re:By kalpal, June 9 at 5:43 pm:

I only wondered why Israel does not
forswear accepting any more American aid,
and promise to give back all the loot
we’ve given Israel so far, since you complain that
Israel isn’t dependent on that aid for its existence, and that it’s so distressing for
you proud Israelis that the world has gained this false impression of Israel is an
artificial, unworkable, failed state that couldn’t stand up for long without its
American crutch?

Has Lieberman asked to have her citizenship revoked yet? Is Homeland Security investigating her alleged ties to al Qaeda and Walt Disney yet?

Glenn Beck and the teabaggers want to know!

And finally have we even seen her birth certificate?

Is that why the Arab League, which includes all these countries, proposed to establich full diplomatic relations with Israel in return for a just settlement of the Israel Palestine conflict? Guess who rejected the Saudi peace plan?So much for being bent on destruction.

ALOHA:..... karimguy83 asked to name the countries bent on the destruction of israel… earlier i stated 20+; i could ONLY come up with 15…. there may be more; however, the point is that there is STILL a “state of war” in the region… this should NOT forgive the israeli government’s coninued extremist policies…. just a bit of an excuse and understanding…. the countries in the region are: algeria, bahrain, gaza, iran, kuwait, lebanon, libya, morocco, oman, qatar, saudi arabia, syria, tunesia, u.a.e and yemen… there may be others!

”...the Thomas affair allowed was the repeat incantation of the Holocaust as the excuse for punishing not the Europeans who committed those unspeakable crimes, but rather the Palestinians, who had nothing whatsoever to do with what remains as the greatest moral stain on the history of people claiming to be civilized.”

The real crime was the diversion away from the crime the Israeli commandos committed in international waters, and the “diversion” was to take it out on a woman that spoke what she felt, period!  Whether you agree with her or disagree, last I checked this is America, and as has been pointed out since those 2 ill-fated wars were pushed on this nation - “they hate US for our freedoms”!  Obviously not if you’re telling the European Jews to go back to Poland or Germany where 4,5,6 generations of your ancestors are buried!  Obviously that doesn’t apply if you happen to condemn Israel for it’s apartheid, land grabbing, bullying ways toward the Palestinian people.  And before someone accuses me of anti-semitism, African-Americans were brought to the Americas in chains, thrown into slavery for several hundred years, and when they were “freed” still stayed in the Americas and endured another 150 years of Jim Crow semi-slavery, and brutal treatment - why didn’t they all go back to Africa?  There is a parallel is all I’m saying.

Does Israel have a right to defend Israel, yes.  Do the Palestinians who’ve been forcibly removed from lands they had been living on for generations, and have continued to have those lands and their homes taken, have their freedoms impinged, and their human rights trampled - are they not entitled to the same right of self-determination and defense?

Why is it that the truth of Helens comment is considered offensive and ill considered? Because this issue has no room for truth, only Ideology cleansed pandering to an Apartheid Regime posing as the Chosen ones in a non-homogenized society.

re:By Géza Éder, June 9 at 5:32 pm:

Welcome to the world Americans have been living in since at least the end of
World War II. You write, “I never understood anti-semitism and the Jewish
conspiracy bullshit but this is incredible.” Yeah; it’s really hard to avoid the
conclusion that’s somebody’s conspiring, isn’t it? It’s very sad when you lose
your innocence. Don’t you wish that you could go back to being your former self,
that person who found such conspiracy ideas completely ridiculous and baffling?

Helen’s villification by the White House Press Corp was retribution for Helen’s years of asking the right questions of Presidents that they themselves wouldn’t approach.
She was the only one in the room without knee pads, and when the moment came where they could remove her as the mirror to their conscience, she couldn’t get a more swift admonishment. No more Helen. No more mirrors in the room! Mission accomplished!

“let us not forget that 20+ countries in the region, INCLUDING the hamas lead gaza, want israel DESTROYED.”

Oh great, lets have them fun.Name these countries.

I actually went through the Hungarian mentions of Helen Thomas on google.  All of them, literally *all of them* are about this case (well I may have missed one or two that weren’t).  Noone cared about her before this.  Dozens of online news sites have articles titles “Helen Thomas, the American reporter who sent all Jews to hell has retired”.  I never understood anti-semitism and the Jewish conspiracy bullshit but this is incredible. Noone cared about her before. 

It reminds me of how Intelligent Design books have started to appear on the Science shelves in bookstores all at once a few years ago here.  From one month to the next, we got several ID books next to the Origin of Species in all stores.

Tobysgirl writes:

“I find remarks made in the heat of the moment
far more forgivable no matter what their content
than the daily trumpeting of LIES as truth.”

Well said!

Someone has probably already said this, but I’ll say it again if necessary. Helen Thomas made some ill-considered remarks, for which she apologized. However, our national press publishes and broadcasts PROPAGANDA on a daily basis. This, however, is not a crime which requires apology, this is simply business as usual.

I find remarks made in the heat of the moment far more forgivable no matter what their content than the daily trumpeting of LIES as truth.

There seem to be converging interests in the US relationship with Israel—
military/strategic, indirectly economic, financing of US politicians. These interests
coexist making the situation difficult to sort out in clear terms. Neither country
may have the ideal partner but it’s the only thing they have, and their elected
leaders have no intention to let it go. It’s up to the citizens of both countries to
wake up.

ALOHA:.... imagine for a moment if george w. bush had said the same thing helen thomas said?.... he would be vilified, attacked, tard and feathered…. she deserves ALL of the attention and comments being directed to her…. the impossibility of the situation in israel is that many people just hate the jews and want israel annihilated…. others perceive the palestinians as vicious and violent peoples, as they feel all of the arabs and muslims are… until an integration of what is happening in the middle east is proposed, the israelis will continue their intransigent positions; people need to realize that israel deserves to exist AND the situation with the palestinians NEEDS to be settled and addressed, otherwise, the violence will continue…. let us not forget that 20+ countries in the region, INCLUDING the hamas lead gaza, want israel DESTROYED.

You know what I find most disgusting about this issue?  That there was a pretty big article in a Hungarian “liberal left” paper about this issue.  I mean, noone ever heard of her here, she was never ever mentioned during the Bush years, but when she makes a single mistake about Jews, she’s immediately news.  I wonder if anyone thinks that this helps the cause of Israel and doesn’t only lead to more actual anti-semitism (in addition to the more rational anti-Israel thinking).

