My provocative statement concerning the left and Jews is not going over well with some. My follow up considering Nordlinger’s position is still being considered by me, but there are very simple steps that the left can do to prove me wrong right away:
- Condemn the rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel that led to the current war.
- Condemn groups within their own coalition that call for the destruction of Israel
- Condemn groups that call for the death of Jews
- Exclude groups from “anti-war” marches that call for either the destruction of Israel or the murder of Jews
- On left leaning blogs comment condemning those who call for either the death of Jews, the destruction of Israel or advocate violence against the Jews. I don’t call for banning such commentators unless such statements contravene the particular blog’s guidelines. Speech whenever possible should be answered with speech.
- This must be done in the same public manor and with the same volume that you condemn Israel, Bush or America.
If the left can do this then that would certainly prove me wrong. I would be delighted to see it. A great example of this on the right is at Little Green Footballs which has taken an awful lot of grief for rejecting any alliance with Vlaams Belang even to combat Jihad.
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I don’t have to “prove” anything. Your previous statement alluding that those who oppose the Israeli military action or who are critical of the actions of the Israeli government have a goal of “dead Jews” is simply amazingly incorrect. You’ve met my wife and I personally and you are quite aware that we both think the Israeli military action is wrong. Do you really think that we have a goal of “dead Jews”????
One additional note, a trend in your blog is to act as though there is a monolith known as “The Left” that takes single positions and issue them like the Pope issuing an edict. I’m curious do you every actually read blogs that are “differently winged”, I mean besides specific posts pointed to by many of the conservative blogs that you reference?
I actually read a lot of different blogs left and right, Think progress and the Reclusive Leftist come instantly to mind.
I do not believe that you or your wife have a goal of dead Jews. I think very highly of you both and look forward to seeing you both later this month. You are likely correct that my sweeping generalization (like most sweeping generalizations) was not prudent or correct. I’m leaning more and more toward the Nordlinger view along that line.
That being said what do we see at public marches? What do we see at protests? Why are the public protests filled with venom? This was not always so on the left. This has changed during our lifetime. And it has changed to the point where to give one example from an “anti-war” protest in San Francisco a banner can be carried saying “We support our troops when they shoot their officers.” without an issue. Think of it. This banner was not considered so inflammatory by those who organized the march that they tried to either suppress it or disavow it. That is amazing.
In my updates to my original post I linked to example after example of the embrace of extermination of Jews, impudent words on my part or no that is incredible and these are protests in the United states and western countries!
I maintain that the selective outrage of the left when it comes to Israel is at best a quite curious indifference and at worst an extension of world’s long irrational history of hatred of the Jews. There are legitimate arguments in favor of a Palestinian state, there are also legitimate arguments to be made in favor of for example Israel removing itself from the west bank. I disagreed with the move out of Gaza but that has in my opinion proven to be a good long term move, even with the Rockets. Those arguments are not being made. It has been replaced by polemics calling for death and destruction. What’s worse that has become the norm.
A great example of this dichotomy is Fred Phelps He is the idiot who visits the funerals of soldiers and proclaims loudly in his words: “God hates fags”. On the right Phelps is derided and insulted and rightly so he should be rejected and publicly too. I am not aware of any mainstream voice of the right that supports him and you can find post after post on conservative sites decrying him. That doesn’t even touch on the religious nonsense part of it.
Why is it so hard for the left to do the same for such voices within their groups? Why can’t we hear this loudly? Why can’t it be said? Why is it so hard to just say: “I don’t support this, these guys are loonies.” Is it such an unreasonable thing to ask?
If the sane voices on the left don’t speak out all that will be heard will be the loonies. If all we hear are the loonies what should we think?