Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 3 (since 2010-02-18 22:12:14)

John K

U.S. citizen, Brooklynite, interested in cutting through dissimulation in discussions of U.S. foreign policy; also thinking about identity, empathy, and bikes.

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  • Wiesel should stop offering celestial prescriptions for a city he doesn't live in
    • John K April 23, 2010 at 12:44 am with 5 replies

      Can an affluent individual who backs the position of the Sheikh Jarrah activists (i.e., the reality-based community) pay to get this letter in equivalent full-page ads in the Wash. Post, the NYT, etc.?

      This needs to be read outside the confines of people who already agree with the letter. Though it's riveting to read it all the same.

  • You be the judge
    • John K March 2, 2010 at 7:07 pm

      This Ethan Bronner article isn't an example of bias, though the beginning of the story appears that way. Maybe that's important, I admit, as lots of people only read the first few grafs. But Bronner gives the "kicker" (last paragraph) to a Palestinian who speaks poignantly:

      'I want my grandchildren to play soccer with the mayor’s grandchildren,' he said. 'But when he goes home to sleep at night, he rests calmly knowing no one is going to take his home. I don’t have that comfort. I am not against history, but what is more important, history or my home?'

      The real problematic stories from Bronner are when he relies almost exclusively on Israeli sources. I've seen this a number of times, particularly when it involves diplomatic maneuvering. Fine, quote Israeli officials, but quote the Palestinian officials whose people are going to be impacted greatly by what the Israelis are considering! I don't have time to gather the stories right now, but I hope to.

  • Keller and Karsh--the 'Times' kennels the dogs of war
    • John K March 2, 2010 at 1:47 pm

      I'm not going to defend Efraim Karsh, who's a dissembling propagandist, but in terms of the appearance of Karsh's NYT op-ed, Bill Keller shouldn't be the target of your ire. It should be the editors of the Times op-ed page, who I think know better than to print such hokum. The NYT is like a bunch of little fiefdoms, which operate with lots of independence.

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