, Kathleen, I am a Catholic, and I can definitely tell you my mind comes and goes quite frequently. It is not always as easy as it looks...that is, being a running lackey dog of the Papacy. But by god, somebody has to do it.

  • 'Tablet' says writers who talk about Israel Firsters are channeling Hitler
    • Don January 27, 2012 at 12:12 pm with 17 replies

      So what are we supposed to think when an American says something like this...

      "In a talk to an Israeli group in July, 2010, Adelson said he wished he had served in the Israeli Army rather than the U.S. military—and that he hoped his young son would come back to Israel and “be a sniper for the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.

      (YouTube video of speech link to youtube.com

      “I am not Israeli. The uniform that I wore in the military, unfortunately, was not an Israeli uniform. It was an American uniform, although my wife was in the IDF and one of my daughters was in the IDF ... our two little boys, one of whom will be bar mitzvahed tomorrow, hopefully he’ll come back-- his hobby is shooting -- and he’ll come back and be a sniper for the IDF,” Adelson said at the event.

      link to firstread.msnbc.msn.com

  • 'Israel Firster' gets at an inconvenient truth
    • Don January 20, 2012 at 1:31 pm with 7 replies

      Phil's...his own efforts are encouraging Dreyfus like discourse.

      And that is a bad thing, eee? ...no offense, but you might want to spend a few minutes learning about the Dreyfus phenomenon. Here is what Lenny Brenner has to say about it...
      link to marxists.de

      "His (Hertzl) universal pessimism caused him to misjudge totally the political environment of late-nineteenth-century Western Europe. In particular, Herzl misunderstood the Dreyfus case. The secrecy of the trial, and Dreyfus’s soldierly insistence on his innocence, convinced many that an injustice was done. The case aroused a huge surge of Gentile support. Kings discussed it and feared for the sanity of France; Jews in remote hamlets in the Pripet Marches prayed for Emile Zola. The intellectuals of France rallied to Dreyfus’s side. The socialist movement brought over the working people. The right wing of French society was discredited, the army stained, the Church disestablished. Anti-Semitism in France was driven into isolation lasting until Hitler’s conquest. Yet Herzl, the most famous journalist in Vienna, did nothing to mobilise even one demonstration on behalf of Dreyfus. When he discussed the matter, it was always as a horrible example and never as a rallying cause. In 1899 the outcry compelled a retrial. A court martial affirmed the captain’s guilt, 5 to 2, but found extenuating circumstances and reduced his sentence to ten years. But Herzl saw only defeat and depreciated the significance of the vast Gentile sympathy for the Jewish victim.

  • 'NYT' and 'Haaretz' and world opinion are now greatest threat to Israel, Netanyahu reportedly said
  • Trivializing the anti-Semitism charge
  • 'People who promoted the Iraq war ought to be so discredited that no one listens to them any more'
    • Don December 31, 2011 at 3:25 pm

      "Are you joking? That you would censor from discussion on the merits of disagreement about some historical event."

      Is it just me, or is this an astonishingly ignorant statement?

  • Real News Video: JNF 'Judaizes' expropriated land
  • Thomas Friedman finds Al-Qaeda in Iraq
    • Don December 22, 2011 at 8:05 am with 3 replies

      Marc...I could be wrong, but I think this may be the single most spectacular paragraph in Mondoweiss history. Great phrases, great insight, drop dead serious...and in spite of all that...very funny!

      excremental nonsense
      one shoe nailed to the floor
      Rwitty with a pulitzer
      decades-long campaign for arab blood
      what a frickin’ sociopath

  • Little drone on the prairie: high-tech surveillance comes home
  • 'Ha’aretz': Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists storm 'Jewish supermarket'!
    • Don December 13, 2011 at 11:11 am

      "The point is that there is much and many in the BDS movement for whom his characterization of motivation is entirely accurate."

      Perhaps a small bit of evidence for this statement??

  • Israeli soldier shoots protester in face at close range with teargas canister
    • Don December 10, 2011 at 10:55 pm

      "Sorry to see so few around here understand my point."

      Nothing personal, Gellian, but I think you do not understand the essence of oppression (Israeli or otherwise).

      For a Palestinian to get him (or her) self killed by an Israeli soldier has nothing to do with whether or not the Palestinian throws stones. "when (Palestinian) children throw stones, he shoots them. When they do not throw stones he also shoots them."

      This point was precisely articulated by some astute ex-Israelis in an Israeli Imperial news editorial several years ago. Here is the larger quote with link...(Ariel Sharon is mentioned in particular, but the point is quite general...)

      link to israelimperialnews.org

      "What Ariel Sharon is doing now (what he did in Lebanon in 1982, when he was the War Minister, you will find elsewhere in this issue), is nothing new, it's just a brutalisation and an acceleration of this very same policy. Watch his actions carefully: when children throw stones, he shoots them. When they do not throw stones he also shoots them. When people shoot, he shoots them. When they don't shoot he still shoots them."

  • David Brooks propagandizes for Netanyahu-- he has no partner for peace
  • Walzer: Tent protesters want to escape neoliberalism, 'security' mindset, and nonexistent peace process
  • Slouching toward theocracy: Tehran and Tel Aviv may have something in common
    • Don August 11, 2011 at 8:02 am

      "Preaching victimhood for ever more isn’t very productive."

      Uh..you are kidding, no? I nominate this sentence for the annual "RW Lack of Self-Awareness Award".

  • Hillel fears it is being 'marginalized' by young Jews because of its fierce support for Israel
    • Don August 11, 2011 at 8:08 am

      Now if that isn’t a Witty remark….

      I think Phil and Adam should incorporate some method to "automatically tag" Witty (like) remarks. It should not be difficult to develop a simple algorithm that auto-detects incoherence.

  • Reform Judaism and the challenge of Zionism
    • Don August 8, 2011 at 9:45 pm

      Someone is confused, Richard, no doubt about that. I vote you.

      "And, that was evident after the Arab community did not overwhelmingly accept settlement Zionism, Zionism that did have the option of living as peers, not as exclusive."