It seems simple to me, Israel is run by elites just like the United States, the so called smarty paints people who know what is good for everyone else. 

As bigots love to paint Israel for its Jewishness suggesting all Jewish people look alike and think like Zionists, just like all people of the United States look like George Bush and think like Ingenious Neocons!

As a bigot I love to Lump people together, so Helen is part Lebanese, this can only mean one thing, nothing unless one bigoteizes it by associated, just like saying someone who shop lifts when the News Paper says the shop lifter was a homeless person, or an Ex Marine or an intelligent Republican so all homeless people shop lift as do all ex Marines and intelligent Republicans, (I know intelligent Republicans is an oxymoron) As a card carrying bigot, I love thought by association for it is meat and potatoes or the bigots paradise. 

Bigot defined; an expert on everyone else!

In the interest of taking up the categorical imperative to be a brainiac and base my views on empirical reality, I propose we all get together in support of the position of the current leader of Hezballah, Hassan Nasrallah, and support the creation of a single Palestinian state with equal rights for Jews, Muslims, and Christians, indeed to all its citizens regardless of religious or ethnic identity. I also think we owe him admiration for his organization’s success in kicking the IDF out of Lebanon—another place they don’t belong—not once, but twice.

re:By kalpal, June 9 at 4:59 pm:

Well, kalpal, you are rightfully proud to proclaim that Israel doesn’t need
America’s aid.

There’s such a misconception out there!

It must be very damaging to Israel’s imperial self-regard to know that just
about everyone in the world seems to have gotten the impression that Israel
can’t do without all that largesse from Uncle Sam.

Israel’s politicians could certainly do much to dispel this pernicious impression
by simply refusing to accept a dime of American aid from now on.

They could make their independence even more dramatic by announcing that
they’re going to pay us back for what’s been shelled out so far.

I wonder why they don’t seem to have thought of doing any of this?

Once again, I agree with you Ed. A small amount of sane, thoughtful policy could go a long way to stabilizing a terrible situation.

One of the brainiacs who spread drivel in this thread opines, “It sure is easy to blame Isreal when they couldn’t even
exist without backing from the U.S.”

The USA did not supply any aid to Israel till after the 1967 war. It was in response to the Soviet rearming of the Arab nations that the USA saw its way to react and begin making sure that the Soviets did not manage to establish hegemony in the area.

After the the June war in 1967 the USSR sent 200 MIGs to Egypt within 2 weeks of cessation of hostilities. It was this level of aid that persuaded the Arab League to declare the infamous 3 NO’s. Thus began American governmental support for Israel. It nearly ended in 1973 when Israel kept pushing and looked like it would take Damascus and possibly Cairo. The USA urged Israel to cease and desist any forward movement.

I assume that all of the middle east experts who pontificate on this blog had a least a glimmer of the history of the area but such marvelous brainiacs need not confuse any issues with inconvenient facts that might shed some light on the matter. Having carved in stone a conclusion that Israel is evil and Hamas is just misunderstood & honky dory, why louse it up with history and reality? 

I keep pointing out that the ignorance and arrogance displayed here is heartrending which generates even more arrogance and ignorance from the uneducated twits who know all and understand nothing. Bah humbug! To quote a disgusted British author and one of his characters.

Go ahead brainiacs explain to one and all why your ignorance trumps history and reality?

Re:By The Smash Machine, June 9 at 4:16 pm:

The military “advantage” to the US of Israel is rather circular,
as Israel pretends to protect us from its own enemies,
which would not be our enemies if we didn’t support
Israel so militantly.

(This is also true of non-state enemies like al-Qaeda: Osama bin Laden has
written quite unambiguously of his being moved to hatred of the United States
primarily because of US support for Israel.)

The US would have better access to the oil of the Middle East, at much less
expense, without the impediment of having to support Israel, due to the
domestic political power of pro-Israel fanatics.

In fact, supporters of Israel often complain that Russia and China, for example,
are unwilling to “get tough” on Iran because they want access to Iran’s oil. They
don’t love Israel enough to overlook their oil interests. Even Dick Cheney, in the
late ‘90s, complained about the US government’s hostility towards Iran, a policy
in place because Israel decrees that the US must regard Israel’s rivals as
enemies of the US. Cheney complained about US sanctions against Iran, which
were not good for the oil business, saying our government was too “sanctions-
happy”.

Later Cheney of course joined the pro-Israel neocons and got on board with
the Iraq/Iran war agenda, but that was a matter of “If you can’t beat’em, join
‘em.” The oil industry has made a calculation that Israel will have its wars’, and
so the oil men go along for the ride. They figure if we’re going to invade and
occupy oil-rich countries, well then, of course they want to be there to suck
the oil up from the rubble. But that’s not their first choice. They’d prefer
sweetheart arrangements, like the one they have with Saudi Arabia, which
makes no attempt oppose Israel’s aggressions and territorial grabs and is
consequently off Israel’s hit list—at least for now.

I feel that Ms. Thomas has all the right to express her opinion. What bugs me the most is the way she was treated. Is that the way we should treat our seniors, who have been the most vocal opponents of the current wars and the Palestinian mess (see judge Goldstone and Jimmy Carter)? To me the press felt like a bunch of sharks ready to pounce to get rid of an unconfortable member of the press. It’s just appaling. I hope somebody else will step up and have the guts to ask the right questions all the way up to chain of command.

Thank you Mr. Scheer, it’s nice to see a sane article on Ms. Thomas.

Re: By Ed Harges, June 9 at 3:48 pm
Good point Ed, but given the desire of the U.S. to dominate the region for the purpose of laying claim to it’s natural resources I don’t believe the U.S. is willing to give up what is considered a strong military foothold.

Mr. Scheer,

I have followed your writings since the 1960s, when I was an undergraduate active in civil rights and Vietnam War protests.

Your column on Helen Thomas is a good example of your ongoing work. Thomas made a mistake in what she said and she apologized for it.
 
The criticisms of her are rather bizarre, especially from the White House Correspondents Association.

