Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 8 (since 2009-12-05 17:24:19)

John Douglas

Retired philosophy prof. Writer. Once in the business of Christian travel to Israel/Holy Land.

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• 'Death of a Salesman' came out of an intermarriage
  • John Douglas May 8, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    Philip,
    Thanks for great thoughts about Miller's masterpiece. I recall seeing it while in grad school and the guy I was with said as we were leaving something like, "I think I have a clue about how the Greeks felt after seeing a tragedy." His father, like mine, was a salesman, but that's not in any way an advantage as the themes are so universal.
    I taught the play for years in Intro to Philosophy relating it to Marx's early ideas about alienation: from labor, self, others and nature. It fit perfectly though I doubt Miller intended it.
    You are a great writer!

    John Mullen

• My spirit is American (a religious manifesto)
  • John Douglas April 2, 2012 at 11:48 am

    One of the most heartfelt and beautiful tributes to the America that good people seek that I have ever read. Thank you, Phil

    John Mullen

• Dershowitz wants MJ Rosenberg fired for daring to stop Iran war push
  • John Douglas February 28, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    M.J. Rosenberg is a courageous man. Imagine the pressure he's under. I salute him.

    If I were forced to come with an alternative to "Israel Firster" to describe the likes of Dersh (and don't forget Senators Leiberman and Casey) I'd consider "Israel Onlyers".

• 'Tablet' says writers who talk about Israel Firsters are channeling Hitler
  • John Douglas January 27, 2012 at 4:24 pm

    As a former logic prof, I like to spot patterns of reasoning. Here's one:
    Critic A (of Likud policies) states "X" or uses the phrase "Y".
    Past antisemites have stated "X" or used the phrase "Y"
    Therefore: Critic A is an antisemite

    Recall Dershowitz's minions culling antisemitic websites to find ideas or words that Walt and Mearsheimer had stated or used. Ackerman links to an article that dredged up earlier uses by antisemites of "Israel firster" so Philip Weiss will be convinced never to use the phrase. Do I dare announce that I'm hungry? It's surely a stock pronouncement of David Duke. My goodness, I'd be channeling David Duke!

    The logical fallacy of evaluating an idea by its "pedigree" (as Ackerman put it) appears in every logic text and will be easily spotted by any freshman logic student.

• Thank you!
  • John Douglas December 29, 2011 at 4:00 pm

    Congratulations Philip and Adam. Even more, thanks for your great work and your human spirit. There's nothing like mondweiss.

    John Mullen

• Welcome Annie Robbins as Writer at Large
  • John Douglas December 5, 2011 at 9:57 pm with 1 replies

    Welcome Annie,

    I've been really impressed with your writing and insights. It's great to know you'll be writing more for Mondowesiss.

    John

• 'If Rosa Parks could have called a press conference it would have looked like this'
  • John Douglas November 16, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    Thanks, Annie.

    You are wonderful and these young people are so incrediblt brave! It is very inspiring.

• 'NYT' correspondent in Israel is 'thoroughly Israeli'
  • John Douglas December 5, 2009 at 6:26 pm with 5 replies

    I'm not so much concerned with reporters from the countries they report on. I am concerned with U.S. government foreign policy and military decision makers who hold citizenship in additional countries. Does anyone know how many G. W. Bush and/or Barack Obama advisors and decision makers hold Israeli citizenship?

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