      My understanding is that "settlement Zionism" was obvious ly intended as a precursor to a Zionist state...and that is what Arabs primarily reacted to.

      You have evidence to the contrary...other than, to use your expression...historical fantasy?

  • 'NYT' 'analysis' buries connection between protests and settlement project
    • Don August 6, 2011 at 11:42 pm with 2 replies

      Annie, no offense intended, but I think the meaning of "off, is itself off", is intuitively obvious. That is to say, off is not, in fact on. That is why we refer to it as off. No?

  • Liberal Zionists can oppose boycott only by blinding themselves to decades of discrimination
    • Don August 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm

      "Constructive engagement, like all compromise, does not yield the ego-rush of victory though."

      Well, for once Richard, I agree completely. Here, for example (just from yesterday!!)...some adult Israeli males are having a "constructive engagement" with a Palestinian boy...

      Video shows undercover Israeli police abducting a Palestinian minor while playing soccer...
      link to mondoweiss.net

      How do you measure success, Richard?

  • Video shows undercover Israeli police abducting a Palestinian minor while playing soccer
  • Israeli officials hint at violent response to Palestinian statehood demonstrations
    • Don August 3, 2011 at 10:52 am

      "he and his men will protect the country from the non-violent Palestinian protesters..."

      Exquisite!!

      Shakespeare could not have said it better! (Richard, perhaps, but not Shakespeare).

  • Geller and Spencer's work actually shaped Breivik's ideas, Walt explains
  • What does secular mean? 'J Street' official says American Jews 'ideally' want the whole 'land of Israel'
    • Don July 30, 2011 at 4:38 pm

      Nice point, Dimadok..and nice quotes. I am a Catholic who is rather found of Francis of Assisi...though also aware of how easily we Catholics forget that part about "no one is to be called an enemy".

    • Don July 30, 2011 at 11:42 am

      "Let me help with the logic. Native American Indians are no longer being usurped. Palestinian dispossession is still happening. eee supports it."

      This is your own opinion. Define your terms. What on earth do you mean by "usurped"? Oppression takes other forms than the stealing of land (your web site is most impressive, but on this topic you are dead wrong).

      Let me explain YOUR (and others) logic as far as Native Americans are concerned, and how YOUR logic applies to Israel.

      What you are saying is...if enough time goes by...the injustice cannot be undone...and therefore is irrelevant.

      Ergo...Israel has just to wait long enough...and their issues with Palestinians will be irrelevant.

      This is essentially what almost everyone here is saying about "the analogy between native American and Palestinian dispossession".

      In my opinion, this is morally absurd. And it is THIS (your) argument, that in fact lends credence to the Israeli dispossession of Palestinians.

      No one gets justice in this world. No one. And in general, yes, injustice, once committed, cannot be undone. But it is the attitude of moral superiority here that annoys me. Not to mention the absurd logic.

      I'll say this again...why don't you (and others who so casually dismiss native Americans) explore some native American web discussion groups...and try your theory on them? You are highly sensitive to teh opinions (and rightly so) of Palestinians. THEY NEED A VOICE, no?

      What gives you, or anyone else here, to speak on behalf of native Americans? And that is, in fact, what you are doing.

    • Don July 29, 2011 at 5:35 pm

      Once again, I do not understand this line of reasoning, Woody. You are saying injustice, if committed "long enough ago"...somehow is no longer relevant? (near past as opposed to ...paster past?...I am starting to sound like Richard).

      This is a morally insufficient argument...as the vast majority of native Americans would tell us...

      So here is my question, Woody...why is it necessary to absolve ourselves of our moral legacy...many native Americans still live on reservations. Your argument below is simply too convenient to be credible. Sort of a "oops...tsk tsk...too bad about that...but nothing to be done about it now".

      I am not saying these things to justify the way the state of israel treats Palestinians. But to

      Precisely the opposite, actually. Were we Americans to acknowledge the continuing responsibilty...and actually do something about it...would make our criticism far more persuasive (though that should certainly not be the motivation to do so).

      This issue comes up again and again (native Americans),..and it is always dismissed. It is quite hypocritical, in my opinion. And if some of you would take the time to engage with native Americans on some of their web sites...you would quickly get an earful, so to speak, that you would not quickly forget.

      many native Americans do not dismiss it...how can they? It is still going on.

    • Don July 29, 2011 at 5:22 pm

      Sorry, Ellen (and Dan)...but it helps to separate issues.

      1. Atheist Jews...if that does not compute, I think maybe you don't know enough about Jews? As a catholic myself...it is entirely different. All forms of Christianity are based on religious faith...faith is not a requirement for a Jew. Unless I am mistaken...when Phil describes himself as a "secular Jew"...he is saying the same thing.

      2. Home ownership...I have to come down on eee's side here; he is no more responsible for Palestinian dispossession...than you or I of native Americans. I don't see how it can be logically otherwise.

      3. Fascism...this term is tossed around so often on this site it is beginning to have as little meaning as antisemitism. eee's use of the term tribe strikes me as conventional...Phil has also used it many times. Hardly different than me describing myself as ethnically Italian. I AM ethnically Italian...saying so does not make me a fascist (in spite of my fascist pedigree, so to speak...I think we paisanos invented fascism...)

  • My response to 'DailyKos' smear
  • Israeli Foreign Ministry video replicates settler propaganda word for word
    • Don July 28, 2011 at 9:55 am with 2 replies

      Uh, this is sort of weird...

      "Meanwhile, more than 100 Jewish and non-Jewish schools in the US announced they will screen the video as part of history classes. The Central Conference of American Rabbis also said it will show the video in lectures to Jewish soldiers serving in the US military. "
      link to ynetnews.com

  • Right wing seeks to paint Breivik as neo-Nazi so as to disguise the truth, of shared beliefs
    • Don July 26, 2011 at 4:19 pm

      I agree with your comment, Woody. This guy's thought processes are so whacked, there is simply no coherence whatsoever.