Why didn’t that association criticize their fellow reporters, many of whom failed to report the awful scheming—by the Bush and Obama administrations—to invade Iraq and Afghanistan?

I guess that is no big deal. But those wars have already left thousands of American soldiers dead and hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and Afghanistan either dead or displaced from their homes. Those wars have already cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars.

But I guess that is no big deal compared to Helen Thomas’s inappropriate remarks about Israel.

The super-ethical White House Correspondents Association would probably vigorously condemn a poor guy who stole two six-packs of Budweiser from a local grocery store. But those “objective” reporters would do little to condemn the real crimes of Wall Street bankers.

We need people like Robert Scheer covering major events, not self-righteous moralists.

Paul

Ofersince72:

“when has America come to any nations aid that wasn’t for economic reasons?”

Indeed, Ofer, US support for Israel is a unique case in which our support for a
foreign government is impervious to considerations of national material interests
and is in fact out of all proportion to any conceivable economic interest. Many
observers have noted the abnormality of this situation. But the fact that it is
anomalous doesn’t mean it’s not happening. If you don’t understand how this can
be so, try reading Mearsheimer and Walt’s book on the Israel lobby, for a start.

Americans don’t like that million dead word mentioned
about Iraq because of the oil….

No, no, no, it was about Freedom and Democracy, it was
just a coincedence that BP got all those oil contracts.

That is exactly my point, Ed,

stand toe to toe with the Isreali apologists now when
that dirty crude word oil is mentioned.

Re:By The Smash Machine, June 9 at 3:35 pm:

Your prediction that the conflict may never be resolved is
reasonable. But for Americans, focusing on the difficulty of
resolving the conflict distracts from the more immediate
concern to the United States, namely, that our government lavishly, militantly
supports one side of the conflict. We can easily resolve the problem, to the extent
that it is a problem for us, by ceasing all support for Israel.

Am I Ed, to bad ,

Has nothing to do with the oil, never did…..nothing does.  Wait until it is all gone over there and see how
much attention Arabs and Jews get.

It sure is easy to blame Isreal when they couldn’t even
exist without backing from the U.S. and when has America
come to any nations aid that wasn’t for economic reasons?

But Americans are good at pointing fingers , down south
to Chavez, Morales, Lugo , Ortega, or the illegally
removed president of Hondurous.
To the Isreali government who we appease every second of
the day.  To any nation that doesn’t tow the American
line…
Us, the US the world’s largest debtor nation by far.
by the way the triva question
When was the last month and year that the United States
pulled a trade suplus.????
Americans don’t want to figure this all plays into the
foreign policy of our lawmakers that don’t pull policy for
Americans, but for the vested interests of Wall Street.

Mutual respect and tolerance? Where religion is involved? Good luck with that. Zero chance of this conflict ending peacefully. Zero.

What do you think the slogan here of “exceptionalism” actually means? Maybe not the “master race” but too close for my comfort and it needs to stop.

I do not believe that God Is in real state business, Jewish people has their story about being chosen. The Quran tells Moslems they are also chosen. People came and left the coastal strip of the Mediterranean many times in history. The invaders either integrate or leave. and Israel wouldn’t be exception. We can work with history towered slow integration, or against history with unknown end and lot of destruction

re:By ofersince72, June 9 at 3:05 pm:

You are the one who is acting like a child,
with your mechanical repetition of pet slogans
about oil being the explanation for everything.

US support for Israel is due to the political power of pro-Israel ideologues who are
absolutely, fanatically sincere in their devotion to Israel, not fronting for some
other interest. US support for Israel is in fact antigonistic to US oil interests; the
two things are in constant tension in US foreign policy.

“’Thomas, of Lebanese ancestry and almost 90, has never been shy about her anti-Israel views,” writes Richard Cohen in The Washington Post’”…and that’s the rub, “anti-Israel views” are something to be shy about - the greater ‘non sequitur reference’ – why indeed, must we start from the assumption that we need be “shy” about such views? And what kind of ‘non sequitur reference’ is it, that she’s “almost 90”? How does that disqualify her opinions on Israel?  “To attribute Thomas’ views on Israel to her Lebanese parents is no less offensive than it would be to suggest that a Jewish reporter”…like Richard Cohen… “cannot be objective”…hmmm, maybe there is something to it, after all. It’s unlikely that anyone ever can be completey “objective” about anything anyway, or even that there is such a thing, so sometimes, you just have to pick sides. So there’s no reason why Thomas should be shy about that, or Cohen either for that matter. What’s really under assault here, as in so many other instances and issues, is free speech. There shouldn’t be any reason for anyone to be “shy” about expressing views that might be “offensive” to someone, somewhere, somehow. Judeo-christian fascists are only part of the problem, politically-correct fascists have constructed so many stringent speech codes to hobble uninhibited expression on many subjects, of which this is only one, that there’s precious little space left for full freedom of speech anymore. Some of these injunctions are de-facto but many have become de-jure in the oppressive and misguided so-called ‘hate speech’ laws adopted by many levels of government; and even more onerous ones at universities which virtually amount to gag orders. Is it any wonder that everyone is so “shy” about saying anything anymore for fear you might somehow unwittingly offend someone or run afoul of some tortured speech prohibition or other, that you may not even be aware of. It’s unfortunate, if Thomas (or anyone) felt somehow pressured into issuing a pro forma apology for something that needs no apology. If her remarks don’t sit well with everyone then that’s for them to dispute, not for her to back down on. 
  “What the Thomas affair allowed was the repeat incantation of the Holocaust”…which itself offers another attempt at suppression of free speech, as this too is taboo to question or revise in any way. ‘Holocaust denial’ becomes a crime rather than just a kooky opinion freely expressed. And now, last week, French Interior minister Brice Hortefeux was fined for racism by a French court for remarks videotaped at a party conference in Sept. about a party member of Algerian origin, “We always need one. It’s when there are lots of them that there are problems.”  Interestingly, the Arab party member he allegedly slurred has publicly defended Hortefeux - who is appealing the decision - in a newspaper interview.
  For Thomas, the “illogical”  and “hysterical” reaction to her comments have resulted in further suppression of her free speech, as Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md.,  canceled Thomas’ scheduled commencement address there next week. Patricia O’Neill, president of Bethesda’s Montgomery County School Board, said she knew of no such previous cancellation, and stated, “You know, one worries about freedom of speech…[but] The biggest concern is this is the kids’ day, and nothing should be a distraction.” Bigger than freedom of speech?! What kind of final, parting lesson is that for the kids?? Oh, well, maybe Thomas can have lunch with Brice Hortefeux instead.

Memo to Cole: Had the founders of the nation state of Israel been “indigenous” to the ME we wouldn’t be having this discussion

What Helen Thomas was awkwardly referring to was the right of return for any Jew, some who have never been there in a thousand years, but the Palestinians, some who have lived there for generations are considered enemy aliens. That is a fact and also the Palestinians are forbidden a right to return by their overlords. So how fair is that? So she was correct but politically incorrect in saying it and said it poorly. Plus she had the added problem of being politically incorrect concerning seeing the truth and getting burned on it by the CMSM. So now they got their reason inflated and ultimately wrong. A sad, dark day indeed.

No, Jews don’t run America, but Christian Zionists do and they want all Jews to convert to be Messianic Jews. [Their way of killing off Judaism and co-opting it into their Christianity.]

And as for “anti-Semitism” Semites live in the region and they are not all Arabs nor Jews but both. So what we really need to be saying in the context of hating Jews because they are Jews is anti-Judaism which would be correct. Since right now it is anti-Semitism on all sides concerning Jews, Arabs and Palestinians. But like the term “American” has been hijacked by those of the USA so has Semitism been hijacked by just one group—-the Jews leaving everyone else out and “on the other side” of them.

Americans want to act like they are in pre school

and pretend this feud is all about religion and the bible

when they know durn well it is about oil…..

And there is a good reason for this….because everyone

of us are guilty as charged for the free oil.  and at

$2.50 to $3.00 it is free oil compared to all those left

to die or live in concentration camps because of the oil!!

Once again now.  Pay attention.  What she said was not wrong.  Maybe someone doesn’t like to hear it, but to say it’s wrong skews conventional wisdom, and defeats any contradictory narrative.

The comments made by Helen Thomas were goofballs, and not unlike many previous commnets made by her.
Those words and her many prvious ones have nothing to do with her “reporting”—they were her personal opinions.

And she got clanged for the overt and narrow minded use of her personal opinions.
Should that reflect on her “reporting” and/or her unique position as defacto head of the White House reporting pool? Maybe not, but her personal opinions were and are objectionable to many but to many others in the anti world they just added to the elevation of her esteem they hold for her. Adding to the mix is the fact that many who clange her would like to overlook her personal view expressions because she has been the ‘grand ol gal’ of the pool for so long.

This cannot be resolved. Nor should it be. Like her, loathe her, forgive her is your choice.

But the facts should better researched by some contributors here. The “indigeous” peoples of that ME area include Jews and others, some of who are now called palistinians. The devision of the lands by the British (who had no particular right to be there other than the right of Imperialistic Empire) came about and was made a declaration i.e. Belfour Document in 1917! The plight of the now Palisitinian people has been a useful tool for the ME nations who want to hate Israel/Jews for whatever mix of reasons they choose—and what better tool is a group of people who also happen to be in and around the area of Isreal! Just keep them discontented and point to Israel, “Israel (and Jews) is your oppressor, not us, we are yor friends, we will reward you”! Why did Arafat not complete the Peace accord almost set in motion by Pres Carter? Was he rewarded or just afraid of becomming redundant?

So the bankers and investors of Wall Street are

going to use Isreal for a tool to try to take over

the oil fields in Iran once again.

Re:By ofersince72, June 9 at 2:31 pm:

You are delusional.
US support for Israel
is due to the political power
of pro-Israel Americans, period.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with US oil interests and is even antithetical to
those interests, as well as to all other material US interests. In fact, pro-Israel
ideologues often complain that oil interests stand in their way, and that US
support for Israel is limited by the US’s greed for oil.

Israel’s partisans are very resentful of the oil-rich countries, because the oil-
rich countries have something that the US actually needs, whereas Israel has
nothing that the US really needs, and pro-Israel intellectuals are constantly
busy trying to manufacture justifications for continuing a “special relationship”
that gives the US nothing but trouble.

It is particularly ridiculous that you suggest that even support of Israel by
Jewish senators and Congressmen is motivated in fact by greed for oil!

The pro-Israel ideologues in the US are very powerful and they are not secretly
motivated by some other agenda. I don’t know how fanatical they have to get
before you realize that these people are quite sincere.

Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton

are not representing the wishes of the citizens of the

United States…. One of the reasons that Barrack Obama

got elected was because he campaigned that the first thing

he would do when he got in office would be to initiate

one on one talks with the president of the Iranian nation.

I has not kept, not even one campaign promise.

I agree with those who believe that Helen Thomas should be given a break for making such objectionable comments regarding Israel and Israelis.  But not because Ms. Thomas is “old.”  Nor because we all have said things we later regret.  I believe she should be spared for the same reason that we spare numerous others on an almost-daily basis:  she is a liberal.

Anyone willing to admit the truth about bigoted comments such as Ms. Thomas’s knows that the sole criterion for obtaining exoneration is whether the offender is a liberal.  Being a liberal is tantamount to holding a lifetime pass to bigotry, slander, treason, and God knows what else.  There is no such thing as accountability for the liberal.  Accountability is applicable to non-liberals only.  Thomas, therefore, should not be forced out of her job.

If given the opportunity, I would like to ask Ms. Thomas if she has held such views for longer than about the last month or so.  If she has, then she is guilty of nothing more than ordinary hypocrisy.  After all, she is not of Native American descent.  And if she had remained true to the principle of occupied-land-is-a-no-no, by now she would have returned all of her earthly possessions to Native America and returned to her homeland in Lebanon.  We can demand that liberals at least practice what they preach.  Do you want the Israelis to leave “Palestine,” Helen?  Right after you leave the U.S., Helen.