  • The erasure of history (Israel gives go-ahead to desecration of Mamilla cemetery)
  • In major shift, 'Peace Now' calls for boycott of settlement goods
    • Don July 13, 2011 at 10:36 pm

      Kathleen, "yoga Buddhist contemplative knitting classes" are both idealistic AND anti-semitic. And yet, in some mysterious way, they are also both principled and fascistic.

      I hope this helps clarify things.

  • Jack Ross's glorious biography of the prophetic anti-Zionist Elmer Berger
  • Non-Jewish influence (played important role in Allison Benedikt's awakening)
  • Tales of a fourth grade Zionist
    • Don June 15, 2011 at 10:12 am

      At least her mom thought we paisanos are good looking...

      Speaking of summer camp, at Italian summer camp, the consiglieres...oops, I meant to say counselors, would dress up in pin stripe suits and fedoras, and drive by in black sedans while we were having lunch at a pizza restaurant, and strafe the place with tommy guns. It was would have been great fun, but in order to keep us on our toes, so to speak, they used live ammo.

  • Newt Gingrich lauds ‘Jerusalem Day’ extremists
    • Don June 14, 2011 at 8:02 am

      "Gingrich converted to Catholicism"

      No offense, Jim, but my mental health, always highly debatable to begin with, is not helped very much by this bit of information.

  • The Goldstone Report and Israeli criminality-- what the Israeli left (and the US left) refuses to get its head around
    • Don June 9, 2011 at 1:49 pm

      "It is an unconditional, unequivocal responsibility..."

      According to who? You are forever criticizing others for not making their arguments in reference to international law. Can you provide such reference?

      Your logic is worthy of a pyromaniac, who admits that, yes, it is a pity that I started the fire, but it is the putting out of the fire that is "an unconditional, unequivocal responsibility"...which unfortunately may involve my having to kill you.

      This is the best you can do, Richard?

    • Don June 9, 2011 at 11:53 am with 8 replies

      Richard, no offense intended, but I would like to ask you to read the two paragraphs below (written by Professor Slater on his blog post of Feb 25th, 2010). (and I admit to an extremely strong bias in favor of Prof Slater's views; primarily because they are so well reasoned, well documented, and are as powerful as any moral statements I have ever read on this topic).

      ----------------------------------------------------------------------

      By Professor Jerome Slater
      "Any discussion of Israeli policy and behavior towards the Palestinians should start from, and continually emphasize, the most important point, which often--incredibly--seems to be overlooked: for more than four decades Israel has been occupying, repressing, killing, starving, and in all other ways making Palestinian lives a misery. In those circumstances, it has no claim to be "defending itself" when it responds to desperate acts of Palestinian resistance--even those that really are "terrorist"--not by reconsidering its repression, but by intensifying it.

      In western philosophy, we evaluate the morality of military attacks by first considering whether they have just cause, and it is only when they do that we then need to go on to consider whether the methods of warfare are also just. When there is no just cause, then no methods of warfare are justified, even those that scrupulously adhere to the principles of proportionality, discrimination, and noncombatant immunity. Israel, of course, violated all of those principles, but even if it hadn't its attack on Gaza would have been criminal. "

    • Don June 8, 2011 at 10:18 pm

      Definitely agree with you, Tom, this analysis is excellent.

  • Silence over EU science grants to Israel’s war machine
    • Don June 8, 2011 at 3:52 pm with 1 replies

      Walid, I don't question the "financial and economic" issue per se'. (and just to make my view clear, I do not question at all the right of Palestinians to self determination, etc etc).

      My point is, why confuse one moral issue with another? If the issue is "economic support to Israel enables the occupation"...that seems quite reasonable to me.

      But the vast sums spent world wide on weapons is a moral catastrophe in and of itself. The author implies, even if he does not intend to do so, that weapons spending is hunky dory so long as the money does not go to Israel. That is what I disagree with.

    • Don June 8, 2011 at 1:13 pm with 4 replies

      I strongly disagree with this post.

      It is the spending itself of such obscene amounts of money, by both the USA and the EU, that is the "moral disaster ". When it comes to ever better methods and technologies for the destruction of human life, I honestly don't think it matters one damn bit whether it is Israel developing those weapons or anyone else.

      It is a moral obscenity in and of itself. The Israelis are quite capable of controlling Palestinians with low tech weapons; the high tech weapons are merely a luxury. Would their absence make any difference whatsoever?

  • 'NYT' editors briefly flagellate themselves for their role in fomenting Iraq war-- then move on!
    • Don June 6, 2011 at 8:29 am with 2 replies

      Challenge Number 1 to fellow Mondoweiss readers and commenters...

      Here is a link to an article that strikes me as, at least up to this point, the most serious, and well documented analysis of the NY Times, relative to the Israeli- Palestine conflict.

      Given the extraordinary misinterpretation (in my opinion) of Jerome Slater's work and motivation, by many people who comment here, this is worth taking the time to read (it is a 37 page PDF document).

      Can anyone here read this article in full, and come back here and make the same types of accusations toward Professor Slater that have been made in the past few weeks? And back it up with references from his article?

      Anyone?

      "Muting the Alarm"
      by Jerome Slater
      link to belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu

  • Even Sandra Day O'Connor (in NY Review of Books) sees damage to US interests in 'vast disparity' of Israel's power
    • Don June 5, 2011 at 1:39 pm

      "What is this other than racism or chauvinism? " Yes, it is both.

      Is there another nation on the face of the earth that does not have the power to defend itself, however symbolically "

      Well, we have not exactly provided weapons and ammunition to Native Americans. I am NOT using this issue as a diversion or excuse for Israel's behavior. Just the opposite. Given our own (USA) legacy of racism and chauvinism...our behavior on this issue is not surprising.

  • White Shirts in Jerusalem cry 'Butcher the Arabs'
    • Don June 3, 2011 at 11:36 am

      As usual, I agree with Donald's keen insight and extraordinarily intelligent view.

      ES1982...And I like your comments as well.

  • Glasnost-- Clemons to 'Atlantic,' Goldberg from 'Atlantic' to 'Tablet'
    • Don June 3, 2011 at 11:47 am with 4 replies

      Regarding Goldberg's comment..."I think we're entering a period of huge disruption in the relationship between America and Israel, and between American Jews and Israelis..."

      Here is a link to a very interesting (related) article titled...

      "Are Young Rabbis Turning on Israel? "

      (sorry the link is so long...I don't know how to make those things shorter)

      link to commentarymagazine.com

  • A (half-hearted) defense of the Congressional Democrats
    • Don May 31, 2011 at 8:40 pm with 8 replies

      American, I am not sure we are reading the same post. I don't think I understand how you reach your conclusions, based on what Prof Slater has said

      Mea culpa, mea culpa...I seem to like Prof Slater, even unto referring to him formally. I don't understand the hostile and harsh reactions he generates. And it does not seem to me he is at all saying what you call "in other words". Why not deal with his actual words.

  • Netanyahu says 'all men are created equal' message on Lincoln Mem'l is a Jewish concept
    • Don May 31, 2011 at 11:17 am with 1 replies

      This is not particularly relevant to this post, but definitely relevant to the Two States/One State issue.

      Richard is fond of proclaiming what Americans and Europeans believe, whjat they will and won't support etc. (and this is not only a critique of Richard, but of the points he raises.) That is, neither Israelis or Palestinians have any interest in a One State solution.

      On the contrary...here is an article by Gershom Baskin in today's Jerusalem Post, proclaiming that an increasing number of Palestinians DO in fact support the One State solution. And unlike Richard, Baskin bases his analysis on conversations with Palestinians...

      Encountering Peace: Off to the UN we go
      By GERSHON BASKIN
      link to jpost.com

      "Having spent the past weeks meeting grassroots activists all over the West Bank and speaking to friends and contacts in Gaza, I can categorically affirm that increasing numbers of Palestinians are saying the two-state solution is not viable. They say that (I am paraphrasing) “the Palestinians offered Israel the best deal, the most generous deal it could ever expect. We offered them their state on 78 percent of the land between the river and the sea, but they wanted more. So now we say to them, we don’t want a mini-state on 22% of the land any more. Give us one thing and one thing only: the right to vote. One person, one vote – that’s all we want.”

  • Land swaps? Israel doesn't have enough land to give the Palestinians
    • Don May 29, 2011 at 11:00 pm

      RoHa, your initiative and creativity are extremely impressive. The Etruscan Liberation Organization is very interested in recruiting you as Minister of Empire Expansion.

      Please get back to me regarding any interest you may have in this highly prestigious position. We are in need of a talented person immediately. The Chinese are balking (can you believe that?) at our annexation of...China (despite our perfectly legitimate historical claims...

      "Chinese villagers 'descended from Roman soldiers"

      link to telegraph.co.uk

  • Zakaria lightbulb moment: Israel rules millions of 'serflike' disfranchised Palestinians
    • Don May 27, 2011 at 4:15 pm

      "Why did Netanyahu turn what was at best a minor difference into a major confrontation?"

      Naive (or dishonest) question. Anyone could answer the question by spending about 30 seconds searching for an answer (that is about all the time it took for me).

      Here is a link to a 10 minute You Tube video of Ben Nitay (Netanyahu)

      link to youtube.com

      It is, all things considered, a genuinely magnificent performance. I am not being sarcastic. It is a highly condensed distillation of right wing Zionism, given by its' most articulate spokesperson (at least since Abba Eban.)

      And it is truly appalling.

  • We can only pray that Congress's supine conduct before a rightwing foreign leader will have political consequences
    • Don May 24, 2011 at 5:12 pm

      Depressing, it seems to me, only in the sense that the longer the right wingers (and idiot Americans who support them) "hold back the tide", the worse it is going to be for Israelis and Palestinians when the damn finally breaks (and that is inevitable).

      It strikes me as more frightening than depressing. Again, just my opinion, but it seems the possibility of mass violence becomes more real with each passing day.

  • I'm fed up with criticism of Israel being shouted down as anti-Semitic
    • Don May 24, 2011 at 11:46 am with 3 replies

      Richard, what on earth would I do without you to cheer me up on so regular a basis. Let us now review your concept of "thinking"...

      "They are all a form of anti-semitism in their own right. And, they all provide cover for anti-semitism in other forms."

      Or more precisely..."forms of anti-semitism...provide cover for anti-semitism in other forms".

      Thanks so much for clarifying this issue!

  • Netanyahu has nothing to worry about
    • Don May 22, 2011 at 11:04 am

      "One day the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will include an entry on Zionism and Zionists."

      Avi, good thing you don't say things like this too often...pretty good chance I would, quite literally, giggle myself to death.

      Of course, since I have now absorbed Richard's philosophical approach to the conflict, I must point out that is is not helpful to underestimate the defensibilazation of borders, nor is it helpful to overestimate the undefensibilitiation of borderization (vis a vis war crimes, as opposed to warification).

      I have tried to make this crystally obscure. I hope you find it helpful.

      And please consider a small donation to the Etruscan Liberation Organization. We almost have enough funds to purchase another military aircraft (a hot air balloon, unfortunately shaped like Mr. Peanut, but you gotta start somewhere, no?).

  • Our fundamentalists
    • Don May 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm with 7 replies

      Uh, no offense, GuiltyFeat, and I am obviously biased (I am Catholic) but you might want to try and get a grip on reality. Here is a good place to start...

      The Holocaust in Historical Context: Volume 1: The Holocaust and Mass Death before the Modern Age (by Steven T. Katz).

      link to amazon.com

  • The community of fear and the community of hope (Choose)
    • Don May 10, 2011 at 9:36 pm

      "If the information is ignored, bad results occur. If the information is exagerated, bad results occur."

      The Fear must be Measured!

      Quantitative Fear...that is the answer!

  • On Easter, spare a moment to think about the Christians in Jesus's birthplace
  • 'The Palestine Cables': Obama administration killed off independent U.N. investigation into Israeli war crimes in Gaza
    • Don April 22, 2011 at 5:40 pm

      "I am ready to break my hand for voting for Obama."