If it weren’t for OIL no one would care about
an Arab or a Jew….

and once its gone they won’t,
not even our good ole Jewish lawmakers

Karimguy83,
  Perhaps I was unclear (although I think I was pretty clear). It is indeed a nationalist myth, as are all founding national narratives. So I guess I just need to clarify, I agree with you. So seriously, dude, chill.

globally dispersed in 70CE by Rome”

That is so historically false. If you are against nationalism, why on Earth repeat nationalist myth? In the first century A.D, the Jewish population of Palestine is estimated to be about 1 million, while the estimate of Jews living and thriving in the ``Diaspora`` was around 4 million. If the Romans dispersed the Jews, how come there was another large Jewish revolt in 135 A.D? There was never an exile.It is a myth and a slander, invented by Christians such as Augustinus to prove that Jews were now eternally cursed.It is the antisemitic myth of the eternal wandering Jews, eerily picked up Zionists. The population of Jews around the world has a very simple and a typical religious explanation:conversion and assimilation. What the Romans and the Byzantinians did, was not to force the Jews into exile, but to forbid them from entering Jerusalem. Only with the Muslim conquest in 636 A.D could Jews once again enter Jerusalem.The descendant,as much as that is possible, of the Judeans are the people who call themselves Palestinians.

Helen should have been given an award, not disgraced.

``It is obvious you never heard Golda Meir observe that there will be peace only when the Arabs (now the invented “Palestinians"by Arafat) decide that they love there children more than they hate Jews.”

You are one twisted fuck. Is that why Israel killed 350 children in Gaza, to liberate them from parents who didnt love them enough? I love the part about Arafat inventing Palestinians.Real Genius.

I applaud you for your defense of the great newswoman, Helen Thomas. She has had a remarkable career and deserves to continue it for as long as she physically is able. I am a bit uncomfortable, however, with your defense of Jews remaining in Israel by implicitly endorsing the claim that they see it as “the place they claim as their historical homeland.” This would seem to validate a nationalist/religious, and de facto ethnic, ideology of a state which refuses to delineate its territorial borders. Let’s see, a religious/nationalist state refusing to define it’s borders is just, well, creepy (as eight Turkish nationals and one American/Turk just recently discovered in their last moments). To endorse this “historical homeland” claim not only justifies the existence of a “Jewish” state—which is disturbing enough—but worse it would also suggest endorsement of the claim that as a historical homeland to the Jews—globally dispersed in 70CE by Rome—Jews all over the world now have the right to live in Israel (again, whatever boundaries that religious state may consist of). Indeed more of a right to live in the area than, say, the miserable and oppressed humanity that currently resides in the hellhole of Gaza. Such an endorsement justifies unbounded Israeli/Jewish expansion at the the expense of Palestinians, and of course is ultimately a policy of ethnic cleansing. I would hope that one could validate the continued residency of current Jewish citizens of Israel without having to endorse the Nationalist/racist/expansionist and ultimately murderous ideology upon which the state was founded.

I tell you what,

Ron Paul is starting to look better and better to me.

The United Nations is the most undemocratic institution
ever created, but since the US was instrumental in its
creation it is a no wonder..
In Desert Storm, in order to get their coalition
or whatever that farse was….they paid in money and
weapons to get Turkey, Egypt, Jordon, Syria, Saudi
and others, all with out money.
Same with their little vote yesterday,
12-2, only 14 countries can take part in an action that
is going to effect the rest of the world.
Little dirty behind closed door promises and agreements
Screw the United Nations, the U.S only listens to the
UN when it is within their interests, thumbs their nose
when not.
  Since the UN is not going to be made a democratic
insitution,  I would be more than happy to see Ron Paul
get us out of their.
  All it is , a bullying institution for the IMF AND
the World Bank, and Wall Street investors.

One of the letter writers pointed out that Helen Thomas, in her spoken comments, was referring to the West Bank Jewish settlers who emigrated largely from Germany, Poland and the United States. She is suggesting that they are the ones who should get out of the West Bank and return home.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable proposal to me.

Another typically bad job by the press and by those who so quickly find anti-semitism where it doesn’t exist.

This is why all supporters of Palestinian human rights should steer away from Antisemitism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LtrM8ozFk

“The few sentences uttered by her were, as she quickly acknowledged, wrong—deeply so, I would add.”

So you too rush to judgment, Mr. Scheer.  You have not seen the whole tape, only the part edited by Rabbi whatever his name is - the one who gets a big kick out of smearing Mexicans?

http://www.racewire.org/archives/2010/06/rabbi_who_brought_down_helen_thomas_has_great_mexican_impression.html

Ms. Thomas may well have been referring to the “settlers” of the disputed territories.

The cold war between the Soviet Union and United States
wasn’t any good reason for US agression then or is it
now.
And lets not forget the fallen of the USS Liberty in
1967 another dirty top secret CIA type coverup.

That is the history of our government and the Isreali
government since 1945.
Every thing is a big f…..g secret.
Even oil spills. everything. a big secret, thats what
our government is, one big secret that the public is
never let in on, only funds.

In listening to Ms Thomas’s statement that caused all the controversy, I think that even Mr. Scheer got it wrong.

Ms Thomas’s context for her statement was the Israelis who are currently settleling illegally in the Palestinian West Bank.  Those are the ones that she said to go home, since some of them came from current Poland, Germany and the US, and instead of settleling in Israel, choose to illegally settle in the West Bank.

I see nothing wrong in her statement and I saw nothing for her to apologize for.

But, since the interpretation was made be the MSM instead of asking Ms Thomas to expound on her off the cuff statements, we are doomed once again by the interpretation of the idiotic American mainstream media pundits - from all spectrums of the political scene.

Americans can call
black , white and

white , black,  all day long.

write million different versions
of the history since 1949 or before.

you can’t hide the russian immigration to Isreal in
1967 and how it broke U.N. agreements.

Helen Thomas is an old enemy. She has long tormented those who would abuse their power. She asks too many questions; and makes the mistake of expecting answers, real ones.

The sharpened knives of the backstabbers, the bullets with her name on them, and long filed articles of condemnation, have moldered in drawers and ‘man sized safes’ for many a year - waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Life is wonderful till you weaken, the Scots say. Helen has fought against the darkness and the lies for a lifetime, she has tired, weakened. And so the jackals come.

I also would suggest people look at the number of
Russian Jews that were sent to Isreal in 1967 just
prior to the 1967 war, and see how the Palistinians were
lied to about this Russian immigration of 1967.