      Say...that's funny! But I will agree to break my hand, Theo, if you go ahead and break yours. Keep us informed.

  • Bronfman's Passover questions come 10 years too late
    • Don April 19, 2011 at 9:51 am

      The Big Kahuna, the one who went after Switzerland for Holocaust $.

      No offense MRW, but I think Norman Finkelstein has a rather jaded view of that effort.

  • Vittorio Arrigoni on our mind
  • Finkelstein says Goldstone restored Israel's only faculty (aggression) based on a claimed drone image it has never produced
    • Don April 15, 2011 at 6:13 pm

      "scale of operations"

      Scalification, that's the ticket!

      But Richard, you left out scopification and contextualization.

  • Right wing is using Mer-Khamis murder to say You can't trust any Palestinian
    • Don April 14, 2011 at 1:46 pm

      Drori's comment (above) is absolutely identical to the attitudes the French colonists and right wingers had toward the Algerians.

      "...decolonization is always a violent phenomenon".

      quote from Fannon's book, Wretched of the Earth

  • No-brainer: Temple Mount is holier to us than them, so it's ours
    • Don April 10, 2011 at 1:01 pm with 4 replies

      Chaos, no offense intended...but perhaps you could let us know what you are doing to relieve human suffering (in any regard whatsoever).

      Sometimes I find your willingness to judge others (almost instantaneously) somewhat wearying. This is essentially the same accusation you used on Jerome Slater.

      GuiltyFeat's post I found quiet interesting...and your reply not helpful in the least.

      The USA is the world's champion warmonger...what are you doing about that?

  • Palestinian bashing
    • Don April 10, 2011 at 7:01 pm

      Richard...you are asking some one else to decipher your code? You are a wonder, truly.

      What your words mean are, actually, clear enough. You seem to be congenitally incapable of accepting, or believing, that Israelis (Jews, if you prefer) can act in a way that is gratuitously brutal.

      You are "Exhibit A" in Phil's contention that Israel has made many Jews incapable of clear or critical thinking.

      "The only critical question is of scale". IF that were correct (and it is not) the verdict, so to speak, regarding war crimes...is guilty.

      "There is nothing clear about the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Any definitive statement would contain innaccuracies."
      Weasel words taken to the 3rd power.

      In your view of this conflict, Richard, there ARE ALWAYS subtle complexities that absolve Israel of any possible wrongdoing.

  • Dugard: Gaza report's principal accusation was reckless, indiscriminate use of force in densely-populated areas
    • Don April 7, 2011 at 3:05 pm with 3 replies

      "how to fight in densely populated areas."

      Perhaps, eee, you could do the same and explain how Hamas can fight in its' densely populated area without being accused of hiding among civilians?

      It is quite easy to give lectures when you are not on the receiving end of F16's, armored helicopters, and 60 ton tanks.

  • 'LA Times' to Goldstone: WTF
    • Don April 6, 2011 at 10:28 am with 1 replies

      I agree with Phil..excellent reply Donald.

      Though I have to admit (as usual) I find Richard's language very difficult to understand.

      "If, a component of the definition of what was a war crime, vs a war, in the original was based on the admissibility of a very limited scope effort, and his view of the admissibility of a larger scope changed, then a thousand resulting conclusions would change."

      What, precisely, does the above statement mean? Anybody have a clue?

  • Goldstone Report commissioner Jilani says nothing can 'invalidate the UN Report'
    • Don April 4, 2011 at 9:08 pm

      "Given my government’s consistent refusal to negotiate, there is nothing for me to do but support a unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinians. Bring it on."

      Good for you, brother (and you are not responsible for your governments' behavior).

  • Burg: the int'l community has put up with acts of state violence by Israel for 5 decades
    • Don April 4, 2011 at 10:48 am

      Sure, Seafoid, bring THAT up again. Honestly, persecute people for 1900 years...and you never hear the end of it.

  • More on Jerome Slater's piece seeking to reconcile Zionism and justice
    • Don March 28, 2011 at 2:35 pm

      Richard "Persuasion. Making the better argument.

      You are channeling James Kilpatrick again...

      (Kilpatrick also went on to add that “encouragement and understanding” will enable “black and white” to “prosper”, not “force, bluster, and boycott” – which sounds familiar).

      Thank you, Ben White.
      link to mondoweiss.net

  • Realist site says Israel lobby has cooked the Israeli goose, and American Jews will step away
    • Don March 25, 2011 at 1:39 pm

      Hi Mooser. No offense intended, but I think we can all agree DON is the resident non Jewish expert on "Jewish tendencies". I will forward my almost finished manuscript (Jews Tend To Do Stuff) to Phil, so he can pass it on to you. Any constructive criticism would be most appreciated! And hey...stop doing stuff!

  • Libya/Gaza
    • Don March 20, 2011 at 10:13 pm

      Tell me, please, how it is "irrelevant" that "it is overwhelmingly Israel that kills first..."

      It is most certainly relevant; that is why YOU raised the topic in the first place.

      As to my "goals"...how on earth would you know what they are (or are not)? (other than re-establishing Etruria; unless I am mistaken, that is the only goal I have mentioned on this list).

      When you, my dear Richard, express the same compassion and concern for Palestinians that you do for Israelis, I will find your comments at least minimally persuasive.

      And that includes the Palestinians' right to defend themselves, and to strike back when provoked.

    • Don March 20, 2011 at 1:22 pm with 16 replies

      "precipitated by a week of shelling civilians in Israel from Gaza"
      Definitively Misleading Statement

      Reigniting Violence: How Do Ceasefires End?
      by Nancy Kanwisher
      "Thus, a systematic pattern does exist: it is overwhelmingly Israel, not Palestine, that kills first following a lull. Indeed, it is virtually always Israel that kills first after a lull lasting more than a week."

      Links Provided For The Intellectually Curious

      link to huffingtonpost.com

      link to en.wikipedia.org

      Richard old buddy...for a guy who (seems) to feel like a "teacher", lecturing the rest of us...you might want to knock yourself out and spend oh, I don't know, maybe 90 seconds researching things before commenting. (why do I keep giving you this little lecture?)