Proof if it was needed that the Israeli Lobby/Mafia and its hit men never sleep. It’s also an indictment on an America that has no respect or dignity for time and experience served, unless it’s some geriatric racist politician who more or less dies of heart failure at his desk. America is slowly becoming more and more one-dimensional. It is not only the slavish, genuflecting support for Israel and its racist thugs, but those Americans who are too dumb or too lazy to stop it.

Being a European but working for Americans, hardly a week goes by without some act of stupid viciousness taking place at work. Americans I have noticed can be very hard on each other. Europeans can also be nasty, but their viciousness is somehow softened and embedded in a history and culture that is not 350 years old, but 3000 years old. Germany (the culprit) that had a disgraceful flirtation with fascism has returned to embrace the intellectual, cultural and scientific traditions for which it was famous.

But for Americans the nastiness and chutzpah of the Lobby, with every criticism of Israel being depicted as anti-Semitic, exploits and milks this lack of cultural depth. Political correctness is what counts. Germany of course because of its history can say nothing against the Zionists. But Americans, who are not so restricted, have allowed the propaganda to silence them. That is why the loss of someone like Helen Thomas is a tragedy. Here seat will now be filled by another zombie.

Yes indeed oil interests were fighting for
Middle East oil in the 1930s, agreed,
we had a world war about those resources.

I think reasonable people can agree that any suggestion to remove all Jews from what was once
historical Palestine is immoral,racist and hypocritical and I dont believe that is what Helen Thomas intended to say.It would mean that only an indigenous population,such as the Palestinians,the Zulu,the Aborigines and Maori have the right to live in a particular territory. Since human history is a history of migration,as Europeans can testify, this kind of thought is unacceptable.But living in a particular territory, doesnt mean one has the right to stick to mythological fantasies, which give one group supremacy over another group. Examples include Manifest Destiny and Zionism.

All the noise about Helen Thomas and her comments are a Godsend to the
Israeli Government, their American apologists, and their collective propaganda
as it deflects the headlines away from the real story . . . the international crimes
by Israel against a civilian ship on the high seas and the apartheid policies
against the Palestinians, especially those held hostage in the Gaza strip.
    The press does itself and the American people a severe disservice by never
failing to remind us that Israel has the right to defend itself, something that no
one disputes. This tactic has always been and is a red herring.
    The fact that is rarely reported is that with American tax money and military
support, Israel has perpetuated its policy of apartheid against the Palestinians
for over 40 years. They have denied these people even the basic standard of
living and have more blood on their hands and Unabashed Resolution violations
then Saddam Hussein.
    Israel complains about the 3,000 rickety rockets that the Palestinians have
fired into Southern Israel last year; rockets that have killed less than a dozen
people, but never mention that the Israeli Military killed over 1,000 Palestinians
in just a few short months last year, not to mention the men, women, and
children who die every day from lack of medicines and decent food and shelter.
    It is no wonder that Helen Thomas finally blew her top. The real story should
be why the American people are not blowing their tops over their own
governments support of a racist and murderous Israel that is being funded and
conducted in their own names. Go Helen!

Our latest action:

Loften, not Loftin, is president of Texas A&M.

Sent: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 8:36:42 AM GMT -07:00 US/Canada Mountain
Subject: No ack from professor Christopher Layne

Hello president Loftin,

Professor Christopher Layne,Robert M. Gates Chair in Intelligence and National Security, apparently recieved this email on Thursday May 27, 2010.

I asked ‘Please send me an ack if you get this email.’ 

I tried to phone professor Layne twice but his phone went unanswered.

We need to know whether professor Layne received the email.

Possible consequences of professor Layne not receiving the email could prove serious.

Following links may explain importance of knowing whether professor Layne received the email nor not.

Bilderberg: Green light for attack on Iran.

Alex Jones on WW III.

We would appreciated your help.

Please send an ack if you receive this email.

Thank you.

bill

Links:

‘this email’  http://home.comcast.net/~bpayne37/whitman59/bushschool/bushschool.htm#layne

‘Bilderberg: Green light for attack on Iran’
http://www.prisonplanet.com/bilderberg-2010-final-list-of-participants.html

‘Alex Jones on WW III’
http://home.comcast.net/~bpayne37/whitman59/bushschool/alexjones/wwiii2.mp3

‘bill’
http://home.comcast.net/~bpayne37/csdshop/about.htm

I do not know if Helen hates or dislikes the Jewish people,  but did her comment say so? Helen the bigot who would bring down Israel? 

My respect for Israel as a country has deteriorated over time. Moronic and callused episodes preformed by Israel over the last few years have led me to this assimilation.  I have no beef with the Jews but Israel that is another story!  If France had preformed some of the same atrocious actions as Israel, would I have blamed the French? Of course I would,for bigotry requires the simpleton equation. Wait!  So easy to blame someone if one can pin a name on them, so why not blame the Jew, who the hell wants to work hard performing the anointed special task of bigotry?

So of course the Jewish people all over the world are responsible for the stupid actions of the Leaders of Israel.  Bigotry demands a special mental myopia, allowing the proclamations of nonsense so one can say all Moslem’s are terrorists and all Americans are killers of children and have I have my fleet of flying drones. 

As a Norwegian descendant and a card carrying Sons of Norway Fanatic who attends cult Norwegian meetings where strange things like polkas are preformed, I know things!  As a Norwegian I accept the blame for the the loony presentations of the Nobel Peace Prize over the years, and especially the last one to Obama the war president. This Norwegian action as presenting the Peace Prize on occasion ill repute, one cannot always blame the Swedish (though I think there fingers are all over it)  or even blame the Danish, though something has been portrayed to stink in Denmark.

So as a card carrying bigot it is acceptable and fashionable to blame and say all Jews are responsible for actions of Israel, in the same light as to say, all Catholics are able bodied pedophiles and all Americans are killers of children.

Boy bigotry is so much easer than thinking!

As a naturalized citizen of the USA since February 1971 and a disabled veteran of the US army, I will tell you that the amount of ignorance, arrogance and hatred to be found in this thread is truly alarming.

The USA did not supply Israel with any arms or funds till it became obvious in 1967 that the Soviets were making a play for hegemony in the region. (Some of you may own a dictionary.) The Soviet actions exacerbated the problems and helped create the current situation. Neither the USA nor Great Britain were particularly supportive of Israel in its early years. The Soviets started out as supportive but found greater fields to plow in the Arab world. Originally Fatah was communist in its leanings since it was funded by the Soviets and their client states. Fatah even allowed women to join its forces till it became Muslim and women were returned to their role of being prone or supine as the male wished it.

Those of you who imagine that Hamas is benevolent in any aspect know nothing of Hamas. Fatah has been until recently a mafia of thieves who were so corrupt that Hamas seemed like good guys in comparison. These days Sayyad is trying to rebuild the west bank and create some economic opprtunity. I hope he succeeds. Hamas has become a murderous gang and has little chance of being anything other than what Iran wants it to be.

W&D:
Get your facts straight!  I love how non-Jews think THEY get to define who is a Jew and who isn’t.  They always have, especially when it came time to send them Auschwitz.

I also love the idea that Jews born in Israel don’t belong there or have a right to live there, but Palestinians who were NOT born in Israel DO have a right to live there.

Can someone please explain that to me, an American who believes in the fundamental Constitutional law that if you are born here, REGARDLESS of how your parents got here, legally or illegally, YOU ARE AMERICAN!, how this does NOT somehow apply in the case of Jews born in Israel?

Again and again and again I point out the double-standard that the Israel haters apply with happy hypocrisy.

I’m not talking about the valid criticisms of this religious fanatic anti-democratic government currently running Israel into destruction and violating EVERYTHING Jews have stood up for over the years.

I’m talking about this wipe-‘em-out mentality that makes EVERY Jew, from a Robert Scheer to a loony Torah Orthodox panic and worry that the next pogrom, the next Holocaust, is right around the corner.

Actually, EH got it right—Helen Thomas is an old lady who snapped and said the most hurtful thing she could.  I appreciate her apology and hope she has a peaceful and pleasant retirement.

It takes only a blink of an eye to see that a human cannot be neurologicly an antisemite, antishemite, antislavic, antigermanic, antiamerican, etc.

One can be solely anti what these and other peoples do; that wld also including the perception and belief what these peoples do.

Thus, the nonshemitic ashkenazim can be only against what russians did or thought to have done to the khazaro-slavics-caucasians.

All one has to do is take look at this people to determine they don’t look like shemites. Their angular faces; eyes turned in suggest they are composed of armenians, ossetians, poles, russians, and other peoples from caspian sea area.
Most of these people have thin angular faces with long hooked noses.

The shemites also have much darker skins!

However, scheer does not say that ashkenazim belittle ?all other peoples and do them harm whenever they think they’d get away with.

And pal’ns, syrians, iraqis, afghanis, some lebanese, et al wld testify that.

Scheer, being privately-paid collumnist, does the usual job: never present and enlightenment but always a mystory.
That’s what all privately-owned journalists do! tnx

Most of the facts you rely on are simply false.
The state of Israel was created after the holocaust but not because of it. The first proposal for partition of Palestine under British mandate was made by the Phil comity in 1936 - 3 years before WW2.
The map of the first partition proposal and all the ones that followed (all accepted by the Jews and turned down by the Arabs) was based on the population concentration of the two people - Arab land where there was an Arab majority and Jewish land where there was a Jewish majority.
When american supporters of Israel or rather zionism are willing to give up their homes to poor native american families without expecting compensation, I’ll give their arguments in support of the Israeli “democracy” validity. not a theocracy? um…the star of david is on the flag homey.

Helen Thomas spoke in conversational shorthand but I thought it was clear
what she meant until the press, including this Truthdig piece, recast her
meaning in simple-minded inaccurate terms.

In the interview, her first point about Palestine was, ‘They are occupied.’  This
clearly referred to Palestinians in occupied territories threatened with
displacement.  She then went on to point out that the Jews who are doing the
displacing arrived recently from other countries that they called ‘home.’  All this
was implicit in her few words, but the implication goes much further. 

The fact that German and Polish Jews were removed from countries they had
every right to call ‘home’ to a faraway territory that happened to be valuable
and belong to someone else, falls into a pattern that is highly suspicious. It is
not racist or bigoted to point out, as historians and scholars often do, that the
removal of unwanted populations to land belonging to others qualifies as
‘empire building’ rather than ‘saving lives.’  It is also a time-honored way to
‘cleanse’ your own nation.  In other words, in addition to ‘empire building’ in
the middle east, the removal of Jews from Germany and Poland might fairly be
called a crime in and of itself. 

Helen Thomas is suggesting all this, and there are only two reasons her
statements are being condemned by elements of our society:  To deny the
Palestinian holocaust occurring as we speak, and so that the removal of Jews
from their homelands in Europe will never be viewed with the horror and
insight it deserves.

It is possible that the H. Thomas incident will greatly add to the mounting
evidence that there’s something terribly wrong with Israel and the US involvement. This was no small thing: an experienced journalist publicly expressing her frustration about the lies and contradictions she’s heard over time, and doing this right in the White House.  Nobel Prize?

She is OK, in great shape for her age, and no Alzheimer’s (as some would wish.)

I was appalled to read Helen Thomas’s comments about Israel and Jews.  As a Jew I
was particularly stunned by the “go back to Poland and Germany” comments,
countries that murdered 95% or more of their Jewish populations.  But instead of
using this as a moment to explore the issues of Israel and the Palestinians, the
reasonable and unreasonable claims and actions by both sides, everyone has gone
on the personal attack.  Thomas has been vilified and essentially drummed out of
her work.  Disagree with her position, strongly condemn her intemperate
language, but discuss.  Thomas has had a long journalistic career, setting
examples for women in general and journalists in particular how not to kowtow to
insider White House news spins.  She said something stupid and ugly and
unforgivable to many, but the reaction feels like a gang bang.

Some people say we should boycott,
divest from, and sanction Israel.
But before we even consider
such measures, we Americans should do
the most obvious thing of all: stop actively subsidizing Israel!

That one step, by itself, would be the answer to my prayers. Even if it failed to
change Israel’s behavior, it would remove the “Made in USA” label that’s stamped
on every turd issuing from Israel’s fetid fundament.