      On the 3rd grade logic side of things...if you punch me in the face, and I respond by punching you in the arm...do you then have the right to kill me? Try it sometime...and see how quickly you are charged (correctly so) with murder.

  • How should the left respond to the Itamar murders?
    • Don March 16, 2011 at 4:34 pm

      It seems to me it is only one of several extremely persuasive arguments that Max has made. Few of us on this list take the time to think issues through as carefully as Max Ajl. You might want to take a clue from Max in that regard, Richard.

      As for citations...why not look it up yourself? It took me 20 seconds on Google to find a citation (below). But here is the last sentence first...and a key concept repeated for emphasis...

      ...yet an even more repugnant act...

      "Violating the law of war, even in a manner it allows, is a repugnant act, ...yet an even more repugnant act is to allow an adversary to violate that same law with impunity."

      The Continuing Role for Belligerent Reprisals
      link to jcsl.oxfordjournals.org

      1. Philip Sutter*

      - Author Affiliations

      1.
      *J.D., Brooklyn Law School (Class of 2007). The author would like to thank his friends and family for all their support and understanding over the years. Special thanks are in order for Judge Evan J. Wallach, Aleah Borghard and Jessica Haber.

      Abstract

      ‘The rumours of my demise are greatly exaggerated.’ – Mark Twain

      The enforcement of the law of war has always been a difficult proposition. It has become even more difficult in recent conflicts given the propensity of combatants to employ unlawful violence to further their cause. Such horrific conduct begs the question, how does the law of war restrain violators? There are many potential methods, among them war crimes tribunals and international mediation, but the subject of this article is the final enforcement mechanism: belligerent reprisals. It is a doctrine that responds to unlawful conduct by inflicting the same violation upon the violators in order to force them to cease. The doctrine of reprisals has fallen into disuse as numerous commentators suggest that it is no longer effective and soon to slip into complete illegality. However, reprisals utilizing a prohibited weapon remain lawful. And, for a number of states, reprisals against captured enemy combatants remain lawful. Violating the law of war, even in a manner it allows, is a repugnant act, yet an even more repugnant act is to allow an adversary to violate that same law with impunity.

  • Why did Bob Gates, who slams the Iraq war, meet with 2 guys who planned it and who then go trash him on Libya?
  • A massacre committed by another "close friend and ally" of the United States
    • Don February 19, 2011 at 1:33 pm

      Fuster, just out of curiosity...why do you take this so personally? As for despots turning guns on their own people...you bet!

      And some democracies, USA and Israel among many, are also willing, when it suits their purpose, to turn guns on their own people (and absolutely delighted to turn them on unarmed people who happen not be be their own citizens).

      As you point out, the phenomenon has a long history. Or as Will Durant wrote in his "History of Civilization", "...the exploitation of the weak by the strong has a glorious history, and a most promising future".

      You seem able to see this abuse of power with "crystal clarity" in Arab countries...but seem unable or unwilling to see it in Israeli behavior.

  • Ellis: Let Tahrir liberate Jews from the adoration of dictators
    • Don February 11, 2011 at 11:00 am

      You (and your friends) are a wonder, Phil.

      And so is Marc Ellis.

      So while I watch the Egyptians in "humble astonishment", I also hope Ellis is right, and that (more) Jews find their way back to "who they really are".

  • This wave will sweep Israel too-- Soros hints in the Washington Post
  • British double standard on recognizing Palestine lets Israel off the hook
    • Don January 21, 2011 at 11:07 am

      Nima, there are additional ironies. Many comments I have read (in Haaretz, for example) about the South American countries you mention above, have been quite disparaging. They are anti-semitic, typical of Catholics, etc etc. (most of those countries have majority Catholic populations. )

      How quickly we forget, so to speak.

      4 of those countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay) were among the countries that voted in favor of the UN granting Israel nation status (or whatever it is called). And their votes were critical, if I recall correctly, to the passage of the UN resolution regarding Israel's nation status.

      Just thought I'd mention it.

  • Brooklyn-Jenin: On concentration camps and Yonatan Pollack
    • Don January 14, 2011 at 6:26 pm

      Shmuel, we are making great progress!!

      I was temporarily side tracked by the need to plan the campaign to bomb Peking into rubble.

      Shmuel: "Peking?"

      Don : Yes, Shmuel, in the spirit of "All Hail the Archeologist!...it seems the Romans were in China before the Chinese...
      link to telegraph.co.uk
      so have decided to take back our ancient homeland.

      Shmuel: "But you aren't Roman, you are Etruscan, Don, no?"

      Don: Of course. But if it had not been for the hated Romans, we Etruscans would have been in China before the Chinese. So I invoked the ancient pagan law of "inverse substitutional annexation". And since I wanted the Chinese to know we Etruscans wanted nothing more than we wanted Peace...well, what choice do I have but to bomb bunches of them into smithereens?

      Stay tuned for more exciting news from the ELO!!

      And Shmuel, I love that expression..."Long Live Greater Etruria!" We have appointed you Minister of Etruscan Slogans!! No, no, don't thank me...least I could...

  • Entry 19: Israel, an Elegy
    • Don January 2, 2011 at 1:53 pm

      Already quoted, but I also need to do so...
      “All I know is that in the meantime, the reaching out between Jew and Muslim, Israeli and Arab, is a necessary ingredient to bring about, some day, a rapproachment of sorts between deeply conflicting narratives.”

      Danaa, just thought you might like this...some people are trying...

      link to interfaithencounter.wordpress.com

  • Entry 16: With thunderous resolution and intention, I say I am 'Mizrahi'!
    • Don December 31, 2010 at 11:51 am

      With all due respect, eee, I find it HARD TO BELIEVE you could write this "the problem so far exhibited by Arab society is that it is usually led by the most extreme segments", without any apparent awareness of Israel's and the USA's "contribution" to the phenomenon you describe.