What the Jews have been doing to the Palestinians
is no different from what the Europeans did to the Native Americans.
It doesn’t offend me when a Native American tells me
he or she wishes all of us Anglos would go back to Europe
where we came from. I understand their feelings at the
injustice of Europeans taking their land away, destroying
their culture, violating all the treaties and placing them
on ‘‘reservations.’’ I don’t think people of color will ever
get a fair shake from the whites who dominate the power
structures. Someday, the chickens will come home to roost
for Israel.

Thank you, thank Mr Sheer, for a really well written
report that offers some balance to the barrage of
hysteria about Helen Thomas.

I completely agree and I think it shows the fallacy
of the freedom of the press and the freedom to have
an opinion in this country. There are literally
thousands of well-publicized comments broadcast by
pundits on a daily basis that cause serious offense
(and even have dangerous consequences such as in the
case of anti-abortionists: the murder of a doctor),
but nothing much happens with these people.

In America it has become a virtual ‘crime’ to speak
out against Israel and social pressure to support
Israel regardless of its treatment of the
Palestinians is enormous and reaches up to the
highest levels. Top professors have lost tenure for
speaking out against Israel. People are accused on a
daily basis of being anti-Semitic, or even self-
hating Jews. No-one with any authority or in any
position of influence is permitted to speak their
mind without some form of punishment. This is clearly
wrong. On the other hand, on a daily basis,
outrageous comments and judgments are permitted
against China, Palestine, Russia, Iran and North
Korea, no matter how offensive or untruthful those
comments may be.

Finally, I’m so tired of the fact that Israel and its
supporters can get away with anything, because of the
appalling holocaust. Although its patently absurd to
suggest that Israelis ‘return’ to Poland or Germany
(why didn’t people just laugh at the absurdity of
such a comment?), there is truth that Israel’s
creation has been a disaster for most people in the
Middle East (not least of all the Israelis).

The hatred that many Arabs feel for Israel is not
just pie in the sky - there are genuinely justified
reasons for this hatred, but no one deals with this
logically, only militarily which only fuels more
hatred.

Dear Patri,
the reason I put that sentence in quotation marks is because it wasnt my quote.If you didnt notice, i was making fun of it.

I agree with Helen Thomas!  I grew up in a Jewish family and I think Israel should be kicked out of the Middle East for being a horrible neighbor.  They are violent and cruel. I’ve been sick of that country since the bombing of Lebanon, then Gaza then the flotilla.  It’s a mystery to me that people don’t hold that tiny country accountable for the awful things they do.

re:By Patri, June 9 at 11:46 am”

Karimguy was kidding; it was sarcasm. He was making fun of those who would
say that Sheer’s defense of Thomas is anti-Semitic.

Ed Harges (6/9/10, 10:13 am & 11:22 am) is right./
      The Israeli military attack on and occupation of a civilian supply ship (the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara,) carrying non-military supplies, in international waters resulted in nine deaths on May 30, 2010. That cannot be read as anything except a brutal attempt by Israel to intimidate anyone who dares question its military supremacy, even by those attempting humanitarian efforts on behalf of deprived residents of occupied Palestine. Violence and innocent civilian casualties were a foreseeable if not inevitable consequence of Israel’s armed commando raid on the ship./
      It accomplished nothing except to strengthen the conclusion that the Israeli Government is dominated by extremist, militarist factions who resort easily, if not proudly, with military domination and (ever expanding) occupation of deprived civilian populations. Is Prime Minister Netanyahu determined to confirm the growing impression, if not the reality, that Israel is becoming a terrorist, outlaw state that acts only to advance its most extreme ambitions, like the biggest bully in the neighborhood, regardless of the destructive and inhumane consequences?/
      Intolerant and militant religious extremists, having taken over the Israeli Government, seem determined to transform Israel from a friend of western democracies and an ally of the U.S., into the most pervasive, persistent threat to our (and world) peace and security./
      Unless it prefers to exist in permanent armed conflict with and occupation of Palestine, Israel should adhere to international law and the spirit if not the letter of U.N. resolutions. Having been created by taking land from innocent endogenous peoples who had nothing to do with the holocaust that prompted its formation, Israel should recognize that reality, accept the consequences, and be willing to compromise with and make fair compensation to those whose ancestors were disposed—for the sake of fairness and peace.

Karimguy83, you need to get yourself a dictionary and a guide to help you see things as they really are.

You say, “The lengths Scheer and the commenters on this site go to justify their anti-semitism is disturbing.”  However, you need to check your own anti-semitism.  Yes, you are an anti-semite.  Look up the word semite.  You will see that it includes ANY MIDDLE EASTERN INDIVIDUAL WHO SPEAKS, AMONG OTHER LANGUAGES, ARABIC AND HEBREW.  The commenters here are not anti-semitics.  They are anti-occupation, anti-persecution, anti-theft, anti-bullying, and anti-muzzling of courageous, true investigative journalists who dare to ask the right questions and expose the wrongs that are being committed for the purpose of Zionism.

Helen Thomas’ remarks are entirely appropriate when you consider how Israel and the US behave on the world stage.  But of course, there are many nations and vast numbers of human beings who are now entirely out of touch with their own humanity and behaving like fools or lunatics when you consider that we should all by now be living in an age of enlightenment.  I suggest you consider the following:
http://www.gpln.com/israel.htm

To: ofersince72

I’m glad you’re such a stern critic of Israel,
but you imagine that Israel is an economic asset to the US,
and that the US will “drop Israel like a hot potato” the second this usefulness
ends.

That is false. Israel has for a long time been a net liability to the US with respect
to every objective material interest, including oil interests.

Israel’s power over the US government is entirely due to the political power of
pro-Israel Americans, whose motivations are ideologically pro-Israel per se,
not a front for oil interests or for any other material US interests.

Once again we learn how risky it is to go with a first draft.

This article of Robert Scheer should be voted as the most sensible and relevant piece of the decade on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Thank you Robert Scheer for a wonderful perspective!

And thank you Helen Thomas for being a warrior for truth and justice and for speaking truth to “crooked” power all these years!

Same thing with all of our great Jewish lawmakers on
Capitol Hill,  once the resources run out in the
Middle East, they too will drop Isreal like a hot potato.e
and won’t care how many innocent jews get hung out on
posts,
They will just get their rich buddies out of harms way
and let history take its course once again.