      Here is a hint at the USA's "gift" to Arab countries...
      link to news.antiwar.com

      And here are Israel and the USA literally "conspiring" to bring about "regime change" in Iran...
      link to therightperspective.org

      And Israel's relentless war mongering against Arab countries, , and it's apparent attitude that it has the right, any time it so chooses, to interfere with the political life of Arab countries...
      link to ipsnews.net

      Not to mention the seemingly daily increase in political extremism in Israel itself.

  • Great shakeout in Jewish identity begins
  • Then on Saturday, Saban benchpressed 400 Congressmen
  • Notes on Hanukkah: The Maccabees and Zionism's 'invented traditions'
  • This beats turkey and pumpkin pie
    • Don November 26, 2010 at 7:49 pm

      Koshiro, if I recall correctly, in his book "The Wretched of the Earcth", Frantz Fanon suggested that the legacy, so to speak, of colonialism, was so extraordinarily bad, that it would probably require more than a century to overcome.

  • Brooklyn-Jenin: The boycott Is legitimate for promoting peace
    • Don November 25, 2010 at 11:19 am

      Well, I hate to take a break from my vital planning work with the Supreme Etruscanism Council, but I could not agree with you more, Richard. Etruscanism has had to wrestle with the same (non) issues, as issues per se'.

      In fact, I think it is vital to pose the question, "If propaganda is art, is it still propaganda?"

  • For killing 9 on the flotilla, Israel should apologize to.... Israel!
    • Don November 24, 2010 at 2:16 pm with 1 replies

      "...victims who have no choice but to defend ourselves against violent and incited anti-Semites."

      We fear-scarred Etruscans are in much the same position via the anti-Etruscanites, the so-called "Italians".

  • Huffpo gives platform to Israel lobbyist's claim based on 3000-year-old artifacts
    • Don November 23, 2010 at 3:44 pm

      A wonderful choice! And Harrison Ford has graciously accepted our request to provide post movie commentary. In order to send the delegates home pumped up, so to speak, I was thinking of wrapping up with "Jason and the Argonauts".

    • Don November 23, 2010 at 1:24 pm

      Marc B, your words of encouragement are most appreciated! And yes, All hail the Power of the Archeologist! Truer words were never spoken.

      At the moment, my generals and I are planning the aerial bombardment of Milan; though we do with great regret. But what other option do we have? The so-called Italians force this upon us. We have no choice but to demonstrate our deterrent power. Else they will drive us into the Tiber!

      I trust you are planning on attending the Congress?

    • Don November 23, 2010 at 12:43 pm

      Thank you Shmuel. I am very glad someone understands that there is no contradiction between "Etruscan" and "democratic".

      I hope you are wrong about Eljay...though clearly, the "Italians" are not to be trusted. They are an inherently violent people; hence the ancient expression..."3 Italians, 5 tommy guns").

      And I want to extend to you also a warm invitation to the first Etruscanism Congress.

    • Don November 23, 2010 at 12:34 pm

      Eljay, We fear-scarred Etruscans are definitely going to find a place for you at the first Etruscanism Congress! In fact, I am thinking maybe you could become the "Theodore Herzl" of Etruscanism? (we are in need of a theorist). Please give this some consideration.

      I have to start doing some self (self) determinism (in absentia, of course), but let us continue down the path to Etruscan liberation.

      Viva l’Etruscanìa!

    • Don November 23, 2010 at 11:13 am with 14 replies

      Eljay, as my first "Etruscanism" supporter, please see incontrovertible, 3,000 year old evidence that the hated Romans drove us out of our ancient homeland...

      link to theinsider.com

      "A lot of what we consider Italian culture today is from the Etruscans," said Greg Warden, an SMU art history professor who is the American scientific director for the exhibit.

      But we Etruscans are willing to make extremely painful compromises for peace. Yes, we are willing to share Rome! If only the "Italians" could learn to put aside their rejectionism.

      As for the "Italians"...don't get me started. There is really no such thing as an "Italian". It is a historical fact that the very idea of Italians as a people, or nation, is quite recent. Hence the ancient expression..."all you Calabrese do the mambo like uh crazy".

  • Put it down and walk away?! (an exchange over BDS, and Israel, between 2 Jewish lawyers)
    • Don November 22, 2010 at 1:29 pm with 2 replies

      Eljay, I cannot tell you how encouraging it is to know there is at least one person who understands that all we fear-scarred Etruscans want is to be like everyone else. If the so-called "Italians" would learn to love their own children more than they hate us, we could indeed become "a dot of spicy, olive-oil green self-determination in a sea of otherwise insipid humanity."

      Say, you don't mind if we adopt that expression as our Etruscanism motto, do you?

    • Don November 22, 2010 at 11:53 am with 5 replies

      Rome...the eternal and undivided capital of the Etruscans!

      Are you liberals denying our historical connection to Rome? Sure, the Italians have been there for a while...but we were there first. And we are coming back, like it or not.

      link to wsu.edu
      "Like the surrounding peoples, the Etruscans were largely an agrarian people, but they also had a strong military, and used that military to dominate all the surrounding peoples. These dominated populations were forced to do the agricultural labor on the Etruscan farms, so the Etruscans had time to devote to commerce and industry. In the seventh and sixth centuries, the Etruscan military had subjugated much of Italy, including Rome, and regions outside of Italy, such as the island of Corsica. "

      (Sorry, sometimes I can't help myself...to quote the great Bugs Bunny)

  • Unfair to Chomsky
  • Does chosen mean unequal?
    • Don October 30, 2010 at 8:25 pm

      Mooser, there is always room for another pizza-bagel place.

    • Don October 30, 2010 at 8:24 pm

      Yes, definitely off topic. Just of personal interest to me. Anyway, I appreciate your replies very much.

    • Don October 30, 2010 at 3:13 pm

      Thanks, Shmuel.

      I would like very much some day to visit the museum. There is a part of this that makes me rather sad, in the sense that many Italian Jews had to flee Italy. I kinda of wish they would move back to Italy. (not because I am anti-Zionist; just that there are so few Jews in Italy.)

    • Don October 30, 2010 at 8:30 am

      Too cool, Shmuel. I am a bit on the Italian side myself...

      You are probably already familiar with this organization (but just in case you are not)...a link to the Jerusalem Italian Jews Association...
      link to jija.org

    • Don October 29, 2010 at 9:22 pm with 8 replies

      Shmuel...just a personal note...as a Catholic whose interest in this conflict stemmed from my interest in Catholic-Jewish conflict and history...your knowledge/awareness of Catholicism is impressive (and appreciated).

    • Don October 29, 2010 at 9:04 pm

      Howard ..."the finer points ofAdam Smith or Karl Marx are quantifiable and can tested and accepted or rejected on their merits."

      Really? That simple? Assuming you are not kidding...perhaps you could enlighten the rest of us?

      If economic theories are not as obtuse as theology...I would say they ARE theological in a very real sense...please provide evidence of your statement.

      In the USA, "capitalism" is much more theology than it is anything else.

  • The art of sucking up
    • Don October 28, 2010 at 10:12 am

      The Art of Sucking Up!

      Fascinating. And pathetic.

      A Jewish intellectual (I guess) sucking up to an Italian American, who is in turn "an absolute master at sucking up". (not to mention an embarrassment to Italian Americans).

      "The witnesses saw Scalia at the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, where he is a member"
      Read more: link to dailycaller.com

      Too bad Mike Royko isn't alive...he could have sent Scalia a membership rejection letter from Chicago's very own "LaSalle Street Rod and Gun Club".

  • The death of a child
    • Don October 23, 2010 at 12:32 pm

      "America knows the face of racism"...well, yes, it certainly does.

      I can only guess, but it strikes me that our ongoing American racism is one of many reasons we can continue to support Israel in spite of Israeli racism.

      Phil often refers to "Jim Crow" in the past tense. No criticism of Phil intended here at all, but just how "past" is Jim Crow? Interesting article in today's NY Times...

      "Smoke and Horrors" by Charles M. Blow
      link to nytimes.com

      From the article...
      "In fact, in her fascinating new book, “The New Jim Crow,” Michelle Alexander argues that the American justice system is being used to create a permanent “undercaste — a lower caste of individuals who are permanently barred by law and custom from mainstream society” and to discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in the same way that Jim Crow laws were once used to discriminate against blacks."

  • Liberal rabbis Lippman and Bachman urge Brooklynites to buy products from Occupied West Bank!
    • Don October 22, 2010 at 11:19 pm

      Cognitive dissonance...
      link to kolotchayeinu.org
      Rabbi Lippmann serves on the Executive Committee and board of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, and on the board of The Shalom Center. In late 2006, she chaired THE FIRST NORTH AMERICAN RABBINIC CONFERENCE ON JUDAISM & HUMAN RIGHTS. She is also on the rabbinic councils of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and Brit Tzedek vShalom.

  • NYT Op-Ed offers tiresome dichotomy of good Zionists vs bad religious settlers
    • Don August 30, 2010 at 5:47 pm with 3 replies

      I keep promising myself I will not post anything here until I actually have a good idea (which strikes me as highly unlikely, so I am breaking that promise).

      On the other hand, why, Richard, do you insist on using words (civilist???) for which I cannot even find definitions on the web. Not, at least, that make any sense in the context you have written. Here is what wiktionary says that "civilist" means...

      civilist (plural civilists)

      1. (obsolete) One who studies or works with the civil law.
      2. (obsolete, theology) One who rejects the moral authority of Christ but who nevertheless adheres to a moral code in line with “civil righteousness” and “good citizenship”.
      3. (obsolete) A statesman, politician, or student of the political sciences.

      I realize this is trivial; but if you actually want to communicate with people...would it not make a little sense to...take the time to use "real words"??

      I don't think Aristotle could make sense out of this sentence...

      "The proposals by civilists (those who rejects the moral authority of Christ) like Avram Burg for the development of civilist (those who study or work with the civil law) non-nationalist party in Israel are lambasted here and elsewhere by untrusting (and divesting) Palestinian solidarity."

      Jeeezus K Rist...get thee to a library and check out a book on grammar.

  • Martin Indyk on the peace process: hoping against hope
  • 'Firedoglake' is progressive-- just don't talk about Palestine
    • Don August 28, 2010 at 2:08 pm

      Hopeless (firedoglake, that is). It seems to me the only way to bring the issue to the forefront among progressives, liberals, etc...would be for people like Galt (and the rest of us) to start leaving posts/messages on other sites...that direct interested individuals to...Mondoweiss.

      The replies directed at Galt are clear enough. Hamsher, Rayne etc simply seem incapable, or unwilling, to look at what is being done to Palestinians (by Israel). It is too emotionally difficult for them. At least that would be my interpretation.

  • Israeli soldier mocks Palestinian prisoners in Facebook photos
    • Don August 16, 2010 at 11:03 am

      "We may and should cut slack to the effect of conflict on a young person's sensitivity and moral standards..."

      Really? Could the same be said for young German soldiers who humiliated Jews during the Nazi era? And if not, why not?

      I have never come across a written statement by anyone suggesting that those young Nazis be given the same "understanding".

  • The back-of-the-envelope history of the Anti-Defamation League
    • Don August 1, 2010 at 4:00 pm

      Nevada Ned "...Mussolini’s fascist regime... toward the end deported Jews to German extermination camps".

      Perhaps you could be so kind as to provide evidence of this? According to Jewish scholars I have come across, there is no extent evidence, for example, that the Italian Army ever handed over, to the Germans, so much as even ONE Jew.

      So where is the historical evidence for your comment?

  • Hitchens rails against Occupation
    • Don July 23, 2010 at 10:22 am

      "our noble efforts to keep the Arabs from stealing our oil, which an otherwise praiseworthy Deity inexplicably located under their desert sands."

      Great point, Keith. What on earth could that Deity have been thinking? Must have been having a bad day.

Showing comments 231 - 201
Page:

Comments are closed.